dimebars Posted June 26, 2020 Report Share Posted June 26, 2020 With most of the cars I'm looking at being miles away, inspecting them myself isn't usually possible Does anyone have any recommendations for someone who can do these inspections on my behalf? And a rough idea of cost? Thanks all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolverinemac Posted June 26, 2020 Report Share Posted June 26, 2020 See a lot of guys using Nick Giles He charges 125 plus travel costs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzevans Posted June 26, 2020 Report Share Posted June 26, 2020 Concur with Nick. I’m still waiting for my written report but he phoned me on the day of the inspection with all the detail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimebars Posted June 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2020 I had Nick on my radar already. Good to see others putting their faith in his work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevs Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 I used Strasse Porsche in Leeds to inspect a 996 recently. It was £150 plus VAT. Worth its weight in gold as although described as being in superb condition, the car had a LOT of issues including a ticking/knocking engine, badly leaking coolant tank, lots of suspension issues etc etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usman10316 Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 21 minutes ago, kevs said: I used Strasse Porsche in Leeds to inspect a 996 recently. It was £150 plus VAT. Worth its weight in gold as although described as being in superb condition, the car had a LOT of issues including a ticking/knocking engine, badly leaking coolant tank, lots of suspension issues etc etc. A bit odd to say it's superb but then has a lot of issues including ticking/knocking engine noises 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zorbs Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 I think @kevs meant the seller of the car described it as superb not Strasse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevs Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 😂 yep exactly @zorbs! I gave permission for Strasse to let the seller have a copy of the report. The seller changed the advert ever so slightly by taking out “in superb condition”. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunks Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 Personally don't see the use of an inspection , What one person says is an issue may not be an issue with the next person , A bit like an mot , one tester might advise, yet the next might pass or fail , its all down to an individuals perspective What happens when an inspection is done and it comes back good but then a fault occurs 6 months later , plenty of faults can occur overnight. Got to remember these cars can be over twenty years old and cost between 3 & 10k , your not buying an investment Just view anything your willing to travel to and use your own judgement 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevs Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 Each to their own @dunks, I can certainly see your point but I was looking during lockdown and thought I had found a great car 150 miles away. I don’t regret gettinf the inspection for a second. If it had been near enough and we’d been allowed to look at cars I would have spotted a number of the problems as they were pretty glaring but not all of them. If I do get a 996 in future I think I will spend a bit more and get one from a respected specialist with a warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheddar Bob Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 29 minutes ago, dunks said: Personally don't see the use of an inspection , What one person says is an issue may not be an issue with the next person , A bit like an mot , one tester might advise, yet the next might pass or fail , its all down to an individuals perspective What happens when an inspection is done and it comes back good but then a fault occurs 6 months later , plenty of faults can occur overnight. Got to remember these cars can be over twenty years old and cost between 3 & 10k , your not buying an investment Just view anything your willing to travel to and use your own judgement Sometimes it's good for someone independent to look at a vehicle. The person gets paid regardless and will spot things that are hard to see through rose tints. I'd have welcomed another view on our motor before I bought it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAZ Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 19 hours ago, dimebars said: I had Nick on my radar already. Good to see others putting their faith in his work Yep! Nick comes along to the AV8 meets ( next one looks to be due 2nd Sunday in August ) and has done a few inspections for guys on here - can recommend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulQ Posted June 29, 2020 Report Share Posted June 29, 2020 On 6/27/2020 at 4:55 PM, dunks said: Personally don't see the use of an inspection , What one person says is an issue may not be an issue with the next person , A bit like an mot , one tester might advise, yet the next might pass or fail , its all down to an individuals perspective What happens when an inspection is done and it comes back good but then a fault occurs 6 months later , plenty of faults can occur overnight. Got to remember these cars can be over twenty years old and cost between 3 & 10k , your not buying an investment Just view anything your willing to travel to and use your own judgement While I agree with you to an extent, not everyone is mechanically minded, and stuff like crash repairs or major faults might easily be missed. Saying that, these are relatively cheap cars now, so I think another pair of eyes (preferably an owner or someone familiar with the 986) would be a good alternative to a full blown inspection, especially if you plan to look at a few cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheddar Bob Posted June 29, 2020 Report Share Posted June 29, 2020 4 hours ago, PaulQ said: While I agree with you to an extent, not everyone is mechanically minded, and stuff like crash repairs or major faults might easily be missed. Saying that, these are relatively cheap cars now, so I think another pair of eyes (preferably an owner or someone familiar with the 986) would be a good alternative to a full blown inspection, especially if you plan to look at a few cars. I'm fairly mechanically minded if I'm looking at your car. My own... I missed loads of warning signs. Excitement... Oh