Is there a way to PPI if its at a Porsche dealership?

Hi All, I'm trying to purchase a 2004 911 with 45K miles from a Porsche dealership. So far the carfax looks good, serviced by the same dealership, photos and videos are good. I'm in California and the car is in Washington. I plan to fly out to test dive and take a second look but was thinking of having it PPI'd first before i fly out. Is there a way to PPI if its at a Porsche dealership? Thanks in advance!

Quotes source post: 19113489

All the way from Australia, (lived and worked in USA etc) but dealers just want money for moving stock. He's telling you it's a terrific car so issue your PPI challenge. The challenge alone will tell you a lot. I tend to think if you like PPIs buy locally, especially since you are west coast and this is approaching 2 decades old. A salt free life story would help. The right PPI guy choice is also crucial.. I bought from the wrong side of Australia, the dealer was cool with the PPI. It was Covid lock down here, I ended up with a Vesuvio car and not Seal Grey as the dealer told me....My PPI was good, no regrets. Best wishes.

Quotes source post: 19113489

I had a very thorough PPI done at a dealer on my 2003 C4S. No regrets at all.

OP - I recommend you first ask to see the service history and repair record on the car, electronically. Ask the dealership if they’re a Porsche Classic dealer. Ask who is their 996 Gold Technician. If the first person hesitates to give you the info, ask the sales manager. Demonstrate you’re a serious customer. Ask what warranty comes with the purchase. Ask if they’ll scope the engine as a condition of purchase, if you commit to buy. If the car is a white or yellow 6sp C4S, you have to assess your risk tolerance. You’ve had a couple of months digitally searching and you’re probably realizing the supply of quality examples is limited. If the folks there are reasonable and no red flags pop, go drive it. A plane ticket is a small part of what’ll likely be a $45,000 acquisition cost for a good C4S at the dealer. If they can pick you up at the airport in it, so much the better.

I also had a reasonable ppi done by a third party at the dealer before purchasing. No leak down or bore scoping but you get what you pay for.

Quotes source post: 19113489

Yes, it�s possible. Back in the summer of 2020 I saw my 996 at a Porsche dealership 300 miles away. I talked to a salesman who agreed to take it to an independent mechanic for a PPI. But only after I put down a (refundable) deposit of course. Then I found the nearest Porsche indy and asked them if they would do an PPI. The deposit probably made it tougher to negotiate a price but I was still able to get it down some.

I purchased my 996 at a Porsche dealership. It had extensive service records. I still had the dealer deliver the car to an independent for a PPI including leakdown and bore scope. In fact, the findings from the PPI - leaky RMS and broken power seat switch resulted in: Dealer replaced seat switch Car price was lowered by $1200 due to leaky RMS. Didn't matter, car has the solution installed within 2 weeks of delivery. The PPI paid for itself!

It's been three years since I bought my 996 from a Porsche dealer but if they still do it, ask the dealer for the Porsche Multi-point Inspection Report. I call it the poor man's PPI. It did disclose that the car needed a clutch and front suspension and that was correct. I covers a lot of external and no internal exams. I would also ask the dealer what it has done to the car to get it ready to put on the lot. That was also helpful as it showed they replaced the turn signal stalk and battery. And it is all free.

Quotes source post: 19113693

Thanks for the advice! The car Im looking at is not a C4S but it is a 911. I spoke with my salesman and he did say the dealership is a Porsche Classic Dealer. No warranty, can't CPO it because of age. He did say, they wont be doing any bore scoping or oil analysis, etc. They will only do a PDI and/or replace what needs to be replaced if needed. (i.e. Tires, brakes, etc).

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Do Porsche dealerships allow that? Who did you use?

Quotes source post: 19113809

Yes, I will ask for that....hopefully they will let me see it. lol but thanks for the advice!

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This was actually a Chevy dealer that resells a handful of exotic cars. They allowed my guy to go on site and use their lift etc.

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There is your risk. No borescope and no oil analysis. As was mentioned by many of the guys, if there is a complete service history with plenty of oil changes, fuel injectors, IMSB and water pump replaced, the odds are more in your favor that the bores are not scored and oil tests are most likely good. But you really don't know unless you look. Get the complete service records and see if they will drop the sump and cut open the oil filter. Could be a great engine, or it could not. All depends on if the previous owners changed the oil and performed the proper service and procedures or not. Hence the importance of service history. Ask them what's on their PPI checklist. Add: Fwiw, i don't know what the laws are in that state for used car sales thru a dealership, but they may give you a window to return the car for a full refund. If so, it may give you the chance to find an indy to go thru it with a fine toothe comb. Then keep it or send it back. Good luck!

Quotes source post: 19114554

THE CONS: No bore scoping and oil analysis. Definitely a big risk! IMSB hasnt been replaced either. It has 47K miles. 4 owners. Carfax didn't show early oil service history but tons of oil service in the later years. Im sure the dealer wont have the old service records of the previous owners. THE PROS: Looks like the 3rd and last owner brought the car to get serviced at the dealership. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not but at least they would have records of the service done. The carfax shows that when the car had 29K miles in 2009, the dealer did a 30K mile service and the last big maintenance was another 30K mile serviced performed at 42K miles in 2021. Not sure why it's a 30K service, unless they meant 40K or 50K. The photos look good HAHA The undercarriage looks good HAHA The last owner was a Doctor, so hopefully he had a garage HAHA Here are some photos, my salesman tried to take of the under carriage HAHA

Here is the Porsche maintenance schedule. 30k is a major service.

