Over here, all major car companies that do independant PPI's (RACV, VACC etc.) have a standard form they use.

And it includes things such as condition of body, panel alignment/fit and paintwork, previous damage etc.

They saved me twice because they pick up on things untrained eyes do not.

86,

It's too bad and hopefully not a major issue, but it does bring to light what I have found in the past with PPI's, they don't look at body/collision damage. It's a good idea to find a good bodyshop to go over a car along with a PPI for the mechanicals.

In the past a few places did do a full pre purchase, and I mean everything, but no I find it's just check some basic mechanical and give it the once over and we'll take your money.

It's too bad more liability cannot be accessed to the shops doing a PPI. In some provinces (Canada) they HAVE to have the full information on the history of a car for insurance purposes.

Good luck,.

Depending on how much you paid and what the economy does in the next year there are a few possible outcomes:
1) Break even because the economy picks up
2) Make some good coin due to highly improved economy
3) Lose money due to lingering concerns over the economy

A 930 with only 17K miles is still a 930 with only 17K miles whether or not you feel comfortable using the word MINT when you resell.

sounds like its been in a massive wipe out to me. probably been on its roof and everything. Only joking, like everyone else, i think its probably had some minor damage and the guys hade the whole side squirted to get a better match. not a bad thing really, the main thing is if the paintwork has been done properly. i used to paint 6month old cars like they were going out of fashion, they all get smacked some time in their lives.

How can you not agree when you just paid what you did and they missed it. Painting can be done in multitudes of perfection. Yours sounded like one of the most basic rules, (removing trim, not just masking it), was skipped. I have been actively involved over the last year in a tub up repaint of an 87 coupe so I spent tons of time in the paint shop. When its done right, its hard for even them to catch, let alone a mechanically based shop with a couple of magnets. If its done poorely, get it painted right and move on. I found out after I bought my car that the doors and hood were repainted. It is really only noticable under fluorescent lighting and is a tough match because it is an orangy guards red. I would only worry about factory paint if it was an original 72S that I paid a premium for.

"Most PPI's do not care about Body work or damage as long as it is not effecting the cars mechanical abilities. "

This is the reason that I fax a detailed letter to the shop outlining everything I want checked. In the letter I also have them first inspect for non-original paintwork and to stop their inspection if it is detected.
Jim

That's a good idea. Live and Learn.

I guess I failed to mention that this is not my first Porsche, and not my first PPI. It is, however, the first time that I have purchased a car from out of the area, and the first time that I did not use my "regular" shop for the PPI. Maybe I have the wrong impression of what a PPI is, but I know that this is something that would not have gone undetected by the shop that I normally use.

I am also accustomed to being able to walk around under the car while the mechanic points everything out to me, and when he is complete, I do not just get a report, I get a walk through on the issues found. The "out of town" shop that I used in this case did not want me walking around the car while they had it up on the lift. They did want me "breathing over his shoulder" as they called it. They were also very non-communicative about what the were finding out during the inspection. Instead, they didn't discuss anything until the complete inpection was done. This is also not what I am used to. I would prefer to get a status report at the discovery of an issue so I can make the call on whether or not to continue with the inspection.

Thanks again for all your comments...I guess it is not as earth shattering as I thought it was yesterday.

I'm getting over it...I'm getting over it....I'm getting over it...SmileWavy

I really wouldn't worry too much about it...like everyone said. I have an 84 Carrera with 30k on it....bought it with 23k. Garage queen, never driven in rain etc.

Take my example. Car is sitting in garage, I open the garage door and a piece of drywall falls from the ceiling on my passenger fender leaving a softball sized dent. I cried on the spot. :(

So I took it to the best place I could find and paid a bundle to have it fixed. Fixing it correctly meant painting the door and the front fender. So now my car has had paint work. Was it in an accident? No. Moral if the story is structural damage ie, frame work, tub reconstruction etc is fairly easy to spot if not done corrrectly, same for body work. Accidents happen, minor to major.

I would enjoy your car and not worry about it.

-Jeff
nolift911@hotmail.com

i would enjoy your car too, bring it to me!!

After checking all this and if finding positive (well, er, negative, if that means nothing) results, you might assume that the car was repainted on one side for some reason. End of story. Maybe a jealous wife sprayed painted the whole side including the wheels.:D Maybe a house painter got it. These are not likely stories, simply posibiltiies.

If you have been able to flip cars every year and come out even, then you are way ahead of the game. PPIs are not perfect insurance.

Concidering that porsche only made about a thousand 930s a year for a little over a decade the numbers game is in your favor.

Even with quality body work if you let it sit long enough you will probably be able to get more out of it than you bought it for.

Every year there are fewer of them due to attrition so you should have few problems getting rid of yours.

Did you purchase this 930 without seening the car>

A PPI merely helps to mitigate the risk of buying a USED car. It does not eliminate the risk. After all it is a USED car with no warranty. Just enjoy the car and forget about it.

Noel

I think you're right to be ticked it wasn't mentioned in a PPI. I also think you should research what happened so you can explain it to the next buyer. If you know it was to repair something minor and you can document that it was done right it should have little or no effect on resale, at least not to me and the type of enthusiasts here. If it's undocumented it will concern the next buyer.

That being said, if the car is straight I wouldn't worry about it.

Remember the litigation over the repainted "new" BMW a few years ago? It turns out that a sizeable number of factory new cars have repainted sections due to damage at the factory, in transit or at the dealer. So, what is original paint, anyway? I think that there is more neurosis than recreation in car ownership for those who obsess over these issues. If the paint work was good enough to escape notice before, then I don't think that it takes away from value, or from the pleasure you should get from owning such a great car.

For Sale: 1986 930 low miles, "mint" condition....

:D Just kidding! :D

Thanks for all the encouraging words. You guys saved me a trip to the shrink.

Worry less, rock that boost more. :)

I'm with Jack-keep in mind that this is something that you never noticed until it was pointed out. Cars that are driven rarely stay "perfect" forever.