Hi, LF a Little Help

Hi. I've been lurking around here for a little while and recently decided to get serious about fulfilling my goal of owning a 911. My budget cap is about 25k, and within that budget I'm looking for a 99-01, or an 02 if possible, C2 Coupe. I'm looking for some advice in a couple areas as I work on making this a reality. I've never purchased a used car before and although I've read about the importance of a PPI, I'm confused as to how this process would actually take place. Once I find a car that fits all my criteria on paper (color, options, etc.) and I decide I want to have a PPI done, what is the procedure? I guess I would make all the arrangements between dealer/seller and the mechanic, and pay for the inspection, but what is there to prevent the seller from selling the car out from under me while that is going on? I definitely want a manual trans, but I have only driven stick a handful of times and never owned one of my own to become really familiar with. I've never had much trouble with the ones I have driven, but the thought of going for a test drive with the pressure of the dealer/owner in the car makes me nervous. I would feel more comfortable if the car were driven for me to a parking lot or some other place out of traffic to get used to first. Is this unheard of, or does it seem like a reasonable request? Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hey, welcome... I think asking someone to drive it to a parking lot is a GREAT IDEA! esp if you are not familliar with a clutch. Shows you care enouogh, respect enough not to trash a car on a test drive. Knowing your own limits is a great thing!! PPI is something you pay for. set up the deal as close as you can and put a clause in there that everything is subject to an inspection and the outcome AND a re-negotiaiton of terms if the outcome shows issues and or the ability to walk away. If the seller knows his car, he wont have an issue with it. Make sure to use a Porsche shop, dealer is OK or a good indy. where are you located last, drive a couple of them... maybe drive a Tip (auto) even if you have no desire to own own just so you can feel the car on the road and not worry about your shifting... clutchs are not super expensive, maybe $1000-1500 installed ($400-500 at home if you are the type) but there are easy to burn up, so learn quick and dont rev the motor up when letting it out, you should be ok in a few days of parking lot practice

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It's currently a buyer's market so your timing is impeccable. As a buyer, especially if you are a cash in hand buyer, you have a lot of leverage and a lot of choices of vehicles. Whether the seller is a dealer or a private party, the PPI process is the same. At the time of the initial phone call/e-mail, along with the preliminary questions about the car I like to ask whether the seller would be willing to take the car to a mechanic of my choice and at my cost for a PPI. I like to ask upfront because a PPI is a deal breaker for me and I don't like wasting time. Once you think you have found a good car and have negotiated the initial purchase price, let the seller know that the price is subject to a satisfactory PPI result. Contact a Porsche dealer or indy near the seller and set up the appointment and have the seller drop the car off. PPI should take a few hours and cost around $200-300 from a Porsche dealer. Some PPI's are better than others, so I like to give the shop a list of specific questions I want answered e.g. any signs of RMS/IMS leak? how much left on the brake pads? how many type 1 or type 2 over revs recorded? are any tools, keys, manuals missing? etc.. If a Porsche dealer does the PPI they can also pull the warranty history and see if all the TSB's are up to date. Once you have the PPI in hand, contact the seller and renegotiate the price if necessary to reflect any substantial issues which came up in the PPI. Generally these are hand shake agreements. There is nothing preventing the seller from selling the car to somebody else. The flip side is that there is nothing preventing you from either walking away or renegotiating the price. You never want too much time to elapse after a PPI before you take delivery of the car if you are buying it. A PPI will almost always find something wrong e.g. bent rim, worn brakes, missing tools/manuals/keys, non Porsche "N" rated tires etc.. In theory you could draw up an agreement, sort of like a home inspection clause, but in practice they are more trouble than they are worth.

FYI- Ive allways owned a manual when It came to Porsches and most of my Audis, and I have to say when I intially purchased the 996 with a TIP, I felt a little girly but after driving the car a bit and being able to play around on the hwy with the car and putting a few M3s in thier place...(very annoying BTW, the demographics of most M3 owners is terrible) I am very happy owning a tip once you become accustomed to the transmission, Tips also sell abit cheaper than Manuals, so drive a few before you commit yourself to buying a manual. Most TIP owners have zero regrets for purchasing a tip and not a manual. Its also a godsent when stuck in tri-state area traffic. If your generally unfamiliar with these cars and wrenching...please get a PPI.

Thanks a lot for the advice. Came up with another question: if the seller is a Porsche dealer and they state in their listing that the car was inspected in-house, should I still have an independent PPI done, or should I accept their inspection (assuming they can answer some specific questions like the examples given in responses above)?

I would still get an independent PPI unless it is a CPO... If not, perhaps they are willing to provide a short term warranty. If you want to accept their inspection, you should ask them to run it through the formal CPO checklist (+ DME check) and show you the results. Best of luck! FM

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Generally cars sold by a Porsche dealership have a little bit of a price premium compared to a private seller. So what are you getting for that premium? It should be peace of mind and a convenient car buying experience. If the dealer car is not CPO, I would want to know why. Is the mileage too high, or has the car been modified with non-Porsche approved parts, or has the car been repaired after an accident? If not CPO then hopefully the car is being sold with a 3rd party warranty of some kind. IMHO, a car being sold by a Porsche dealer should not need a PPI. If they are selling a car without CPO or any warranty and a PPI is in order, maybe it's time to just walk away.

IIRC, Porsche cannot CPO a 10 year old car. But, if you can find one, you should jump on it I respectfully disagree with this. You should PPI any Porsche you buy . Especially one that is a decade old. The PPI, should identify any issues, serious, cosmetic or otherwise. And if there is something wrong, you can use that to negotiate the price. And you will kick yourself later if something major goes wrong with the car that a PPI would have picked up. IMO, it's just not worth saving a couple hundred bucks. Also, if the car qualifies for an aftermarket warranty, you should contemplate that as well. There are a number of threads on this issue here. -td

PPIs do very from Indy to dealer, I would suggest having one done by someone that knows Porsches and 996s in particular. Some PPIs(mine) only gave me basic info. such as : brake pads @ 40% f&r, tires at 45%, center console hinge broken, wiper condition, and an overall viual inspection of the body, exhaust etc. I would want to have a mechanic inspect for any oil leaks(RMS, IMS, etc.), to test drive the car, and give you some specific input regarding service needs or areas needing attention.

Welcome to the group first off! PPIs are great. I had mine done with the owner of the car watching the PPI being done. Actually worked in my favor because he could dispute issues. That is where I found out about an RMS leak (which is repaired) and minor engine leak (that is also now repaired). Beside finding the leaks I was told what the option codes meant and other pertinent info. For me it was a plus having the owner there......could back fire but in my case it was great and got some xtra $$$ back in my pocket (only to spend it on the repairs). Good Luck!

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Whooooooooooooops....meant 'could not dispute'. Damn send button!