Weird Warranty Question - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

shaman1204 · 01-08-2007, 08:42 PM

Hi everyone,

I recently test drove a 2003 base with 32,365 miles. It is in great shape and of course I would get a PPI before the final purchase, but I asked the salesman about the warranty and he said it is just out of the warranty period due to the date it was registered. I ran the carfax report myself and it says the warranty still has 9 months or 17,635 miles after I ran the updated basic warranty check. Carfax says the warranty period started on 9/20/03. Can this be right? It is coming from a Porsche dealership, so I would suspect they know what they are talking about. In the next breath he started talking about the certified pre owned program. Hmmm. Any comments?

porschegeorg · 01-09-2007, 03:10 AM

I ran into the same problem when I was shopping for my used Boxster. It turns out that it depends on the dealership. Some of them "register" their cars even before they are sold. So the warranty can start well before the car is titled. Carfax doesnt know when the car was "registered" with Porshe. I have NEVER heard of any other manufacturer starting a warranty before the car is titled...but Porsche does (in some cases).

Brucelee · 01-09-2007, 05:27 AM

The start of the warranty period is usually in the service dept database under your VIN. You can do a quick check there.

The car MAY have been a loaner and they are trying to start the clock on the warranty when the car hit the dealership vs. when it was registered.

Hey, you can tell him, no warranty, no deal!

Good luck! Personally, I would try to buy a car with a warranty.

jeffsquire · 01-09-2007, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaman1204

Hi everyone

Call me cynical but I think he's trying to peddle a new warranty on you.

Sammy · 01-09-2007, 06:23 AM

Unless you can knock the price down by say $1500-2000 (enough to buy a nice extended warranty for 4 years) I'm with Brucelee in that no warranty, no deal... My 9 months or so of remaining warranty coverage was worth it as I had $5k or so worth of repairs done during that period not to mention the brand new transmission they put in the car prior to me taking delivery of the car. Without the manufacturer's warranty they would have tried to sell me the car as is (without the new tranny and I would've paid for costly repairs including a RMS).

01-09-2007, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brucelee

The start of the warranty period is usually in the service dept database under your VIN. You can do a quick check there.

The car MAY have been a loaner and they are trying to start the clock on the warranty when the car hit the dealership vs. when it was registered.

Hey, you can tell him, no warranty, no deal!

Good luck! Personally, I would try to buy a car with a warranty.

Ding...ding...ding! That sounds correct. A loaner car for the service department or an Executive Driven car by PCNA.

shaman1204 · 01-09-2007, 01:42 PM

Quote:

"Sounds suspect.
I would inquire with Porsche North America.

Cars get an in service date , that is when the warranty should go into effect.
__________________
dbth"

I called Porsche North America and they would not give me the info because I wasn't the owner. Any suggestions on how to get this info? Call another dealer?

Sammy · 01-09-2007, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaman1204

Quote:

"Sounds suspect.
I would inquire with Porsche North America.

Cars get an in service date , that is when the warranty should go into effect.
__________________
dbth"

I called Porsche North America and they would not give me the info because I wasn't the owner. Any suggestions on how to get this info? Call another dealer?

Call the dealer you are working with and explain your concern and would like to see proof of when the warranty was started. If they won't show you proof to help with your concerns than I would either make them a low offer to cover the cost of an extended warranty (probably preferred anyway) or walk out the door. I don't think that what you would be requesting would be unreasonable and I would be disappointed if they wouldn't comply.

MNBoxster · 01-09-2007, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaman1204

Quote:

"Sounds suspect.
I would inquire with Porsche North America.

Cars get an in service date , that is when the warranty should go into effect.
__________________
dbth"

I called Porsche North America and they would not give me the info because I wasn't the owner. Any suggestions on how to get this info? Call another dealer?

Hi,

If they're hedging on giving you proper information, and this from a Dealership? They don't want to sell you the car very badly do they? WALK AWAY!

