I recently bought a 1999 Porsche 911 sight unseen out of Georgia, off of the Porsche Classifieds of America classifieds. Now, I've done this enough to know that when it comes to cars that either cost a certain amount or have a reputation for being potentially needy that a pre-purchase inspection is absolutely necessary. What blows my mind is how many people still don't know this - and how often they spend crazy money on a notoriously needy vehicle with no PPI completed.
Recently, a vehicle popped up on Facebook in the hands of a shop in Maine specializing in high-end conversions of Volkswagen Westfalias and Transporters. They'll take your plain-jane Vanagon and swap in a TDI powerplant and a 4WD chassis to create the van of your dreams. They were disassembling a mid-90s European-spec Vanagon Westfalia known as a "Club Joker" edition that came with Syncro 4WD and a high-roof fixed top in place of the favored pop-top. Now, I don't know what the new owner's plans are, but the Vanagon was sufficiently deconstructed despite it selling for a healthy $55,000 on Bring A Trailer in September.
Among some of the issues disclosed by the shop, known as Foreign Auto & Supply, included "....silicone and POR15 trying to cover up a ton of cancer and shoddy previous workmanship." The shop owner goes on to note "Water was pouring in from three locations and the rear cabinets, interior panels, and bed cushions are ruined." Photos show the van with at least several hours' worth of labor to remove panels and dig deep into the bodywork, and it was also transported from the west to the east coast as part of the transaction. All told, this has to now be a $75,000 purchase, and one that needs far more labor before it's "done."
The worst part about this is it could have all been avoided. Records were limited in the description on Bring A Trailer and the only reference to the hidden rust was that there was evidence of prior bodywork and zero photos to that effect. The broker who represented the Vanagon had the balls to show up on the Facebook post talking about how glad he was to see the VW in the capable hands of the shop to take it to the next level. Uh, what about your buyer who spent $55K thinking it already was at the next level?
I am happy to report that the findings of the $350 PPI I had performed on the 911 were accurate, as my shop laid hands on the car this week and found very little in the way of concerns. It's cheap insurance and a very small line item in the budget of a car that, like the Vanagon shown here, can go wrong in a big way if due diligence isn't performed.