marcnyc

Hello,

I just had a PPI done on a 2016 991 I am interested in (and I would have to buy it unseen). Car is low mileage and supposed to be in excellent, even stellar condition according to dealership, and it therefore comes at a price premium.
But the PPI helped spotting a few things including maintenance questions, a dent on the rear fender (which is a bit disappointing given "stellar condition" but obviously not a deal breaker, I think the dent should be removed by the dealership free of charge if I buy the car) but also a lot of scrapes and scratches underneath the car - see pictures below for example.

These scratches are not a deal breaker but this is my first Porsche purchase so I want to understand if scratches like this are common and if it should be a point of negotiation with the dealership. What do you think? Thanks!

polobai

The scratches all seem normal with the exception of the one on the sideskirt and underbelly where the undercoating is...they must have ran into a pretty big speedbump or object. I would def try to get the dent fixed at the dealer.

marcnyc

Thanks, the dent has to be fixed, I agree. And do you consider these scratches a point of negotiation on price with the dealership?
I am trying to assess what levers I have, since we had agreed on a potential price before the PPI and I expected the PPI to come back with pretty much nothing...

worf928

I think you need to review, carefully your assumptions and the context in which they exist.

If you want no scratches, stains, or, indeed any signs of use, then you need to buy new, do ED, have it airlifted to the US and hope that it wasn’t one of the randomly selected cars given extensive post-assembly test driving.

Scratches, stains - signs of use - on the underside are 100% normal. It is a *used* *car.* Even a new car will show signs of use on the underside. Scratches, even gouges in, the bottom of side skirts is to be expected.

There is nothing wrong with the underbody (3rd picture) It’s stained; probably from hitting something “juicy.” There’s nothing wrong with the undercoating. It’s just not pretty out-of-the box.

Last picture shows dirt, a semicircular big blob of, what looks like road tar. If it’s actually scratches and tears in the bumper cover then that’s a legitimate complaint given a reported super-duper-excellent condition.

I would *never* make mechanical or body work part of a deal unless I specified the specific shop at which the work would be done. Otherwise, you are 100% certian to get the cheapest (i.e. worst) possible work. In the case of the bumper cover, I would find the Porsche Certified body shops nearby, and then have the ‘deal work’ done at one of those shops and set the expectation that you’ll want to see before, during and after, pictures along with the final invoice.

Don’t let them “just take care of it.” Trust but verify.

icanthelpit

Plenty of nice, used 991s out there. If you want one without underside scratches, dents, etc. you will be able to find one. Make sure you can accept this damage before you buy or you will regret not continuing to look.

garfunkle

Have dealer PDR the dent and those scratches underneath are nothing.

polobai

Everything is negotiable...but it is a used car. This is the good thing about a PPI-a few hundred dollars can save a lot in work in the future. I walked from a 993 based on a PPI before I bought my 991 and it was painful as not only did I pay for the PPI at a Porsche dealer-but I had to pay to tow it there and back...in the end, I am glad I did it.

snake eyes

The Dealer is going to LOL with you on underbody scratches... that does not prevent them from selling to another consumer.
Try to negotiate with them, if they give... it wont be because of those underbody scratches... its because they want to make a deal.

3Series

The under body scuffing is not normal. The previous owner definitely ran over something. You'll be able to find plenty of cars with no abnormal scuffing on the underside. However, if this is the car you like, color and options, the scuffing is a non-issue. This isn't a collector car. The bad part of a PPI, is now you know the bottom is scuffed. If you didn't have a PPI, you'd probably never know and wouldn't care. Oh well. Good luck with the decision. The joy comes from driving the thing!

Explorer16

This being your first 911, I'd move on. This little things will always bug you when its sitting in your garage.

Ceepe

Looks like impact with a traffic cone to me. I wouldn't buy it just based off it being described as outstanding condition.
edit, maybe not a cone with that front lip color being the same as the larger impact area.

Penn4S

How many miles? Some road rash on a 4 year old car that was driven should expected. I agree with Worf on the side skirts as that is not "stellar" and easy fixed. May be better getting compensation and fix on your own the PPF them.
Small cosmetic issues are fixable most important issues are how it runs and to make sure it wasn't abused.

marcnyc

Thank you all. The car is about 10,000 miles so low mileage for 4 years.
This is not a deal breaker because the perfect used car does not exist (or it takes a very long time to find it), but surprising/annoying given the initial description. I am discussing with the dealership...

SFZ GT3

marcnyc, this looks like a nice car, but caution/curiosity should be employed. My first take is that this looks like a tire tread separation "hit" on the right front at road speed. Either a runover or worse a clobber as it was coming apart directly ahead of the car. Assuming you can live with the underside appearance (or get a nice cosmetic "correction"), I'd want to really be certain that there is NO mechanical, structural, or alignment damage. An independent high-end body/frame shop could do this pretty quickly and with a high certainty of an accurate diagnosis. Caveat Emptor......

Spyerx

I definitely lose sleep at night and think about all those road scraps and marks on the bottom of my cars. Totally distracting and annoying. Really makes me wish my cars stayed in the garage and didn't get driven.