So I cannot do a PPI today because the shops are closed on saturdays.

I can do a thorough inspection visually. The car has 74k miles on it, 2011, panamera 4. clean title but 1 accident in 2012 rear bumper (backed into parked car per Carfax). Since then, no major changes. The VIN number doesnt fall under the recall for the camshaft. Black on black. 20" rims. sunroof.

So i know that the engine has "withstood the test of time" but also, what should I look for that can be bad signs?

When I drive the car, of course i'll look for hard acceleration slips, etc, rough starts, slow starts, vibrations, etc. Anything else to look for?

lastly, I test drove one yesterday with 45k miles on it, 2011, and this one I noticed that from a stop when I floored it (not in sport mode), the car jerked/knocked and then started going. This is abnormal right? it's not a feature of PDK or anything?

 

The pdk is a bit jerky on hard acceleration from a standstill. Not as smooth as an auto. No clunking or anything. That could be something wearing out in the driveshaft.

 

IMO, you should:

- take at least couple hours playing with the car, plus another 30 min or so on a test drive
- do some normal driving like you would drive regularly, see how the car performs in 'routine' driving
- play with every single button you have available. Read user manual before hand so you know what its supposed to do. Note down ANYTHING that you do not think is working as it should
- HAVE PPI done on the car, MAKE SURE they
--- thoroughly inspect electrical, interior, exterior, engine, transmission, power steering, brakes, suspension, wheels, radio/dvd, AC, heating, all options installed, etc
--- check for any fluid leaks
--- check all components under car (shafts for excessive play/damage, under damage/dragging, every single sub system)
--- check for evidence of leaking on the lower splash shield, you can smell/see even if cleaned up, if substantial
--- check brakes to measure how many mm you have left on rotors and pads (rotors should be 36mm new on front, 34mm when needs replacing, dont remember rear rotors, made posts listing these somewhere on here)
--- check each fluid, washer, coolant, brake, power steer/pdcc, engine oil, for being changed, and its condition
--- check overall interior condition of car (all interior bits, how car looks on scale of 1-10, 10 being brand new, 1 being totally crappy
--- check overall exterior condition of car, how looks and how rates on same scale (take any pics of any scratches, dents, etc) - thats the stuff you will look at after you buy it
--- ask them to prepare and have detailed report for you, listing anything out of norm, no matter how small
--- check any/all engine codes present when doing PPI, explaining each code, what it means repairs wise, etc
--- check to see condition of engine mounts (they are hydraulic, are they leaking, OK, etc)
- PDK will for the most part be butter smooth. I found that if you dont add enough gas, pdk seems more choppy. Especially in sport/sport + mode. If set to those, it expects acceleration. Should not be clunking, etc.
- drive the car at high speed to see if you can feel any vibrations, etc
- drive the car in sport mode if have it, to see if you can notice difference in ride (should be stiffer and more responsive)
- drive the car in sport plus mode if available, see if you can feel difference from sport mode (substantially more stiff and responsive from sport mode)
- drive car in slaloms, listen for creaks/vibrations, etc
- drive car over bumps, to listen for noises (front end noises like squeaks, clunks, are usually indicators to replace lower and upper control arms)
- test hard stopping, to see if any rotors bind (I dont mean kind of hard, I mean stomp on the damn thing, lock it up a couple times to get brakes real hot - thats when it will bind)
- turn your radio very loud, listen for vibrations, creaks in panels, speakers, etc
- inspect AC to make sure it blows well, gets cold (put thermometer to vents, should see temp in low 50s for sure, check each vent)
- inspect each vent to make sure none are broken/missing
- air suspension when in top shape should allow raise vehicle to high level in 4 seconds. If not, could be lower on pressure of may have leaks
- BEFORE you pick up car, INSIST ON GETTING A FULL DETAIL INSIDE AND OUT, ESPECIALLY OUT TO REMOVE SWIRLS/MARKS.
- Ask for full service records, and be prepared to investigate where the car was, to call dealer and ask for them. If no records, assume no service, and prepare to do it to ensure trouble free life

Thats off top of my head. you should approach test as if you want to check the most minor things as well. Note everything. These are your bargain chips, start with the biggest/most expensive bits to show they need changing. I would ask lower price or replace the parts.
Replace parts works well since they can still get their price but you get new part. Insist on getting genuine porsche parts. Non porsche/OEM parts often skimp on quality and you will end up replacing again in a year or two.
AC important one, expensive to repair. So is air suspension. If four wheel drive, listen for clunks, noises while you do tight circles in a lot. diff/final drive should wok well.

Good luck. Black on black is awesome. That is the color scheme I chose. Prone to cleaning all the time, but its a sacrifice you should be willing to accept. Update us on your selection.

 

SubzeroX,
Have you found your Pano yet? Thinking of selling my mint 2012 Pano TT if I can convince the wife that we need the new TTS Hybrid Turismo.

 

Need? Probably too strong a word. Want is more like it !

 

wow....wish i could think of a quarter of that off the top of my head!

 

My 2012 doesn't even have 28K miles, so she thinks I'm nuts. Told her we aren't getting any younger, and this would probably be the last one. Of course I told her that on the last couple, so she's not buying into it as easily.

 

@SubzeroX: Where is the car located? We have Porsche techs nationwide who can travel out to cars for full PPIs, and we prefer weekend inspections. Let us know if we can help. Thanks!

 

 

 

SubzeroX, did you get my PM's??