TRINITONY

I had an extensive PPI done on mine. From the NC folks at Eurowerks. They even found I rim to be slightly bent. So far so good....They use a 4 part inspection list broken down into 1. Vehicle Exterior 2. Road Test 3. Vehicle Interior and 4 Service Inspection, with each part having 15 - 20 line items. Leak down and compressions was also added.

My previous P-car was bought from a fellow co-worker who is pretty ****, so no PPI was done.

Feehliks

Please post a picture with the rear hood open. It is quite easy to tell. So, you have a "S" VIN but a "R" engine number? Does the hood sticker show option code 718?

As far as I am aware it is irrelevant. For whatever reason 993s produced in model year 1994 were marketed as model year "1995" in the US.

Best regards,

Felix

John H

Sounds familiar. I bought my Iris Blue early 94 build 95 with ~186,000 on the clock. I have all records and dealer history from the one owner. I've done nothing but buy new wheels and tires and one oil and filters change. I think the earlier ones are more reliable.

long_beach_968

before I bought mine, My tech told me that the 96' was the best year reliability wise. now we all know SAI woes, but otherwise, the earlier cars seem to work out best

Topless in Temecula

What engine problem? I have an Oct '94 build - dry, strong and nearly 36k miles on it. I've had it since Oct '04 and have put 17k on it since then - no problems.

ljugete

I also have a 1994 built 993 Engine and no problems (knock on wood)!

rickw51

No PPI on mine. I bought it from a broker in Salem, OR. Stopped in on my way back from S. Oregon on business, drove it, put it on his lift and inspected it myself (I am not an expert in any way, shape or form ... just a visual look for leaks etc.). We pulled off the engine tray and left it off while doing this. I left him a $100 bill to hold the car for 48 hours while I mustered the courage to tell (translate ... convince, ask, whine ...) my wife why I needed this car. The service records were not complete, but an oil leak repair was documented along with the major mileage service proofs. The labels inside the respective hoods were intact and the requisite number of rock chips with touch-ups for a 42K car turned my desire into lust.

More than two years later and 20K more miles has not dimmed my love for the car. Driving it is a joy and the maintenance, though not cheap despite my own efforts at changing the oil etc., has been as I experience with my Passat ... no big deal.

In the garage sit H&R springs and new Bilsteins for installation in a couple of weeks.

PPI's are not a bad idea, but I've never used one and have not had a bad experience to date ... somehow my gut feeling combined with prudent examination, prior research, and thoughtful consideration have served me well.

Rick

ljugete

I had a brief PPI done by my brother's mechanic (very familiar with high-end cars) and got the nod before buying mine and having it shipped to Chicago from West Palm Beach, FL.

I had the added comfort of buying the car from a Porsche factory trained mechanic (his garage queen) at the Champion Porsche Dealership in 2001. All in all It's been very reliable and only minor repairs (oil leak, steering rack minor leak = rebuilt & torn CV boots = replaced, etc, ...).

PPI is important IMHO although not always guarantees good buy as noted above.

long_beach_968

well I have seen quite a few private pary salese get PPI's done on their water pump err 996 fine automobiles. and many sales are lost this way as the tech always seems to find the infamous rms leaking or otherwise something major. so after seeing the result of these inspections, I will always find myself doing the same.

993_Pilot

I think doing a PPI is the prudent thing to do. However, that being said, some are near useless if you do not know the integrity of the mechanic and/or shop doing the inspection. If you are buying a vehicle from out of your area, like I did, the seller may have a much better relationship with the mechanic than the buyer. His motivation in that case will help the person who has the potential to give him more repeat business. Problems and potential problems are rarely black and white. A mechanic can play-down the seriousness of problems while mentioning them and verbally giving his "opionions" in gray areas. Professional mechanics can also miss things. There is no substitute for getting the vehicle to a shop that you know and trust, or, if you have the knowledge, doing the PPI yourself. That is what I did and it gives me some peace of mind. As mentioned in a previous post, a good PPI still does not gaurantee that there will be no problems in the future. A certain amount is left up to Karma or Fate. Hopefully we will both be lucky!

c993k

The only way a PPI would be great is if the shop took full responsibility for the repairs that were needed within seven days of the purchase
but not found during the PPI. This type of insurance would make the PPI a real worthwhile necessity for any new owner. Chris

Bob 96 993 Cab

Who did your evaporator replacement? I just learned my 96 needs one. I am in Scottsdale, but get to So. Cal often!

TIA, Bob