Service history vs Porsche approved

[scb]

Hi All, hoping to get some advice from the community, I'm still progressing towards owning my first Porsche. 😃

Over the previous couple of months I've seen a number of cars with periods of say a few (or more) years without a service when the car did very low kilometers over the period.  Now being new to buying this type of vehicle I looked at that as a major negative and moved on.  Now I'm looking at a Porsche Approved car being sold be an official dealer and i notice the car has these same types of "holes" in the service history (again with very low ks during the period), although the dealer assures me it's not an issue now as they've done a major service to bring the car up to scratch and it is now Porsche Approved with Porsche warranty etc.

How is this type of car likely to be viewed at resale time, does the Porsche Approved status cancel out the previous holes in the eyes of the community?

Thanks for any thoughts or advice you can provide.

[Stephen Tinker]

It really depends on how big the "holes" are and who did the servicing between the gaps....

And I'm sure the dealer says its not an issue , but I bet he dropped his trade in price to the previous owner because of the missing stamps - after all, he just wants a sale and your money!!

[Peter John]

When it’s a Sunday car, at best, I’ve seen and heard of the basis of kms travelled rather the June yearly. I’ve never been in that situation personally, where I’ve bought new or close to, and not driven the car barely a couple of hundred kms in a year. 

Does fuel go bad? Do spark plugs die? Does oil break down? Would pay to have a major service done prior to purchase, but yes I dare say the log book will tell the story moving forward, and may reflect on a lower price. 

I guess size it up on age of car and it’s kms. 

[Jason A]

Every car has a story, try your best to find out. Was the owner in a club or on a forum etc.

Sometimes owners have several cars, put them in storage to work overseas etc. 

Ideally buy it from the owner, a lot of weight should be based on the owner, your trust level with them and the story.

Good luck

[Peter M]

I've noticed it's a very common occurrence for these cars to have missed time based services due to their lack of use.  It appears after the initial excitement has worn off they often get less and less use and spend more and more time in the garage.  Throw in some flat batteries and they see even less use occurring.   This also often results is other minor jobs being ignored as well.  Be aware that the cost of putting right this deferred maintenance can be considerable so suggest you check everything works how it should.

How much does missing time based servicing effects resale?  I don't think there is an simple answer as it depends on so many other things as ultimately I think it comes to giving confidence to potential buyers that it has been looked after.  If the car is pristine in all other aspects and the right price, grab it!  If the owner's tardiness is reflected in other ways and the price isn't that keen, keep looking.

Also consider how long you intend to keep it as that may change your thinking too.

Good luck and take your time.

 

[scb]

Thanks for the thoughts so far guys.  The gaps aren't so much an issue for me personally, i'm happy with how the car feels etc, my concern is more around resale value.  The car's only done 15,000 kilometers all up over 8 years, and by gaps I mean a period of like 3 or 4 years covering a few thousand kilometers.

I understand it's not ideal as i would have loved to see yearly stamps, but does a few years basically sitting idle really hurt a Porsche that much?

The dealer has just done a major service on the car.

Do i run for the hills?

Thanks Peter, I missed reading your post before sending mine.  The car is in very nice condition excepting the logbook, best i have seen for it's age by a decent margin.

[GRK930]

It doesn’t sound like a problem to me. I’m also a believer of enjoying your car and not worrying about the next bloke and Possible re sale price down the road. Each to their own.

[Peter M]

29 minutes ago, scb said:

Do i run for the hills?...…..The car is in very nice condition excepting the logbook, best i have seen for it's age by a decent margin.

Nah, keep doing your due diligence as you are obviously smitten!

I'd suggest you download the full service schedule for that model and check off to make sure everything is up to date.  For example, has the brake fluid been changed as part of the major service?  Are the tyres more than 6 years old?

Also suggest you find a trusted "sensible adult" not emotionally involved to give you fearless advice.  If you can't find one, maybe an independent PPI may be worth the cost.

