Might be buying 996 tomorrow - help needed

I maybe buying tomorrow (1st time Pcar soon-to-be owner) if the dealer and I come to terms on price. It's a 2002 Targa with 13,600 miles. It will come with a new CPO, so I'm not planning on having a PPI. I know some will not agree with that decision, but that's a conversation for another day. What should I be asking about the car (already has Car Fax)? List of items I should be checking on the car? I will have them put it on a lift so I can inspect. Anything esle you can think of that I might miss? Thanks in advance.

Quotes source post: 7085688

PPI is the best tool when negotiating a price. There is ALWAYS something that comes up with a PPI that you can use to reduce the price. CPO does not cover new tires and a lot of small stuff that CAN cost you money when added up. JP

Targa's are cool, I guess you know they're based on the cabriolet. Are you buying it from a Porsche dealer? Low miles, does it also have service records? Have you confirmed the option codes under the front hood? Yeah, even a brake job, pads & rotors, can be expensive and wouldn't be covered by CPO. Sounds nice, good luck and hope to see pics soon!

Food for thought. Bought my car from a Porsche dealer, Still got a indy PPI, It was well worth it.

IMO, service history trumps everything, even low mileage. If I had it to do over again, I would have demanded to see the service history. And it's not just a matter of knowing if there has been some kind of chronic problem. The discipline the PO showed about maintenance will tell you a lot about the car's future. PS Totally agree with others' comments on the wisdom of a PPI.

If you don't know what to inspect for I doubt you're qualified to perform the inspection. Not an insult at all, but if you've never owned or seen the underbelly of one its hard to find anything in that situation. Such as seeing that the cosmolene is missing off a certain part or newer non factory gaskets sticking out. I'd recommend a PPI as well.

Quotes source post: 7085729

Depending on which dealer you ask, they will not furnish the cars service history do to privacy laws. If you can get it, great! If they so no don't be suprised. The CPO certification commands that during the inspection that the brakes and tires are at least 80%. My CPO'd car came with new conti 2s and new brakes all around. Same goes for the shocks. Sounds like a great car.

I agree with Bruce. Service history is a good indicator of how happy you will be as an owner.

Naw - spend your time learning and then buy one without using the knowledge you learned - or just skip the first step, get all googlie eyed and spend your money on the shiny one!

Service records from the PCNA database are not private. I would want to know the service history of the car. A car with that low of mileage was probably dealer-serviced. I would think that service history is also important in this respect: A low-mileage car with 8 years under its belt is probably due for a 30k service. That can get pretty expensive at the dealer. So: Dealer service records (from their PCNA database) 30k service (throw it in as part of the deal) Tires (if they are original there could be dry rot problems) Brakes (8 year old fluid - no thanks) As for a PPI, the CPO warranty takes a lot of the reason for a PPI off the table. And unless there is a high quality private shop nearby, the dealer is the place to have that done... a Catch-22 of sorts. Good Luck! Pictures!

One small thing: I would not put much stock on the Car Fax. Out of curiosity, I paid for a full Car Fax report on my car this past summer, owned since new, and was stunned by what WASN'T there for which I have the receipts and repair bills. Also, my records and receipts are complete, but it doesn't take much effort to slip one out of the pile if someone wanted to hide something, say a comment by the mechanic about impending repair needs. I think the CPO is your salvation in this area. A PPI would also be a good idea and worth the money. Just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Quotes source post: 7085795

Same here on my old C4S. ///Michael

Best of luck with the purchase. Really test out that Targa top mechanism well. If it binds or does anything else weird--WALK! It will cost a fortune to troubleshoot and fix.

Quotes source post: 7085863

Correct. When I bought mine, the sales guy wouldn't give me the service records prior to the sale and used privacy as the excuse. But when I was later able to get hold of them, the printouts had no owner information on them at all. Just the VIN, mileage, nature of the complaint and action taken, printed right off PCNA's system. If they resist, insist.

add up all the things that could be wrong, worn or damaged that are not covered by cpo then if that number is greater than the cost of the ppi you are making a bad decision by not getting a ppi its not open for debate like which color is the best, its a fact that its best to get a ppi carfax is not 100% reliable, that is a fact also i'm not trying to be a d*ck, i just want to instill how important a ppi is welcome and good luck with the purchase

This reply contains comment to both of your threads. My 2 cents: I think the price is right. Being CPO'd it has had a ppi for all practical purposes. No real need to do a leak down as the motor is covered for 2 years. Plus you get the benefits of it being CPO's as mentioned above (tires and brakes). Due to the low mileage you probably get some new fluids too (brake, trans, coolant). Get the records from the dealer and get the inspection report of all the things they had to address to CPO the car. You may find that when you compare the records to the inspection report things like swapping out brake fluid were not done. On top of that the car is in your back yard so add it up. PPI - $350 CPO Warranty - $2,000 Items fixed to make the car CPO'd - $1,000 Items that the CPO will cover during the 2 years - Up to $15,000 if the engine goes Airfare to inspect the car - $300 Shipping the car back - $800 These are the costs that are built into that $36K price that you could end up paying if you had to travel to buy the car or bought it private party. The car has some great options too like sport seats, aero rockers and lt. wheels. As always with a dealer try to get them to throw in stuff that doesn't cost them a lot of coin, but makes you happy. Upgraded brake and shifter ****, car cover, sun visor, shirt, hat, etc... You never know what you get unless you ask. Also watch out for the dealer fees. Doc, title and so on. Remember those are pure add on fees and can be negotiated. Good luck.

Some really great info here to consider... Let me add one more thought. Do you knowif the car's been in a serious accident? Carfax may or may not know about one, but it can show you if there was a year with little or no mileage. The dealer VIN report might also shed some light on the low mileage. I would put the car up on a rack and look for tong marks from a jig, or have a pro look for them. Also, if the motor's been replaced it should not have that sticky coating on it (cosmoline-SP). Sounds like a great car, just do your homework...

Quotes source post: 7085688

I was made the mistake of buying a BMW CPO'd by the dealer with no PPI. yes CPO warranty covered the repairs, but I had 2 major breakdowns where the car stranded me, and in 2 years I had around 20 dealer visits for numerous issues that required time off work, alternate transportation, etc etc. I finally dumped that car. This time around with my P car I did a PPI - and bought a NON CPO car and decided I would get an aftermarket warranty IF the car passed PPI and I reviewed service records.

I don't understand how/why people blindly accept a title(CPO) given to the car by the seller of that car. Yes, they have guidelines they are supposed to follow, but conflict of interest? I would have a car with 100 miles inspected if I was paying $80-110k for it. Some cars get in accidents on the lot, boat, road test etc.. May be resprayed before it ever sells, even if it's just a fender with no bondo. Not saying everyone should, but I would/will. $300 is nothing.

Quotes source post: 7086154

Hmm, I'd actually argue that that isn't a fact. I didn't get a PPI on my car when I bought it three years ago and I've had absolutely no problems with it whatsoever. The only thing the PPI would have done for me is lighten my wallet by about $500...that would actually be a significant portion of the money I've had to put into the car over the last three years. A PPI is just an insurance policy that sometimes can save a buyer a lot of money, and other times it just costs them some money. Whether I get one on a car depends upon how comfortable I am with the purchase. In my case, I had all the service history of the car and it matched up perfectly with everything the very knowledgeable seller had already told me.