Purchased my 997.2 C2S without ppi. I drove it several times and looked it over very well. It was a Beverly Hills, CA car. It’s been a great car and I do all my own service. I have restored several cars, so I felt fine with it. I don’t recommend buying without a ppi.

 

Buying a car sight unseen without a PPI is putting 100% faith in the seller. Even if you 'Have to have it; getting a PPI at least lets you know what you're getting into and may give you some leverage.

 

And if you know who's assessment of the car to trust. A private seller of his own car isn't exactly a neutral source in terms of condition, service history, accident history or anything else related to the car for that matter. No doubt there are honest people out there who will give a 100% true picture of the car's condition, history and everything he/she knows about it but then there's the other kind.

Summed up, I think buying a car sight unseen from a private seller without a PPI is a risky proposition. Needless risk that could end up with expensive repairs for the sake of saving $300 or thereabouts.

 

Some dealers will not allow pppi due to insurance risks. I bought my 997.1 w/o but I am was very thorough before buying my last one. I gave them a detailed list of needed repairs, which they did as a condition of delivery. I have a Foxwell NT520 and checked dme as well as other codes (none). One year later, some minor issues but very happy with car.

That said, unlikely to buy long distant 911 w/o.

 

How many miles have you put on the car since you purchased? Not about time, but how much use before stuff breaks or needs to be addressed.

Insurance does not cover or what insurance risks? Sounds like shady dealer does not want their car examined. I have never, not once, had any dealer refuse to allow a PPI. I heard Carmax will not permit, but I would never purchase one from Carmax.

I also really do not get this purchasing from owner stuff. I talk a great game, service my cars well at dealerships (I am leary of anything less)., been a PCA members since the early 80s, instructed for PCA, raced Porsche factory race cars and am not sure what else would qualify me as GOOD PCA owner, yet I would run far away of any car I have ever owned. I absolutely drive the heck out of them.

I'd rather purchase a low mileage, 2nd or 3rd car of a busy doctor or business owner than the vast majority of PCA members I have known throughout the years.
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I would not purchase one without a PPI sight unseen. I also would never touch a 997.1 without a bore scope. I would never buy a car without seeing it, but that is just me. Totally worth a few hundred dollar plane ticket, plus you most likely will see a part of the country you normally would never see.

 

There is nothing wrong with getting a PPI period. If you are not sure about cars in general than you must get the PPI for your own comfort. If you have been working on cars or building them, then you decide. Personally, I always buy from the owner and do a PPI on the owner, then look at the car. Always works out great, however I work on my own cars. The PPI will give you a mechanical report, you have to look at it with your own eyes to satisfy yourself as to general condition, i.e. seat bolster wear etc.

 

the price of a PPI is low for the peace of mind. I've only purchased two used cars in my life. One sight unseen, my last car, a BMW 435i Gran Coupe. PPI came back strong and the car was great while I had it. My current 997.2 was local from reputable dealer, I saw it in person and drove it twice. Still had a PPI done that came back clean and it has been great since.

 

I did, but I was ‘buying the previous owner’. Full history, Rennlist member, long phone conversations etc.

Worked out great.

 

I love some of the answers. “Not a chance!”.

Based on what?

If the car is CPO and you know what your are doing, then absolutely. Check service records, ownership, and have the dealer send all and any flaws.

Once you receive the car, go through it and thats that. Have the CPO fix any issues, and anything that is not CPO applicable call out the dealer.

But maybe the fact that I am in Canada has something to do with it. Are P dealers in the US that shady?

Now if the car was not CPO different story...

 

Lots of great advice here.

Any used car is a bit of a crap shoot- so bending the odds in your favor is a wise move.

A telephone, or in person conversation with the previous owner (not normally possible with a dealer or online sale) is, IMO, invaluable.The "story" of the car is often more detailed/accurate than a CarFax report. Absence of a "story" is just as valuable.

As Doug wrote- I would not buy a used 911 from me. I do maintenance on time, but I drive the crap out of it- high RPM, heavy brake use, spoiler extended and fan running after shutdown, etc., etc. Not track abuse, but pretty close. But I have every piece of paper ever generated by the car, full PPF, respect the interior Alcantara and leather, enter/exit to minimize seat bolster wear- so it would appear to be a garage queen to a buyer.

Caveat emptor!

