Ppi

[Packard]

If you find an interesting car that is a good distance away do you order up a PPI in advance of seeing the vehical in person? E-mails and digital photos take a good bit of the guess work out of buying long distance, but there are things you cannot see unless you look it over in person.

What does a PPI cost from an Acura Dealer?

What would they typically check?

When I buy used cars I bring the car to my local mechanic who looks it over and puts it on the lift. He is looking for the general condition and if it looks like it had any major damage at any time. He is looking for obvious signs of wear or neglect. The whole thing, including a ride around the block generally takes a half an hour. Is this a PPI?

Is any Acura Dealer capable of doing a PPI on an NSX?

 

[nsxtasy]

If you find an interesting car that is a good distance away do you order up a PPI in advance of seeing the vehical in person?

You can, yes. And you can even complete the entire transaction without ever seeing the vehicle in person, until it shows up at your door (assuming you have it transported).

What does a PPI cost from an Acura Dealer?

Typically 1-2 hours at their standard hourly rate (usually $90-120 per hour).

What would they typically check?

When I buy used cars I bring the car to my local mechanic who looks it over and puts it on the lift. He is looking for the general condition and if it looks like it had any major damage at any time. He is looking for obvious signs of wear or neglect. The whole thing, including a ride around the block generally takes a half an hour. Is this a PPI?

Yes. There are other things that may or may not be included in a PPI. Such things include specific condition of the seats, finish, etc, amount of tread depth of the tires, thickness of friction material on the brake pads, compression and leakdown test on the engine, condition of bushings and other suspension components, boiling point of the brake fluid, etc. The more things that are checked, the longer it generally takes.

Is any Acura Dealer capable of doing a PPI on an NSX?

Yes, but... Any Acura dealer (or, for that matter, independent mechanic) is capable of checking all of the things you and I have mentioned above in both our posts. However, an Acura dealer (or independent) mechanic who is highly experienced in servicing NSXs is more likely to also be familiar with, and check, the condition of parts which commonly fail and/or are expensive to fix, specific to the NSX - things like whether the window regulators have been upgraded to the newer design (or with the fix-it thingies), whether the car is in the snap ring range, etc. If the car in question is in an area where there is one particular dealer/shop proficient in servicing NSXs, it would be better to have them do the PPI for this reason.

There is a "Used NSX Checklist" in the FAQ (in the "Buy Sell" area) that is a good guide and includes some of the most common NSX-specific items to check.

 

[Packard]

If, for instance, I were looking at a car in Michigan and I am from New York, then having a PPI done in advance of seeing it would make sense.

I would be a bit concerned that the car owner could work a deal with the dealer and get a better than deserved report for the car. Is this a real possibility or is it my New York skepticism that is showing.

I could see the seller bringing in the car and handing the service manager a couple of hundred dollars for a glowing report in order to get the sale closed.

 

[nsxtasy]

Sounds like your New York skepticism...