Buying an Import? Should i be worried??

[Scubaregs]

Trot away briskly, too many red flags, it's like a communists rally.

[iborguk]

10 minutes ago, Paul P said:

my assumption is cat n happened since import (who would know if there is such a thing in Japan or if it would travel with the car)  - so a dealer in import cars and specialist performance cars put an insurance claim through for a damaged wheel - and that was an uneconomical repair?

mileage doesn't add up

interior doesn't add up

whilst not unreasonably priced, it's also not 50 quid 

maybe I am risk averse but is it  that much cheaper than many others?, is it that much better ?, is it really that low a mileage  ( who knows where that mileage figure comes from - is that just a config to switch odometer to miles from km or is that a replacement/reengineered cluster etc.)

for me it's not only no, its f!!! no

 

^All this^ Better options out there.

[Sammysmiths]

So, I went to see the car and I got my detective skills completely wrong. It’s a UK car and original. The car with a tan interior was a library pic his wife had posted on Fb before she got the car. Coincidentally my wife really wanted to buy it several years ago when she went to pick up a Z4 she’d bought, and this Boxster was in the corner of the showroom. Anyway, it has been previously written off ( non structural). I’ve seen photos of minor wheel and suspension damage. The history was  lost when the insurance took it, but there is internet history of MOTs from Porsche dealerships in Cambridge all the way through until the present local owners. To cut a long story short, I’ve bought it. I’ve checked everything by going by the buying guides on this forum. It’s got new disks and pads and new Bridgestone Potenzas. Exhaust hangers and bolts have been done. I’ve only had to part with £2200 after selling my classic Beetle, which has doubled in money since I bought it. It’s a weekend car. It will be garaged all the time, and driven enthusiastically at weekends on our beautiful country roads. . Sorry for ignoring advice from everyone who has taken time to respond. I hope to prove it was a good purchase and won’t let me down. Eyes wide open from now on. I lead with my heart and not my head. 

Edited May 18, 2021 by Sammysmiths

[Scubaregs]

OP: Starts thread asking if should be worried about buying a particular car.

Everyone: "Yes"

OP: Buys said car.

😂

 

[Mattman42]

6 minutes ago, Sammysmiths said:

So, I went to see the car and I got my detective skills completely wrong. It’s a UK car and original. The car with a tan interior was a library pic his wife had posted on Fb before she got the car. Coincidentally my wife really wanted to buy it several years ago when she went to pick up a Z4 she’d bought, and this Boxster was in the corner of the showroom. Anyway, it has been previously written off ( non structural). I’ve seen photos of minor wheel and suspension damage. The history was  lost when the insurance took it, but there is internet history of MOTs from Porsche dealerships in Cambridge all the way through until the present local owners. To cut a long story short, I’ve bought it. I’ve checked everything by going by the buying guides on this forum. It’s got new disks and pads and new Bridgestone Potenzas. Exhaust hangers and bolts have been done. I’ve only had to part with £2200 after selling my classic Beetle, which has doubled in money since I bought it. It’s a weekend car. It will be garaged all the time, and driven enthusiastically at weekends on our beautiful country roads. . Sorry for ignoring advice from everyone who has taken time to respond. I hope to prove it was a good purchase and won’t let me down. Eyes wide open from now on. I lead with my heart and not my head. 

Fair play and good luck with the new car, hope you both get lots of enjoyment out of it as they are great cars 😎

[Menoporsche]

11 minutes ago, Scubaregs said:

OP: Starts thread asking if should be worried about buying a particular car.

Everyone: "Yes"

OP: Buys said car.

😂

 

Strictly, it was OP starts thread asking if he should be worried about buying an import.

Everyone: "Yes"

OP: It's OK it wasn't an import so I bought it 👍

 

Good stuff   keep us informed.

[myfirstboxster]

Naysayers 0 - OP 1 

[Paul P]

5 minutes ago, myfirstboxster said:

Naysayers 0 - OP 1 

Except that it’s not an import, hasn’t changed colour and hasn’t got variable mileage and the cat N was suspension as well as wheel then yup.  You’re right. 

[Paul P]

OP  - enjoy the car.  Hope it brings you  lots of pleasure.  

[McDonald]

Sammysmiths, your beetle was lovely but for sheer driving pleasure the Boxster is a whole different deal. Enjoy it.

[iborguk]

@SammysmithsAs others have said, I hope it works out and enjoy the car.

You asked for opinions , doesn't mean you have to listen to them and you certainly didn't dither on the car.

 

[Sammysmiths]

Thanks everyone. I knew I was putting myself in the firing line buying it after everyone’s advice. I’d like to know why so few cars are white so will be doing some research and maintenance I can do at home to keep her spic n span.

[Paul P]

7 minutes ago, Sammysmiths said:

Thanks everyone. I knew I was putting myself in the firing line buying it after everyone’s advice. I’d like to know why so few cars are white so will be doing some research and maintenance I can do at home to keep her spic n span.

and white suits the 987.  There’s one near me that’s wrapped white.  Looks good. 
 

and help and useful tips are almost as plentiful as opinions on here. 
 

Good luck.  

