hjles

Like the title says, one of the cars I am looking into just went through the 'complete checklist' for CPO certification, the dealer forwarded me the paperwork and the repairs needed (and performed) to receive certification.

So I'm wondering if it still makes sense to pay for a PPI? Trying to save a few dollars wherever I can.

The other car I'm looking at is still under factory warranty for a few months...does that one need a PPI? It is being sold by the owner of a used car dealership (not CPO), it was his personal car and serviced and a nearby Porsche dealer.

Jaws1

Yes, you do need a PPI. I have purchased 2 x 997s in the last year, both CPO. In each case, the third-party PPI turned up items that I had the dealer correct before finalizing the deal. It's easier to get the dealer to correct things before you take delivery than to possibly fight with them to take corrective action under warranty on the back end. The PPI always uncovers things that the CPO checklist doesn't.

USMC_DS1

Always get a PPI... some p-dealers use the CPO as a marketing tool to move less than desirable cars. Look up mypoorcar.

chris.hanle

Yes do a ppi, as usmc said look at "my poor car". It will give you even more peace of mind and worth the 4-5 hundred bucks.

kosmo

Past PPI's have cost me $150-200 and I thought it was well worth it.

Also CPO cars can have paint work, like 2 panels max IIRC.

hjles

Holy cow, I just read through the "my poor car":

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...-poor-car.html

Enough said, PPI is a must. Thanks!

ECS Tuning

Good luck with PPI, and let us know how it goes.

Schpee007

Wow! Just read the thread myself and am feeling like a naive rookie for buying my Porsche Approved 997 without a separate PPI. I did fly to pick up the car, and as a result did get additional money knocked off for some cosmetic items that weren't as described by the dealer, but I believe now I definitely gave up negotiating leverage by not having that information in hand before I was standing there at the dealer with my son having to either just head back to the airport or take whatever I could squeeze from the dealer then and there. PPI all the way next time and I will find something to take for Porsche buyers fever. It clouds your mind! :-)

All this said, I love my Aqua Blue baby!

Good luck hjles!

CATSO

If you're asking the question, err on the side of caution and get the PPI as well.
Porsche is very particular about which items are checked during CPO. An independent PPI may reveal additional items that are of concern to you. Items that pass CPO, but may not be ok with you; Like kosmo's mentioning of the body panels being refinished.
CPO is a warranty, nonetheless, and "less than marketable cars" that pass CPO are sometimes covered by it. I think Porsche will eventually respond with stricter guidelines for CPO if it becomes a recurrent issue.

USMC_DS1

For example, my CPO'd car had a leaking RMS and a broken tailpipe. The p-dealer in Newport Beach, CA insistence that there was nothing to worry about as the car was covered by the CPO warranty, 120+ point inspection, blah-blah-blah... so no need for a PPI. It all made me even more suspicious. Took the wind out of their sale when my Indy found issues(although serviceable)... all serviced/replaced as a condition of sale. Helped to also dropped the price another $1K beyond our already agreed upon/negotiate price prior to my visit... the p-dealer basically paid for the shipper from SoCal to TX. GL and PPI.

CATSO

Yeah, that's BS.
Did you buy the car sight unseen?

USMC_DS1

I don't think I would ever buy a car sight unseen. This was my 4th remote location type car purchase. In this case, I negotiated the price upfront prior to flying out to inspect the car myself. It was part of my normal business trip so very little out of pocket cost to drop in for a visit. This car was 1 of 2 in Cali that made my short list. Before I landed my Indy had already performed the PPI... results of which I used to further negotiate the final price.

As a side note the p-dealer tried all the typical pressure sales tactics... you need to give us a down payment as another buyer is in route to buy the car. Ironically the p-dealer insisted that my Indy perform the PPI onsite in one of their bays. The other potential buyer from Pasadena happen to show up while my mech had the car on the rack... with the leaking RMS. The other buyer ran. In fairness to the p-dealer the car had sat at the p-dealer for 4-5 months so the CPO must have been performed early on but after sitting for months the RMS started to leak. Maybe the tailpipe was broken somehow while at the dealer... net net they were too confident regarding the car's condition at the time and the $300 I spent for the PPI was worth every penny. FWIW, the car was a trade in and was originally purchased at Power Porsche(now Newport Auto Center) so they had all the service records. Other than the RMS and broken tailpipe replaced prior to purchase... the car has run like a jeweled watch over the past 3 yrs of my ownership. GL to all seeking a good example of these fine cars.

kosmo

wow i've never heard of that. Good job.

USMC_DS1

Thanks... And yes that was unusual but I wanted to see this one through in spite of the p-dealer obstacles. They even asked that I pay them $300 to use their bay... I OK'd $150 on condition of a clean PPI. I suspect they really did not wanted to sell me the car and/or did not want a PPI performed due to hidden mechanical issues. There was a bit of noise as well about a $10K typo error for the asking price on their website (the official Porsche CPO site). But I already had printouts/hard copies and email exchanges with their sales rep re the prior posted price. Perhaps the other buyer was a last minute attempt at recovering some $$ on their part. They positioned that with the "website price error" they were underwater by a few thousands on the PO's trade in and that I was lucky to get the car... blah, blah, blah. That seemed plausible back then, 3 yrs ago, based on the prices I was seeing over the months of searching the nation and multiple offers falling through. In fact, my backup car on that trip was in NorCal - an '06 C2S with aero kit, stories(replacement engine), PO was a boy racer, trade-in with similar options otherwise... Sonnet wanted $3K more and would not budge on price even though I had told them about the "clean" '08 C2S with more warranty time (1.5 yrs original warranty left plus 2 yrs of CPO) that I intended to pick up in SoCal... I don't think they believed me as the website price went up $10 overnight for my '08 C2S in SoCal. But when it sounds too good to be true I double down on caution. In the end the PPI was clean enough as the mech only identified serviceable items and the p-dealer replaced both the RMS and the one broken tailpipe prior to delivery. And just to be doubly sure I had my local p-dealer tech, a friend, re-inspect the car here in Austin... flying colors.

I pinch myself every time I drive the car but it was the insight of those on RL that helped me through the process correctly. Of course the best advice was simply to get a PPI and DME report... even if it sounds perfect(the car and the deal) with the p-dealer pressuring you to buy now and the fear that your other half might pull the plug any second on your current obsession. GL to those on the hunt. I envy you... that is until I crank up the engine and hit the road. Post some pics to make it official when you get the "one".

Volnomad

USMC is a wise man. It is difficult to fight the urge to give into impulse, even when spending $$$. I purchased 3 CPO 911s with no PPI. In retrospect, I was very lucky to have had so few problems.