mlambert890

This is a strange situation. I wanted to see what the Rennlist thought of it.

Im in NYC and I found a car that meets my requirements at Brandywine. Now I know Brandywine has a great rep and this car is certified, so I figured smooth sailing all the way.

The thing is, since I'm remote, I figured I would have an independent PPI done before I take a day off and a long *** ride down to PA.

For the PPI, I selected Performance Automotive. I figured this would be a no-brainer since both of these places seem to be very well respected in the Porsche community.

Everything was going ok when all of a sudden the Brandywine sales manager decided that they "will not allow the car off premises" and that Performance Automotive would have to go to the dealership to see the car. I got the feeling that the Perf Auto guys were a little insulted by this and told me they wouldnt be able to do the PPI.

Now Im stuck and Im not sure what to do. I have a good faith deposit on the car, so its not as if I'm a total "out of the blue" caller. Brandywine has such a good rep (and the car is certified), that I dont want to just forget the whole thing since the car really is nearly exactly what I was looking for.

Any opinions on this situation? Is this policy Brandywine has typical?

richard glickel

I don't understand the dealer's reluctance to allow the PPI off premises. That said, assuming the car comes with a factory/dealer used car warranty, you could probably go ahead with your purchase in relative security.

No matter what, before you complete the deal, you will have to drive the car and inspect it closely (get the car up on a lift) yourself. While a prestine car does not necessarily mean that the vehicle is mechanically perfect, it is some indication of how well the car was cared for by the previous owner. I assume also, that all service are available for your inspection and transfer to you should you end up buying the car.

I would imagine that for you, this is THE car, at a fair price and the time is right for you to acquire it at this time. Otherwise - absent a reasonable explanation for denying the off premise PPI - I'd ask for the return of my deposit and keep looking. JMTC.

Richard

mlambert890

The car really does meet all of my requirements and the price is pretty close already for a certified car from a Porsche dealer (a little negotiation is in order).

If it werent Brandywine, I might actually consider walking anyway, but Brandywine seems to have a great rep.

Any opinions from any NE folks that have had experience with Brandywine?

Holtmotorsports

what kind of car is it? 996 or 993?
I am about 10 mi. west of them....

Thanks,
Tim Jr.





www.HOLTMOTORSPORTS.com

mlambert890

Hi Tim,

It's a 1999 996 silver, tip aerokit coupe. The latest update was that something funny seems to have happened between Perf Auto and Brandy... Brandy claims they offered to have Perf Auto come onsite and even use a lift to do the PPI and that they agreed. Perf Auto had told me in no uncertain terms they werent going to do that. So Im going to assume that maybe there was a personality clash somewhere along the line and try to find another independent to PPI the car before I head down next week.

Holtmotorsports

I know Pete and Paul well (perf. auto)...

they do not have a problem with brandywine. there was another car that caused brandywine to not let any PPIs be done by Pref. Auto.

To be candid, why would you buy a '99/911 anyway? Down here you can not give them away. the first year for the 996 had numerous problems and we have found them very difficlut to sell. Go for a '01 or step up to a '02 with the 3.6 Litre engine.

Best of luck,
Tim

mlambert890

Budget is around $50k. Two things Im not flexible on are that I want silver and it has to be a tip. My other requirement is that the car be certified since Im a bit worried about the 996 in general with the RMS issues (although not worried enough to stay totally away).

Put those criteria together and I havent really been able to find many cars at all in the NY/CT/NJ/PA/MD area and I've been looking the whole summer.

This car met all criteria (plus it has the aerokit which is a big plus for me), its a later 99, its at Brandywine which seems to be a favored dealer, and its in the price range.

mlambert890

Update:

Went down to Brandywine, checked out the car myself, bought it and love it. Everything was as represented by them and the experience was excellent (worked with Tom).

As a little bonus (for me at least) the car had B&B headers and exhaust which was a nice plus. Brandywine was great in providing the service records, certification inspection sheet and records of everything they performed to bring the car up to certification level.

Not sure what had happened with the PPI situation (probably will never know), but the car looked/sounded/felt right to me and I've got the warranty, so I went for it.

clangjr

Congrats!