Hey guys,

After looking for quite awhile now, there is a car recently that popped up that I'm interested in. Wondering what the proper procedure is to do. Its a private sale car with low mileage and imported over from the states in (I'm from Toronto) . Should I go check out the car first myself before I get a PPI done? or should I get a PPI done before checking it out? I only ask because its not local and about a 3hr drive to see it. I have the vin but need to purchase a carfax for it as the seller is not providing it. Being a usa car, does a carfax/carproof show everything? (which one should I be getting?)

I'm really interested in this vehicle, has pretty much all the options I want along with the proper colour combo.

Also for a private sale, assuming all checks out with PPI what is the proper steps?

Thanks for all your help! Pretty exciting if this is the one!

 

Get a Carfax. It should show if an insurance company paid to have it fixed. Obviously it wont show a cash deal. Personally I would suck it up and make the three hour drive. Ask to see it cold (without being warmed up), go for a drive and see if you still like it. If so, get a PPI from a trusted mechanic who knows these cars. Buy the car and be happy.

Most people find cars on the other side of the country. A 3 hour drive is nothing. finding a semi local car in the color combo you want, with the options you want is kind of unheard of.

 

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Good luck! What year, model, price?

I just bought an out-of-state 997 a few months back and here was my process:

1. I decided I liked the car and the seller: color, options, price, miles, maintenance records, Carfax, perceived trustworthiness of the seller, etc.

2. I agreed on a price with the seller, contingent on PPI and personal inspection.

3. I asked the forum for recommendations on good indy shops in the area and cross-referenced those with Yelp reviews. One of the forum members in the area was even kind enough to take a look at the car and vouch for the seller.

4. I scheduled the PPI and flew down for a day to check out the car. I first test drove it with the seller and then took it over to the shop to get the PPI. There were a lot of little things I found onsite that pictures will never show.

5. The PPI came back clean except for a few minor things the seller agreed to fix.

6. We shook on the deal, I got on a plane, mailed him a check the next day, insured it and had the car shipped a few days later. Quick and painless.

What I would do differently: ask the shop to pull the oil filter and look for any debris when doing the PPI. They should be able to remove it without doing a full oil change (or have the seller agree to pay for half of the oil change). Its $30 for a new filter and 20 minutes extra work.

Good luck and keep us posted. You wont be sorry with the purchase. Ive had a blast with mine everyday since I bought it.

 

Would you be able to remove oil filter without draining engine oil?

 

I asked my indy shop the same thing and they said yes, just need to top up the oil after (I think the filter housing holds half a quart). However I've never done it and I'm no expert.

 

I think your mechanic is talking about newer models. 997.1 engine filter is under the engine and would cause the oil to be drained if opened.

 

The filter housing sits higher than the sump so I think you might lose some oil, but not the gusher you get when unscrewing the plug at the bottom of the pan. In fact, I read one post not long ago where a guy recommended unscrewing the oil filter housing if you overfill the oil.

Again, no first hand experience but seems feasible.

 

You are correct and that is why I used the word 'should'. Nothing is fool proof and a quality PPI 'should' catch mistakes. My main point is nothing beats actual hands on as you will get a feel of how the car has lived its live.

On the flip side, I had a $4,000 pay out on my car and will probably show up on car fax as an 'accident'. In reality, a mouse chewed through the high pressure fuel line from the tank. The part was $179 bucks, labor a Porsche dealer with their top Master mechanic doing the work (my close friend of over 20 years) ate up the balance.

So Carfax can be a blessing or a curse or flat out wrong.

 

Thanks for the advices guys.

Will be making the trip this weekend to check out the car first. If it looks good, I'll arrange for a ppi for it.

Might be a hard question, but how much would you guys value the following vehicle?

I was told that it was serviced at Porsche of Syracuse. I called them but they said they were not allowed to provide me with the service history. The owner does claim to have all service records, but I thought I would call and follow up on my end as well.

Thanks for all your help!

 

Value depends a lot on mileage and condition. It's got the 9a1 so less worries, but these cars can get expensive really quick.

Step 1 - take your time - these cars are mass produced so if this one sells keep looking

Step 2 - for a 3 hour drive, go see the car in person and spend a lot of time inspecting condition. If it passes this then,

Step 3 - take a really deep breath and get a drink and don't get too excited

Step 4 - arrange an invasive and expensive PPI. Spending extra cash now will save you in the long run even if you don't buy the car

As far as value without knowing mileage/condition hard to tell. Probably in the $50-60k range. If under $50 consider skipping all above steps and sending a check and sorting it out later.

 

Thanks for the help guys.

Will be seeing the car tomorrow.

Anything I should look carefully at prior to having PPI done?

 

Start it from cold. On the test drive, keep the radio off, open the windows and listen. Turn on every switch. Get it up to speed, brake hard. When warm, restart to see if its slow cranking. Basically, test all the systems and get a feel for the car.

Private Party sales, in my opinion are the best because you probably not dealing with a professional seller. You should get a feel for the car if the house is nice, well kept etc.

 

Hey guys, I showed a friend of mine a video I made of the car starting up from cold.

He mentioned that it sounded rough, can you call take a listen and let me know? especially the 997.2 guys? I haven't had PPI done, still getting it sorted out, and would love to tell the mechanic what to look for if this is an issue.


Password : RL

Thanks for all your help!