After spotting my 997 GTS in the PCA classifieds (on-line, weeks before the Panorama mag is delivered), I talked with the seller for about an hour. He graciously agreed to hold the car for me until I could arrange a flight from HNL-BOS to inspect and test drive it, and schedule a PPI. He received multiple offers, sight unseen, after my contact. I offered to send a deposit/earnest $, but he refused.

I flew to Boston via JFK, inspected the car and all records, drove it, while following the seller, to a Porsche dealer for a PPI, and closed the deal the same day. The dealer had leased the car, probably to a dealer partner- since it was never titled- and then sold it to my seller. They had detailed maintenance records that predated my seller's, and had no "skin in the game", i.e., no conflict of interest in performing the PPI.

I waited at the dealership while the PPI was done, and rode along with the mechanic on the test drive. He wrung it out as best one can in downtown Boston, operated every switch and control and answered all of my questions (I owned a 997.1 base Carrera, so their were several interior differences.) He even agreed to upload a free PCM Nav map update for me as part of my $300 fee. (A $225 value, if purchased at Suncoast.)

Armed with a clean PPI, a seller who had just purchased a sweet 2010 997.2 GT3 and taken a long test drive- it felt like a slam dunk sale. I flew home and wired the funds the next day.

Seller delivered it to his favorite shop for window tint and PPF for me, so all was ready when I flew back with wife and began a 6K mile road trip from Boston to LA.

A sketchy owner, incomplete maintenance records, no PPI, no personal inspection, no test drive- any of those would have scuttled my purchase.

I'd rather be lucky than good, but when spending $70K+, mucho risk and foolhardy to substitute hope for hard evidence. YMMV.

Edit:
I should also add, my GTS had remaining CPO warranty from the sale date (Sept 2016) through Aug 2018.
That CPO made the deal a slam dunk in my favor.

 

A good write up and well thought out. It also plays into my camp that you cannot replace a good seller. That is why I buy from the owners. As I have stated above, I "PPI" the owner and just look at the car. If the owner fails inspection, then I am gone. If an owner has not had the vehicle for a long time and does not know much about cars, that can be OK as long as they are telling the truth and are forthcoming in what they don't know.. Even with basket cases, I have never had a bad experience. I am a hand shake old school guy and I look for a hand shake type of seller or at least one that proves honest in what he does know. It sounds like the seller for your car was a handshake type of guy, albeit from a distance type of guy.
My take on Doug's comment would go as such. If I did the in person interview with him, I am sure he would tell me everything about the car and how he uses it. That would be an honest review and I would go from there on deciding if the car was right for me. It would be fully represented and that is what you want. For those people who do not have dirt under their fingernails and have to buy from dealers , then they should find out as much as they can and the money spent for a PPI would be well spent. Just my opinion.

 

Bought my CPO 997.2 in the spring during full-on COVID from a NY state Porsche dealer (and they were full-on COVID) sight unseen except the pictures they provided. I could not see it as we live in VT -- my wife would have had my head if I traveled there, and I really wanted the car -- so I relied on the copy of the CPO checklist the service manager had signed, a DME report, and their assurances since they were a Porsche store.

I did not have a PPI done. I'm not even sure I could have had one during those dark times as NY state was all but shut-down, though there probably could have been a way.

Regardless, since receiving the car and doing some work on it, I am 100% convinced that their CPO "inspection" was total BS. I am assembling the photos and will send off a 'strongly worded letter' to Porsche this week demanding some sort of rectification (e.g., having a different Porsche dealer doing an audited CPO, amongst other things).

Lesson learned: Get a PPI, even if for a CPO vehicle. Always get a PPI. And, if possible, absolutely fly out to see it, drive and, as another poster mentioned, interview the owner. These cars are investments, best we treat them with the proper due diligence. Just one guy's opinion.

Thx!

Bob

 

Yeah, mine even lied about what I pointed out from the pictures.

Some are that shady down here.

Bob

 

All the PPI talk is amusing. A PPI is only as good as the tech that does the work and the scope that is defined. IMHO, most PPI work is insufficient to truly vet the issues these cars have is basically "feel good" money spent. Time spent looking at the car, the owner, the owner's house, and the owner's other cars is often more illuminating.

I've owned two 997s, my current 2007 C4 and a 2005 C2.

The 2007 C4 was bought sigh unseen with a CEL and skip. No ticking. Still driving that today.
The 2005 was bought based on a test drive and cold start observation. Drove it for a few months, sold it (without a PPI), still see it around town running well.

PPI may help some folks sleep at night, but in may cases it's just false security.