Should I buy a car that has had several body panels repainted, including ...

... the left rear fender, the right rear fender, the passenger door, the door frame (the metal that you see when you open the door), the right front fender, and the fuel filler cap? (No idea if the front or rear bumpers were repainted as, apparently, the paint thickness measurement tool doesn't work with plastic panels.) On the plus side, the welds around the engine compartment and the trunk look OEM - at least the ones I could see without removing the trunk carpets. I will of course have a PPI done, but I'm wondering (1) if repainting the door frame or the fuel filler cap indicate that the car took a big hit, or (2) if a PPI can reliably detect accident damage such as a bent frame or damage to panels (or poor repairs) that could expose them to rust in the future. (And yes, it's simpler to just buy a car that I know is good. But it is not at all simple to buy a car - good or bad - with this specification. So if I can somehow be sure it's good, I'll buy it.) Thanks for any insight about this!!!

If you are willing to deal with the potential problems that come with it, then go ahead. But I a have a feeling you are only interested in because of the low price. If you wait long enough a good clean one will come your way.

If you can find out why it was repainted and where then go for it. An accident is not a bad thing if fixed correctly and no significant damage just some paint. But if you can't get records run. I don't think I would just rely on a PPI for this.

Paint does not nessarily mean damage, have it checked out by a good shop and they will be able to see if there has been any serious hits, also do a carfax check.

My passenger door has been repainted due to a 3" scratch made by a careless gardener at my office with a hedge clipper. The rear bumper has been repainted due to a small scrape from me backing into a car in that same parking lot. If I were buying I would be having a pro look for evidence of serious damage from an accident. Otherwise I wouldn't be that worried as long as the paint job was done well. Stuff happens.

So would you buy this car?? I personally WILL NOT buy the car you just described. But in the end, your money = your car. What's the status on the other one in your other thread?? Best of luck. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...-problems.html

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Yep! Panels could have been painted for minor cosmetic reasons. If that's the case and this car is a great price, I wouldn't exclude it just based on the paint. But, as said above, you REALLY want to know why it was painted. I might feel differently about a "classic" model with repaint, but I see the 996 as a "fun" car, not an investment.

My car was trashed with so many dings, a few dents, road rash and scratches on every panel I had it painted. I could care less how it affects value because it looked like hell and now it looks great. I through down about $2500 on it. It doesn't look like a $12,000 paint job but it's just a $20,000 car. I'm very happy with the newly painted car.

heligear makes a good point. Paint doesn't always mean damage. But you want to be sure that area, the door frame, didn't sustain any damage. That is a particularly hard area to straighten if it gets bent from an impact. You need to get the car to a qualify body shop and have it inspected by the body shop to see if they can tell you what kind of paint job the car has had, and if they can determine the extent of any damage that was repaired. Last but not least, you have to be careful you do not focus on the paint question and overlook some other issue that would be a deal changer if not a deal killer.

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Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! The status of the two cars is that one seller won't let me have it inspected by the third party of my choice, and the other is reluctant to do so. In other words, I'm still looking ...

Walk away.

Due to years of scrapes and dings (a broom handle, a Christmas tree stand, a metal "Corvette Parking Only" sign), I'd had several panels on my Boxster painted. Depending on the color, having to paint nearby panels (or at least blending into nearby panels) is often required. There is a long list of stuff I'd consider a deal-breaker before I'd worry about resprays. For non-collectible Porsches, I'd rather have a good-looking paint job over an original paint job with lots of little problems. Your mechanic should be able to get a better idea of the car's history once it's up on the lift. Reluctance to let you have a PPI performed means "run away." There's only two reasons to fear a PPI: you KNOW something is wrong, or you THINK something is wrong.

The only reason a person would not have a PPI performed is there is something wrong. Walk - there are PLENTY of good cars out there.