Has anyone here gotten a clean PPI and still ended up with big problems?

As I'm getting closer to buying a 355, I'm wondering if anyone AFTER performing a PPI, and the numbers for the compression and leak down test came out fine, has anyone still had major problems after they bought the car?

I mean like valve guide problems or engine/tranny problems that cost $5000 or more to fix?

I'm just curious as I'm finalizing my budget and getting ready to take this leap! This will be my first Ferrari so I'm a little paranoid

 

I'm in a similar situation and curious to hear what others have experienced. Thanks!

 

My PPI was clean except for a noted issue with the top which was fixed and a battery issue which was replaced. A few months later I had to replace both cats. Had I gone with factory replacements, it could have been a high ticket repair. Thanks to tips and help from FChat I was able to fix the situation for about $1,600. There is a lot of good help here but also a lot of bashing. You need to sort through what works for you. Being handy with tools will help to keep the cost of the surprises down.

 

don't be so paranoia, it is just a car. but in any case you have to be prepared to pull your wallet in the event something goes bang. It can happen to the best.

long time ago I bought a Testarossa where an extensive PPI was done. withing a few months the gearbox went out.

A ferrari is as good as any other car. Even Volkswagen had issues with differentials and that sort of stuff. if it is out of warranty, the repair can be into thousands too. A much higher repair bill compared to the value of the car.

 

I honestly dont think anybody would buy one of these cars if thats all they thought about.. if your looking to worry you will;;and you will never buy one..

 

I think you're looking at this the wrong way. Most high performance cars that are close to 20 years old are bound to have problems at one point. You should accept that something will probably go wrong or need replacing, regardless of the PPI. The compression and leak-down tests might be excellent, but then a header can fail and cause further internal damage to the valves, and it wasn't obvious or present when the PPI was done. Or maybe a bearing in the gearbox can fail causing you to replace the whole tranny...***** happens, and if you're on a budget, the 355 is not the car for you.

Having said this, a thorough service is always a good idea so you can make sure the most important parts of the car are in good shape, or if complete and trustworthy service records are at hand, it should give you some peace of mind. If these cars are well kept, they should be pretty reliable. I use mine often and it is very well cared for...I got unlucky and had a gearbox problem...so I sourced a lightly used one and paid $4,000 all in. Aside from the occasional small repair (cv boot torn, or a rear wheel bearing replacement), the car has been perfect and an absolute joy to own.

 

A friend had his 355 clutch go pretty soon after PPI - it wore that little bit further in his first few miles - its extremely unlikely a PPI would have noticed that - simple job but the flywheel which always seems to need machining or replacing raised the bill

 

PPI not worth the paper it's written on if you are looking for a "guarantee" that the car will be OK for the long-run. You could drive the car 10 minutes after buying it and a compment could fail which was OK during the inspection. This applies to ANY car, not just an F car.

A PPI is no better than an photo, its a record of a moment in time, and no predictor of the future; you might discover if the car is already a dud, or has had bad repairs, crash damage and the like, but it absolutely is NOT an indicator of if you will have trouble ahead.

 

I don't know.......have you ever heard of someone getting a physical and told they are in great health to find out a few weeks later they have cancer or some other ailment!?!?!?
If your buying a Ferrari on a budget, I would say get a Porsche. My P-car has never surprised me that bad.
These threads are getting pathetic!

 

Exactly. It is a 20 year old used car. Things will go wrong and break. This forum helps you decipher the noise and make a good decision on repairs. If you are really concerned about a big bill, don't buy the car. There is more to life than owning a Ferrari and if you are afraid to use it because of impending doom, what is the point?

 

I had a clean PPI, great compression...and 6 years later having my major done I asked him to check compression...still great! Just pull the trigger and stop worrying...

 

I had a PPI done by an experienced and highly respected shop. It was very thorough as commented by those on this board. I did get what I feel was a fair overall evaluation of the car.

However, things were missed some obvious and some not so much such as;

Front tires original and 18 years old and badly cracking.

Spark plug wires arcing.

Temp guage not reading correct temp (or at that time, engine not running at correct temp)

Fuel leak ( this one may have developed after)

The point is things will pop up, especially if the most recent owner wasn't active or in tune with respect to the overall running of the car.

However, thanks to this board and the helpful people here, none of these are major issues because I am able to source parts for reasonable prices and perform many jobs myself.