 

 

Also don't over think it either! 😁 

[SteveF]

I would also consider that the car is Porsche approved and has a warranty with them. I figure if they are are backing the car, then that is a good sign. I hope that it works out however if this one doesn't there will be another.

[WB997.2GTS]

4 hours ago, scb said:

Thanks for the thoughts so far guys.  The gaps aren't so much an issue for me personally, i'm happy with how the car feels etc, my concern is more around resale value.  The car's only done 15,000 kilometers all up over 8 years, and by gaps I mean a period of like 3 or 4 years covering a few thousand kilometers.

I understand it's not ideal as i would have loved to see yearly stamps, but does a few years basically sitting idle really hurt a Porsche that much?

The dealer has just done a major service on the car.

Do i run for the hills?

Thanks Peter, I missed reading your post before sending mine.  The car is in very nice condition excepting the logbook, best i have seen for it's age by a decent margin.

15k over 8 years! I would buy it in a heart beat. Think what a dealer actually does when a car is serviced. 1) change the oil, 2) check the  brakes, 3) check water levels etc. if you owned it and only did a K or two that year and there was no oil or water on the floor why would you service it

[reggiegums]

I really wouldn't be so distracted by the long periods between services. Just buy the car on what it is, if its priced well, all things considered.

 

[edgy]

I am with everyone else on this, that is super low km's, so I can't see the problem, the things that are typically done on time basis are usually rubber if you want to lump it into one category, belts, hoses, tyres etc can perish with time, and if you check the owner manuals, they usually stipulate tyres to be replaced on time basis too (4-6 years depending on the model) so check the date codes on those, the belts and hoses will usually just be a visual inspection item, whilst I do not agree with it, these modern ones are usually "filled for life" with regards to the coolant... its absurd I know, but they almost want you to wait till there is a problem.

The fact is after the 8 years and service history etc if they will still offer it as a Porsche CPO car (that should come with a manufacturer warranty) this will reflect well long term, and the warranty should cover any potential items that could cause issues from lack of use (i.e. the rear main seal can leak when they are not run often)

Good luck and let us know how it gets on for you 

[Techno]

Another tip is to try and track down previous owners. I did for a vehicle I was looking at recently and the guy was happy to talk about his usage patterns and why he sold it. 

The original owners details should be in the books. Might need to do a bit of searching to find them.

[symsy]

As time goes on and our cars move from commodity , to enthusiast to collectable garage queens I feel gaps in services are more the norm and for many cars  gonna be   more the norm . 

This thread got me thinking and checking , I drive all my cars pretty much 2-3 times a week , but that can be only 20-30kms for a coffee or quick  blast . 

I have had three different servicing scenarios that really show following the standard Porsche stamp pattern may not be the way and really , service outlooks beyond having no mechanical sympathy are quite variable and personal . 

My last turbo service run through was a 12k bill and it now ain’t been touched for 2 years!! But when I look back my car has been in and checked or tinkered with 95 percent of the time at a OPC . I have 40-50 repair bills on a 80,000km car  , so divide that over 23 years It gets looked at on average every 6 months 🤗

My alternative outlook, On a car that I have had 18 months is a expensive experience as many just pop their car in for a classic or the annual special service . Stamp collectors . 

My GT3 was like this 10-12 services over its 12 years and 21,000 kms .. I have sincerly had no end of things missed on a warrantied , serviced and PPI car..

My point being what actually gets done , mostly they get looked at , as had been the case with my GT3 , what I find is 5 years no major service as per specs and it has sat , not a good thing in my view .

