Is this a good idea?

I am interested in a Porsche Boxter 987.2 with PDK transmission. I saw an ad for a 2010 Porsche base model with PDK. It is for sale through a Porsche dealership in a very high end area of Ca. They are asking $26,998 for it with 71,000 miles on the clock. Dealership is 3.5 hrs from me. I asked them if I could get a ppi for the car and was told sure, there are three Porsche specialist shops within a three mile radius. I was also told that they already went through a safety check and recon on the car. What do you guys think? Should I be safe purchasing this car from the Porsche dealership or should I get a ppi done on it? Also, car has had like 4-5 owners. Is this an issue? I had two first gen Porsche boxters with tiptronic transmissions that were both returned to their respective dealerships. One was actually a German speciality dealer with Porsche, BMW techs. Both cars were returned withing a few weeks, damn engine lights came on. I heard these 987.2 Boxters, 2.9L cars are pretty damn reliable? Trying to avoid a money pit. These darn Porsches are like a drug. What do you guys think about the price and everything else. Advice is greatly appreciated. Ger.

Is it a Porsche Certified Pre-owned? They won't certify if it isn't up to a higher standard because they usually also come with an extended warranty. That would make me feel better about that purchase. Also the PDK is a much better transmission than the Tiptronic so no worries there. And like you said the later models, the .2's have all of the benefits of the updated engines. I'd compare the price to others of the same year and equipment to Car Guru or Auto Trader to see how their price compares to market prices. Of course all that being said the market is crazy high with prices lately so a true bargain is hard to find. Good luck. It sounds like this one is checking many of your boxes. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Porsche Certified Pre-owned. Not that I know of. Since car is 11 years old would that even be possible?

I'm not sure but worth asking about. I don't know their qualifications for that program. Maybe try to Google it and see if any official information is out there before you even talk to the dealer. Can't hurt. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

I was also told that they already went through a safety check and recon on the car. Beautiful, then I'm sure you'll agree your faith in your service department can be converted into some tangible coverage should something major go wrong in an agreed upon time frame, perhaps we can find a middle for a modicum of coverage. Might not work but nobody is hurt by a swing for the fences in this scenario.

Looks like a deal to me. The price actually seems about right, maybe a tad low depending on color, condition, and options on it. For a dealer the price might actually be a tad low (depends on where the dealer is too, you mentioned it's a high-end area..) I'd pursue it. Chances are a dealer isn't going to sell you a car with issues. They don't need money that badly that they'd risk damaging their reputation. If they're willing to allow a PPI my WAG is the car is fine and they know it. But that's just a guess. I agree with Boris - try pushing them for something like a 30 day warranty in lieu of the PPI.. that would be just as good to me. If they're confident in the car they shouldn't have a problem doing that. And your supposition on the 987.2 2.9L PDK is correct - probably one of the most reliable of the water cooled flat-6 cars, and really a fun driver. Oh - the 4-5 owners? As far as I'm concerned a non-issue. We all want the one-owner car that has no miles on it and has been serviced every 6 months if it needed it or not, but the reality is - these are a niche car where people may buy it and then rather quickly determine they just can't make it work (2 seaters, limited luggage space, soft-top, etc.) and decide to get something more "practical".. so they can switch hands rather quickly. I think I'm owner #3 or 4 on mine, and it certainly hasn't been any sort of issue. It's been a great car.

I’d get it checked out, but if they did check it over then let’s see what they did or didn’t check!

I just bought a 2010 base, manual trans, about 73k when I got it. It was also a 4-owner before I got it. Carfax had a good deal of detail, which was reassuring. Mine was also from southern CA (I'm in CT now). Bought on Carvana for about $24k, so the price you're seeing is pretty good IMO. I'm paranoid so I would do the PPI anyway... but that doesn't mean you can't ask the dealer for some extra coverage as suggested. Even Carvana said they checked everything via their 150pt inspection, yet even basic things were not working properly or missing (driver mirror didn't move in some directions, passenger vent slider was broken/missing, cupholder was missing a component, top wasn't settling into the door frame, etc). Nothing catastrophic, but might as well get it taken care of on their dime! I'd say pursue it for sure...

I know this won't be the prevailing view but IMO, a PPI could miss a lot of things too. They are like home inspectors, no real liability or skin in the game and mechanics are all over the map in ability. My friend is a guilded Toyota master mechanic (whatever that all means) and he related to me that a lot of the mechanics who report to him are borderline hapless.

True! Imo a Indy Porsche shop is your best bet

I purchased a 11 Cayman S with 109k. Did a dealer PPI, car was an independent seller. Thorough PPI with a good pre-Covid purchase price, purchased car and have done all fluid changes plus water pump. Runs great. 5 DE's in a year and a half. Oil analysis also can provide useful information after oil changes. This can't be done at the dealer now. Point, if the car was maintained, mileage is not as important. Always nice to buy low mileage cars, don't be afraid of a good high mileage Cayman.

I agree with you ^ eventually they’ll all need a 25k$ rebuild lmao