I've always wanted an M5.
But when I got enough cash to buy one about two years ago, I found I'd fallen out of love with it. I had started to look at an M5, Jaguar F type ... and a Porsche. All I knew about Porsches was that they went sort of fast and had a hole where the engine should be. Initially I'd planned to test drive all of the above, but then I had my first test drive in a 911 - and that was that.
So for the last 20 months or so, I've been dropping into OPCs, looking at various independent dealers and having the odd test drive. The problem was that while all the cars I looked at were nice (OK - very nice!) none of them really hit the spot. Grey, black, various shades of silver, even anthracite – all very nice but ...
Then one day in the middle of October I walked into an OPC just to wander around, metaphorically kick the tyres and see if there was anything interesting. Well, there was a black C4S which I had a look at, sat in, and opened the sun roof. But it was just the same as the rest really: nice but not nice enough to tempt me. Then, on the way out, I noticed a little, sad looking blue Carrera stuffed right in the corner with a 'Sold to Mr XXX' notice on the windscreen. I looked at the car – and I'll swear the car looked back at me! I looked at the car again – lustrous mid blue, dinky sports mirrors, wide sexy C4S hips and beautiful black high gloss wheels. I just mentioned that I thought it was pretty and it was pity that it had been sold. The salesman floored me (figuratively) by saying the sale had just fallen through (he had to go off and check) and even worse, they had added a PSE and CC to the car as requested by the customer and they would probably have to swallow some of the cost. The car and I stared at one another for a few minutes and I went away and thought.
And thought. And after a few days of trying and failing to resist, I just had to buy her (the car really did become a 'she'). The OPC did swallow all of the cost of the PSE and the CC and I ended up with an 18 month old car which had been laid up indoors at the OPC for 6 months, one previous owner, 7500 miles – and I'd never even sat in her, let alone driven her.
About 2 weeks later, I turned up to collect her. She was covered in a black silk shroud in the front of the show room. The salesman pulled off the cover and for the first time I actually saw the whole car: I can honestly say that I've never seen such a beautiful car. I don't know whether all OPCs do the trick with the black covers – but it was certainly effective. Every other car dealer (BMWs) I've been to has been 'sign here, here's the keys and goodbye'.
So, still in something of a daze, I drove off into the night for a 300 mile trip home. After a few miles I pulled into a Little Chef for a meal. I parked up in a more or less empty car park. When I got out, there were two cars on either side of mine in the still empty car park. One was a police car and the other was another 911. Welcome to the world of Porsche, I thought ...
But when I got enough cash to buy one about two years ago, I found I'd fallen out of love with it. I had started to look at an M5, Jaguar F type ... and a Porsche. All I knew about Porsches was that they went sort of fast and had a hole where the engine should be. Initially I'd planned to test drive all of the above, but then I had my first test drive in a 911 - and that was that.
So for the last 20 months or so, I've been dropping into OPCs, looking at various independent dealers and having the odd test drive. The problem was that while all the cars I looked at were nice (OK - very nice!) none of them really hit the spot. Grey, black, various shades of silver, even anthracite – all very nice but ...
Then one day in the middle of October I walked into an OPC just to wander around, metaphorically kick the tyres and see if there was anything interesting. Well, there was a black C4S which I had a look at, sat in, and opened the sun roof. But it was just the same as the rest really: nice but not nice enough to tempt me. Then, on the way out, I noticed a little, sad looking blue Carrera stuffed right in the corner with a 'Sold to Mr XXX' notice on the windscreen. I looked at the car – and I'll swear the car looked back at me! I looked at the car again – lustrous mid blue, dinky sports mirrors, wide sexy C4S hips and beautiful black high gloss wheels. I just mentioned that I thought it was pretty and it was pity that it had been sold. The salesman floored me (figuratively) by saying the sale had just fallen through (he had to go off and check) and even worse, they had added a PSE and CC to the car as requested by the customer and they would probably have to swallow some of the cost. The car and I stared at one another for a few minutes and I went away and thought.
And thought. And after a few days of trying and failing to resist, I just had to buy her (the car really did become a 'she'). The OPC did swallow all of the cost of the PSE and the CC and I ended up with an 18 month old car which had been laid up indoors at the OPC for 6 months, one previous owner, 7500 miles – and I'd never even sat in her, let alone driven her.
About 2 weeks later, I turned up to collect her. She was covered in a black silk shroud in the front of the show room. The salesman pulled off the cover and for the first time I actually saw the whole car: I can honestly say that I've never seen such a beautiful car. I don't know whether all OPCs do the trick with the black covers – but it was certainly effective. Every other car dealer (BMWs) I've been to has been 'sign here, here's the keys and goodbye'.
So, still in something of a daze, I drove off into the night for a 300 mile trip home. After a few miles I pulled into a Little Chef for a meal. I parked up in a more or less empty car park. When I got out, there were two cars on either side of mine in the still empty car park. One was a police car and the other was another 911. Welcome to the world of Porsche, I thought ...