Many things don’t get found unless you really take em for a long drive or even loosen off and check. As I said perfect PPI car .,

So far two front struts , suspension top mounts , sway bar links and to get it to a very comfortable level of safe , can be thrashed in my mind.. I just did clutch, brake fluids , brake pads , gearbox fluids ,  full service , filters , coolant ,a clutch and a complete suspension adjustment and check and a wheel alignment 

My resolution on reliability and ownership is there is Unique rationale  and value in each individuals ownership approach beyond the specs. Therefore look for the owner who knows their car and who is connected to it .. knows what’s going on with it at some intimate level , knows where the marks are , knows it’s quirks , knows what they wanna do next service cycle . We don’t all have buckets of money and I for sure don’t do what generally don’t need touching but each service , I might add in a suspension or a wheel check or an extra fluid change to have my piece  of mind . 

My experience therefore of OPC and a car being sold beyond warranty , with no connection to prior owner , impersonal and not conclusive and to be honest on a classic or collectable I’m not sure I would go it again .

The last one my 964 , 1990 , 50,000km car is that it sat and sat and since reinstating it as such into  monthly use , it has taken in the past two years probably 8-10 circles and cycles of services to iron out all the age perished glitched items and again even though it was a solid car , it has shown many a problem that looked not to be there on face value ..  slow and steady is the approach there ..

So wrap up , I guess a suggestion to all Is  maybe write a car repair/service diary for the next owner 🤭

Also as I’m a long term keeper of my cars I have worked on the big birthday principle every 5 years go through the lot with someone who knows that variant of car.  

My two low mileage cars in my view prior to my ownership are on some level neglected or just ageing , I ask the question good to drive good to look at on paper . 

Have a great Anzac Day .. go for a drive forget the paperwork and mileage 😮

[Tips]

Totally agree with your views @symsy. My Macan is a stamp collector with extended warranty as I always knew it would be a short hold and wanted to make it as appealing as possible in a cluttered market. I’m finding that it’s not giving me a premium atm however starting to get interest as people realise the options premium and extended factory warranty is a nice bonus insurance.

My new to me SC I ensured had good paperwork and I spent time on the phone with AH going through the history they had on file to authenticate the sellers comments. I took it for a 30 min drive and then sat at his kitchen table going over the documents. Fortunately the PO’s had kept good paperwork. My perspective was not as much about regularity more about what was done, when, and by who.

Although they did an engine rebuild 7k ago and a service last month, the SC is booked in to AH on Tuesday for them to go over and document for me all of the required and future preventative items, rubber, suspension etc  This way I can slowly work through what’s needed over the next 6 -12 months by them or by me as I have cash available to tip in. 

[Harold996tt]

Agree with all above comments. My 50,000km 964 which has been driven maybe 3,000km since purchased by me still recently required a 5000 dollar service from Autohaus Hamilton recently even though it was running perfectly.

As these cars get older it's not about how regularly service is done. It's also who it's done with (to me older cars should be done with specialists who should be well known in the Porsche community and they are not necessarily the original dealers), and whether the previous owners understand these cars are not appliances. If you can get in contact with the ex owner you can find out alot more sometimes based on how they communicate about the car and its intricacies. And from there you can know if it was looked after or not. 

Even a low km car needs a ton of money thrown at it. Sometimes it needs more to cover old fuel lines, rubbers thst go hard. So don't be fooled thinking the low kms over the last few years means it will be reliable. It may be less so than a car with high mileage but a fastidious owner who knew what was going on always. 

Review the history and what was done to the car and when rather than just the regularity of service. 

[scb]

Thanks for all the info guys, i ended up pulling the trigger as based on my "seat of the pant" analysis it felt better to drive than others i had tried.  I'm very happy with it so far, been giving Mt Nebo/Glorious a workout on fine weekends and the car has been a joy to drive in that environment.

It's pretty hard to keep the smile off your face as the revs climb through an uphill twisty section of road, blue sky above and trees all around.

I have to admit to already starting to wonder whether more than one Porsche in the garage would be excessive...  😉 

[Coastr]

18 hours ago, scb said:

I have to admit to already starting to wonder whether more than one Porsche in the garage would be excessive...  😉 

That's a solid no.  You need a classic to go with that shiny new(ish) one.

Beware the itch will creep up on you and before you know it, a collection has started.