Don_M

Is PPI necessary if purchasing a used 996 from an authorized Porsche dealer? I'm in the market for an 02 cab and I've contacted some of the local dealers to give me a call when the right one comes in.

newport996

Yes and no.....I bought a 99 C4 Cab from a Porsche dealer. made sure it was certified because of the year. The price was right and the condition of the car was immaculate. So I did it. In the first 30 days, the car was at the dealership for 12 of them. It passed it's "inspection" and certification with "flying colors" according to the sales and service department. The things that happened were cooling fan, coolant tank, window motor, 2 alignments, various trim pieces, oddments compartment latch, new rear tires, top latch, exhaust system clamps, protection plate dampening, and battery. In my research I found that the Porsche PPI inspection is mostly visual and a drive test. This is subjective. A lot of my issues didn't happen until the car was driven hard or for a long time. The dealer didn't drive the car under those conditions, so the PPI didn't reveal the problems. The good part is Poesche took care of all the issues under warranty.

frost

Depending upon the area in which you live, the billing rate for a Porshe tech is around a $100 an hour. For a certified Porsche tech to do a thorough and exhaustive inspection of a Porsche would be very time consumming, and you certainly won't get it done for a fee of a $150 or so. So if the quality of the car is in doubt, a Porsche warranty would be a must IMHO.

mlambert890

I think in newport96's case, the PPI might have helped. Of course, if you can't trust the certification inspection, then how can you trust the PPI?

The answer is that it's not the process, it's who does it.

If you have a car that was put honestly through the certification process, then you will be in good shape. If you have a car that was, for some reason, just pushed through it, then a PPI from an independent or another dealer might help (assuming THEY do a thorough job - no guarantee of that either).

Basically, it all comes down to the reputation of the dealer, what real records they are willing to show you, whether or not the car is certified and what feeling YOU get from the car. A PPI certainly can't hurt.

In my case, the dealer had done a lot of work during the certification that they had the records to prove - they took it very seriously. They had done tires, brakes, an o-ring seal an oil change and a battery prior to allowing it to be certified. They had done a lot more than just a quick visual inspection.