[thstone]

I've bought several cars out of state and its really quite easy...

You and the owner agree on which shop to use.

You call the shop and make the arrangements with the shop. Tell that shop that you want a PPI and that the owner will bring the car in and that you're paying for it. They will quote you a price and let you know when it can be done.

BE SURE to get approval from the owner before you have the shop do anything intrusive like remove the oil filter, remove the wheels, or remove the spark plugs for compression check/leak down/borescope. Some owners do not want ANYONE touching their car except to perform a visual inspection. Its their car, they have that right. That doesn't mean that they are hiding anything but some owners don't want to take the chance that the shop creates a problem (like cracks a 20 yr old coil pack when removing the spark plugs - sure it was ready to crack but who pays for the repair now?). This may reduce the amount of information that you are able to get from the PPI. If this happens, you'll have to balance that with your desire for that particular car.

You call the owner and have them take the car to the shop at the day/time that you arranged with the shop. Of course, there may be some back-and-forth to find a time that works for both the shop and the owner. You manage the back-and-forth and get everyone to agree on a day/time.

The owner either waits until the inspection is complete or comes back when its complete and then drives the car home.

You pay the shop and the shop sends you the report.

You can share the report with the owner if you feel like it, but you don't have to (you paid for it).

That's it. Easy as cake.