Michael Zapties
New member
- Joined
- 3 Oct 2005
- Messages
- 12
One point I'd like to mention is about the Official Porsche Centres. At the start of my buying process, I called one of them up (will keep it anonymous, unless there are requests to name and shame) to arrange a test drive of a Tiptronic. I also told them that I had about £40-45k to spend on a Y/01/02 996. The conversations that followed were totally crazy.
I was immediately asked which car I wanted to buy from their list. I said I needed to test drive a Tip (which they had at £56k) and that I would wait for one to come up in my price range. Nothing on their list was in my range. However how would I decide to buy a Tip without driving one. Chicken and egg..... I genuinely wanted to start up a relationship with someone who could help me make a decision and possibly become a Porsche buyer for the next few years. You'd think that salesmen would jump at those sort of customers, right ? The salesman said that there was no point driving the 2002 996 Tip/Convertible valued at £56k because it was out of my price range and that it would be a different drive to an older car (Y/01). What !!!!!!???? The car drives totally differently after 3 yrs right ???? He also said that there are no cars of the age I was after , for sub £45k. I explained to him that I knew people who had bought Y/01 Reg 996's for around £40k. He said they would not have been bought from an OPC. I told him that one was from Sussex OPC and one from Silverstone OPC. He was a bit taken aback, but continued to patronise me, avoid giving me a test drive and was basically saying that I was wasting his time. I never knew buying a car was so difficult !!!!!! He'd obviously pigein holed me as an entry level buyer who would need his hand held too much. I could have been a customer for many years if he had treated me differently. I spoke to a few dealers and was getting similar vibes off them.
The place I eventually bought my 996 from was brilliant. Arranged a test drive during the day at my work ! Treated me like a customer !
So, unless you've got loads of cash, have driven the exact model you want and just want walk in and buy, go to an Official Porsche Centre. I'm sure there are plenty that do. For the others.......don't bother, ther are plenty of independent specialists out there who care a little bit more.
Cheers
Michael
Migration info. Legacy thread was 35800
I was immediately asked which car I wanted to buy from their list. I said I needed to test drive a Tip (which they had at £56k) and that I would wait for one to come up in my price range. Nothing on their list was in my range. However how would I decide to buy a Tip without driving one. Chicken and egg..... I genuinely wanted to start up a relationship with someone who could help me make a decision and possibly become a Porsche buyer for the next few years. You'd think that salesmen would jump at those sort of customers, right ? The salesman said that there was no point driving the 2002 996 Tip/Convertible valued at £56k because it was out of my price range and that it would be a different drive to an older car (Y/01). What !!!!!!???? The car drives totally differently after 3 yrs right ???? He also said that there are no cars of the age I was after , for sub £45k. I explained to him that I knew people who had bought Y/01 Reg 996's for around £40k. He said they would not have been bought from an OPC. I told him that one was from Sussex OPC and one from Silverstone OPC. He was a bit taken aback, but continued to patronise me, avoid giving me a test drive and was basically saying that I was wasting his time. I never knew buying a car was so difficult !!!!!! He'd obviously pigein holed me as an entry level buyer who would need his hand held too much. I could have been a customer for many years if he had treated me differently. I spoke to a few dealers and was getting similar vibes off them.
The place I eventually bought my 996 from was brilliant. Arranged a test drive during the day at my work ! Treated me like a customer !
So, unless you've got loads of cash, have driven the exact model you want and just want walk in and buy, go to an Official Porsche Centre. I'm sure there are plenty that do. For the others.......don't bother, ther are plenty of independent specialists out there who care a little bit more.
Cheers
Michael
Migration info. Legacy thread was 35800