dandyw

Hi everyone,

I'm seeing an emerging trend with sellers having PPI's on the cars they're selling. I've always been in the camp that this is a buyers option. As a seller, it's always good to get the vehicle vetted, but I'd think there's too much risk of one appearing to be transparent, but maybe not so honorable (worst case)...

Opinions???

justin-in-athens

I think it is a great idea for sellers. You can more accurately assess your own vehicles value using the PPI and a competent indy's advice. A seller is going to use a PPI to talk you off your asking price--if you already have that information, you can say "yes, I have already factored that into my valuation, and I believe the car is worth $$$ inspite of any defects in any."

Dr Mitch

Only potential issue I see is conflict of interest - do you trust the sellers PPI - was it a buddy at a shop who did it for instance and has omitted anything of importance? I'd like to think not, and I'm sure in MOST cases, that wouldn't be true. Either way, due diligence with your own ppi or confirming validity of seller's ppi.
If I decide to sell my 964, I'd personally get my own ppi first to get a starting point for fair price and more importantly, potentially quicken the deal - no waiting to arrange for one if it's already done.

FOS373

Could also be the type of sellers you are seeing as well. Those with experience seeking pcars - and air cooleds?

If I were to list mine, i would have the PPI done to 1) know what issues may be with the car to be up front with the buyer and 2) it would help speed up the sale process; I'm busy and don't want to be spending unnecessary time. I would rather take it to 2 different shops up front on my time than trying to coordinate a potential buyer.

I think it's just state of the market and understanding your customer

dandyw

You're putting into words the rationale I'm going through in my own mind. I'd do the same with a car I was selling.

I think the main thing in this market is that we're out for an honest transaction. Fair price, no surprises. Unfortunately there are a few out there who are trying to "polish the turd" in hopes that seduction wins over good sense...

Not hard to do with these cars...

golfnutintib

choice of shop is key
their reputation needs to be solid
trouble is, documenting a ppi well requires a good bit of desk work...many if not most indie mechanics do not have this as their strong suit... there are exceptions of course
air cooled cars becoming quite valuable, only going to be moreso going forward, makes sense that the transactions/transactors should be more professional

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

A PPI is a lot like a home inspection. You want someone to thoroughly check out a potential purchase and find any issue that needs attention or incur some long-term expense in the future. For that reason, one hires a professional to do that and he is paid by the buyer to prevent any possible conflicts of interest.

Its the same for automobiles: you want to choose and hire that person/shop that will represent YOUR interest in the potential sale of a car.

JMHO, but I would never, ever accept a PPI that was commissioned by the seller, just for these reasons. This still applies even if I know the shop and/or person doing the job.

As a buyer, you really need an untainted party who has zero connection to the seller in order to maintain the integrity of the process and ensure honesty.

Spyerx

I'm ok if a seller does this but I'm going to commission my own PPI. I think for a seller it can broaden the market and save time on some questions.

abarthguy

On my car, the seller picked the shop for a PPI......
Turned out the mechanic was the tech. writer for the local PCA chapter.
He actually called me before doing the inspection and grilled me about my knowledge of 964s.
PPI was spot on !

u7t2p7

I always ask the seller, "when was the car last in the shop?" Depending on the seller's reply and the shop, determines next steps. Given the scarcity of 964's (MT coupes) and the number of potential buyers, passing on a PPI is a consideration (but not for all folks). In my case I simply ask the seller (dealer) "does the car have an engine; does it run; OK I'll take it."

Matt Andrews

If I were listing my car, I'd assume that the last time it was in the shop, the mechanics would have alerted me to anything they found that needed to be addressed. Only thing this wouldn't cover would be doing a leak down test, etc. I think you reference the recent services, and let the buyer commission their own PPI. Like others have said, as a buyer, I wouldn't take a PPI that was commissioned by the owner. When I bought my car, I grilled the shop doing the PPI on their knowledge of the 964, their knowledge of this specific car, and relationship with the owner. You need to make your own judgement call on the trustworthiness of the data you are getting if you don't know the shop. Mine happened to be an out of state PPI that had seen the car before - but I became confidant there was no collusion beforehand and used them anyway...

robt964

>I always ask the seller, "when was the car last in the shop?" Depending on the seller's reply and the shop, determines next steps.

Surely that also depends on the seller to? If that question were put to me, I'd say oooooh, several years ago... maybe?
Does that mean you'd pass it up? I've always wrenched all my 'special interest' cars. Whatever is written down on paper is merely a very low level indicator and doesn't count for much vs real world condition.

canuck964

Agree 100% except I would have no issues with the buyer getting their own PPI.

If I were to sell my 964 I would commission my own PPI and I would want it to disclose everything.

I think this would definitely speed up the negotiation process and also quickly weed out those who are only there to grind for an exception deal.

Assuming the two PPIs do not differ materially any items found would have already been reflected in the asking price.

In my case I have a lot of confidence that I have taking great care of my car and any PPIs will reflect this. I think this would be a strong negotiation tool for the seller.

If I was trying to "polish the turd", as someone has so eloquently stated on another reply here, I would not want a comprehensive PPI.

Jjm4life

I had someone approach me about buying my car. It wasn't for sale, but he also didn't run when I gave him a number. He asked to have it ppi'd. Before bringing it to the shop he wanted, I had my shop look it over and address the issues they found. The buyer's ppi came back flawless and I gave him the results of mine including the repairs made. As a buyer I'd want full disclosure, so that's how I approach selling cars. He ended up passing, but it was still a good process.

dlpalumbo

If I were a seller, my natural instinct would be to have the PPI done at the shop that has been maintaining the car. If I were a buyer, especially one from out of town who wouldn't be using the shop, I'd be suspicious of the sellers PPI because I couldn't hold the shop's feet to the fire.

Another complication is inter-shop rivalries. There is bad blood between my two local indies. If i had maintained my car at 1 and had the PPI done at the other, I'd expect an overly critical result.

Maybe using Porsche dealer would be common ground. anyone comment on cost of Porsche vs indy?