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Independent pre-purchase inspection vs Porsche 111-point check


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Hello,

 

First post here, looking for some advice as I still don't know what I don't know...

 

I'm hoping to buy a used 981 (manual) Cayman and have just started booking some visits/test drives.  Some are at OPCs which (in theory, and I hope in practice too) makes it a straightforward process although obviously priced at a premium.  There are also a couple I'm interested in at independent dealers with varying degrees of Porsche specialism.

 

Let's say I like one of the cars at an indie.  Before buying, I would like to get some kind of pre-purchase inspection but would you generally recommend going to an independent inspection company (Peter Morgan, Hartech, Car Inspections, ...) or getting a nearby OPC to do their 111-point check prior to putting the car into their warranty.  The official route sounds superficially more sensible but I'd heard that some of the independent inspections were actually more thorough.  What do you think?  By the way, I'm assuming that the Porsche check costs a few hundred pounds - anyone able to give me a more accurate figure?

 

All advice gratefully received, and I look forward to joining the club "properly" in the not-too-distant future.

 

Thanks,

 

Ian

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Welcome to the club Ian!  

 

@DJMC may be a good candidate for answering your question when he sees the post i'm sure he will help 

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Hi Thumb5! :)  

 

Personally when I was looking, even at the used 981 cars I decided that a full indie inspection probably wasn't something that was needed, after all the car is not that specialised any more and there are no known problems (like scored bores, IMS etc etc) on the 981 that require a specialist to investigate for you.  

 

The benefit of having the 111 point OPC check done is for the Porsche warranty, which if you are going to get a warranty then you may as well pay a little extra and get the Porsche one.  I did end up negotiating with an indie that I wanted to take their car through the 111 point OPC check which I had to pay for, but with the agreement that if it required work in order for Porsche to put it into their warranty then they would undertake the work required with no cost to me, or they would refund the 111 point check.  

 

 

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Thanks, MarkGTS and eponymoose.  That all makes sense.

 

3 hours ago, eponymoose said:

If you are not planning on applying for an official warranty and you want an actual assessment of the health of the car, get a good specialist to look at it.

 

I'll probably want both (...and the moon on a stick!).

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I had an Porsche 111 point check done on my 987 when I bought it, it was good for my peace of mind.

 

Would the car you buy still be under Porsche 'new car' warranty or will it be under a Porsche 'extended' warranty? I think that in the case of the 'extended' warranty there is some small print that says the warranty becomes invalid if the car is sold by a non-OPC, and you cannot then buy a Porsche warranty until you've owned the car for three months -  in which case if you get an 111 point check done pre-purchase you may have to get another one done 3 months later if you want to buy the Porsche extended warranty.

 

You may struggle to find a non-Porsche warranty that gives you any decent cover, the warranty which came with my car had a maximum payout of £1k which might just cover the cost of a diagnosis!

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When I was looking for a 981 last year I decided on the 111 point check just to make sure nothing obvious was wrong...

 

Screen Shot 2016-05-06 at 10.28.31.png

 

Screen Shot 2016-05-06 at 10.28.44.png

 

Screen Shot 2016-05-06 at 10.28.55.png

 

Screen Shot 2016-05-06 at 10.29.17.png

 

You'll note on the second sheet the wheels got a "tick...tick..."

 

After I'd bought the car the day following the check, I noticed upon the first wash of the car a few weeks later that the wheels had multiple stone chips on every spoke of all four...

 

411994076.jpg

 

After a long discussion with Porsche GB they accepted they should have spotted the wheel condition and not just ticked it off, so they refunded my 111 point check fee and added a goodwill gesture to give me enough to have the wheels refurbished.

 

So, on the one hand perhaps an independent assessor wouldn't have paid up so easily for missing something, but on the other, as moose says and as my experience proves, they don't really check anything much.

 

I too looked at Peter Morgan and such like, many of whom I'm sure are more thorough, but with the car being under Porsche warranty I went for the cheaper option at the OPC.

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Thanks, twopointnine and DJMC.

 

I haven't decided on a car just yet (hopefully very soon, though).  Based on what you've all said, my inclination is to get an independent check done if I'm not buying from an OPC, and in that case think about the official check and warranty later (after the 3 months elapse).  If I buy from an OPC, I probably won't get an independent inspection as if there were any need for "discussion" later it seems from what I've read that Porsche are fairly reasonable.  DJMC's story adds some weight to that impression I'd been forming anyway.

 

Great to get such quick and helpful replies - much appreciated!

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Just to add, mine was a private purchase. The seller checked out OK with his OPC (third Porsche and he's only 26!) and the car had warranty to Dec '16.

His OPC did the 111 point check for me while he still owned the car.

 

The first 981 I put a deposit on was being driven by the seller to the 111 point check when he was rear ended...

 

411805107.jpg

 

By... you guessed it... a Peugidiot...

 

411798837.jpg

Edited by DJMC
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Welcome Thumb5! :)

 

I won't attempt to better the advice already given here because it's all good, but look forward to seeing your chosen chariot! 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks for asking, Tom.  Yes, I have found a car and hope to collect it tomorrow (Sunday).  More to follow once I get chance...

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Take it easy on the way back. Weather looks better than today so it may stay all shiny for all back home to ogle! 

 

 

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3 hours ago, thumb5 said:

Thanks for asking, Tom.  Yes, I have found a car and hope to collect it tomorrow (Sunday).  More to follow once I get chance...

 

Good work!  Look forward to seeing more :) 

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  • 3 years later...

Hi I have just purchased a 987 S and had a comprehensive rac check done £300. Well worth every penny. The guy they sent to check her over was not only a fully qualified mechanic he was also a fellow Cayman and 944 owner. He really new his stuff. So if purchasing from indie or private I would always recommend a check. If you are interested I could send you my report on my personal car that would give you a good idea.

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