Question: Are PPI's are a scam?

On cars that I have gotten from out of state I get a PPI but if I can drive and get my hands on the car I will look at it.

Cotton wrote:

93gsxturbo wrote: I have enough invested in my personal knowledge, skill set, and toolbox to never pay for a PPI. I suppose if I was lacking those things, I would consider it. The only thing I take when I go buy a car is a friend with a good set of eyes, a flashlight, and a stack of benjamins.

As do I, but sometimes I tend to wear rose colored glasses when I really want a car and a 2nd opinion from a pro is a good reality check, especially when repair costs can add up so quickly. Do I get a PPI on a 78 Trans Am or a 20 year old Suburban.....uhh hell no, but just about anything from Germany you can pretty much bet I will. Also, in the case of my 911, the seller would not budge on the price....at all. However, he was more than happy to drive the car 2+ hours to the shop of my choice for a PPI. When the mechanic came back with a list of repairs that totalled around $500 the seller agreed to drop the price $250, so we would basically split the repair bill. That paid for the PPI, left me with an extra $100 in my pocket, and gave me some peace of mind. On the other hand, the PPI on my BMW k1200s from a well known BMW dealer was a joke, so picking the right shop is an absolute must.

My friend I take with is on most of my crazy adventures just as zany as I am when it comes to details and super critical of everything so he is a great asset. Usually he calls me a dummy, and he is right and we walk away.

Leak-down test? Got a compressor at home and some gauges? Bore-scope? Check! Take a look while the plugs are out.

As far as having a shop do it? 1. I dont know of any mark specific shops I would trust. I dont know of ANY shops I would trust, honestly. I am always disappointed in the repair work and BS answers I have gotten from any shop and 2. Thanks to the wonders of the internets, everything 90% of those mechanics know, I can know in a matter of minutes of searching and reading. Most boards have buyers guides or knowledgable members that have been in the game at least as long as the lube rack/detail boy/PPI guy at most shops.

If the seller insists on a shop doing a PPI, tell them you want to use "your guy". Take the car home, tear it down, inspect, whip up an invoice in Word for "your guy" with prices based on Rock Auto or a similar parts house and labor at $85 an hour, being honest of course, and and rock and roll.

If this board catered to the "I just drive the thing" sort of guy I would expect different answers, but this is Grassroots Motorsports, and as such, wrenching on your own stuff is expected.

I PPI'd an 87 911 that was for sale by the original female owner. She had never heard of such a thing before and was very, very nervous about the process. I explained what it was and who would be doing it, told her that I would pay for it and if I chose not to buy the car, I would give her the detailed paperwork so she could show it to other potential buyers.

She had dropped the insurance on the car, so I trailered it to the shop, an hour away. She, understandably, insisted upon riding in the truck with me and then waiting at the shop for 5 hours while they checked out her car. The shop owner asked me to take her away.

The PPI found many thousands of dollars of needed repairs. I paid the bill and gave her the paperwork. She was devastated and actually cried as I drove her home. It was now snowing.

As a bonus, the battery was completely dead when we got there, so I pushed her car off the trailer and into the garage. Then I took my truck and trailer and drove to a wake.

It was not a good day.