Porsche Pre-Purchase Inspections

It’s a full inspection of every aspect of the car, including:

• A PIWIS 4 diagnostic scan of the car’s control units, including stored faults and, on cars that record it, the engine’s over-rev history
• A road test to check the engine, gearbox, clutch, steering, brakes and suspension
• A ramp inspection underneath for leaks, corrosion, signs of accident repair, and wear in the suspension, steering, brakes, exhaust and cooling system
• The engine bay, fluids and the known weak points for that model
• Bodywork, paint, glass, wheels and tyres
• The interior, electrics and equipment, including the roof on Cabriolets, Targas and Boxsters
• The service history, invoices and MOT record, and whether the key jobs for that model have been done

We carry out inspections at our workshop in High Wycombe, not on a driveway or a forecourt. On a ramp, with proper lighting, the right tools and PIWIS 4 connected, we can see and test far more than a mobile inspection allows. A seller who is confident in the car shouldn’t mind it being inspected this way.

Once the inspection is done, Lawrence will go through the findings with you: what’s good, what needs attention now, and what’s likely to come up in the next year or two. That gives you a clear basis for deciding whether to buy, and for any conversation with the seller about price.

Any Porsche you’re thinking of buying. We see the most 964, 993, 996, 997 and 991 911s, as well as Boxsters, Caymans, Cayennes, Macans, Panameras and front-engined classics such as the 928, 944 and 968. Our buyer’s guides for the 997.2 and the 987 Boxster and Cayman explain what we look for on two of the most popular models.