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When buying from dealers what condition do you expect?

I'd like to expect pristine condition, but sadly that's not the case.
I think most sales staff are not enthusiasts & therefore don't look at them the same way.

I know my local Audi use a drive through "Scratch O Matic" which has caused arguments in the past. I can't speak for my OPC though, as I've never had it washed by them.
I do remember before they changed premises, there was one guy going around washing the cars in the mornings with just a bucket of dirty water & a sponge...

:eek:
 
Having never bought from an OPC before, I had imagined that being Official Porsche Centres there would be a minimum standard of presentation and that this would naturally be quite high - in essence a paint condition element of the 111 point check that would have covered paint chips, scratches and swirl marks.

I've viewed cars at a number of OPCs over the past few weeks and not only does the standard of presentation vary massively but I've been amazed that paint defects that I would have expected to be rectified before putting a car on sale have not been attended to - if I were buying an everyday motor from some back street garage that might be acceptable but not when spending £££s on a Porsche and knowing that you're being asked to pay a premium to buy one from an OPC.

Last weekend I viewed another car at an OPC which was overall in very good condition save for some very obvious stone chips, which were highly visible as they were in prominent places. To be frank they stood out like a sore thumb on what was otherwise good paintwork. No-one would have bought that car without wanting those chips repaired, so why not just do it to the best standard possible before showing the car?

I'm sure not all OPCs are the same but generally it seems the independent dealers, who properly prepare & detail their vehicles before sale, have a much clearer understanding of the standards we expect, than a lot of the main dealers do - I had expected better from the OPCs.
 
Yes I have to agree with you 911Time, I suspect that some OPC's have become lazy due to their local monopoly and the popularity of the brand. Incidentally, I used to have a Range Rover, and it's exactly the same story at JLR main dealers. I'd go further and say that some JLR dealers (yes that's you, Stratstone) are utter clowns who are shamed by good independents - the latter actually know how to fix the product (vital with Rangies) whereas the main dealers haven't got a clue. And that incompetence extends to the prep of used cars.

I went to see a 2014 Range Rover priced at £60k and described as "in exceptional condition inside and out". Well, even Stevie Wonder could tell that was a lie! Paintwork swirls, scratches, a couple of small dents and a stain on the driver's seat. So it's not just Porsche.

If you really want a car in genuine mint condition you need to buy privately from a proper enthusiast, or someone like Stirlings/RSJ/Harbour, in my opinion.
 
When I collected my 911 Turbo from Wilmslow the prep was flawless.
 
IMO Porsche OPC' s and a lot of the "specilaists" are not enthusiasts and the cars are just metal money, most punters won't notice anyway, it looks shiny and this a posh showroom so it must be okay ?
Even some of the respected specialist just polish in profit, I saw a car that had just been px to them asked how much they would retail it for and I was gobsmacked, it would go for a full mechanical check and a top end detail and would see thousands profit, I was there to buy a car with a mate, the car was great but not perfect some deep scratch marks that would not polish out and it turned out some of the mechanical work done by their specialist was of dubious quality, they had changed the tandem pump and used bolts that were in the spares tin two of which were too long and never fastened the unit correctly obviously"...........ffs :nooo:
 
cheshire911 said:
I noticed at Wilmslow OPC that cars were not detailed - the salesman said they would all be fully prepped by Road & Race or a local independent detailer prior to a sale. But who wants to start talking a sale on a car full of swirls?

I went to look at a Black GTS a few months ago at Wilmslow and it was in a shocking state,didn't even bother speaking to the salesman about it never mind thinking of buying it.
 
I don't know about anyone else but I've always viewed Porsche as something special - in the same vein as Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lamborghini etc but with the particular brand attributes that Porsche has always stood for. In my head buying a Porsche should be a special experience and it seemed reasonable therefore to expect a certain level of presentation befitting the marque.

Obviously a used car with more than a few thousand miles is likely to have picked up some marks but whether they are swirl marks, light scratches or stone chips most people would expect them to have either been dealt with by the owner during their time with the car or by the dealer prior to sale however it seems that with the exception of some of the independent specialists and one or two OPCs our expectations as enthusiasts aren't being met by the majority of Porsche retailers.

Perhaps what we have here is a perfect storm of circumstances - cars increasingly being bought on lease by people who aren't enthusiasts (in the traditional sense) who, knowing they will be handing the car back in 2-3 years don't have quite the same vested interest as we do in maintenance/body care AND car retailers who are perhaps part of a larger dealership group, especially those that include the sale of more run of the mill brands, whereby what is deemed an acceptable condition in which to retail a Ford/Vauxhall etc is also deemed acceptable for a Porsche? :?:
 
Unfortunately some official dealerships act like box shifters or are about as honest and up front as estate agents (sorry to any reputable estate agents out there - quite a rarity). Caveat emptor always. Some dealerships merely patch and plaster. I could mention names but probably best not.
 
I think it depends on the franchise dealer. When I was buying year and half old porsche Macan for my wife I noticed rubber round the window was going slightly green. Clearly car was not garaged and it was rain. I pointed it out and they rectified it and I bought it. Just wondered if it was me, as a dealer, I would not have represented the car like that, only needed small correction. I guess they take the chance, save labour and cost, they sell as is or they put it part of sale agreement to address. Not best practice though! :?:
 
:agree:

...although it's surprising that Porsche UK don't have pre-sale prep standards that OPCs have to sign up to and implement in order to be an OPC that's allowed to sell approved used cars. It's their brand the OPCs are representing after all, maybe they do and some OPCs (and franchises) wing it and some do it as they should, it would exlpain why it seems random.

The indies obviously decide for themselves, the one I've bought serveral cars from seem to have a pragmatic approach whereby they rectify cosmetic issues that detract from the car (e.g. front end paintwork, dinged wheels) before presenting for sale, but final prep, including mechanical inspection and anything noticed when viewing is done after sale is agreed. It's always worked well for me, and them, as I always go back 👍
 

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