PPI? (pre purchase inspection) is it really required?

Hi Everyone, I'm looking at purchasing my first Porsche (991.1). It is interstate from me and I was wondering on people's thoughts on PPI. The current owner has had it regularly serviced at Porsche dealerships (last just 2-3 months ago) and no major issues were highlighted. Would a PPI be necessary or would you think the regular service documentation would suffice / be reassuring enough? Does porsche do a good job at picking up issues on regular services? One of the issues is trying to organise a PPI - one of the local (to the seller) dealerships said its a 3 month wait for a PPI! For what it's worth, I have gone up to see the car in person and it seems to be well maintained on the surface of it. Thanks in advance

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Spending 3 figures on a ppi on a 6 figure purchase on any purchase let alone a interstate one by a respected Indy workshop in said state that works on the model is a no brainer for a little piece of mind that’s in writing. I brought my last 4 cars having never  driven the model let alone the car purchased and all were  interstate purchases.  Plus unless your a piss poor negotiator ( I also ask the workshop for rom pricing on addressing any major mechanical items documented in the ppi) or have a stubborn as a mule owner,  that ppi should have paid for itself.  A lot can happen in three months in the car world unless the km on the last service match the current k’s and remember your buying the current owner as well as the car and how well do you know the current owner again?

Thanks smit2100. It's certainly not the price of a PPI which is the issue, its more the logistics. But yes, valid points.

what’s the issue with the logistics. If the owner can’t be f’d dropping a car off for the day at a well respected workshop on a day that suits them and your not offering to pick up their uber ride fees to make it easy for them not to say no, and there meant to be a keen for a sale and your keen to buy, that’s very interesting.  Or is it the uber fees  involved with in racking up hundreds of kms for a round trip.

Logistical issue was that he wanted a shop close to him, and the closest to him has a 3 month wait. Good thought about offering to pay for an uber for him to assist him dropping/picking it up from the PPI. I hadn’t thought of that.

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That’s why you go to an Indy.    It’s probably an hours work for a good Indy and 20 minute write up  with pics and my experience is most can slot you in within a week or two. But you may need to seek out a couple of Indy’s.  I’m sure the brains trust on here could offer up a few suggestions on indies.  The owner of the last  car I purchased  ( not a p car) was hard work.   Very dubious about MPC in Croydon that race the model I purchased, wanted only a 2 hour window for the inspection to be done whilst he waited and insisted he be in the car when it was taken  for a test drive.  The negotiation post ppi was also hard.  Over 2 months and I did most of the caving in.

Thanks for the prompt replies smit2100. the car in question is in Sydney, Darlinghurst, any suggestions around there? Porsche south Sydney said 3 months. From what I can gather, pr technology and autohaus Hamilton have good reputations. Does anyone have any other suggestions close to Darlinghurst?

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I have a different opinion to many regarding PPI, but hey opinions are like ***holes right?  We all have one 😉 When I am serious about a car I no longer book it in for a PPI, I book it in for a major service with an Independent and ask for a written report on  car as well. My rationale is threefold: 1) A major service will go deeper than a PPI and the technicians will spend more time on the car. 2) Service history are just stamps on a page and it could be true but who knows, so the first thing I always do after purchase is get a major service.  So in effect why not simply combine the PPI and the major service?  Yes it costs more but if it goes deeper and they spend more time on it then if the car fails I consider it money well spent and will happily wear the extra cost 3) A good independent is more likely to focus time on the car when they service it and are face to face with the car, then when they ticking boxes on a sheet.  Plus given a major service is at least twice as much as a PPI they have more incentive to book you in more quickly. I also make sure that I arrange to have at least a  15 minute conversation with the lead technician on the car to get their opinions verbally after the service has been completed.  There is a lot to be gained from talking to the technician that you will not get from a written report.  So when booking it in make sure they know you expect that but also do the decent thing on getting there well before 5pm so the Technician is not waiting around after hours for you.  Agree a time that is convenient for them and turn up at that time. I bought my car interstate from a dealer and so did the following: I test drove car and put a refundable deposit on car and had it serviced by an independent, the dealer dropped the car off and picked it up. Independent wrote me a report and emailed it to me which looked positive and I was happy to proceed to next step. Me and a mate drove to Sydney on the following Saturday (l uckily he was open on a Saturday, but if not we would have done it on a Friday instead ) and went to his workshop.  We spent time with him and he told us a lot about my car that was not in the report, but also we got to see his workshop and form a judgement on him and his experience.  It was a really enjoyable chat and I learned a lot about my new car from that chat. Then me and my mate went and test drove the car.  I did not drive the car because by this point my judgement was lost in excitement and my mate who has excellent driving skills and excellent mechanical sympathy drove the car and matched the Independent's words against the driving experience. We then went and had coffee and discussed it for more than an hour and only then did I sign the deal with the dealer.  Involved 3 separate trips to Sydney and some hassle but ultimately it was a very important decision that I wanted to get right and would follow the same process again if I bought another Porsche. It meant that when I picked my car up I did not have to baby it before it got serviced and I knew that all the oil, fluids etc were up to date and I could rely on the car for the hundreds of kilometre home journey. Just my two cents worth!! I would also add that I have used PRT twice for servicing and they do a really good job.  If I was getting a car inspected or serviced they would be my choice in Sydney.

Hi Carrera28, thanks for your thoughts. Makes sense. did you use PR tech in that scenario you described or was it somewhere else? On their website they say they don’t work Saturdays. But I’ll give them a buz.

My 2c I wouldn’t bother with a ppi on a 991.1 with clear service history that drove well. I’d also look for one with the Porsche warranty still in place. $2 Ppsr is a must also Anything old like air cooled then def get a good Indy shop to look at it.

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No I used a small independent called Cavaco in Kirrawee.  They were a father and son outfit and the father Carlos was a factory trained technician and a superb mechanic. Carlos has retired and I have no recent interaction with them so am not able to comment on their work with any currency. You will definitely have to do it on a weekday as I doubt any businesses are open on a Saturday anymore.

So we have agreed to a porsche dealership which has officially stopped doing PPIs, but they have told the seller they are happy to do an inspection (what ever that means). Is there anything in particular you would want checked? I guess I just want them to do a thorough check.

My thoughts are; - Body and underbody condition, repairs and paint condition. - engine: download ECU for errors & overrevs, compression test (and possibly leak down test). - if the car doesn't currently have extended Porsche warranty, get them to confirm it qualifies to have it reinstated.

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Thanks 911rox. Unfortunately, I do not think the car is eligible for extended warranty to be reinstated, as the current (2nd owner) bought the car from the first owner who had let the warranty expire. So my understanding is that it can no longer be reinstated?

You can reinstate the warranty. Your local Porsche centre can help with this. The car needs to pass the PPI to be eligible and have no mods on it. I would always recommend a PPI done on the vehicle for peace of mind. It's a small amount of money to ensure the car is all good.