Any familiar with NXCESS motors in Houston? Where can I get a good PPI in Houston?

Hi all, Still on the search for my 996. Has anyone purchased from NXCESS in Houston? They seem to be a huge outfit....tons of cars. Also, If anyone wants to go over there for me and check out a car, that would be great! But I need a PPI shop to check out the car if I get the green light on the appearance. Any help/assistance would be appreciated. I can be reached directly at [email removed] Best, Jon

They do have many cars, and nice ones at that. I actually bought from them. No complaints - just make sure to know what you're getting.

Where I got mine. They are a little shady, I did not do a PPI but I have 91K miles on my car. I only have had slight issues, nothing a PPI could of uncovered. When my rear tail lamp was acting up is when I discovered why I got my car so cheap from them, it had been slightly rear-ended bending some sheetmetal. I could see where the sheetmetal was straightened right underneath the tailight once I pulled it out. (of course no one told me it was rear-ended) The first car I drove from them was a '99 that was badly abused. The motor mounts were shot, interior scuffed everywhere, and I saw sand or salt in all kind of nooks and crannies of the car plus a line had been replaced that runs down the length of the car, I passed. If you are not scared of working on cars, probably alright but if not pass over and get a CPO'd car.

They have some nice cars there, but it is one of the ultimate "buyer beware" places. I would never consider buying there without a PPI from someone I trusted 100%.

On the PPI, you might want to call the folks at http://www.protechnik.com/ I have not used that shop, but a friend of mine has on his 996 and likes them. They are located on the same freeway as NXCESS, but a few miles away. NXCESS seems to deal in large volumes of cars so a PPI would be highly recommended.

Assuming that they have more than one machine on their lot, what is this car that you need someone to look at? I am right down the road about 10 minutes and wouldn't mind looking at it up close from a customer point of view. I'm not a mechanic. Another option for PPI is one of the local PCA chapters sponsors, EuroCar-Werk. See link below and call on them to talk about NXCESS and this car you want. They are also very near the car so pick up would be easy for them. www.eurocarwerk.com [phone removed]

Rcronin, Thanks so much. The car I'm looking at is an '02 artic silver with all the bells I want. It has 47K miles on the clock. If you get a chance....lemme know what you think, but please don't go too far out of your way. The hood looks a bit off in the pix....waiting to hear from the dealer on that. Best, Jon

Jon- I'll go look at it today on the way home from work.

Rcronin.....thanks so much.....happy to get someone else to look at it.....they haven't called me back yet on my questions. Again, I appreciate it. Jon

They have also been known to advertise vehicles even after they have been sold....

They have also been known to have one price in the ad on the internet and one price when you show up in person (Oh, thats a different car, or maybe its a misprint, but regardless, I can't sell it to you for that price). Overall, I was treated like excrement and told a pack of foolish lies by some thug wantabe that could not even comprehend that I knew a bit more about the car I was trying to purchase than he might. One would think that arriving in the same model of vehicle, discussing my personal ownership history with that model of vehicle, and expressing my pleasure with the particular model of vehicle might just tip off most savy sellers. Not these guys. All in all, my impression is that they are looking for marks and trading on an inventory of auction and second hand cars that would not pass muster at most higher end dealers in Houston. Perhaps your milage will vary.

Wow Ernest, Don't beat around the bush....tell us how you feel! Kidding....I really appreciate your honesty and feedback. I was in a Porsche dealership yesterday looking at pre owned.....told the salesman I'd love to have a 996 C4S cuz I love the rear end look with the reflector across the back. He insisted that the 996 C4S does not have the strip along the rear, as that was phased out when they stopped the 993. I told him I "think" they do have the strip. He called his parts department and smugly asked "hey.....which 996 has a rear relector across the back end" *thinking the response was gonna be NONE) and without hesitation, the guy on the phone (speaker phone to try and embarrass me I guess) says.....um...the C4S has it. His face was priceless.... Hope he learned something with that. Anyhow.....ironically....I think they actually did away with that rear reflector on this year's C4S.... (I think). lol. Any additional feedback is greatly appreciated. Jon

