We're assuming he bought a 996 GT3, not an old aircooled...

I agree with this...... OP what was discovered..... this was an older car that I suspected would need the long term wear issues addressed..... IMO this is reasonable given mileage..

Hey fellas, sorry for the delay but had some personal issues that needed immediate attention, not that this GT3 isn't a personal issue.

So....I read through the comments and would like to reply to a few of them.

1. If the said place did the PPI and PPI came out w/flying colors but the car came smeared w/BS and of course lots of invoices, which is the reason for the PPI in the first place, to avoid all those costs & henceforth a more favorable price may have been negotiated. I paid $375 for PPI that included a leakdown & compression.

2. Why isn't the shop liable ? What's the point of paying for a PPI then ? It seems as though nothing was inspected as per my shop in Florida & I know these guys for as long as we've owned a property there. Basically, I trust them & they have always done me right.

3. Yes (Rick Brooklyn), it is the GT3 that I mentioned & henceforth purchased. The 2nd owner (whom I purchased the car from) bought it from the shop owner where I had the car PPI'd. The strange thing is that when I was on the phone with the shop I thought I was speaking to one of the techs but it was actually the owner. When I asked where the owner was, after about a 20 min conversation, he finally fessed up & presented himself as the owner of said shop & original owner of the GT3. Why he lied I have no idea but he apologized & we carried on.

4. There was a dealership involved as well but they sort of stepped back as they knew nothing about this type of car & I made the transaction w/the owner & he paid the dealership their commission as it was originally there as consignment.

5. Yes, the car is fixable but I'm going to be well into $5k before all said and done if not more & maybe we'll find more issues, hopefully not.

I am livid at this point as I flipping despise liars and deceitful people. I would never do something like this & I feel that the PO & the OO were in cahoots & I got it up the jaxy. I am the sort that never forgets & I hold certain grudges till death, this will be one of those grudges.

Once I get the final bill I will let you all know how badly I got screwed by these two toe rags from the Fairfax Virginia area. Put it this way, the spark plugs on one side of the motor were the worst the shop here in Florida have seen & they said that they were never checked, nothing was. When I spoke with the shop owner about all the issues he then offered to return my $375, how noble of him & to me that's admitting fault. I'm not an attorney but I have reached out for legal counsel.

That's all at the mo but if anybody has any useful advice I would like to hear it. I'm not sure about ousting the toe rags just yet as I need to get some advice, not use to litigation but this may be my first.

My 2 cents: spare yourself the lawsuit, whatever money you'd pay to an attorney is better spent on the car.

But by all means name and shame the other parties involved so we can avoid them in the future.

$5k bill right off the bat sucks but on a $60k+ car it's not the end of the world.

Can you share more on what's gone into that repair bill? Spark plugs are a long way from that kind of money.

you've already sought legal counsel?

seriously?!

given the discussion about the car in your previous post, i wouldn't think $5k in work on a 13 year old porsche with 90k on the clock would not be out of reason. especially at the price. if you buy any car sight unseen, you run the risk of repair work you didn't know the car needed. hell, that can come up even on cars you've checked out yourself. old cars need work.

you took a bit of a risk, and i'm of the mind these things come with the territory.

for the sake of argument, please post the nature of the work your shop is saying the car needs.

PPI's are not an insurance policy against buying a car with issues, and they're only as good as the shop performing them.

lots of posts here debating the effectiveness of a PPI....

They are liable, for the cost of the PPI.

Unless this is another one of those public lynching to get some of your money back threads, I say avoid indulging in the hobby any further or it might end up ruining your health.

Good luck.

5K? For what exactly.

Rear main seal? Drive it and it'll seal up.

Sounds like there were a lot of red flags before you pulled the trigger? It doesn't excuse those A-holes from being dishonest, but unfortunately you're going to get burned more often than not when you buy the cheapest example on the market.

deadspin-quote-carrot-aligned-w-bgr-2

On the subject of car lawsuits, read this endless thread from the start. That poor bastard has what looks to me like a pretty solid case but hasn't seen much gratification at all.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=432553

Ok, so what's wrong with the car?

When buying a used car, assume there is a problem and you won't be disappointed...

These cars always need something, it's just a question of when and what... They aren't a Toyota.

Compared to ferraris though, they are dirt cheap to own and maintain...

Ferrari stopped making oil filters for the testarossa...

