Few Questions on a car I'm looking at

[Brucelee]

Originally Posted by Jump

2002 Boxster S, 26k miles, Porsche dealership is asking $34900.

What I know:
*Exterior, interior, trunk space are all very clean and in excellent shape.
*On the test drive it seemed mechanically sound and had no extraneous rattles, etc.
*Has 2 sets of keys
*Couldn't find the manual. I'd insist on one.
*Has PSM
*Has heated seats but the only electronic seat control is for tilt
*Plastic window is in fairly good shape
*Has cruise control
*17" wheels
*Tires seem to be at about half life
*6 speed manual
*Color is silver with black interior
*Oh, and it was a blast to drive!

What I don't know:
*Dealer claims that the wheels with Porsche insignia is an upgrade. True?

*Dealer claims that the seats with Porsche insignia on headrest is an upgrade. True?

*Dealer claims it has the high end stereo available for that model. It has a CD player with the slot behind the face plate, speakers in dash and door (none rear), an amp in the front trunk. True?

*I've requested a vehicle history including service and ownership which they said they'd explore.

*How do I evaluate tire life with these tires?

*Being this close to the 30k service, I'd assume it would be smart to have them throw that in the deal. True?

*I was told it isn't being offered as a CPO. Is there a reason it couldn't be? What are Porsches standards for age/miles? How important is it?

Thanks!

Maybe on the wheels, I would have to see them.
Yes, on stereo upgrade
Yes on the seats.
Get a tire depth guage at Pepp Boys. 8MM is new, 2MM is junk.
Yes on the 30 K service.

The CPO issue is a concering one. Porsche dealers try to CPO every car that they can. To do so, they must inspect and bring the car up to spec AND pay $1500. This may indicate the car cannot pass spec or is too expensive to bring up to spec.

I would ask them point blank WHY the CPO is not offered.

The car within the range to be CPO'd.

You also need to have a PPI done by ANOTHER Porsche dealer before you buy.

Or that is at least what we advise.

Good luck

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by Brucelee

...You also need to have a PPI done by ANOTHER Porsche dealer before you buy.

Or that is at least what we advise...

Good luck

Hi,

Yep, I agree. It may seem redundant to PPI a CPO'd Car, but you're spending a lot of $$.

Also, the Service Mgr. at one of our 2 Dealerships told me that there's great variation between Dealers on the work done in the CPO Inspection. If the general appearance and mileage look good, the Car does not get as thoroughly inspected as another might, it is assumed to be in good shape.

The Dealers manage the CPO Program as a Profit Center. Not only does it increase the Purchase Price, but by reducing the costs associated with it, the Dealer Profit increases as well. He said that this was relayed to him by the Area PCNA Rep who was cautioning against cutting corners.

A CPO may cover many repairs if the Car experiences issues after you buy it, but may not cover them all. Then there's still the inconvenience of bringing it in and the loss of enthusiasm you may experience from buying a Troubled Car. Still money well spent...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

PS I was at the other Dealer today and mentioned this practice to their Service Manager. He told me that if they get a Car in trade which they originally sold and maintained, they just review the Service Records and slap the CPO on it, because they already know the Car. In other words, the next guy pays an additional $5k for no inspection + coverage. He went on to say that the order came from Upstairs...

[Brucelee]

Well, it is an interesting question as to whether a CPO car is money well spent. The fact is, the markup that the Porsche dealer expects to get on a CPO car is quite rich; I estimate around $5K.

Now, I like the idea of a CPO car, nice warranty indeed.

However, that is a lot of cash for the warranty and MAYBE a more rigorous inspection.

However, everyone looks at the value of their money differently.

The issue I was addressing above is WHY would a dealer pass the opp on CPOing a car? Around here, if they CAN, they WILL.

Walter's is a different story I think, they are different in many ways.

[Marc Gelefsky]

I hope Porsche does a better job than Audi on CPO's, I had an awful experiance with my CPO Audi S4

[Jump]

Thanks for the replies so far. I found out that they did do the 30k service so I'm set there. Regarding the CPO, to do it would increase the cost and give me a 2yr/100k warranty. For a little more money I can get a platinum plan extended warranty for 4yr/60k (I'd be surprised if I hit 60k in 4 years) that covers everything but the expected tires, hoses, belts, etc. Thoughts?

I read what a PPI was somewhere else in the forum. Can someone refresh my memory and give some info on it? I did a search on PPI and got no hits.

I took a brand new s2k for a drive this morning and the another drive of the Boxster this afternoon. While they both have their positives I'm still leaning toward a Boxster.

Thanks again.

[Perfectlap]

is this extended coverage through Porsche or a third party?

[Jump]

It is a third party. Of course, they make it sound like it will cover everything I need. I assume you're going to reply to some things I should look out for?