Run away. The car looked great from 5' out but has some issues that would make me go on to the next machine. The trunk lid didn't open without some much effort and the sales people seem to think that this is normal and okay. It isn't. Something is tweaked in the trunk area and it won't open right. The interior is the best that I have seen and would give it an 8 of 10. The hood wouldn't stay up on its own and the motor looked normal to me but we couldn't start it since it was inside the showroom. The tires are Goodyears but I didn't get close enough to see the rating on them. The paint like I said was decent and almost too good. The nose didn't have any stone chips which I thought was odd for a 2002 model. I think that the roof latches have been used as they were up when I walked in. They flip up way too easily and would suggest that they were used. The carfax came back clean but there was a thing on TV one night about how this isn't the be all of car histories. The sales kid couldn't tell me where the car came from other than it was a one owner. Take the VIN and call on our local Porsche dealer (momentum porsche), and see what they can tell you. Not worth the money. I came up to your part of town to buy a car and save about 5 grand last year. A place north of the city in Greenwich CT, Huntington Motors. Call on the dude there (Mark) and see what they may have on the market for you or maybe something that they can hunt down for you at auction.

I can seek out and look at any other models in the local Houston market if you want. Just say the word. Some brokers sell decent machines and others don't. This place is a crap shoot for cars. This particular one I wouldn't want. It just didn't "feel right". I don't know how particular you are in a machine and maybe some things aren't that important. Another thing that struck me odd is that when I commented on the PPI and if they had issue about it, the dude mentioned that all you need to do is to tell them where you want it sent and they would take it there, your cost obviously. The thing that was wierd was that he suggested to NOT take it to a Porsche specific tech because they tend to be too critical about things that are wrong with the car. If you car that you are selling is in great shape then why would you care about the tech??? Seemed odd to me.

I keep forgetting some points of interest. When trying to get the trunk open, this other sales dude comes up and explains to me that I need to push the lever harder and that they are like this. I lean in and put my hand on the lid to keep him from lifting it up and explain that I OWN one of these cars and that it is NOT normal. The other thing about places like this is that you tend to have young talent working there as their first stop on to selling cars.

Rcronin, Geez.....I can't thank you enough. You have gone above and beyond the call of duty....and with that...I will pass on the car. While I would like to get a great deal, I am very particular. I expect a small scratch here or there...and stone chips are normal. Sounds like a repaint....which is fine with me too....but if they are hiding a small fact, they can hide other stuff too. I hope some newbies that are reading this forum learn from this thread. I called them back around an hour ago....and spoke with "Danny" again. He apologized for not calling me back, and said that he asked his manager about the hood. His response was that the car has zero damage....but that the hood was removed "for some reason".....what the hell is that? I asked if he thought that was strange.....no answer. Also, he also said someone came in this morning with a deposit, but "he heard them talking in the back and there might be a credit issue with the buyer and I'll let you know in the morning". Unreal. What price did they have it for in the showroom? Online...it's at $38,850 I think....and they would reduce possibly by $500 more. Not a bad price if it's clean. But it the rear is not popping easily...and the hood is mis-aligned (perhaps during shipping according to them as well).....I'm totally walking. Sounds like a trauma to the car at some point..... Again...THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'll let you know if I find anything again in the area. I wish Victory carried more later model cars....I hear a lot of good stuff about them. Off to my Florida fave then. Geez....this is a pain....but this board makes things much more fun, interesting, and provides a great piece of mind. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! I'll check your lead as well. Best, Jon

Victory?!! When I met Robert Neil of Victory after I had already bought my car, he told me that all I needed to do was to tell him what I wanted and where I wanted the price to be and he could have found it. I met him when there was a club meeting at his place. Pick up the phone and talk to Robert Neil in person and see what he can do for you. Robert has done right to me and connected me to the locals in town that are porsche people in some way. Because of him I now know where to take my car for the chips, wheel rash fixing, and alignments. I can't speak on his prices but if you and he had enough time to BS about these cars then he would be the one to talk to. Seriously he is way deep into these cars. He even taught me more about my own toy and again, I didn't even buy anything from him.

I bought my 996 there nearly 4 years ago. My sales person was very professional, delivered the car to an Indy for a PPI, had the car detailed to the max, all paper work ready when I arrived. Showed me everything about the car, manuals, tools, etc. He insisted that I take all the time needed to do a careful inspection and take it for a drive before signing anything. I did just that. Paperwork was completed in 5 minutes, salesman introduced me to the Dealership owner who was also very pleasent and seemed sincere. This was absolutely the most pleasent buying experience I'd had to date and I've bought dozens of cars. From what I'm reading here, it sounds like a totally different store.

I was shopping for a white aero, found one there, started to deal, working numbers, verifying no paintwork with several questions, later to find out car was originally black. This was not stated anywhere and even avoided on paintwork questions. Other than that, I think they are perfect match for ebay.