and the signs of a front end shunt too... I bought a gem 😁 I'd be happy to come with you if you wanted me to compare a working car to my not so working car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulQ Posted June 30, 2020 Report Share Posted June 30, 2020 9 hours ago, Cheddar Bob said: I'm fairly mechanically minded if I'm looking at your car. My own... I missed loads of warning signs. Excitement... Oh and the signs of a front end shunt too... I bought a gem 😁 I'd be happy to come with you if you wanted me to compare a working car to my not so working car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Giles Posted July 31, 2021 Report Share Posted July 31, 2021 The benefit of a pre purchase inspection is that you are made fully aware of exactly what you are buying, without finding out the hard way. Having inspected over 170 Porsches (from Boxsters to 911's) and owned a few myself, I know what to look for and where to look. Would you know how to check the operation of a cabin air sensor? Its only £150 if its faulty. Do you know that front brake pads are only 10mm thick when brand new? Can you read the engine revs history? A plug in diagnostic check and an insured road test (with trade plates, if required) is included so that you can buy with confidence. Nick Giles Independent Vehicle Inspections 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedBarediver Posted August 22, 2021 Report Share Posted August 22, 2021 I concur. I had severe rose-tinted specs when I bough the Boxster - didn't even check if the roof operated properly...Cost me about £2k to get everything sorted (new tyres, brakes redone, waterpump replacement and lots of small little bits). If I had known about Nick Giles beforehand I doubt I would have bought it. Oh well, it's mine now and it's fine but I could have had lots of stress less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photogirl Posted August 23, 2021 Report Share Posted August 23, 2021 On 6/26/2020 at 8:59 PM, Dazzevans said: Concur with Nick. I’m still waiting for my written report but he phoned me on the day of the inspection with all the detail. Nick did an inspection for me a few weeks ago on a Cayman. It was very useful, but I never got the promised written report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinten Posted August 23, 2021 Report Share Posted August 23, 2021 1 hour ago, Photogirl said: Nick did an inspection for me a few weeks ago on a Cayman. It was very useful, but I never got the promised written report. Ooh, that reminds me, we're also still waiting for his written report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edc Posted August 23, 2021 Report Share Posted August 23, 2021 If you have to wait a few weeks to get a written report then the opportunity to buy the car may have passed by the time the report cones ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photogirl Posted August 23, 2021 Report Share Posted August 23, 2021 2 minutes ago, edc said: If you have to wait a few weeks to get a written report then the opportunity to buy the car may have passed by the time the report cones ... That's true. Luckily with that particular one I'd pretty much decided not to get it after hearing Nick confirming my suspicions when we had a phone chat afterwards. It still would have been useful to get the report and photos though, it would help to compare against others and boost general understanding. I stress Nick's service is otherwise very good and not under dispute, and a fair price - but an agreement should be honoured. I politely chased him, but received no response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edc Posted August 23, 2021 Report Share Posted August 23, 2021 40 minutes ago, Photogirl said: That's true. Luckily with that particular one I'd pretty much decided not to get it after hearing Nick confirming my suspicions when we had a phone chat afterwards. It still would have been useful to get the report and photos though, it would help to compare against others and boost general understanding. I stress Nick's service is otherwise very good and not under dispute, and a fair price - but an agreement should be honoured. I politely chased him, but received no response. But if your purchase decision is a negotiation based on the written report then your position and contract is best served by having that report. You can give it to your buyer as back up and justification or walk through it together. Can you imagine the negotiation otherwise: I'd be happy to offer you X as the report wasn't as promising as my initial walk around of the car. Ok, can you show me the specific things which came up that weren't apparent from my description or your viewing? No but just trust me, the guy is sound and told me over the phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photogirl Posted August 23, 2021 Report Share Posted August 23, 2021 Yes, that's right. Had I subsequently re-ignited my interest and decided to make an offer, I would have had next to no leverage without the report. Even though I decided to walk away from this one, the report would still have been a useful/educational record. I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt - illness, bad news etc, work overload. Hopefully none of that has befallen Nick. Otherwise a failure to provide the report is poor form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edc Posted August 23, 2021 Report Share Posted August 23, 2021 The person you quoted who also felt the need to post about not getting the written report was just over a year ago. In fairness, he doesn't come back to say whether he got it with a delay or never got it at all, but the fact he wrote it shows his expectation wasn't met. Immediately after you wrote, another poster posts with exactly the same issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EXY Posted August 23, 2021 Report Share Posted August 23, 2021 @plynchy I looked at a BMW M3 convertible for Plynchy some time back. Purely as a favour to one of our own, to me that's the sort of things that make this forum and why I get so p*ssed off when some try to profit! IIRC I created a PhotoBucket account and uploaded the photo's, all 50 odd of them and followed it up with a 4-5 page report. It was not an altogether bad car but it saved a wasted trip as it was not what was required, and that is the catch phrase here IMHO. £125 doesn't sound unreasonable, providing you get what you paid for of course and the travel costs don't mount up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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