pulpo

most shops offer a full inspection with any service. Between mentioning that at a recent service, and self providing a current DME engine report and any past or present fault codes is all I plan to list with my car.

Owning a durametric is really worth it if you plan to buy/sell Pcars for a while. they work on every generation up to 991 so far.

If anyone wants to pay for an additional inspection I will accommodate them as long as they're paying and they're the highest offer.

pulpo

I think if BaT got big enough they could afford to incorporate better vetting and inspections into their platform. Sure you still wouldn't trust it 100%, but having one of their employees fly out to see the car and give it a once over seems like a pretty cheap thing to do with the money they are rolling in.

GC996

You are onto something.

​​​He'll, if we have people picking up food for people at different eateries, no reason why we can't have the same for PPIs.

Think of us little people when you go public for a couple of billion.

All you really need is a network of Indies that want to participate.

Dr_Strangelove

Yep always nice to have the feedback. The forum is 20% ... 15% good for that

I completely understand why the seed for the concept keeps getting planted; and I suppose if everything could be done with timestamped video then at least having the PPI on film would help calm the nerves of those who think "the whole show is rigged." But that requires quite a bit of bandwidth, resources, etc. Lots (for someone else) to think about.

Car buying right now is so interesting because as others have said - for every guy you get with trust issues you'll get a guy with a stupid smile on his face and cash in his hand. I'm not going to name names but there were some famous members on here who got famous for flipping bad cars because it was honestly so easy to find someone who would just buy the car without asking any questions...

Mike Murphy

The key to making a new site like this work comes down to trust and solving that problem.

This is one reason why CarMax has been so successful. They have a 30 day money back guarantee. Or CPO cars with extended warranty. Buyer trust skyrockets and they pay a little extra.

If something like that existed for specialty cars, and there was a way to document condition beforehand, it could work and be a differentiator. Otherwise, it’s hard to compete in a world where money and reach/marketing trump ethics.

zbomb

I’ll test drive a car for anyone who asks that’s willing to fund a fajita dinner with 2 tall boys.

I’m self declaring that I am certainly qualified for the role.

PS - no FWD, no sub 250 HP, nothing built between the years of 1978 and 1992.

pulpo

having someone whose driven one before would actually be a valuable service. no joke. I have an uncle whose owned every generation of 911 and the first thing I did was have him drive it to make sure the suspension felt right.

I'll offer up my services too!

Billup

Except for the fact that these services are absolute garbage and have nothing but layers of fees and constant problems. Seems like it'd be a good idea, but you'd need a small dedicated team to make it work.

GC996

No question. Very few of the new "tech" convenience services have any long-term competitive advantage. They can be put out of business if/when more competition arises. But isn't business all about solving problems. The question is will the volume be enough to making a profitable business. Time will tell.

We know the biggest problem for buying a used 996 is that many prospective buyers want a 996 but are flying blind. The smart ones get on this forum and start asking questions. But I suspect that most don't even know the forum exists let along what to be aware of.

​​​​​​In concept, this service may be able to provide a viable solution to those that are flying blind.

4Driver4

Never happen. BaT is careful to remain in only a matchmaker role. No reason to take on any liability of essentially "certifying" a BaT piece...not to mention the massive conflict of interest of them evaluating something that they are paid commission on the sale of. Higher rating, higher sale price, higher commission.

For those buying anything with an M96/M97 engine, your PPI should focus on engine health alone. You can check paint with a meter, read your own carfax, and generally look the car over. Brakes? Shocks? Meh. Normal wear items.
A PPI that does not look at bore scoring is not worth paying for.

Full disclosure: Not a fan of PPI. Never done one. Buy the seller, use your eyes, trust your gut.

work_truck

you wouldn't test drive an Integra Type-R?

zbomb

I’ve driven a friends ITR… no, unless it has ITBs and a redline north of 10K… not interested.

work_truck

You're dead to me

nrp3

My view as a small business owner in the trades, is the last thing I need is someone else in my pocket, defining what I can charge. The used car market, especially the exotics or classics has always been hostile to people without knowledge. If you want the car, whatever that is, do the research, find people, here and abroad who know what they are doing and ask questions. Use your gut too, usually you can tell whether the seller is full of @hit or honest, maybe doesn't know much but at least is straightforward about what they know.

work_truck

Well I took the car in today for a PPI (post purchase inspection) finally, and it went great. Couple small maintenance needs but overall in great health.


now I'm going to list it for sale