Selo

And heartache.
As many of you know, I recently sold my GT4 in order to purchase a near New Boxster Spyder. The spider was at a dealer in Chicago, with only 19 miles on it. Reportedly, it had been titled to the owner of the franchise, but never driven, sitting in the dealerships warehouse for six months. I worked out a deal on the car, including painting the black wheels silver, and adding the Porsche Motorsport side stripes. So far so good. Up to this point. I have to say the dealership was very nice to work with. I expressed some concern during the negotiation about both the fact that the car was sitting in the warehouse, and the effect on the tires, without being driven for that long, as well as the potential risks of painting the wheels. Of course I was reassured, no problem! Never the less, this was my chance to purchase a new spider, with next to no miles, and it was worth the risk to me to pay the price of painting the wheels, rather than pay for a full new set of wheels, I thought.
When the car was delivered to me off the truck, I was blown away by a smell of strong gasoline fumes when I opened the door to the car. This odor persisted into the evening, such that I called the truck driver and asked him if there had been a problem with his truck, or in the enclosed container. He said there had been no problem. However, to his credit, he was an honest guy apparently, as he called me from his next truck stop, saying that he checked out the trailer, and in fact there was a very old Cadillac at the front of the trailer that was extremely fumy, and possibly was leaking gas. This is problem number one, and it's getting better but still doesn't smell like a new Porsche should smell.
The next day, the engine coolant light turned on. It turned off after a few minutes of driving, but subsequent to this every time I started the car cold, the engine coolant light turned on. I took the car to the local dealer after a few days, who topped it off with coolant, thinking that this was probably the problem. Now that the light has turned off, I believe they were right. However, in adding coolant, they spilled some of it on the engine, and I'm now getting to enjoy the smell of that burning off the engine as well, in addition to the gasoline fumes that have persisted. Next, shortly after receiving the car, and taking it on a few higher speed drives, I found that it was vibrating very badly on the highway, in kind of a cyclical or rhythmic pattern. It would fade into a bad vibration, and then fade back out of it, continuously, much more noticeable at speeds around 75 to 85 miles per hour. Today I took the car to a local specialty wheel and alignment shop. They said the wheels could not be Road force balanced effectively. They said that one of the wheels is bent, and needs to be replaced. Two of the other three wheels could not be effectively Road force balanced. Only one of the four tire wheel combos was able to be balanced appropriately. I
In addition to this, I have to say I'm disappointed with the top mechanism. It feels very flimsy to me, and I don't think it will have good longevity. I'm very concerned that the canvas over the button one needs to press to remove the bikini straps from the trunk will wear out or tear over time.
At any rate, now I get to purchase a new silver wheel from Porsche, and hopefully it will match the other three wheels that were painted, hopefully to Porsche specs, reportedly so. I also get to purchase a new set of tires.
How did the rim get bent, that is the ultimate question. I know I never hit anything, and of course the dealer says the car was delivered with only twenty miles or so, and that they didn't bend the rim. The only other possibilities I can think of are that the guys who removed the tires from the wheels to paint them did it somehow, which seems improbable, or that somehow they were damaged in transport. But no one is going to own it and eat it.
At any rate, I'm pretty bummed on the whole process, and I'm not enjoying this experience. I have to say I'm wishing I had simply either kept my GT4 at this point, which had been flawless, or ordered a brand new 718 Boxster S or 911 S Cab from the local dealership, and not had to deal with any of this crap.
I know it is a beautiful car, and I love the drivetrain, such that if I can get these jiggles ironed out, cost notwithstanding, I'll really enjoy the car. But I guess I'm just feeling a bit sorry for myself, as I'm a fairly busy professional, and the last thing I want to be doing is dragging my *** around to different car shops, repair shops, ordering wheels and tires, etcetera. Oh well, sometimes in life you gamble, and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. But it really S me questioning the idea of a rescue of vs a purebred. All I can say is my Shelby GT 500 has been flawless......I drive it around, beat on it for a couple hours a weekend, and then put it back in the cold storage unit. No complaints from the Shelby......

Suicide Jockey

Really sorry you are disappointed. It comes across very clearly in your post. It's been one thing after another and that's not the way it is supposed to go. Hoping the worst is behind you and better times lie ahead. I don't share your bleak outlook regarding the roof flaps/buttresses, but I guess time will tell.

If you can get past these initial obstacles I think the car will eventually win you over. Mine has and other Spyder owners will tell you this car is something special. I hope six months from now there has been a total 180 degree change in your opinion and you are back here telling us how you can't wipe the grin off your face each time you're behind the wheel.

Good luck getting these issues resolved to your satisfaction.

Marine Blue

There are definitely some odd things going on with your purchase.

Wheels should not be out of round at all, something must have happened at some point to cause this. I would talk to the selling dealer and express your dissatisfaction.

The coolant smell should definitely not occur as the coolant addition is in the trunk and the drain goes straight to the ground. If you're getting a smell I would question if there's a leak somewhere.

Gas fumes are just bad luck and the shipper should be blamed for that. Which shipping company was it?

