PPI question

Greetings FChatters.

I am narrowing the field in preparation for buying my first Ferrari (360 or 430 spyder). I have identified 3-4 cars with the right equipment and color combo. Obviously, if I decide on a private party sale or a sale from a non-Ferrari exotic car dealer, I will do a complete PPI.

My question is that I am considering a car that is currently located at an official Ferrari dealer, who took it in on trade, and I am wondering what level of PPI is recommended when purchasing from a reputable Ferrari dealer? Compression only? Full Monty?

Also, anyone have an opinion on Ferrari of Denver?


Thanks

 

The full monty of course...........just because they have the horsie on the shingle hanging out front of their building does not mean that any car business is completely honest, or 100% competent. People also make legitimate mistakes, which is another reason why you do a PPI. This applies to all automobile vendors, whether they be individuals, or dealers, franchised and private........

My comments do not refer to FoD in any way.......I am speaking generically.

Welcome fo F-Chat.

 

Will an authorized Ferrari dealer happily allow you to run a PPI on one of their cars if you're in the late stages of a negotiation?

 

All the dealers I worked in did it quite often. If they don't let you there is no reason left to trust them.

 

Is there any other way?!?

Even the "late" stage of negotiations is to EARLY for a PPI. The PPI should be done only after the negotiation is over, i.e. a price and all other terms are reached.

The agreed deal is then contingent on the PPI coming out ok. If it doesn't, of course, the parties can always choose to reopen negotiations (or not).

Can't see it being done any other way.

 

I'll be the dissenting vote.

Having visited Ferrari of Denver a few years back to test drive a car I was considering (before I bought another across the country), I had lunch that day with another FChat'er who had just bought a 355 from FoD the week before. The 355 had some issues and effectively needed the engine pulled again for re-sealing. FoD did the work at no charge to the customer, even though this was a used car without a factory warranty. The buyer kept the car for several years and I think he sold it in 2008 to buy another Ferrari - basically happy with his purchase.

You will pay a premium when buying a Ferrari from a dealer, but for that you should either get a CPO car (ideally -- F430s are still pretty new) or a written assurance that if something big slips past their quality inspection that they will take responsibility for the next 30 days or so. Just check Carfax and confirm no history of major damage -- 360s are getting old, so expect a front-end respray.

I'm sure the dealer would do a compression test as part of the deal if you request it. I probably would.

Just my two pence.

 

PS, as far as what level to have done, I recently went through that. What I did was have different "stages" of the PPI. In the first stage, I agreed to pay them an hour of time to drive the car, give me an opinion on the clutch and trans, and overall running, and also check the body for previous damage/paintwork.

They were to then call me and discuss whether I wanted them to go any deeper, which eventually would have been a full inspection including compression.

After the first hour, they had identified so many issues, it was clear there was no need to go forward. So I was saved from buying a dog, and it didn't cost a whole lot to find out.

 

+1

 

Why wouldn't they? They're hiding something if they don't.

 

You would be crazy to take them at their word. Anyone selling anything should be viewed as swindlers even if there isn't evidence of it. Always be cautious and always check every nook and cranny of the car, anything you're told about by words, check with your hands on the car.

 

I hear what 62 250 GTO is saying when he says "You would be crazy to take them at their word".
But let me share a different side to the story.

Well, I hate to say it, but over the years I've purchased 2 used Ferrraris from FOW (328 & 360) and 1 used Ferrari from Algar (550) and did not do a PPI on them.
And, I have not had one issue with any of the three cars.
Each time, the mechanics that worked there, knew the cars well.

For example, at Algar in Philadelphia, the car had been serviced there by the last 2 owners.
Ferrari dealers typically do the "101 point inspection" whenever they: buy a car, take it in on trade-in, or put it on the showroom floor on consignment.
So, in a way, they do their own mini-version of a PPI.

The trick is to talk to the mechanic 1-on-1 without the sales person being involved.
Most of the time, they are very straight-forward on the car's strengths and weaknesses.

That said, in hindsight, the cost of a PPI, by an independent respected mechanic, would have been money not wasted.
And, I'm pretty sure both Ferrari dealers would have been okay with it.
I was just too impatient, in each case, to take the time to do it

Because of my good results on these cars, I do have a fairly high degree of trust with both of these Ferrari dealerships (FOW & Algar).
For the most part, they try to be upfront on the cars they sell. YMMV.

 

To be clear, I am wondering whether dealers are always okay with a potential customer having a PPI conducted by a third party, not by the dealer themselves. The reason I find it odd for all dealers to be okay with this is because you're taking their inventory to an outside mechanic to run tests on (and tack additional mileage on, which is negligible, but I can see certain dealers making a hassle out of this issue).

 

I bought my car at a dealership,it was owned by a g.m. there and he let me bring in my machanic to do a ppi there and he let us use their lifts and and some of the tools there,Sal was there for about 4 hrs,the owner did have to do some changes on the car befor I got the ok to give him any money