JT1198, that had to be one of the best drives ever! Dream car, dream route...

T.

 

Not to hijack the thread - but yeah, seriously a lifetime of memories over the 4 days I took. Not just the scenery (Golden Gate, oceanside cliffs and waves, redwoods, etc) but the actualy drive itself was often super twisty and a perfect way to get to know a Porsche.
Stopping at Sharkwerks for some work and a tour was also awesome!

 

I really do want to drive the car...as i believe it is the most cost effective way to getting the car home.But shipping it has the zero headache advantage.


Here is another question...

If you were going to purchase the car from a private seller. Whats the best way to transfer the funds? If you bring a certified cheque / money order with you, it will take 3-5 business days to clear (which he will most likely request so he does not get ripped off) (I dont want to sit in a hotel waiting for the cheque to clear.... this will crank up my costs big time as I miss work) ... cash is a bit crazy, 50K in bills makes you a good target for anyone with a knife. Is it possible to open up an American bank account, so the seller and I can go down to the bank, transfer funds instantly, and be done? My Canada bank (td Canada trust) says that if we attempt to transfer funds from my Canada account to a sellers US account, it will take upto 5 days to transfer.

 

I took a bank draft and gave it to the seller the day I picked up the car, I asked the seller and he was O.K with that. My other vehicles were bought from a dealer so I wired the money directly into their account. Wire transfers to the U.S will show up on the same business day if done in the morning. One piece of advice, don't send a private seller full payment until you see/have the vehicle in your possession. You could also set up an escrow account between you and the seller, transfer the funds into that account and when your satisfied with the vehicle you authorize the funds over to the seller. This scenario will cost you to set up, not sure how much.

 

Thanks for the advice... keep it coming if anyone else has some to share.

 

There is quite an extensive thread on the importing process at: http://forums.redflagdeals.com/wow-n...-200-a-307601/

I think you will find all the answers you are looking for there. I am going to be importing a car as well in the near future so I've been keeping an eye on these threads.

 

Can I ask what price range your 997T was in?
I'm curious of what I can pick one up in the states for.

 

Just to echo what has already been said...

I've imported a couple of cars from the states and would strongly recommend it. Both times I drove the car up myself, which not only saved on cash, but was probably some of the best time spent... You, 4 wheels, and an open road!

As far as the temporary tags go, I certainly don't speak for the law, but I've done it every time with only a tag from the original state. I've also had a few encounters with law enforcement out side of that state, and had no issues (other than some tickets). Keep in mind, this were fairly unsubstantial tickets, and nothing they would impound me over. I would also advise against bringing a radar detector down, and drive some what respectably. Radar detector laws change every border you cross, and some states take it very seriously.

The paper work is fairly easy, once you do a bit of research. It may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but once you collect what needs to be done it is very simple.

The only modifications you will need for your car are the DRL (which is literally about 30minutes worth of work, and a couple of cheap parts), and the child infant seat. For the seat, you can either let them tear apart your back seat for evidence, or buy a $5 part at canadian tire and be done with it. The airbag stickers in French... judging by your 'Alberta' location, no one is going to care. I'm in Calgary, and none of my imported cars had them, and no one said a word about it.

The recall clearance letter, when I did it, was dead simple and cost me nothing. Got it straight from Porsche in a timely fashion. Things may have changed now, but I believe they are only charging a fee for cars that are still under warranty.

My advice for searching for your car, would be to look everywhere - forums, ebay, cars.com, craigslist etc. etc. No one site is a comprehensive listing of everything that is out there. Definitely get a PPI done, and if done at a Porsche shop, have them print out the recall status. I've only ever paid the full amount in person via a Bankers Draft/Cashiers Check, with an initial deposit (no sellers had a problem with this - the fact that you are flying down is a pretty good sign to begin with).

Can't really think of anything else at the moment...

 

In my opinion and from the research I did, I would say a good 07 and maybe an 08 turbo can be had for $88-$95US which translates to about $98-$108CAD once GST, duty and other costs have been paid. I know that's still a bit of a range and definitely keep in mind that I said a "good" example above - there are many cars availalble for less or on the lower range that either have higher miles, some kind of story, or simply aren't desireable in terms of color and/or options.
I paid in the middle of this range and probably slightly higher than others at the time, but got the exact car I wanted in terms of color and options as well as some other extras that I found value in as well (Tubi exhaust, some OEM upgrades like alum. GT2 shifter and ebrake, and almost brand new PS2s). I also got a great feel from the person I bought from in terms of the way the car was maintained and treated (which is certainly worth something in my opinion).
If the main thing you want is to get into a TT and aren't picky about color and options etc then certainly there are deals to be had at better prices. But since when are Porsche owners not a picky bunch???

 

Well... I called TFX transporting and got a quote. 2700 bucks to ship from Beverly hills to edmonton. 200-300 bucks for broker/custom services. So that is 3000 bucks. Driving it, would cost me less then 1000 bucks. So I am keen on the driving aspect.

I agree JT1198. There selection in the USA is amazing. Here in Edmonton there are around 4 996TT's to pick from ... all have holes in their past that owners can not explain.

Another issue I thought of is the title. If any of these people have loans on their cars, they need my cash to pay off the loan and free up the title. Any idea if this process is an instant thing? Will their bank want to wait for my bank draft to clear before they hand over the title? I would think most TT owners are fairly wealthy (although, I am not wealthy) and would not have a loan on a 7-10 year old car... but i am still curious. Anyone run into this? Avoiding this kind of problem would make a dealership MUCH easier to deal with.

 

Getting the title cleared does take a few days generally though I am not an expert.
The upside though (at least I felt it was a real benefit) was that I could deal with the the seller's bank for the whole financial part of the transaction. I paid them the full negotiated amount and they told me they would just pay out the balance to the seller.
In my eyes this gave me the best of both worlds. A private vender who was a long time Porschephile and knew how to treat cars - even after we agreed on a deal when he sent me pics of the odometer and promised not to move the car from his private garage instead of having it started and stopped and moved etc etc by any young employee or the potential for scratches etc from curious gawkers at a dealer - AND the financial security of dealing with a reputable financial institution for security of the transaction.
Just my .02 cents ...

 

To the posted above: How long did it take for you to be driving the car from the moment you put down the deposit? Duration of the importing process is I guess what Im asking.

 

Well in my case I bought the car while on holidays in Maui, and then it was a couple weeks before I was able to slot the time in to get down there - I wanted to tack on a couple holiday days and take my time driving it home up the coast.
I would say though that if the seller had clear title in hand, you could literally transfer funds and take possession on the same day. You must have a signed bill of sale and title faxed to the border you are planning on crossing 72 hours in advance for them to clear the vehicle for export. So practically speaking I would say even in theory if you were buying from a border town, you might fill out bill of sale, transfer funds, get possession of title and fax required documentation to the border you are going to cross and be driving the vehicle 72 hours later.
In my case I was going from San Diego to Calgary so had lots of time to fax paperwork and just enjoy the drive home - only my schedulling prevented me from waiting a couple weeks to actually get behind the drivers seat.
Once the vehicle is home the inspections can happen pretty quickly and then you get your plate and are home free. The RIV sends you a sticker for the inside of the door a couple weeks after final inspection and there is nothing else to do.
Happy shopping
(please note I am not an expert - just voicing my opinions after having recently imported a vehicle).

 

JT1198 , thanks for all the info

 

Did you buy it from a private seller or a dealership? Just curious if you got away from the tax they impose on out of state buyers?