PasPar2

I am interested in a car being sold by a non-Porsche franchised dealer in NYC. When I asked to take the car for a PPI, they offered me a lift for an onsite PPI but are not willing to let the car go to my mechanic 30 miles away - with the local traffic etc, I can sort of understand that. I dont think they are being sneaky, they are just not familiar with the process... they sell 99% CPO cars of their own brand.

Any idea where I can find a person familiar enough with 997's to perform a PPI at their dealership in? My only other option is to have the PPI done at Manhattan Motors but I dont trust them much and they only offer the "mild" PPI (test drive, walk around with pain meter, tire thread depth and brake measure - almost useless), they dont offer the CPO like PPI at all.

Any ideas before I just walk away?

Thanks

mjsporsche

Interesting challenge you have. Most would say to walk away and continue your search. Usually, the PPI includes some DME output reports, etc. which you will not be able to do at a non Porsche dealer.

However.. give Formula Motorsports in LIC (across the Ed Koch (Queensboro) bridge). Mark is the owner and well respected. He might be willing to make a "house call" or have other suggestions.

No affiliation...yada ya.

Phone number 718 482-0515.

Good luck.

Divot

Formula Motorsports is top rated, and I'd trust them for the PPI in a heartbeat. I doubt they will travel to a dealership to do a PPI. You might need to walk.

When you say NYC, which borough? FM is in Queens, and Queens is part of NYC. And what neighborhood?

PasPar2

dealer is in Manhattan.. thanks. Looks like Formula is 5-6 miles away... Ill see what they say about that.

I can pull the DME using my durametric (Im pretty sure)... but Im not mechanically inclined beyond thread depth gauge usage

mjsporsche

Every dealership has car jockeys, runners or flatbeds that pick up their inventory cars that are either stored in LIC or NJ. Going to Formula should not be a big deal for them if they want to sell you the car.

PasPar2

Just spoke with mark - the guy is really a character on the phone

$550 for a PPI is pretty steep though, isnt it?

mjsporsche

$550 is clearly on the upper end of the pricing scale. I have heard of higher too. Maybe you need to think about what you are most concerned about.

I am surprised that Manhattan Motor Cars would not do the kind of inspection that can manage your concerns. Maybe similar to what they should be doing prior to certifying a car.

My list.
(1) Visual inspection of vehicle, both interior and exterior
(2) Paint meter test to see if any body work is present
(3) Hook up to the diagnostic machines to see if any codes appear(ed).
(4) DME output.
(5) Mechanical inspection. RMS, IMS, etc.

Some can add on to this. I suspect this would satisfy me. And, maybe there is a way to get them to certify it (if eligible) for $2,500.

PM me if you want to discuss further.

Mark S

PasPar2

thanks Mark...

Does a piwis show cleared codes as well? I know my durametric doesnt...

I agree with your list, and I am most concerned with (5) since that I cannot do myself. the others I can cover myself (2) with their assistance.

Anyhow, have yet to get a call back about go/no go on this... dealer is on carribean time

PasPar2

update...

car sold to someone who couldn't get financing and I was contacted to see if I was still interested. After some back and forth, they revealed the check engine light is on and "volunteered" to take it in to the local dealer for a checkup. The check engine light was for a bad evap canister(?) and was corrected under warranty and while at it the dealer also preformed a ppi per the sellers request..

This is what I now have... pretty insignificant, wont you say? I expected a PPI to be .... mo' bigger...

I called the dealership and the advisor who handled the car said that basically its "very clean and very nice..." they didn't test drive it extensively (~2 NYC city miles) but everything they checked was up to spec

they didnt scan the DME but I can do that with my durametric ...

If this wasnt a white on black car I would tell them to shove it a long time ago but... I *want* it. I just dont want that to overshadow things

Does anyone have a dealers PPI to compare?

thanks

Marine Blue

There are a couple of things that don't show up on that report. For example did they measure the paint depth in various areas and confirm that it hasn't been painted?

I know when I have had PPI's done in the past it included a compression check, did they do this?

They patched a hole in the tires sidewall, isn't this a no no?

The check they performed is what I typically see for an oil change, not a PPI.

AP997S

Might be a silly question but have you done a basic 'CarFax'?

Never do a side wall patch or some say a tread patch on an 'Z' rated tire. They might not leak air but the construction integrity is compromised.

DME readout is a must on a manual tranny. Not so much on a Tip since you can't over rev a them.

moorejd

Just my $0.02. but $550 sounds *ridiculous.* Here's a PPI that I received from a dealer in CA, that cost me $255. I also spoke to the mechanic, who sent me the DME report, and some high-res shots of the car.

Best,

Julian
ps Turns out the "nail" was just a screwhead that was about 1mm deep - phew

PasPar2

The tire was plugged just to get the car to the dealer...

Anyhow, had trouble with this dealer agreeing to taking the car out for a proper PPI and passed on it.

AP997S

Good move . . . There are plenty of solid 997's in the used car marketplace. It just takes patience and vigilance to find them.

Good luck in your quest!