Independent Dealers
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Guest
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Hi John
In MHO this is a difficult issue that has no short answer.
We know that an Independent Porsche Center (IPC) is a garage that specializes in that marque - but on the down side does not have the same support from Porsche that an OPC does.
Fine and well where the car has a generic problem that is common to any number of differing makes of car. But of course specialist cars require specialist equipment and not least fully trained personnel to maintain and keep up with the latest developments of that marque especially the latest models / developments.
In the case of Porsche (and others) it is known that until the introduction of the latest EU legislation they had "˜kept all the cards close to their chest' in both equipment and know how -(not sure if this has changed yet) This meant that the only fully trained and bang up to date Porsche technician is one working for an OPC (or had recently worked for an OPC).
In the early days I had a number of problems with my Boxster that were not sorted until I took it to an OPC. I am of the view that it was a genuine case of ignorance on the part of the IPC staff (individual technician) as to why the problems had not been dealt with at that IPC.
After all that there clearly are some excellent IPC's around and some OPC's that could do better "" i.e. issues like servicing costs where they do not disclose that low mileage vehicles do not require a full annual service!
Unfortunately as I live in the Midlands area I cannot really help in your quest for an IPC.
Hope that helps
In MHO this is a difficult issue that has no short answer.
We know that an Independent Porsche Center (IPC) is a garage that specializes in that marque - but on the down side does not have the same support from Porsche that an OPC does.
Fine and well where the car has a generic problem that is common to any number of differing makes of car. But of course specialist cars require specialist equipment and not least fully trained personnel to maintain and keep up with the latest developments of that marque especially the latest models / developments.
In the case of Porsche (and others) it is known that until the introduction of the latest EU legislation they had "˜kept all the cards close to their chest' in both equipment and know how -(not sure if this has changed yet) This meant that the only fully trained and bang up to date Porsche technician is one working for an OPC (or had recently worked for an OPC).
In the early days I had a number of problems with my Boxster that were not sorted until I took it to an OPC. I am of the view that it was a genuine case of ignorance on the part of the IPC staff (individual technician) as to why the problems had not been dealt with at that IPC.
After all that there clearly are some excellent IPC's around and some OPC's that could do better "" i.e. issues like servicing costs where they do not disclose that low mileage vehicles do not require a full annual service!
Unfortunately as I live in the Midlands area I cannot really help in your quest for an IPC.
Hope that helps
If cost is the consideration, why not buy privately?
If you know what you are looking for you don't need to be an expert to find a really good example. The best cars will have one or two owners, been supplied and serviced by an OPC and will have a relatively low mileage. The seller will have been offered a trade in price and will be looking to get a little bit more. You can tell a lot about the quality of a used Porsche from the integrity and status of the seller.
Of course you will need all the background checks (OPC inspection, Service History, HPI etc), but the savings on retail (OPC or IPC) are very worthwhile. If it doesn't have warranty you can decide for youself if you wish to buy one.
Over the years I have bought three nearly new Porsches (911CS, 964 Cab and 996 C2) over the phone without seeing them.
If you know what you are looking for you don't need to be an expert to find a really good example. The best cars will have one or two owners, been supplied and serviced by an OPC and will have a relatively low mileage. The seller will have been offered a trade in price and will be looking to get a little bit more. You can tell a lot about the quality of a used Porsche from the integrity and status of the seller.
Of course you will need all the background checks (OPC inspection, Service History, HPI etc), but the savings on retail (OPC or IPC) are very worthwhile. If it doesn't have warranty you can decide for youself if you wish to buy one.
Over the years I have bought three nearly new Porsches (911CS, 964 Cab and 996 C2) over the phone without seeing them.
Guest
New member
I have just brought privately and for piece of mind had a full inspection done at an independant specialist (www.porsheshop.co.uk). They charged £88 and gave me a full written report. I saved over £2000 on buying from a dealer. (98 (S) 2.5, with aircon etc 25k miles with FPSH for £19k).
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