Clean CarFax Report

[contact781]

A good relationship with a dealer service manager can yield this:

11/08/05 - battery replacement

10/20/05 - engine replacement

4/6/04 - throttle body replacement

8/1/03 - remote replacement

2/19/03 - backrest lever adjustment

Now, this is an 02-cab "fair" price, 25K miles. Would you buy with a new motor or shy away?!

[Loren]

Why would a new engine with a warranty be bad?

Get a PPI if you have any concerns.

[DCP]

Overall, seems like a plus to me. New motor has no wear. Latest RMS.

It would be nice to know why the motor was replaced. If it was an RMS fix, then no reason not to buy. If it was because the original owner abused the car (e.g. never changed the oil, downshift overrev, drove through high water), that would be a problem as to the condition of the rest of the drivetrain and the car.

[contact781]

Overall, seems like a plus to me. New motor has no wear. Latest RMS.

It would be nice to know why the motor was replaced. If it was an RMS fix, then no reason not to buy. If it was because the original owner abused the car (e.g. never changed the oil, downshift overrev, drove through high water), that would be a problem as to the condition of the rest of the drivetrain and the car.

I'm told from the dealer new motor because of "poorly milled chain tower" which I have no clue as to what that is?

[DCP]

I have never heard of a "chain tower," but that does mean much since my mechanical knowledge is limited. Unless it is total B.S., then the part must have something to do with locating the timing chain. Someone with relevant knowledge will chime in on that point. That would not seem to me to be a likely failure point if the engine (and the car) had been abused.

Porsche does tend to replace engines rather than try to fix internal problems. So an engine replacement is consistent with Porsche's approach.

So, if it were me, I might want to dig a bit more on the problem (like trying to get a copy of the repair documents where they show what the problem was), but based on what you have found thus far, I see the new engine as a pretty attractive thing.

Edited March 2, 2006 by DCP

[djantlive]

seems to have a lot of drivetrain replacement for a newer car with low mileage. i have to wonder about the rest of the car's reliability. transmission is another area prone to failure. also, this hurts resale as a car w original engine without any story is usually best. use this to your adv when you negotiate. is the dealer reputatable where it is serviced? a mediocre dealer would worry me since they can screw up something when making engine swap. loose hoses or something can be hard to find. definitely get a warranty (CPO) on this if there is no more warranty left.

[Gabo2k]

seems to have a lot of drivetrain replacement for a newer car with low mileage. i have to wonder about the rest of the car's reliability. transmission is another area prone to failure. also, this hurts resale as a car w original engine without any story is usually best. use this to your adv when you negotiate. is the dealer reputatable where it is serviced? a mediocre dealer would worry me since they can screw up something when making engine swap. loose hoses or something can be hard to find. definitely get a warranty (CPO) on this if there is no more warranty left.

Please do not rely on carfax, as I've personally seen some huge discrepancies. I think they go by what is reported to the DMV only.

For example, if an owner pays for damage to his/her vehicle, and the insurance company is not involved, this would never make its way to carfax.

Carfax should never replace a pre purchase inspection...

[C4S Surgeon]

When I was a resident, I bought my wife a beater( nissan, first and only japanese car, sorry bad taste in my mouth) to get around in, blew the motor after two weeks, numerous other problems, finally got my money back for the car. Later I did a carfax on it just for kicks, nothing showed up, not even the fact that the car was scrapped after I returned it!

[TRIATHLETE]

When I was a resident, I bought my wife a beater( nissan, first and only japanese car, sorry bad taste in my mouth) to get around in, blew the motor after two weeks, numerous other problems, finally got my money back for the car. Later I did a carfax on it just for kicks, nothing showed up, not even the fact that the car was scrapped after I returned it!

Not to pile on here about CarFax, but I've had two opposite experiences with their service. The report on my current P-car matched the dealer's EXACTLY. I was very impressed with the results.

Just for kicks, I Carfaxed my other car (1994 BMW 325). This time the report came back - One owner, No lease car, ONE title. I know for a fact that the I was the THIRD owner of the car, It WAS a lease when sold new, and had been titled three times.

I know this because I bought it from a friend who purchased it from the original owner. I had the Original owners/dealers stamps in the owners manual. Long story short, I emailed Crafax about the discrepancy and they confirmed one of the preceding posts. Carfax searches DMV records and looks for the words, "NEW TITLE" or something like that. My BMW was retitled both times in Florida, where the DMV uses the words. "Re-titled", so the computers at Carfax completely missed this one.