95 NC 993

Depends who you buy from. I bought mine from Tim Holt at Holt Motorsports near Philly and it would have been a total waste of money to get a PPI. So many factors to consider but when you find someone that has full records and the car is immaculate, the odds are on your side without spending hundreds more. The reverse is true if you have no history but I would probably skip over that car anyway.

vjd3

The first 911SC I bought back in 1990 was done without a PPI, and I bought it at a Porsche dealer. It had a broken headstud. Grrrr.

Personally, I wouldn't sell my car unless the buyer gets a PPI at the shop of his choice.

Not to say that all PPIs are the same, especially if you are getting it done out of state. A shop in the Florida panhandle did a lousy PPI on a car I bought, it had major problems when it came off the truck.

Rialas

As mentioned I bought mine without ppi, but would never be brave enough buying without seeing it with my own two eyes. Definatley would not trust just the ppi.

Regards.

ginch

You need a body shop PPI to point out dents?

Makmov

I got mine sight unseen no PPI from 1300 miles away, but I had a long time friend who was a Porsche guy on the other end helping.

Otherwise I wouldn't buy one without looking at in person first, but I am pretty well educated and versed in Porsches.

It is amazing how little some people know about cars they have owed for years. It just blows me away.

I would recommend PPI unless you know the cars really well, and it never hurts to have a second opinon on it.

Makmov

Some people just shouldn't buy a Porsche.

LimeyBoy

I mulled this over quite a lot when starting the purchase process for my 993. Through reading forums I had learned that not all PPI’s are equal and I figured I’d be very p$ssed if I paid someone to check and they missed something big. If I missed it, well then I could only blame myself. I then used books and forums again to compile checklists and used those to spend a couple of hours under the car and a couple more going over the bodywork – pulling carpets and window seals etc. I also did a couple of long test drives before and after my checks - the salesman was good about it but I know I tested his patience. Coming from the UK where “service history” is pretty essential on any car, I asked the salesman if I could contact the PO and he set it up. I waited for the PO to fedex the receipts/records – from day one I was happy to see – then I called the PO and spoke for a good half hour. By that point I was fairly convinced the chances of nasty surprises were low enough for me to pull the trigger. My biggest problem was remaining objective/detached while performing the checks. I was so bloody excited about ‘maybe’ buying it that I had to keep reminding myself to concentrate so I did not end up buying an (expensive) duffer which would give my wife an excuse to kill me.

CHRIS WU

1997 c2s with 15000 miles when I bought her 11/2 yr. ago,no ppi needed since came with complete service and repair records from day 1 and was checked out by my friend Robin Sun afterword,can't ask for more,love her and plan to keep her for a long long time.

ble2011

I had a PPI done before the purchase of my 993. The BMW dealer who was selling my 993 was very good about taking the car to any place I wanted it done (within reason). I was not a member of this forum so I went with what I believe would have been the best place for the money. It turned out alright, but probably should’ve gone to the local Porsche dealer and paid the $$$ to help negotiate a better purchase price for the little things that I’ve now repaired.

Stuttgart951

Always.

trophy

I never did with mine, I knew the car for a good number of years prior to me buying it and also knew the guy that did the work on it... So I had a sort of PPI, but no official one.

993MAN

Wow this is amazing really. To think we can buy a high performance car for
**** loads of money and not always have a PPI done.
In a way it goe's to show just how robust these cars really are, unlike the F cars I read about. I think most F car buyers have them done but even then it was a hit and miss senario.
It's quite funny. I just bought a 5 year old Mazda 6 the other day and had a PPI done. Yet I spent over 5 times that ammount on my TT and never bothered.
This is like Russian roulette!

skywachr

I honestly can't imagine not doing it if only for the peace of mind and nights of good sleep. Seems well worth the price of admission to me.

Quadcammer

unless the car was owned by a small handful of porsche ownerrs I know well, absolutely.

I got one, it revealed some things and didn't others.

You never know what you've got until you examine the hell out of it yourself.

race911

As an ex-shop owner, I suppose I can can trust myself to figure out what's what. But I've only bought the C4S of the dozen or so 911s I've owned for retail. And if a PPI showed something? Well, there were two other guys waiting right behind me to buy the car, so it was kind of a Clint "do you feel lucky, punk?" moment to write the check. It had all receipts from Day One, and what couldn't I fix?

Other than the yellow car, I've got really low standards with how my 911s start out. That it has a clean title is all I've required.