I would think the bent wheel could definitely be caused by a wheel swap, perhaps the dealer took old wheels and had them repainted and isn't being up front? I personally lost trust for dealerships long ago, as far as I'm concerned most are full of crap when it comes to $

Selo

All good thoughts, thank you. Does anyone else have experience with Porsche Exchange in Highland Park? They didn't strike me as the type to put on an old set of rims.
Along those lines, it's tempting to Thi k of buying a used rim, but I think I've taken enough chances and it's time to spring for a new one. And if it doesn't match my other 3, I'll buy three more new ones.
This is the problem - some folks seem to have really good luck, or good sniffers with buying used. Me, I'm a new car and new house guy, I think. I love the idea of pre owned, but somehow it just doesn't seem to work out for me as well as some......

Marine Blue

No such thing as luck. The reality is that that those of us that have luck purchasing used have learned the hard way at some point in the past. I was fortunate to learn the hard way on my very first car purchased from a dealer when I was still in high school. My first car had undisclosed accident history, poor maintenance which resulted in incredibly high repair costs and a spun speedometer which showed less than half the actual mileage. Even after that experience I managed to repeat it once again when I purchased my first 928 although not to the same extent.

Due diligence is absolutely a must when it comes to a used car purchase, it doesn't matter the mileage or that it is being purchased from a dealer.

I agree with Suicide Jockey, get the issues addressed the right way (no shortcuts) and start enjoying the car. Hit up the selling dealer to cover the expenses. I haven't worked with Porsche in Highland Park but I can state that my experience with Porsche dealers has been less than stellar and I find Toyota and Volvo dealers to be far better.

Selo

I have zero leverage. I KNOW I didn't bend the rim, but they say the car now has over 700 miles on it yada yada yada.
Here's the way I'm approaching it:. Many Spyders at the time were asking over MSRP and had miles on them. This one was MSRP and had the features I wanted. So for about the same price as a car with miles and less features, I bought a car with no miles, the features i wanted, and cpo. So, I gambled a bit, but I had to gamble in order to get a Spyder. They were no longer available brand new. This car was as close to brand new as possible. So, instead of paying ADM of $10000, and still maybe have some wear and tear issues I had to address, I now get to spend $8000 or $10000 on a new set of rims and tires. Just the way it is, get over it selo.
By the way, I just did some checking on the web and I don't know that I'll be able to buy a new rim.
Anyone know for sure if new rims are available? And single rims, or only sets? I can't find Spyder wheels listed for sale anywhere yet, including Suncoast.

Suicide Jockey

Not for sale yet by Suncoast. Only available through the dealer to the best of my knowledge and they don't run cheap (more than the GT4 wheel to our amazement), although given the difficulties you've had I think the dealership would be hard-pressed to refuse you a significant discount off list price.

Selo

Ya know, screw it. It's just a car. More often than not when you splurge on something, it turns out to be a disappointment or a pain in the ***. The Buddhists have the right idea.

eddielasvegas

Sorry to hear of your problems and here's hoping they all get sorted out to your liking.

Also, let your expereince serve as a warning to those buying a car sight unseen regardless of stated mileage or conidtion. There is no substitute for your eyes on a car.

I bought my Cayman in Chicago and drove it back to Phoenix even though it passed a PPI as "immaculate." It was but I simply could not spend that kinda money any other way.

Good luck,

Eddie

JCtx

I bought my fully-optioned GTS (6-figure sticker) from Loeber Motors in IL, and everything went perfectly. It had 11 miles on the clock; never driven except by dealer service manager. Your first mistake was to get the wheels painted. Lots of risks there, and not only from removal and mounting (gouges, scratches, etc). If powder-coated, they have to know what they're doing, as regular powder-coating can damage aluminum wheels. Also common is over-torquing wheels with freaking pneumatic wrenches, and that also can damage wheels, hubs, rotors, etc (don't ask me how I know). As creepy as some dealers might be, no way they'd sell a car with 19 miles and 3 wheels damaged IMO; something happened while they were painted. Never modify anything on a new car, especially if bought blindly. I don't modify my new cars anymore, especially mechanically (warranty at risk). Lots of heartache like yours. Not worth it. Either I find it like I want it, or don't buy it. Only cosmetic mods that look like factory (and done by me). Never an issue after that, but learned the hard way too. Error #2: Never let a dealer top off fluids. Yes, they're typically careless. if they didn't pour the fluid inside the small hole (with a proper funnel), they spilled some into the engine and the car. My car with 11 miles was close to a quart low in coolant, so doubt it was a leak. You will still have to top it off until level stabilizes, but it shouldn't be more than maybe 1/4-qt more. The difference from low to full is like 1 ounce, so beware. Sorry you started your experience like that. I can sympathize. Good luck.

SuncoastParts

Sorry for the delay on the wheels:


http://www.suncoastparts.com/product/981SPYWHLS.html


If you need anything else, let us know.

Yogi911

Maybe just buy a set of quality aftermarket wheels? If you want a particular finish it is easily doable and you will probably pay the same for 4 as 1 or 2 factory wheels. Just a thought.

kahane18

For what its worth, I bent 2 rims on my GT4 on the track going over the curbing. My local wheel repair shop was able to repair both to within spec for about $200 a piece.
It might be worth a shot looking for a capable repair shop instead of spending over $2k on a new rim, great if it works if not, then its an added cost to the new wheel.

Good Luck

Selo

Kahane18, yes, I'll probably try to have it repaired, but probably also buy a new wheel and keep the repaired wheel as a spare. Thanks.

MJBird993

Gawd, ain't that the truth!

I'm not a Buddhist, but I agree, it's just a car. This is why I don't buy the super-duper expensive highly optioned models any more. I end up flipping everything I buy, some sooner than later, so I try not to fall in love with any of these machines.