Rustler

Historically I've had a PPI done on any used car purchase I've made, but those have typically been 7+ year old cars with 50k miles or so (like my 996TT I bought 5 years ago, definitely had a PPI), and no dealer backed warranty. Do you all think a low mile CPO 991.2 requires an independent inspection? Dealer is sending me the CPO inspection it did, it had a 40k mile tune (although it has less than half those miles), clean car fax and auto check, and has history of proper maintenance through a dealer.

To PPI, or Not to PPI, that is the question.

Thanks!

Bxstr

Guessing you're buying out of state? If so, yes, PPI if only to get an idea of the condition. Or try and find a Rennlister that can check out the car and verify it is in good condition. Mechanically I'm less concerned since you have CPO and anything should be covered under that.

Zylinderkopfdichtung

100% YES. I’ve seen cars with substantial paint and body work get CPO’d. A PPI is the best way to ensure you’re getting what you think you’re getting.

digitalwiz

In my experience, you can't really rely on the CPO certification for assurance of the condition. CPO is the dealers checklist and I can tell you from my experience that all kinds of issues are missed. My car had a few problems that should have been picked up by a CPO inspection. I almost bought a pre owned cpo X5 but when I found a lot of moisture in the light assembly and other issues and the BMW dealer said, no worries, your local dealer will take care of it under the warranty. well...El Paso on that dealer. The CPO is only as good as the inspector and authorized repairs. Some dealers want the upsell of the CPO without the investment in reconditioning.

Rustler

Yes, travelling from out of state. No Porsches for sale in Montana. Literally, there might not be one for sale in any of the 95 million or so acres here. As was probably evident in my question, I was definitely focused on the mechanical aspect of the PPI, but of course examining body work for damage and other undisclosed issues is just as important an aspect. Thanks for the input.

Bud Taylor

Car may have been tracked, wrecked or otherwise molested. Insist on paint meter readings and blackbox overrev report. Most importantly pay someone porsche smart other than the seller for the privilege.

jimmiejam

If it makes you feel better then by all means have a PPI done. I purchased a 2012 991 S Cab last August that was a local SF car all its life. At 13.6K and the fact that this was a no weather, elderly owned, Porsche Stealership maintained GQ did not meet MY criteria for a needed PPI but that's just me and my experience over the last 50+ of owning vehicles. After 5+ months of ownership I have no issues. Everyone's experience, savvy and vehicle history is different so it's not a 100% necessity for every car. You can find stories about COP'd cars with major issues that were never checked for or found...same with PPI'd cars.

Bxstr

My experience sounds similar to yours. My CPO 911 that I had prior to my current one they passed it with 55% life left on pads (not sure if it actually was 55% or if they rounded up to prevent needing to replace at 50%), worn rotors (not part of CPO but I would have factored this into what I paid), told me it had clear bra, it didn't, told me it had no paintwork, it did, told me they completed all servicing, found missing service item. Having a PPI done would have saved me a lot of headache, but all of those things could have been caught even by a RL'er checking the car out, or a PPI. CPO is a warranty. That is all.

Gripster

I guess the question here is why don’t you want to PPI?

Ideally a PPI will be a total waste of money. If the car is perfect then you spent money looking for problems that weren’t there. If the car is a dog, then you wasted money on a car not worth buying. See - a waste of money either way, but still money well spent...

Rich_Jenkins

Depends on the circumstances, and your trust in another person to do an inspection to your standards?

For my '17 CPO I bought in June '19, I didn't get a PPI. I flew to NY and inspected the car myself. I felt confident between the Porsche warranty through 2023, and my own ability to inspect cars, that if I saw something amiss, I would simply walk. I was prepared to get a one-way ticket back home. I was using Delta points, so no huge deal to me.

Someone doing a PPI may tell you the car hasn't been smoked in, but your nose may notice otherwise. Same for "your" standard of what's acceptable cosmetically (and as has been noted, CPO does not equal "perfect condition".) Mechanically, sure, it's another opinion, and that can be useful, but to me it's not the end all and be all (not that anyone using a PPI is claiming that) that I would absolutely HAVE TO HAVE, especially on a CPO car.

In the end, I bought the car and drove it home to Tampa. Still in love with it.

Carl Over

I would for sure have PPI performed. Paint thickness, inspection for painted panels, and when up on lift a qualified Porsche specialist would be able to tell you if everything looks good. Replaced parts could be visible if any damage had occurred. Water pump could be assessed. PPI could prevent a big headache down the road. Was the car purchased and serviced at this dealer? I’m guessing this car is at least 4 years old with 15 to 20k miles.

Tier1Terrier

Dear g-d yes definitely get a PPI. I nearly bought an 8k mile beautiful CPO that turned out to be anything but and an independent mechanic saved me from making a terrible decision. Even more important if buying from a distance. Trust me, a good independent mechanic will find things you probably won’t even care too much about like maybe some paint imperfections. After my experience, I’ve learned you cannot trust dealers simply because they’re dealers. You expect Porsche dealers to be held to a higher standard but they’re not.

Rustler

PPI done. Found a leaking water pump (I now understand this to be a common issue), immediately replaced by the dealer, so the PPI paid for itself. That was the only mechanical issue. A few subjective things of note, minor cosmetics that I think are largely consistent with the age and mileage.

Looks like a deal will get done. I hope my next post is as a new owner...

737gdog

Did not want to start another thread but, curious about paint readings. Will ppf skew those numbers?

Bxstr

Yes. Figure factory paint is going to be 4-6 mills depending on car/color etc. Add 8-10 mills for PPF depending on the manufacturer.