Guess how much they are now...






$185... Oh my gawd...

I also am curious what it needs. Is it a punch list of little shyte that adds up to $4-5k or us it a single major thing?

Beyond that, I try my best to avoid having the shop that works on the car do the ppi. Too much risk the shop will look after the seller and not the buyer. I also wouldn't buy a car in that price range without a test drive and laying eyes on it in person. I didn't ppi my Boxster but it's a &10k car. Get up over $25k or so and I'm buying a plane ticket and being in the shop during the ppi.

Appreciate everyones 2 cents & I do understand the cost of these cars & knew that there may be some issues considering price & mileage BUT I spent money for SOME peace of mind & bought from a 60 yr old business owner whom I'd had some really nice chats with & didn't realize I was being BS'd. Tell me what's up & no worries, not difficult.

I guess some people get some sort of self gratification by screwing & lying to others. For flips sake we're adults, shouldn't we be better than that & not have to be hear reading about how some donkey feels about how he got screwed ? I do blame myself for some of this but definitely not all & again I trusted someone that turned out to be quite the "Kevin" (see youtube "gary & the goats").

The good thing is that the cosmetics, in & out, are very nice. No previous wrecks and or any type of paintwork. The mechanics need sorting and are currently being done, had to give one of our kids up for slave labor but well worth it.

pmax; Not a public lynching as I haven't mentioned names, rather reaching out to the community & venting as the panel here is fair & very honest. I will never give this hobby up & I'm always angry, except when there's a cold pint in my hand.

I'll let everyone know how the old girl is as soon as I get my paws on her. By the way Rick B, I am going to spank her something silly !

FYI; PPI money was refunded & no litigation, not even worth thinking about as some of you had mentioned. Another lesson learned & hopefully there won't be another lesson learned after this last one.

Again, thanks to all here, I'll keep you posted & give more details on all the repairs.

Like a wise man says, fraud is everywhere in this hobby. Believe nobody, believe nothing, expect disappointment.

Are you intentionally not describing what was missed? 3 people have asked... Doesn't strengthen your argument...

Sounds good. Have fun with the p-car.

Man, I do understand your frustration......

This is a high mileage car that needs to be re-freshed by you, the new owner and enjoyed. It will never be an investment type vehicle. It will always be a driver. 100,000 miles on any car is going to require a review and renewal of many of its systems. So put together your punch list and try to enjoy the journey.....

Florida isn't that far from Virginia. For $60K and a track oriented, high mileage beast like a GT3, I definitely would've gotten on a plane or spent a few days driving up there to see the car myself.

Expensive lesson, hopefully learned. Sorry for your loss.

The lesson is there are no deals out there, Period.
If it's under $100k it's going to need work.

I literally forgot as I got caught up in my rant, sorry.

I'll apologize ahead of time if I get some terminology wrong as I am not a mechanic.

-The radiators and fans need replacing as they are leaking quite badly & one fan only runs at high
speed, the other does not work at all
-Plastic covers in the engine bay are missing
-Both cats need replacing
-Coolant pipes need pinning but I was told by the shop that it was done
-Rear diff needs attention
-Rotors need replacing
-Coils need replacing
-Plugs, Electrodes missing on three of the plugs
-Head gasket needs replacing

The PPI cleared all the above so I was NOT expecting the issues when I took delivery of the car & hence my frustration.

I haven't seen the final bill & will see the car once I'm back in town. I will add more as soon as I remember and see all that's been done. I've left an open checkbook and want her to be in tip top shape when I get her back. I have calmed down but still very disappointed that I was deceived.

Thanks again to all that have chimed in.

Just a comment from my area of expertise, I would be interested to hear how he tested the LSD since it is a near-zero preload unit almost every mechanic will assume it is worn out if it isn't if they use the old air cooled spin the wheel test. The ONLY way to test the GT3 is out of the car, on the bench with a torque wrench. They are 13-15nm when new and under 5nm when worn out. If you are not going to track the car, servicing the LSD can be put off pretty much forever. There's $2500 off your bill.

I do hope you enjoy the car once you get it sorted. Most of what's on that list I wouldn't expect to be caught in a PPI. And something like pinned coolant fittings is totally an optional service. Again, something the track guys must do but for street drivers it is a waste of money unless you are also doing the clutch and LSD at the same time.