martjone

Hi all, long time lurker here. I have a line on a 981 Cayman GTS that I am likely to make an offer on. I will not have the chance to look at it in person unfortunately, so am considering a PPI. The car was sold CPO last October, so in theory it should have been gone through. Carfax confirms this. The car shows well in pictures, and both carfax and the salesperson I spoke with say the maintenance history is well documented. Should I bother with the PPI since the car was just gone through? The dealer that did the CPO inspection is well reviewed on Google.
Any other advice is welcome, this will be a big purchase for me, and I am both exhilarated and nervous.
Thanks in advance.

Lvanpelt729

Definitely do a PPI, especially for a car you're not going to see in person. Its relatively inexpensive (when compared to what's likely a $60k car) and will provide much more details on the car than a dealer can give. Also, if the car was CPOd in October, was it sold then and being resold now? If so, why'd the last owner only keep it for 4 months?

martjone

You know the market well I see. And that is a good question. When I asked that of the selling dealer (who is selling on consignment for client), I was told that the seller routinely buys and sells cars every few months. He said he even had another of his cars in his showroom. Seems strange to me, but I know there are plenty of people who have lots more expendable income than I do and don't have to be as cautious with money. He also mentioned the seller takes great care of his cars, and likes to fix them up (new tires, filters, etc) before selling, like its a hobby for him. He told me "if you are going to buy a used car, you want one from this guy." I of course take that with a grain of salt or two as its his job to sell, but who knows. The place seems to be well reviewed.

deilenberger

You do know the CPO ends if the car is sold by a non-Porsche dealer? Just in case CPO factored into your buying qualifications.

martjone

I was just made aware of this today. Can you elaborate more on how this works? I believe the car I’m buying is a consignment type deal, Will this still end the warranty?
How is Porsche aware that I purchased from a dealer vs private party?

Four Ring Circus

You should double check with a Porsche dealer, but you get the CPO transferred in a private party sale (assuming consignment is considered private party). Did the same myself and had a 6 month window to check out everything top to bottom on the CPO car I bought private party.

Jim137a

Is the selling dealer a Porsche dealer ?

You might want to state where the car is located and possibly a member here could stop by and look at the car for you before you proceed further. I looked at a car for a member here from CA - the car he was looking at was in Manhattan- showed well in the pictures but when i inspected it up close it was not as pristine as the selling dealer stated it was.

possibly list a link to the add so members here can see how the car is optioned, also someone here may know the car and could provide valuable feedback.

MattUF

Get the PPI, it's a small price to pay for peace of mind and even more so if it uncovers a problem.

fast1

A PPI is a no brainer, but don't get an inexpensive one. A good PPI will cost around $500, but they will check out every thing, interior and exterior and will provide a comprehensive written report.

arcangelxvi

Second this. A few hundred dollars now can save you thousands of dollars later.

The main issue here is finding a reputable shop that you'd trust to do a thorough PPI within reasonable distance from the car and whether the seller will hold the vehicle long enough for you to do so.

martjone

Thanks all, I went ahead and had a PPI done by a Porsche dealer nearby. The seller is not a Porsche dealer. Porsche confirmed that the CPO warranty will remain intact, and the inspection checked out. DME report looked good. I am excited to say that I will be buying my first Porsche! It is a 2015 Cayman GTS with 30K miles. It will be difficult however, because I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and won't be able to drive the car home for at least a couple of months...
Here is the car:
https://vinanalytics.com/car/WP0AB2A89FK180543/

Will update with pics when I can.

Jim137a

Congrats, i have a bit over 33k miles and 3 years on my CGTS and I love it - such a fun car.

BTW - agate gray is the fastest color.

martjone

Thanks! The car actually isn't far from you after all, it's up in Connecticut. I can't wait to fly out and drive it home, but will have to as there is still 3 feet of snow on the ground here.

Jim137a

i googled the vin and saw the dealer listing - it’s almost same exact build as mine. I noticed in one of the photos the car is wired for a battery tender - a nice plus - see if the dealer has it when u pick the cars up. All weather mats and the trunk liner are nice as well.

The car appears to have OEM Good Years on it ( I doubt there the original tires after 30K Miles as I got 18k out of mine ) but when these tires are done get Michelin PS4S’s. My good years gripped like no tomorrow but after 10K miles they got noisy and were never really good at handling road imperfections like expansion joints etc. The Michelins grip a bit better, definitely quieter and have a superior ride.

not sure where you plan to fly into but I’d avoid JFK traffic would be brutal. LGA is no joy either but its a bit closer to Bridgeport. If you can get a flight into Westchester County Airport - that would be the best - once you land at Westchester you generally off the plane in 8 to 10 minutes and its only 35 miles to Bridgeport.

Best of luck and keep us posted on your scheduled pick up date.

Heres a shot of my CGTS to keep your anticipation level maxed out.



Shot of the battery tender lead on your car.



Tail of the dragon

schell

Good luck on your purchase, I bought a car in the winter and had to wait over a month to pick it up, it was a long wait but well worth it one of the best cars I ever had.