3.4S - Portiacraft
Discussion
SRT Hellcat said:
Harry is okay. Have not seen him for a while. He has been in the game for a very long time. I have friends that have bought and sold to him over the years and he has always been very fair and has always stood by any warranty work. Perhaps he was just having a bad day
Regardless of a person's mood or attitude - if you think motor traders should be honest, he would be one to avoid.Do 3.4s bore-score? Are PPIs a waste of time?
The no frills part definitely appeals. I don’t want a coffee - I want a good car at a good price. But I think there’s a limit. Plenty of Porsche specialists around in my area who don’t treat me like they’re doing me a favour.
Benrad said:
Hmmm, my dad is eyeing up a 996 they're selling at the moment, sounds like he may have to reconsider (he's not visited them yet)
I will say the younger guy there seemed a perfectly decent chap. Though he backed up Harry on the ‘3.4 Boxsters don’t bore score’ thing. But I didn’t think to ask to deal with him instead. Edited by MD707 on Thursday 25th February 21:15
Edited by MD707 on Thursday 25th February 21:16
I bought a 3.4s 981 from them 2019, car was as described, apart from alloys needed redoing, I paid deposit unseen, travelled from Glasgow to collect with a trailer,
they are a no-frills outfit, but yes, definately not a polite experience or one I would choose to go back to unless the car was right / right price,
fairly hassle free purchase though and have had zero issues with the car,
987 boxster (have had two - one from 11 months old - as a daily for three years - no probs) wife had another as a daily, no probs, then had a gen 2 spyder with no problems, but they can suffer ims, rms, bore score, etc, etc, gen 2 safer purchase but then gen 1 are much cheaper and more car for you money,
worth watching the pcgb for sale as often club owned cars are more cherished, good luck with the search, scott
they are a no-frills outfit, but yes, definately not a polite experience or one I would choose to go back to unless the car was right / right price,
fairly hassle free purchase though and have had zero issues with the car,
987 boxster (have had two - one from 11 months old - as a daily for three years - no probs) wife had another as a daily, no probs, then had a gen 2 spyder with no problems, but they can suffer ims, rms, bore score, etc, etc, gen 2 safer purchase but then gen 1 are much cheaper and more car for you money,
worth watching the pcgb for sale as often club owned cars are more cherished, good luck with the search, scott
At that mileage, it is the start of when bore scoring becomes visible. Low mileages, if this has been aided by short journeys is perhaps the worst use type for bore scoring so you would certainly need to do your due diligence.
PDK gearboxes are pretty good and worth having a go with if you haven’t used one before.
PDK gearboxes are pretty good and worth having a go with if you haven’t used one before.
Move on. Their response to a PPI would put them out of the running. They’ve also told you an outright lie.
I spoke to a couple of well-respected Yorkshire specialists during my hunt, and they couldn’t have been more helpful. When it became apparent they wouldn’t be selling me anything Speaking about both their stock and outside cars I’d seen, they were still full of advice - despite having nothing to gain (other than my trust).
Whilst Caymans are robust things, as these once-pricey cars (by general standards) become very affordable, there is the inherent risk that they are maintained on a shoestring budget by one or more previous owners - which will throw up some very Porsche-esque bills. Aside from the well-documented (if over-egged) IMS & bore-scoring issues, a decent PPI is the only way to be confident of condition.
As you say, I don’t need a latte and a plush office - just a good car from people that come across as guys & girls I want to do a deal with.
987.1 cars aren’t hard to find, so the right one will come up.
I spoke to a couple of well-respected Yorkshire specialists during my hunt, and they couldn’t have been more helpful. When it became apparent they wouldn’t be selling me anything Speaking about both their stock and outside cars I’d seen, they were still full of advice - despite having nothing to gain (other than my trust).
Whilst Caymans are robust things, as these once-pricey cars (by general standards) become very affordable, there is the inherent risk that they are maintained on a shoestring budget by one or more previous owners - which will throw up some very Porsche-esque bills. Aside from the well-documented (if over-egged) IMS & bore-scoring issues, a decent PPI is the only way to be confident of condition.
As you say, I don’t need a latte and a plush office - just a good car from people that come across as guys & girls I want to do a deal with.
987.1 cars aren’t hard to find, so the right one will come up.
