Hey guys,

been reading these forums for a while and just getting acquainted with 911's.

Just a few questions.

I'm hoping to move to Vancouver from Sydney Aus sorta later half of next 2010 and am amazed at the price difference between the 911s compared to what we pay here in Aus.

Got me thinking about buying one there and bringing it back with me when i eventually come back to Aus.

1) What are the rules with importing from the US to CA? I've read up the cost of the evaluations from Porsche etc. but what i'm more interested in is if a non CA resident (i'll be on a working hol visa) is eligible to import a car into CA? I knwo this isnt a question that most ppl would know the answer to but no harm in asking

2) Eventually i'll have to convert the car to RHD before i bring it back to Aus so is this conversion often done in CA? I've heard of people doing it in the US before bringing it back but not sure about CA? You guys drive LHD but i've also seen a few cars RHD in Vancouver the few times i've been there, is this the norm?

3) What websides do the locals use to look up cars/ I've had a look at Craigslist and Autotrader.ca but there arent a great number of porsches advertised.

4) are 965's/993 hard to come by in CA or do i need to keep looking more in the US? Do you guys import from all over the states or just particular areas?

Im tossing up between the 996 TT and the older 965/993's due to budget constraints but yeah looking around the 30 - 40's price wise.

Appreciate any feedback you guys can give.

Thanks!

 

Anyone have any input please?

 

Hi Privatepang,

*these are my personal opinions, so please take them as such*

I can't really answer question number one, apart from suggesting that you to research issues others have had with the recall clearance letter. However, I'll give you my input on your other questions.

2. I haven't seen/heard much in the way of people converting their LHD cars to RHD. I imagine this is both costly and time consuming. You are right, there are indeed RHD cars here. However, these are mostly Japanese imports that have come to Canada due to our lax importing laws once a car reaches 15 years of age.

3. The main sites I have used to find cars are the ones you have mentioned. You might also want to try tracking down forums for the local porsche club, or even visiting independent specialist dealers here (such as Targa Performance)...they could have handles on private sales that are not being advertised on autotrader, CR, etc. Not really sure on any other websites besides the ones mentioned that you could use.

4. From what I've seen, there are a decent number of 993s for sale, and evem more 996s/7s. I haven't seen many 965s for sale (the only reason I've been keeping tabs on the porsche market, apart from pure interest, is that my father was in the market for one until late this summer; he pulled the trigger on a modified 930). You have to realize that our market is quite small in relation to that of the US, and unsurprisingly, the number of cars available is reflective of this.

I think people generally import from wherever they find their car of choice. However, popular choices are california, florida, texas, arizona etc (mostly due to lack of winter conditions). Buying from states such as Oregon also eliminates some sales tax.

In regards to your toss up between 996 TT and the older 993/965 gen, I would say that for 30-40k USD (I'm assuming USD?) you're going to be shopping closer to lower end of the 996TT spectrum. I'd research the price points of each vehicle you're looking at, as well as the issues surrounding each generation to make sure you know exactly what you're getting into. For 30-40k USD, there are certainly nice cars to be had though. Either way, good luck, sorry I can't be of any more help. I've never picked up a Porsche, personally.

 

Thanks for the reply! Much appreciated. Although you havent owned a porsche, just some input from a local is invaluable! Thx again!

 

No worries. If you do end up with an earlier porsche, Targa Performance in North Vancouver seems to know their stuff. They're the ones who work on my father's.