So I'm looking at a 996 turbo, it's at an audi dealership that also owns a porsche dealership. It for sale about several states away from where I live.

I asked for a ppi from the sales person and I received a small list of recent service, recent alignment results and an overrev report, overrev was fine, 50 something #2 ignitions.

Should I get another ppi done by a 3rd party?

Like I'm going to assume there is more information in a PPI and that if they pulled the overrev report, they probably did a ppi?

Any help would be appreciated, my first porsche. Looking to buy by the end of the week.

Thanks in advance

 

i would. porsche dealerships routinely miss items as they will only use the "numbered" items of a cpo checklist which mostly confirms items are within "factory spec" eg brake pads, tires etc - and tends toward the highly superficial - when "certifying" a car and any 996 turbo's are well outside the "use by date" relative to qualifying for a "cpo" certification.. so i would imagine even less attention ( or lack thereof ) to the cars actual mechanical condition would be noticed, let along mentioned by an audi dealership.

at least the rev report is benign. GL.

 

think I would be ok using their own porsche dealership for a ppi?
or should I go 3rd party?

Don't know if the process would be like
"drop porsche off, service order tells tech to do ppi"
"drop porsche off, hey buddy we're try to sell this car, hint hint, can I get a ppi"

 

3rd party for sure. Take the bias out of the process.

 

Yes agreed, I would recommend a third party do the ppi. You can ask in the forums for a suggested Porsche shop in the area to have it done. Perhaps someone has already had a ppi done in the area the car is at.

Also, be sure to ask whatever shop you are thinking of using for ppi what exactly do they include in their ppi.

The most basic ppi should include a test drive, check that everything on the car functions properly from the radio to the dome lights,etc.., dme scan, brake/tire condition, fluid levels, get the car up on a lift and look for leaks, etc., overall exterior condition (check with paint meter), overall interior condition, with notes of any problems. If there is anything specifically you want them to look at as well.

Also agree with '02996ttx50 rev report seems good. 50+/- is really quite low. Just out of curiosity when does it show that last type2 happened?

Good luck!

 

This is all I have from them, no total engine hours unfortunately, only 30k on the oddometer so I'd assume it's recent.

 

Didn't realize the 996's only have 2 ranges

Thought I was looking at 1,2 because they were the only ones that recorded and 3,4,5,6 were all 0

 

overrev isnt that important unless it shows recent overevs. if its yrs old its not an issue. if you want a ppi i wouldnt use the dealer thats trying to sell it to me. conflict of interest. what state is it in? its very possible you have a member on here close by that could look at the car take close up pics possibly watch a ppi if they insist its done at their dealer

has slave been replaced?
2nd gear popout issues?
are there hyd spoiler leaking at the rams?
has the ignition been replaced
have the coolant lines been pinned or welded?
based on miles has a clutch been put in?
any paintwork done? (if the dealer also has a body shop a paint thickness meter can be used to determine paintwork)
when were the brakes replaced of ever?
suspension all original shocks coils bushings

these are all maintenence and repair issues you will either have to do or find its been done on a 13 yr old car

 

Not recent by my math. With a time stamp of 694.2 hours multiply by "30mph" and that equals 20850 miles. Thus the overrevs occurred at roughly the 21K mile mark. The car now has 30K miles.

For the overrevs to be "recent" would require around a 43mph average speed over 30K miles. That's rather difficult to do unless the car spent all its time on the track or on the freeways.

Still you really would like to have a full report with the total engine run time and what have you.

 

Based on what you posted if a PPI was done it was a superficial one.

Up to you if you want to have a PPI done at the Audi dealer, arrange to have the car run over to a Porsche dealer for a PPI, or to an indy.

By my observation the Porsche techs where I have my cars serviced are quite good at inspecting a car and hold nothing back. The dealer management might decide to ignore -- if that is the right word -- some things but that doesn't stop the techs from being honest and reporting what they find.

Better to report honestly what one finds than to try to hide some stuff. If stuff one tries to hide becomes apparent-- and it will -- then tech is branded either a liar or incompetent by his managers and the sales staff. Not good.

 

I wouldn't count on much more than a mechanical inspection from the dealer. A good PPI will not only check that it is in good running order, but that cosmetically it is in good condition as well. Some even take paint depth measurements. They will even discuss what they think the car is really worth and if it appears to be a good deal. You can't get that from the dealer trying to sell you the car.

 

Thanks for the help everyone

One last question - I don't follow the market as much as I'm sure you guys do.

What should I pay for it? Dealer won't go lower than $51k. I had a friend test drive it.

2004 x50 cab, manual. Bone stock. New tires, new clutch. 30k miles. My friend said the car looked like a cream puff, like it was garage kept most of its life and is in fantastic condition.

I'm not in a rush to buy and don't kind holding out for a better deal. But is that a fair price?

Also has "supple leather interior"

 

FWIW, supple is the softer leather on the seats and I don't think it's the more desirable opinion. Sport back seats, often with the hard plastic on the back painted to match the car are more supportive and desired. However the sport seats don't have heat. If you have the VIN you can run it to get the full list of options and the original sticker price - there's a thread here for that. $52kish was what I paid for my car 7 years or so ago, hardtop, no sunroof, upgraded turbos, injectors, Techart body pieces, GT2 spoiler, upgraded clutch, coil overs, wheels, etc. Cabs tend to pull more money so take that just as a data point. (shrug)

 

bet you lunch if you walk in to the dealer with 47k$ cash he will go lower than 51k$!!

 

If you had to rate how good of deal it is from 1-10, 10 being must buy it now. How would you rate it?

Not a huge fan of the color of the exterior or interior, but thought it might be difficult to find an unmodded cream puff.