The one thing this World is not in short supply of is used Boxsters. Get the straight poop or tell them NO DEAL and why...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

porschegeorg · 01-09-2007, 03:32 PM

Carfax should tell you the mileage on the car when it was first titled. If it is more than 100 miles, you can bet it was a loaner car. BUT, l have heard that Porsche makes dealerships mark certain cars as "in service". I think this has to do with dealer allocation for the next model year. If this was a car that sat in the lot for a few months, they may have marked it as in service even tho it wasnt a loaner or demo vehicle.

With this said, the dealership should definitely be able to tell you (with proof) the actual in service date. If not, Im with everyone else. Walk away.

I have a 2003 Seal Gray Boxster with 5000 miles in mint condition. I'm not ready to sell yet, but I just want you to know that there are many nice Boxsters out there.

shaman1204 · 01-09-2007, 06:13 PM

Sorry to keep posting on this, but maybe a few can learn from it.

here is what the Carfax report lists:

5/5/03 --- 20 mi --- vehicle serviced
5/20/03 --- --- vehicle offered for sale
9/20/03 --- --- vehicle sold
9/20/03 --- --- registered as personal vehicle
10/16/03 --- 1727 mi --- first owner reported, lien reported
10/23/03 --- 2766 mi --- vehicle serviced
3/29/04 --- 5990 mi --- vehicle serviced lube, oil filter
10/26/04 --- 14145 mi --- vehicle serviced
10/3/06 --- --- vehicle offered for sale

That is it for the report. So to me it also looks like it has not had a 30k mi service, unless it has not been reported yet.

I also have a contact that could probably buy it through a dealer to dealer transaction. Anyone have any idea how much a 2003 base with tip would be for a deal like that. I kinda have a professional relationship with this individual and would like to do my homework before asking for the favor. He would then sell it to me for what he paid, plus the extras for tax, title, license, etc. Thanks.

Adam · 01-09-2007, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaman1204

Sorry to keep posting on this, but maybe a few can learn from it.

here is what the Carfax report lists:

5/5/03 --- 20 mi --- vehicle serviced
5/20/03 --- --- vehicle offered for sale
9/20/03 --- --- vehicle sold
9/20/03 --- --- registered as personal vehicle
10/16/03 --- 1727 mi --- first owner reported, lien reported
10/23/03 --- 2766 mi --- vehicle serviced
3/29/04 --- 5990 mi --- vehicle serviced lube, oil filter
10/26/04 --- 14145 mi --- vehicle serviced
10/3/06 --- --- vehicle offered for sale

That is it for the report. So to me it also looks like it has not had a 30k mi service, unless it has not been reported yet.

I also have a contact that could probably buy it through a dealer to dealer transaction. Anyone have any idea how much a 2003 base with tip would be for a deal like that. I kinda have a professional relationship with this individual and would like to do my homework before asking for the favor. He would then sell it to me for what he paid, plus the extras for tax, title, license, etc. Thanks.

If the car is clean and it's in great condition then it's worth somewhere in the low 30's.

z12358 · 01-09-2007, 11:20 PM

Just FYI, and as one point of reference, a recent post here reported getting a brand new 06 987 for around $39k.

Adam · 01-10-2007, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by z12358

Just FYI, and as one point of reference, a recent post here reported getting a brand new 06 987 for around $39k.

I'd say that guy got a really good deal.

Brucelee · 01-11-2007, 06:27 AM

As a buyer, someone looking for any Boxster in January has about as much leverage as they can have. I would not be ashamed to make just about ANY lowball effort on a Boxster this month.

That's just me!

z12358 · 01-11-2007, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam

I'd say that guy got a really good deal.

Yes, but definitely possible. As we discussed last summer, the BEST time for buying a convertible is Dec 30-31. That deal translates into a sub $50k new 987S which has also been reported. Combine this timing with a softly optioned car and you got yourselves a brand new Porsche on the cheap with a chunky head-start against depreciation.