Quotes source post: 19114991

Ooh thank you! So if they did it twice already that's a good sign, right?

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2x is definateky better than one. Let us know what you find out about the cars service history and your progress with the dealer. The 996 is a great car.

Washington location. Oil analysis rejected, completely non invasive. No bore analysis minimally invasive, and no warranty.? Look closer to home?

I don't think you have to look closer to home, yet. If the car was owned by a doc and serviced at the dealership, it means that the guy at least had the wherewithal to pay for maintenence and the dealer my feel like its a good example of how well they care for customers cars. Have you had the salesperson do a video of a startup looking directly at the rear? Will the dealer offer Porsche financing? Did you get the Porsche MultiPoint Inspections?

Quotes source post: 19118687

That was my first initial thought. Wsashington location, isn't it mostly raining there? Yes and no warranty but it's a 20 year old car. If i have one closer to home I wouldnt be looking anywhere else but cant find anything local. But I want to give it a chance.

Quotes source post: 19118933

Yes, I asked the salesman if I can see the Porsche multi-inspection report, he said it just left the service dept. last Friday and waiting for it, Hopefully by Monday. But he did send me this cold start video (see attached) I also reached out to the Gold technicians there and asked if they worked on the car. Yep, the dealer offers Porsche financing, why you ask?

I asked about the Porsche financing, because if it is Porsche Financial and not Capital One or similar retail lender, you will get a boost to your FICO score. Your score is a combo of how much you owe and to whom. If you owe money to Porsche Financial, they figure you must be a biq swinging d**k.

Cold start sounded fine. Looked OK to me.

Ah, one thing in the video. Might just be the angle, but is the gap between the bumper and the driver side exhaust pipe larger than on the passenger side? If so, new motor mounts are in your future. This isn't a game changing issue. It's an issue we all face sooner or later and it can be a DIY.

Quotes source post: 19121663

Thanks for catching that. I havent seen it from the back to compare both exhaust pipes. Looks like the car is still in service and the tech working on it wont be in until after the holidays (I spoke with the service advisor) who was helpful and confirmed with me that the car was brought their by previous owners.

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They must be going over it with a fine tooth comb with as long as it's been in service. Will they share the service history they have from the previous owners? Kinda like looking at medical records to connect the dots.

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The service advisor ended up emailing me and CC'd the gold technician working on the car and he said he'll contact me after the inspections to tell me what repairs had been done. I'm thinking the tech is just on vacation this week lol but hopefully they are fine tooth combing it haha

Quotes source post: 19123948

# Oil changes What was replaced and when will tell you what risks you have and how much you will need to spend to replace them. 1. Fuel injectors 2. ignition coils and plugs 3. Water pump 4. IMSB 5. RMS 6. Clutch & flywheel 7. AOS Good luck!

Quotes source post: 19123966

Well, I spoke with the service tech and for some reason, The Carfax report didn't match the service records in the system. Hmmm?! and Autocheck reported that there was 1 accident reported but Carfax showed none. Today, the car is still in the shop (according to my salesman) and it's because they are waiting for parts. A wiper blade! Ummm.... I think I'm going to pass...

Leoblast1, by service records, you mean the historical service records the dealer had going back how many years, don't match the CarFax report? The CarFax report is coded by the repair shop and the codes reported may or may not line up with what actually happened. I find the Autocheck report to be worthless. As for a possible accident, it depends on the accident...the CarFax report on mine didn't show an accident, but I'm 99.9% sure it was in one, but it drives perfectly and it doesn't change my enjoyment of it. As for the part on order. I've had lots of parts that had to come from Germany. Finally, the dealer probably isn't prioritizing it so it goes to the back of the line. Sounds like a lot of excuses, but it's hard to believe that the dealer is flooded with interest. I'd stay in touch with the salesperson.

Yeah, I would stay in touch as well. Who knows, maybe the gold technician performed a thorough PPI and the dealership decided they wanted to replace a couple of parts that work to your advantage. Best case is you get a thorough PPI and a confirmation from the gold technician that the car is in great shape with all the right service history. Worst case is someone buys it before you do. You never know what will play out as the game rolls on.

Quotes source post: 19143056

So I found a 2004 40th anniversary 911 with 90K miles for $39K. 3-owner vehicle, Carfax is clean and service records from 2009-present. Service by reputable porsche independent shop. The IMS had been done by LN Engineering-certified shop, RMS, Clutch, Plugs, Catalytic Converter, Fuel Pump and PPI came back good. Some minor things here and there like scratched front lip, one horn inoperable but nothing major. Engine, Suspension all in great shape. No leaks, etc. Paint meter readings are good. Would buying this be a smart idea??