That said, in my humble opinion, you need to budget at least $15K just in case of something major.

If you can't spare that after buying the car, don't buy.

 

Agree with a lot of the above, by all means do some due diligence, but outside that if you are that worried about 5k in your example, you should buy something more run of the mill.

I carried out zero pre purchase health checks and have now had the car over 10 yrs and it's been fine, just typical minor stuff.

To even be asking this I would gauge you are one of life's natural worriers, the 355 is not the car for you?

 

You have created a poll based on service costs and the results have shown must have not had huge dollar problems. You are now worried about something not being found on a PPI. A PPI is a good look over by someone with experience to review items that are prone to go. It's a first line of defense especially if you don't have the experience to do your own inspection.

As other have said, if you are that worried, respectfully, you might want to consider a Honda.

 

Yes. I agree. OP, you've been saying you're going to buy a 355 ever since you arrived in 2008. In fact, I think at one point your profile said you already owned one.

No offense intended, but perhaps you shouldn't be buying a Ferrari. A Porsche 996TT might provide more peace of mind, and much better performance.

 

Exactly!!!!
Pull the trigger or move on to a Pcar

 

Schaf,

I see you are in tri state as am I. I would be happy to go over with you in more detail the things I've experienced and learned so far.

I'm a newbie but a quick study.

 

I purchase a ppi for all sports car I buy. For me, I do it to make sure there are no major issues, mainly engine, trans, suspension and the like. A PPI will not capture all issues, nor do I expect them to but I could potentially avoid a worst case scenario. Could my engine explode in the near future, sure it could. But having a clean ppi lowers that probability...in my mind. I recently bought a 355 and had a ppi done at a indi shop (they did not specialized in F-cars) where I purchased the car. They checked the major components and it came out clean. I bought it took it to FOA for general check up and it came out fairly clean. A few minor issues came up which I took care of. As you know, these cars are not cheap, so always hope for the best but expect the worst. Good luck with your search!

 

If your buying a Ferrari on a budget, I would say get a Porsche. My P-car has never surprised me that bad.

I wish the comment above was true for my Porsche. I have a '88 930S where I had to get my engine rebuilt. I got the car about 4 years ago (with a clean PPI mind you). I had to get new turbo, headers, engine rebuilt and had all sorts of electrical issues. All old sports cars = money pit. Having said that, I wouldn't sell that piece of crap for anything.

 

The day I planned a visit to Germany (last friday) to make a final decision for a fine Grigio GTB, someone offered me the same day a 996 GT3 mk2….complete history, delivered by PON (Porsche Holland- it was actually their introduction car), and in mint state.
Couldn't resist…..the Grigio is still for sale, probably the best one for sale in Europe at the moment (google Harry Utesch!)….it hurts…did I do the right thing?
Well….I can't have all the cars in the world. Second day of ownership got an engine-failure light….just like an F355…got it fixed, and more faillures are still to come. It's just a car, fix it quick, or fix it a little later, and enjoy. Don't look back

 

Agree 100%

I was in the market for 2003 E39 BMW M5.

Found one with low miles, 1 owner, female owned and dealer service records from new. This woman took the car to the dealer for everything including just topping up oil. Had it detailed every 3 months.

Sounds perfect, right?

Had a PPI done.

Shop calls me half way through and tells me the transmission bell housing and transmission case looks like frankenstein's face its got so many welds all over it. Apparently somehow it broke or cracked and was crudely welded back together.

I asked how that could happen and the best guess was it was used as a stunt car or something. Lol.

I ran away. Best $150 I ever spent.

 

Do the PPI
Fix what needs to be fixed
Drive it home like you stole it!
.....trailers are for boats!!!!

 

Life is not a dress rehearsal. You only go through once. If you want a Ferarri buy it and enjoy it it now. Dont make my mistake and wait. I have had mine 2 years and the only problem I have had is with an alternator. Give yourself the thrill of owning what you want now.









.

 

You guys are right. Getting a PPI done tomorrow.

Yes I have been researching the car since 2008, but did NOT have the money to buy or fix. Well I do now. I'm only 28 but I am very anal when it comes to cars, whether Honda, Toyota, Porsche or Ferrari.

I'm excited to do this and hope everything will work out.

 

PM me, I'll give you my number. Hopefully we can meet up if the PPI works out and I get the car.