Pre-purchase inspections?

Definitely yes, a PPI is a must. I bought my Ferraris from an official F dealer with warranties attached to the cars, therefore no need for a PPI. But every other significant cars I bought from a non-official dealer (meaning from an independent dealer or a private party) had a PPI, it’s a protection. Once you are very interested in a car and the terms are agreed to, a PPI is a must (if the seller does not agree, simply walk away).

 

Well I was just about to start a new thread about my experience with a PPI (“A cautionary tale”) but thought I’d reply to you here.
Anyway, I’ve been looking for an 80s/90s model for a few months now (in UK or Europe). I saw a car advertised by an Italian (supposedly reputable) professional seller. We agreed a price subject to PPI but I struggled to find someone to do it for me. Eventually I got a main dealer to do it for me €500 and the seller took it to them. I asked the main dealer to give me a template report so I knew what to expect but they declined/said they didn’t have one (first warning flag).
Anyway, car goes to dealer, within 2 hours (second warning flag - why did it take such a short time) I get the message “The car is in excellent condition and I have nothing abnormal to report to you.”
I obviously asked a lot more questions but was told everything is ok apart from what was agreed beforehand (belts needed doing). No photos, no written report (third warning flag).
Call me cynical (been in business a long time, bought a few cars in my time but never a classic Ferrari) but I smelled a rat. I should also call out that this site and its members have been incredibly useful and made me suspicious of a main dealer - when you could quite easily put your trust in them.
I went and visited the car at the main dealer the next day. Funnily enough not all was right with it - especially as the car had major issues getting into 4th or 5th!
To cut a long story short, it turns out the dealer hadn’t even driven the car, the estimated fix would/might cost €10k and I didn’t buy the car. Dealer also refused to refund the cost of the PPI.
I’m not suggesting the seller or the dealer were trying to rip me off but you need to be seriously careful out there. Don’t trust anyone - do your research and trust your nose. There is also a heap of good information on here. Also there’s a PPI and a PPI…..

 

I've said this a few times.....but the BUYER owns the PPI. Once I start engaging with a tech, I will tell them what I want looked at, what photos I want, what videos I want, and that I want their availability to discuss results, go over paperwork etc. Then they will price it accordingly. If there is something on the list they cannot do (ex. occasionally, a seller might not allow them to drive it....then we need a workaround) we will talk about it.

Now I generally pay between $1,000 and $1,500 to get the detail I want but it is important to me.