If the Porsche dealer won't CPO the vehicle, there is usually a reason. You didn't state the mileage so that could be the reason for not certifying it. They would still do some sort of inspection before listing it for sale. I would ask for all the paperwork they have on the car including CarFax or AutoCheck report, and any inspection checklist they have. I'd get a PPI done at an another Porsche shop for an unbiased opinion.

 

If the Porsche dealer won't CPO the vehicle, there is usually a reason. You didn't state the mileage so that could be the reason for not certifying it.

Aren't there usually age requirements? I mean if we're talking about a 987 you're looking at a car that is 5 to 12 years old. I don't think I've ever seen a CPO car that's a decade old for example.

 

I agree with O(Cay)man on taking it to another dealer. Could definitely be something wrong the dealer doesn't want to pay to fix especially if they won't CPO the vehicle. Carfax is basically worthless sorry to say. Personal experience in buying vehicle with clean Carfax only to find out later it had been repaired for body damage. But do a PPI on any used vehicle purchase.

 

Among other things, Porsche has a "magic box" that reads acceleration, the number of times the car has been past the rev limiter, etc. They read this and will not CPO a car that's bumped the rev limiter. (Which I have done many, many times.) This indicates either sloppy driving or hard driving on track. A PPI would be in order. We also bought a non-certified car (another brand) that came with great assurances from the dealer. No PPI, but $2,000 spent pretty quickly for a water pump and to fix a weird oil leak. Wish we'd done a PPI.

 

A trick some Porsche dealers often use is offer late-model Porsches without CPO to make their price look more reasonable. Then when asked they add another $3-4k or more to the price for CPO. You'll likely get better pricing if you shop in lower priced areas, or wait till the mid-summer drop in demand that occurs in much of the country.

 

I would definitely do PPI no matter who I am buying from. Also I would not abandon the private seller market. One failed deal does not have to discourage you. One of the biggest advantages of the private market is the possibility of tracking more precisely the entire history of the car - owners, usage, maintenance, storage etc. - and I think for Porsche this is very important.

 

I would pursue a private sale over a dealer all day long for the simple reason you stand the best chance to know the car's provenance. Plus, while people will lie at times, dealers always lie to make a sale.

Here's what passes for a CPO. Body/paint work is acceptable. It is not for me but a car can pass CPO with those issues. Plus, a tech can overlook ("wink, wink") a failing item so it gets the CPO label.


Good luck,

Eddie

 

I think it depends on the EXTENT of body work, number of panels replaced, repainted, etc. If talking with a dealer, I would definitely ask why there is no CPO, and insist on doing a PPI, with special attention to the DME check.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

As the others have said, you still need a PPI, preferably from a third-party. You must get that over-rev report, too. A modest number of zone 1 and 2 revs are acceptable but any significant events above that would probably make me walk away from a purchase.

I had a private-party sale fall through as well. I already had a plane ticket bought and a hotel room reserved. The seller just changed his mind. He reimbursed all of my expenses so I had no hard feelings, just went on to the next car. I ended up finding one close to home with fewer miles and in better condition. So, don't give up!

 

Yes, you need a PPI even if the vehicle is new enough to be certified under the Porsche CPO program. I bought my '06 Cayman S but did not perform a personal inspection other than a cosmetic one (hey, it was certified right!?) and did not believe a PPI would be necessary under those circumstances.

Eight months later I noticed there was oil in the coolant. After extensive analysis and clean up at the dealer, it was determined that there was no underlying issue - apparently the original owner poured oil in the wrong place. This also probably explained why the second owner only had the car a few months - they probably saw the oil in the coolant, thought there was a huge problem and sold the car ASAP.

A thorough inspection (pulling all spark plugs, R&R oil cooler, etc, etc), diagnosis and multiple flushes of the cooling system came to a bit over $2,000. PCNA refused to cover the repair since it was owner error. It was, but not mine! I've been working on cars for 35 years (many of those both professionally) and know where the oily stuff goes and where the cooling stuff goes (among many other things!). I could have saved myself all that $$ is I had pulled the oil fill cap myself before signing the agreement. Lesson learned.