I'm from the north west Washington area and seriously considering used Porsche, likely a 2003 C4s. It's likely going to be my daily car. Found a few ones around the local area but they are fairly high mileage (up to 56k) and they are not from official Porsche dealers. Any advise on what I should watch out for? Also I am concerned about the long term maintenance cost - especially if 60k maintenance comes within the 1st year.

Any info is appreciated!

 

IMHO:
1. If you consider things like service costs daunting, then find another car. The Porsche is tough as nails but when something does go wrong, and/or it needs a big service, it's relatively pricey compared to a 'conventional car'. For me, life's to short to feel like those things are hanging over my head. I'm fortunate enough to be at a stage in life where Porsche fees are not daunting. I didn't buy one until that was true;
2. Broaden your search. Use EBay and other on-line services. It's a big country and other regions are having more difficult economic challenges than yours (Boeing and MS are relatively stable), have drier weather and better roads, and likely you can find something that better suits your budget - either lower miles or lower costs or both;
3. Make sure you pay for a PPI (pre-purchase inspection). Use this forum to find someone in the area in which you find the car. Then fly to the car (if it's far away) before you pay for it. Even with PPI, flying and shipping, if you search across the country, you can probably net yourself the best possible deal.
Best of luck. If you buy one, and can rest easily, you will love every minute you spend driving/washing/maintaining/staring (at) her.

 

Welcome to the forum from Arlington Washington!

good luck on your search,

Kevin