I'm looking at a couple S2ks over the next couple days. All are about 80 miles from my house, so not exactly right around the corner, but not flight distance either. Unfortunately, the holiday weekend means having a PPI done is going to be tough, and the couple examples I'm seriously eyeing aren't going to wait around until next weekend (other offers on the table already). They range in model year from '03 to '05, and from 60k miles to about 90k. All are almost completely bone stock (most have stereo mods). I've done a lot of searching here, so I'm pretty sure I know where the trouble spots are. I'm a little mechanically inclined, but I'm not equipped to do stuff like compression testing and the like.

I thought that these cars are pretty bulletproof, so I don't have much fear of a higher mileage car going south on me. Should I? Are there key things to look for that will indicate if a car is ready to have big trouble?

Any help is appreciated.

 

If you're mechanically inclined I wouldn't worry about it too much. You can also rent a compression tester from a local auto parts store. Won't be the best quality, but it'll give you a good idea if there are any problems. I bought my 04 a month ago(74k) with no PPI, and everything has been great. I'm good with cars myself. PPI is good, but if you know cars, and what to look for then I can't say it's mandatory.