Buying via eBay...

Still looking for my '02 Cab and came really close last week when I got outbid shortly before the end of the auction. Made me think though... who do you do a PPI if you buy via eBay. Technically, once you win the auction you have a deal, so contacting the seller at that time and requesting a PPI may be tough. What's your experiene?

See if one of us on the board is local to any car you are considering and I am sure you would be able to have somebody get the PPI done for you. If I was free I would have no problem doing it.

Cosign Lvdell.

Id be happy to help you as well if you find something in FL or NJ. I have an 02 coupe withvery low miles if your not set on convt

I bot mine from a part time dealer on eBay. His feedback on high end car made me feel confident in the sale. I had his business and title confirmed thru BBB. The condition of the car was verified in person by a friend. Car was under warranty mechanically. I didn't do PPI and bot it sight unseen. No diappointments. Even if you win the bid, you can always walk out of the deal if the item does not fit the description. You may get a neg feedback. Ask before you bid to see PPI can be done after winning. Most people understand that you're spending money on PPI and is serious about buying. eBay also offers a 90 day warranty free. Take it. I've heard it works. Buying a car under Porsche warranty remaining is also best. Most seller will answer your questions. So, ask all the questions like repaint, accident, known issues etc even after you've won.

I have to disagree a little bit. My family is in the car business and I've been told the Ebay warranty/guarantee is completely worthless. Good luck trying to enforce it. Nonetheless, I actually bought my Touareg on eBay and the experience was flawless! I got a great price and the car was in perfect shape. I ended up calling the dealer that was servicing the vehicle. I picked the brain of the service manager and he was able to give me a rough opinion of the vehicle. For example, he was able to look up the service history to tell me the condition at the last scheduled service. I figured his input would be unbiased and he would have no reason to lie. I suppose it would depend on the person though. A selfish service manager may just not want to take the chance of being wrong and refuse to comment. It's a quick and cheap idea, though. Just ask the seller for information on the service department that is used.

Some of the high end dealers only use Ebay for exposure to a lot of potential buyers. If you'll notice, most of the deals end up as "Reserve not met". Usually what happens is that if someone is really interested in a car, they end up emailing the dealer and discussing the transaction. I did this and offered the dealer his reserve. You can discuss all the preliminary issues like PPI, warranty etc. He put it up on Ebay as a buy-it-now so Ebay didn't get shafted on bypassing their transaction process, and you have time to take care of the preliminary checks. I ended up with a pristeen '99 C2 with 19K miles. It's been a terriffic car...no problems and the dealer ended up paying for some minor issues as well as buying new wheels, paid to ship the car etc. You just have to make sure you check out the dealer's reputation and look hard at his past transactions. You can email the former buyers by going to the transaction and clicking on their Ebay name and sending them an email asking about how the deal went etc. Some folks are wary about Ebay dealers, but there are some dealers out there who aren't out to shaft you. chuck

I have watched lots of cars for sale on ebay and also been a seller on ebay. My observation is that while some cars sell most do not. The seller is using ebay as a cheap way to get national exposure (which works). After the car goes unsold, that's the time to contact the seller and start the buying process. Given the price of these cars and the expense of repairs I would never buy one without a PPI. It's no guarentee but it sure beats the opinion of some guy who knows nothing about the car. If you don't get the perfect car today, no biggie, the perfect car will come up for sale tomorrow and it will be even closer to where you live.

Ebay is a great place to advertise high ticket items. Very few ever sell at auction. If you are going to buy a car on e-bay, you better go and see what you are getting before you bid, or at least hire a professional to take a look. As far as a PPI, why not have it done before the auction ends? If the seller is not willing to do that....walk away. Tom L 2002 C2

Another thing are you a cash buyer,do you have a trade in.I was at the dealers once a lady was buying a porsche with 2k down and got the car.

Done Direct Motors near Phily treated me fairly and honestly. Exactly as described and helpful. NO GUARANTEE!!!!!! but they were good for me Good Luck

i got mine from ebay, sort of. i saw the car for auction, ended up with reserve not met. then use ebay "contact seller" funcation to deal privately.

Would you still get a PPI if the car has some factory warranty left?

Absolutely I'd get a PPI even it there was warranty left. Look at it this way...what are your going to spend...$250 or maybe a little more for a PPI? How much time, effort, and grief are you going to buy if you end up with a car that has some major problems even though it might have the remainder of a warranty left? Most folks buy a car hoping that when it arrives at their house on the back of the transport truck, they're going to be able to drive it and do some "show and tell" for their friends, family, or just themselves. Do you really want to buy something...pay good money, and have it tied up for however long while you fight with the warranty folks to have the car fixed? Is your time and peace of mind worth the cost of a PPI?....mine is.

I bought my 997 from a listing on eBay. I emailed the seller, (a Porsche dealer's used lot), and asked him some questions, did the CarFax thing, and then once I was satisfied with some things that I had in writing in case there was a problem, I called the salesman, and worked a deal over the phone. I gave him a deposit with a credit card. We made a verbal agreement that if the car was not exactly what he said it was, no deal. I then flew half way across the country, test drove it, paid the balence, and drove it home to Texas. It was a great buying experience. I have to say though that the whole thing was made easier for me by the fact that is was a car that was only one year old, and had only 3600 miles on it. The fact that it is still under warrenty made it a lot easier to do also. As a result I've now got a practially new 997 in cherry condition. I would do this again in a heartbeat. I've now put more miles on it in the last two months than the previous owner did in a year.