911spec

Buyer resources

Porsche 911 prepurchase inspection, what to ask for

A PPI is not an inspection; it's a second opinion from someone who has seen a hundred of these. A generic 150 point inspection tells you the tires have tread. It will not tell you the bore is scored.

Find a shop

Independent Porsche specialists by metro. Search your city to see names and phone numbers.

60 metros, 174 independent shops. Type a city to see who is near you.

The non-negotiables

Every one of these should be standard. If a shop pushes back on any of them, find another shop.

  • On a lift, wheels off

    If the car never leaves the ground, you're paying for a car wash with a clipboard.

  • PIWIS or Durametric

    Factory level diagnostics pull stored fault codes, DME data, and over-rev ranges (Ranges 1 through 6). The over-rev data is the one thing that can't be talked around; it tells you how the car was actually driven. A generic OBD-II reader reads emissions codes and nothing else.

  • Borescope on M96/M97 engines

    Bore scoring on a 996 or 997.1 is a $15,000 to $20,000 engine, and it cannot be reliably heard at idle. Cylinders 4 and 6 are where it starts. If a shop says they can tell by ear, call someone else.

  • Leak down and compression testing

    Not "it runs fine." Numbers, per cylinder, in writing.

  • Paint depth gauge on every panel

    Repaint isn't automatically disqualifying, but undisclosed repaint changes the negotiation.

  • A written report with photos, delivered to you

    Not summarized to you over the phone by the seller.

What disqualifies an inspector

  • No lift.
  • No Porsche-specific diagnostic tool.
  • Won't send you the report directly.

Generation-specific asks

On top of the standard list, each generation has known failure points. Ask about them by name.

996 / 997.1

IMS bearing: has it been replaced, and is there paperwork. RMS. Bore scoring. Coolant expansion tank.

997.2 / 991

PDK service history and interval. On turbo cars, whether the coolant pipes are glued or pinned.

991 / 992

PCCB wear if equipped; that's a five-figure surprise. PDK. Water pump.

993 / 964 and earlier

Valve guides, chain tensioners, heat exchangers, numbers matching, and rust in the usual places.

What it costs, and why that's cheap

Expect $300 to $500. That is the cheapest insurance in this hobby, roughly 2% of a bore-scored engine. And the person doing it should know what a 997 is before you call them.

How to read the report

A report with no findings on a fifteen-year-old car is not a perfect car; it's an incomplete inspection. Expect a list. The job is sorting it into "walk away," "negotiate," and "budget for next year."

Browse every metro

Independent Porsche specialists by metro. This directory is new and growing; if your metro isn't listed yet, the owner communities are the fastest way to find who the locals trust.