Edited by Royal Jelly on Sunday 28th February 08:32
SRT Hellcat said:
Harry is okay. Have not seen him for a while. He has been in the game for a very long time. I have friends that have bought and sold to him over the years and he has always been very fair and has always stood by any warranty work. Perhaps he was just having a bad day
My experience too, they looked after my flatnose for several years and the only reason they don't now is because I found a specialist a few miles away. He's a suffer no fools type of guy and I suspect someone had worn him thin before you got to him. I'd happily buy from them,I’ve purchased a couple of cars from Harry. First was a 964 Wide Body Cab and then a few years later a 997 Turbo.
Found him very straightforward to deal with and would have no hesitation dealing with him again.
Both vehicles were exactly as described, did have an issue with the 964 after collection which he rectified with no drama.
Don’t be expecting coffee and frills as per OPC as your obviously not paying OPC prices.
Found him very straightforward to deal with and would have no hesitation dealing with him again.
Both vehicles were exactly as described, did have an issue with the 964 after collection which he rectified with no drama.
Don’t be expecting coffee and frills as per OPC as your obviously not paying OPC prices.
For the cost of a PPI and massive peace of mind, I would always have one done.
If they stand by the car then they have nothing to worry about. I nearly lost an older 911 because of the PPI. Got the sales director very grumpy (not Portiacraft) did not realise the company doing the PPI hated the dealer
the report was pretty comprehensive..
G
If they stand by the car then they have nothing to worry about. I nearly lost an older 911 because of the PPI. Got the sales director very grumpy (not Portiacraft) did not realise the company doing the PPI hated the dealer
the report was pretty comprehensive..G
Yes I think a PPI is essential on any car with expensive repairs - for peace of mind alone - unless you’re getting a warranty.
You learn a lot from them, too. I particularly liked Revolution Porsche (Leeds area) because on top of the written report, you got a series of videos of things of note, with the guy explaining things clearly. This added context to the written report. They then were happy to chat in an informal way over the phone about it.
Just like surveying a house, there is probably a level of arse-covering on the official reports, but a chat with the guy on the phone allowed him to me an honest assessment overall. After all, they have to show you all that is wrong, but they are the ones who can then tell you if that’s out of the ordinary/ought to put you off/points to a certain type of previous owner, etc.
I ended up having 2 Caymans PPI’d that I didn’t buy for various reasons. I still think it was money well-spent, as I learned a lot (about the cars and about the garages).
One was a bit of a dog and would’ve cost me a lot. One had a fairly long list of fairly ordinary wear items - as he said, nothing of concern. My issue was I live abroad and didn’t have the inclination to spend my next few trips back with the car on a ramp getting little jobs done.
Interestingly both sellers were very reasonable about the outcomes of the inspections. Goes to show that most folks aren’t trying to pull the wool over your eyes, so if you get the feeling that something is off, it probably is.
In the end I was lucky enough to get one with most of an OPC 2 year warranty left. Didn’t bother PPI’ing that - the peace of mind was built-in.
You learn a lot from them, too. I particularly liked Revolution Porsche (Leeds area) because on top of the written report, you got a series of videos of things of note, with the guy explaining things clearly. This added context to the written report. They then were happy to chat in an informal way over the phone about it.
Just like surveying a house, there is probably a level of arse-covering on the official reports, but a chat with the guy on the phone allowed him to me an honest assessment overall. After all, they have to show you all that is wrong, but they are the ones who can then tell you if that’s out of the ordinary/ought to put you off/points to a certain type of previous owner, etc.
I ended up having 2 Caymans PPI’d that I didn’t buy for various reasons. I still think it was money well-spent, as I learned a lot (about the cars and about the garages).
One was a bit of a dog and would’ve cost me a lot. One had a fairly long list of fairly ordinary wear items - as he said, nothing of concern. My issue was I live abroad and didn’t have the inclination to spend my next few trips back with the car on a ramp getting little jobs done.
Interestingly both sellers were very reasonable about the outcomes of the inspections. Goes to show that most folks aren’t trying to pull the wool over your eyes, so if you get the feeling that something is off, it probably is.
In the end I was lucky enough to get one with most of an OPC 2 year warranty left. Didn’t bother PPI’ing that - the peace of mind was built-in.
Edited by Royal Jelly on Monday 1st March 20:06
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