How to use a PPI as part of the buying process

Hi All, I'm about to start the hunt for my first 996. I've been reading this forum for a while now and gained some great insight into 996 variants / well respected Indys etc.... so thanks I have also learnt the importance of a PPI ... my question is how does this work in practice i.e. if I see a nice car from a Private Seller, do I put a deposit down to secure the car with agreement that the purchase completes as long as no *major* items are uncovered as part of the PPI and if I want to walk away do I ask for my deposit back .... or do I ask for a discounted sale price etc. I want to ensure that I get the best deal for me but at the same time don't want to mess any sellers around by doing something that isn't viewed as reasonable I think I understand the process better when it comes to dealers ... I presume any work identified by the PPI (within reason) you can ask to get done before the sale completes? Apologies for the newbie questions, but any advice gratefully recieved. Cheers.

Hi Gregg and welcome. The PPI can be a very strong bargaining tool to use when coming to a buying decision and price for any particular car. The thing is though it is so easy to land yourself with a quandary if you opt for a recognised Porsche inspector. With respect to the two situations that you have described my thoughts are- -Don't discuss price or give a deposit until the PPI has been carried out. -Use the results of the PPI to negotiate the buying price with the vendor (If you decide to go ahead with the purchase) Because professional PPI's are quite expensive, there is a risk element.... -Vendor might have sold car before you organise PPI - vendor might view the fact that you have spent quite a lot of money on the PPI as a sign that you are highly committed so not move much on price. Personally I always do my own PPI when I go to view a car. (before going to view I ask vendor to organise a location where the car can be put on a garage lift so that I can carry out an inspection) Assuming that you don't have a lot of mechanical knowledge or indeed specific knowledge of Porsche models my advice to you is that with thorough research and the help of a friendly local general mechanic, you can do your own PPI The secret to success here is to do thorough research. By doing a search on here, on piston heads and Rennlist you can draw up a comprehensive list of things to look out for/ weaknesses etc on the model that you want to buy. Taking the 993 as an example, a few 993 specific things to look out for are - - Damage around door check straps - Corrosion around front scuttle and windscreen corners -Rear Bumper support bars corroded/missing - Exhaust heat shields corroded/missing ETC ETC ...... Other things are general and can be picked up by your self or a general mechanic- -Is Clutch slipping? -Any brake judder -Tyres wearing evenly? ... have good tread? - Any tappet rattle/engine noise ... ETC ETC A forum member on here called Ballcock has compiled a very good list for the 993 so ..... worth doing a search if you are interested in a 993 The thing is, if you do thorough research on what to look for, you can do an effective PPI yourself or with the help a friendly local mechanic. Before going to view, its a good idea to research the cost to correct faults and take this information with you. After your PPI, take a little time to list the faults that you find and the cost to correct them and use this information to- a) Decide if the car is for you,..... and if it it is... b) Decide on a value that you place on the car. The thing is, with this information you can explain your thinking to the vendor and then come to a meeting of minds with him as regards a realistic buying price. This method places you in control of the buying process and in a strong position to secure a good deal if you decide to buy. Sorry for being long winded, these are my personal opinions so might not be suitable for you personally, anyway... hope you find this helpful. PS ... Don't expect to buy the first car that you go to view

Thanks Achtung; you're right to assume I don't have a good level of mechanical expertise, although as you can imagine this is one of the times I did Your point on the timing of the PPI also is something that I thought about i.e. the risk of losing the car if there is too big a delay between first viewing and PPI. I suppose I could try calling a few people who provide PPIs to ask them how these situations typically play out. :?:

You just have to make sure the PPI doesn't create a situation where you walk away from a "good" car. With all the litigation fears those that carry out PPI will sometimes list everything they possibly can to prevent any kind of comeback - so just take it with a pinch of salt.

I would always recommend a PPI but they can be a bit hit or miss. They often point out lots of faults(good) but when it comes to haggling on the price the seller rarely drops the price as much as you want.

My approach is to negotiate and agree a price prior to a PPI. Place a deposit subject to no issues coming out of the PPI. If issues do arise, you can negotiate further (eg seller pays half and you pay half) or ask for your deposit back if no agreement is reached. Ultimately, what happens at this point will depend on your judgement as to the issues found and how good a price you negotiated in the first place.

Thanks all. Good advice, it's clearer to me now, although I may still use a bit of judgement on the PPI depending on Porsche Service History etc. Cheers

Once you place a deposit the seller has got you by the balls! :nooo:

My PPI experience as follows: Found a car I liked, that I thought was reasonably priced. Arranged for owner to take to OPC for inspection. OPC gave me verbal report whilst the car was with them. Negotiated price based upon what was found. If something nasty had been uncovered I'd have walked away, happy that my money for the PPI was well spent finding this out. With a 996 it is very easy to get a four figure bill simply for maintenance and replacing wear and tear items - rather than for repairs if something breaks, so a PPI is essential to identifying at what point future work maybe needed on the car; radiators, condensers, coil packs, mufflers, brake discs, suspension etc

I agree and I think a deposit is only required if there is going to be a big gap between you viewing the car and then inspecting it. Without a deposit, you take the risk someone else turns up and buys the car before the PPI. If it is the next day or even the day after that you are probably OK withut a deposit. If there is a weekend in between and I really like the car, I would negotiate a price and place a deposit

Try to source your purchase from a forum member One who has been around a while 1 You may have access to a written forum history 2 Poll suggest most are trustworty 3 They will know the faults and poll suggest some, not all, will tell you about them. 4 They will work with on the PPI Good luck

My tuppence: try and use a garage rather than a pure inspector. I used Peter Morgan for 2 inspections and while what he produced was good quality, it wasnt what I wanted. As previously mentioned on this thread, some PPI people are now like house surveyors and overly cautious. They also dont put things in context. For example I looked at a 964T which had bad scuttle rust. It was bad, prob the worst you are likely to see, but every 964 suffers from this in the end. It also needed new heat exchangers, another common fault. Rather than saying: "these are common issues and will cost c.£xx to put right, so you should adjust your price accordingly", the inspector binned the car for the faults. Find a decent indy, cos they will be cheaper, can put things into context price wise, and if its close to you then they will be mindful of getting it right as you might be using them to service stuff (if they find something at service time that they didnt at PPI time they look like nobs). And finally, if you use an inspector (as opposed to garage), take his report with a pinch of salt. As a wise forum member said to me - its my choice how much of a project car I want to buy, I'm merely asking the inspector to highlight all the 'project' areas. Good luck

Hi adeymars, This is a very interesting post. Would you please post a link to the poll that you talk about?