you can do it yourself…or (to be continued)
There are options for getting your newly acquired Porsche home, each with their advantages and sticky points. It is worth some thought and putting a pencil to paper to see not only what the best way of getting your baby home is for you, but for your new ride.
If you have found your car local, best bet is you will proudly drive her home, experiencing the exhilarating feeling of the wind in your face if you bought a cabriolet, or sense the rumble under your seat in a hard top. You will slyly glance sideways at lights to see not who, but howmanywhos, notice when you pull up to a stop. Driving your new buy home is of course the preferred method, once you have your certified Porsche mechanic check her over to make sure she is what you wanted, in the condition you were promised, and any issues are dealt with that could make getting her home a challenge. (More on god forbid when you have to get your Porsche hauled to the garage in another post…). In this day and age of Internet car listings, though, the chance of your perfect previously owned vehicle being next door is pretty slim, and even slimmer when it comes to the fine world of high performance sports cars. You are just as likely to be facing a long drive, flight to view the car, or even have to rely on another way to safely transport the new addition to your stable. What then?
There are a couple factors you need to pay attention to if you are buying (or have bought) a Porsche at a distance. Obviously you have a qualified mechanic check her out, and hopefully it is located somewhere you can get to with your busy schedule to walk the mechanical piece of joy and then – YES! – test drive. Once that is all passed, the next challenge besides a temporary tag (that is more to think about than you realize, not all states have tags go with the car, and private parties do not have temp tags…) there is the issue of adding the auto to your insurance (do not even think of moving her until that is done! Stuph happens!) and then figuring out if you are 1)driving her home, or 2) having to get the car transported.
Driving a newly acquired Porsche 911 or other model home is pretty obvious. Do the above, make her legal, and enjoy the ride. If, on the other hand, you have to transport the car back, there are a couple options – do it yourself, or hire it done. Doing it yourself usually employs the use of a toy hauler trailer and having a vehicle large enough to safely tow an over standard width trailer with at least a 4,500 to 6,000 pound tow capacity. (The 911 averages 73-76” wide and 3350 – 3800#.) This method is NOT recommended unless you truly know what you are doing and have the stabilization and tie-down capacity in the trailer to make sure the vehicle rides safe. The reason…your new car is 6-6.5” wide. Even an 8.5’ wide trailer only allows a foot on either side to get her in, tied down, and the skinniest of you are not getting out those doors or windows without a big problem… Don’t do something dumb and damage your car right off the bat.
Ok, then what about an open trailer or auto transport like from U-Haul that I can load her on? Yes, that is an option. Know that not every vehicle is safe on a flatbed auto transport and they are chained down to axle drops (only good if they fall off!), with over-tire webbing to ratchet them down. The transports cost about $400-700 coast-to-coast, and again, you have to have a substantial vehicle that can tow one as they are heavy. They also are made so you literally cannot back up with one attached to your truck now so people do not jackknife and damage the trailer. That makes finding gas stations and places to park at night challenging. It also means that your new upwards to six digit car is exposed to the elements, potential thieves or vandals (tagging a nice white or yellow Porsche, anyone??) and the ugly reality of no matter how much you protect the front of it, rock dings, wear marks from straps, or broken lights and windshields can and do happen. Not a pretty picture and your 911 will not forgive you.