[minimoog]

11 hours ago, Sammysmiths said:

I’d like to know why so few cars are white.

Presumably because a majority think they look better in other colours, but that shouldn't matter if you like it.

[mark-yorkshire]

11 hours ago, Sammysmiths said:

Thanks everyone. I knew I was putting myself in the firing line buying it after everyone’s advice. I’d like to know why so few cars are white so will be doing some research and maintenance I can do at home to keep her spic n span.

For many years white cars were unpopular and only became in favour again after the financial crash as buyers became more careful with their cash and saved money by not spending £600 plus on metallic paint. Spyders and the Cayman R were however always popular in white as they looked so good. 

[Mattman42]

11 minutes ago, mark-yorkshire said:

For many years white cars were unpopular and only became in favour again after the financial crash as buyers became more careful with their cash and saved money by not spending £600 plus on metallic paint. Spyders and the Cayman R were however always popular in white as they looked so good. 

It was when white became one of the only 2 or 3 colours (typically Solid White, Solid Black and sometimes Solid Red) that were no extra charge for a lot of cars, especially for fleets and leases which drove the spike

[Roger C]

Cat N on a 2k car....yeah ok then, after all its easy to rack up 2k if you need new bumpers etc.

Cat N on a 10k car... no thanks, thats a fair bit of damage to cost over 10k in repairs even at Porsche prices.

 

However, saying that, it does look a beauty and if it was me, I still would have probably bought it..lol

[DaveEFI]

On 5/18/2021 at 11:42 AM, Sammysmiths said:

Thanks all. It is cheaper than other UK models ive seen.

Price is £9,500 ish,

2.7 987 white with blue roof and interior

53k mileage

service History (maybe not Porsche specialist-ive not seen it yet) the seller owns his own performance car sales.

One key, plus 2 small keys

19" lobster claws, refurbed

New Bridgestone tyres, disks and pads.

Same owner since import 2 years ago ( i think-i'll check when i view the car later today.)

I traded in my 05 two years ago for a 987.2 PDK. It was two owner, 35000 miles, high spec and near mint apart from a couple of dings. But a Tip. Got £10k for it.

[Sammysmiths]

Update 2 years later after purchasing the car which is UK and had minor Cat C damage. I retraced 9 MOT's and servicings through the Porsche network and bought a new Porsche folder pack and service book. I sent the book away to all of the OPC and rebuilt the service history and it has been maintained by my local specialist Porsche indy ever since. 

It has required 2 new shocks due to leaking and new AC condensers, which are common i believe. The car has been faultless and has been a pleasure to own and drive ever since i bought it. Ive done a few custom bits to personalise it to my own liking. New SS exhaust and decals on the outside. Other than that, its been awesome. I do have an itch for a 997 but that will have to wait. Im keeping the Boxster for the foreseeable future. 

[Menoporsche]

Never trust those Cat C cars. One evening the ECU went completely nuts and opened absolutely everything.  In a few weeks those of you with calendars will see. Lucky it wasn't at night during a rainstorm. 

[nelmo]

It does make you think about looking more seriously at Cat N/S cars. When I was looking, I didn't even look at the ad if it said that on it - might have missed a bargain (or dodged a bullet, I guess). But with cars being written off so easily these days, I feel that bargains are more likely.

[Mattman42]

19 minutes ago, nelmo said:

It does make you think about looking more seriously at Cat N/S cars. When I was looking, I didn't even look at the ad if it said that on it - might have missed a bargain (or dodged a bullet, I guess). But with cars being written off so easily these days, I feel that bargains are more likely.

But equally becomes more difficult to sell on for exactly that reason - there are enough of them on the market that you don't have to by a cat registered car.

[brillomaster]

i managed to do an in and out with a CAT N car... bought 70,000 mile CAT N 986 S for £6k 3 years ago, had it two years and put 5,000 miles on it, and then sold it on for £5k. Definitely a harder sell than it would have been otherwise, it was a great car in a rare colour but really not much interest. One guy came and had a look, went so far as to get a magnet out to see which bits were filler, but decided the car wasn't for him.

in the end it eventually sold to someone who i honestly don't think cared that it was a CAT N, and just saw a cheap car for some summer fun. they since sold it on themselves about 5 months later.

i dont think i'd buy a CAT N car again, i think it seriously limits your ability to sell it on. my current car is a clean 987S - slightly high miles, but i have the service history to show its been well looked after.

[Freeman]

On 5/18/2021 at 11:14 AM, Desiro said:

It would have to be very cheap for me to even get near it with a barge pole.

Why?

I have been infected with a bug and feels that I want to own a Corvette, most if not all are import. What is the problem? Please explain.

Thanks

[Nobbie]

36 minutes ago, Freeman said:

Why?

I have been infected with a bug and feels that I want to own a Corvette, most if not all are import. What is the problem? Please explain.

Thanks

I think the issue will be the potential loss of history when you import a car. Once imported, it’s given a new identity, so details of insurance status may be lost. There were a lot of flood damaged cars after the tsunami in Japan and I wonder if many found their way abroad? This uncertainty results in a discount against a U.K. car.

Different with the Corvette as I assume most will be imports so no U.K. cars to compare against plus the LHD thing.