Dont give up......just find the correct car

 

sadly i agree looking at another brand too for my next car

i love the porsches -- but the IMS bothers me a lot (as does the lack of nice sunroof)

the C4S i lust after makes less sense after an S5 testdrive

 

I too am in Canada and wanted to purchase a used Porsche through a US dealer. After getting over my initial fears about the process...I settled on looking for the perfect car for me. I found it in California (I'm in BC), drove down one weekend, did the test drive, met the dealer staff (they helped me out a lot), and did the purchase. While I was there I took advantage of getting the car CPO'd, and the tech staff changed the display readout on the dash to KMs / degrees C for me so that things would flow smoothly for the RIV process on this side of the border.

In summation...don't be afraid. Just use your head, look at things carefully, and try to get as perfect (with the options you'd like) a car for yourself as you can.

Once my dream ride arrives here at home (it's in the process of getting transported from CA now), then I'll do a write up to let everyone know how it went, who I used for all the processes (customs, enclosed carrier, dealership, etc).

Good luck with your purchase...and this forum is great, everyone is very helpful, and there's tons of info here about what to look out for.

 

It's also very important to remember that the great majority of these cars run strongly and reliably for the whole of their lives with few or no troubles whatsoever, have never been tampered with and give their owners a great deal of pleasure.

Reading forums such as this can easily make you believe that a high percentage of the cars have major issues of one form or another. This just isn't true in the real world. Apart from the real enthusiasts who post here regularly, people who do experience major issues tend to post on forums like this one - both to vent their feelings and to look for solutions. However, the majority of 'normal' Porsche owners (the one's that just buy the car, use it, get it serviced, change it every 2-to-3 years for another one, never experience a problem and aren't that interested in cars) never post here or on other forums - why should they? The silent majority aren't represented on forums like this.

If you let the scare stories put you off buying a used Porsche, you're missing out on a very special car and a very special drive. You'll also be missing out on the supportive, helpful communites of Porsche enthusiasts here and on other, similar forums - people who can help you if there's a problem and point you in the right direction to get the most from your car.

I've run 3 consecutive water-cooled 911s now, all modified to some degree, without any major engine problems. I've also done big miles and taken them on full-bore, long-distance, Cannonball-style tours that can be real car breakers. Yes, there have been some oil leaks and other minor problems, but they're harmless - just annoying - and my local independent has sorted them at service time for a modest cost.

Major engine failures, both in the 996 and even more so in the 997, are very rare in the real world. Get out there and buy the car you want.

 

Is this range accurate on all Porsche?? Reason i ask is my DME shows Nothing in range #4 yet my Gt3 revs 8000+ regularly.. did i misunderstand??

With some further research it appears the Gt3 Rev range must be different.. Any idea what the 6 ranges are for 997 GT3??

 

I found this on Renntech. Overrev ranges for various Porsche models:

Range 1 Range 2 Range 3 Range 4 Range 5 Range 6

986 Boxter >7200 and <7800 >7800
996 Carrera >7300 and <7900 >7900
996 Turbo and GT2 >6750 and <7250 >7250
996 GT3 >8200 and <8800 >8800
Cayenne (V6) >6700 and <6900 >6900
Cayenne S (V8S) >6900 and <7200 >7200
Cayenne Turbo (V8T) >6670 and <7000 >7000
Carrera GT >8400 and <9000 >9000
987 Boxster >7200 and <7500 >7500 and <7700 >7700 and <7900 >7900 and <8400 >8400 and <9500 >9500
997 Carrera >7300 and <7500 >7500 and <7700 >7700 and <7900 >7900 and <8400 >8400 and <9500 >9500
997 GT3 >9000 and <9200 >9200 and <9400 >9400 and <9600 >9600 and <10000 >10000 and <11000 >11000
997 Turbo >6800 and <7000 >7000 and <7200 >7200 and <7400 >7400 and <7900 >7900 and <9000 >9000