mli

Hi, I'm planning to buy a 981 Boxster S, but this would be my first time dealing with Porsche.

I've rented the 981S for a few days in the past and loved it, but I don't know the car well enough to have a sense of what to be wary.

In short,
1. Should I focus on CPO's?
2. Is it fair to target 5% below dealer's asking? Should I browse ebay to determine fair prices?
3. Is it safe to assume that accidents show up on the official history (Carfax or otherwise)?

Apologies for the rookie questions, and thanks in advance.



Update: Thanks for the responses. I'm having someone from Expertautoappraisers in FL take a look at the car.

Given that FL is notorious for convertible-friendly winters, I'll assume 5% off list is as low as they'll go.

Marine Blue

Definitely don't assume that the car has never been in an accident. I have personally seen tons of CPO cars with accident history and I have heard that some with a decent amount of damage are still being CPOed. Inspect the car carefully and if you're uncertain have someone familiar with the 981 go and look at it with you.

Good luck and great choice!

mli

Thanks for the heads-up, Marine. That's a scary thought, and I'll be vigilant. Would accident history for a car of this caliber generally show up on a carfax?

Jim137a

I just purchased my first Porsche ( a CPO 6 speed Cayman GTS ) and felt a bit more comfortable that it was a CPO car. Even though it was CPO I still looked at the CarFax and had a PPI done just to be sure there was no previous accident damage and that there were no over revs or other potential issues. The dealer was willing to drop the price $2500 if I didn't want the CPO on the car but I felt it was money well spent.

Here's a few things I would consider regarding CPO:

- if your purchasing a car with say 2 or 3 years of the factory warranty remaining and you only plan on keeping 2 years or less CPO may not be worth it.

When you do sell the car are you going to trade it in or sell it privately. If you sell it privately the new owner may see value in the CPO as it is transferable to him.

As far as 5% off there's several factors IMHO that matter:

- Location. If you live in an area that has severe winters I'd say you could probably can do better than 5% ( not many people buy convertibles with the onset of winter ).

- Are you going to use Porsche financing- the dealers make some money off financing and seem to be willing to negotiate a little more.

- My experience has been dealers seem to regard CPO cars as " gold " and really don't negotiate much on those cars (maybe I'm a crappy negotiator).

Finally, I don't think it's a 100% guarantee that all accidents show up on a car fax ( for example - I run into a curb hard and don't want my insurance company to know about it I pay my body shop / mechanic cash and CarFax has no knowledge of it.

So IMHO you need to determine how long your going to keep the car - if it's a 2014 to 2016 and your going to dump the car in 2 years you prob don't need CPO.

I'd HIGHLY RECOMMEND a PPI.

List your location because if you live in a place like Florida you probably won't get much of a discount on a convertible- if you live in Wyoming I think you could probably get a great discount with winter coming.

Regarding looking at EBay for pricing - I don't think so. Look at the Porsche Car Locator as the have 170 Boxster S's listed now.

http://locator.porsche.com/ipl-custo...list.ipl?cid=1

Good Luck.

Yogi911

1. I think CPO is great and always want it. That said i just bought a cgts without it because price was much better.

3. Accidents dont always show on carfax. Ive heard it is only if there is a police report filed but have no proof.

Also a cpo car can still have an accident history. I was looking at a gt3. They said it can have 1 or 2 (cant remember) body panels redone and still cpo. That being said it still has to pass inspection so i wouldnt worry too much. That being said #2 resale will take a hit so it should be priced accordingly.

My 2 cents.

eddielasvegas

To echo what others have said, I would get a thorough PPI (paint metter if possible) done even with a CPO in place. Attached is the CPO checklist from PCNA. When I was looking in 2014 I assumed CPO meant perfect (or close to it). CPO really only means two more years of factory warranrty.

And if the dealer (wink, wink) did not notice an issue that would make it fail the CPO, then it didn't happen and the car will be CPOed. Remember who you are dealing with.

Lastly, CPO warranties are transferable from Porsche dealers or private seller. I prefer to buy from a private seller as I feel the likelihood of getting a good maintenance/usage history is better. Dealers are in the business to make money and nothing more.


Good luck,

Eddie

r553

I bought a 2007 CPO Cayman from an out of state dealer. The car passed the multipoint inspection but had an oozing water pump. The water pump was changed by the CPO warranty. So the PPI is valuable even on a CPO car. Also try to determine if the car you want was smoked in.

Good luck

cairo94507

CPO's have value. But, remember Fidelity sells warranties for these cars with various mileage/year caps. Also, please never have a PPI done by the selling dealership. Kind of a conflict of interest in that situation. I believe it is 2 panels than can be replaced on a car and still qualify for CPO. Do your homework, be an educated buyer and do not let emotions control your decisions. Sometimes it is better to have a skilled friend negotiate your purchase for you. Dealerships have to make money so if they know you love their car, they have you hooked. I prefer to buy from private parties as I want to see and know there person who owned the car and personally assess how they took care of the car. Good luck.

Als991?

CPO does not guarantee no accidents. I passed on a local 981S that was CPO, and had a clean CarFax, but the AutoCheck showed an accident. (Luckily the dealer disclosed that - but only while we were doing the contract paperwork.)

I ended up buying a distant CPO 981S with a clean history, and shipped it for less than the original car. Of course the rear tires were shot on that car, but still somehow passed CPO inspection. In person, I would have demanded that they be replaced. Live and learn.

PPI is good piece of mind on top of CPO.

mli

It looks like the usual warranty is 4 years.

The salesman is telling me I have until 2020 or 100k miles for the factory warranty. Does this mean it comes with an extended warranty?

Jim137a

Here's the link to the terms of the CPO Warranty.

http://www.porsche.com/usa/approvedu...rscheapproved/

Or:
Certified Pre-Owned Warranty is 2 years / 100,000 mls (160,000 km), once the vehicle is outside the original vehicle warranty period. Warranty can be claimed from any Porsche partner across the world.*Applies for vehicles purchased and registered in the USA and Canada (outside the USA and Canada 2 years / unlimited miles).