Nemesis77

I consider myself very lucky and honored to have gotten an allocation for a GT3. I'm looking to do ED next late spring/early summer since it will be my 40th birthday present.
I feel lucky because I do not own a previous GT car (only couple boxsters and a Macan, currently my daily is an Audi RS5) and I get to have the car on MSRP. The catch is that the dealer, wants me to put a non-refundable deposit of 10K in order to lock the build and also pay the 3K fee for the ED instead of them paying it and getting the extra car as a bonus... What should I do?????

Also, can anyone tell me what do you think about the FBS? I have heard some positive and negative comments on them.

The car, if everything goes well and I get it, will be spending time on the track mainly, not intended to drive it in the city and I'm not looking to put ton of extras on it, simple and fast!

mooty

if that gets you msrp then $3k for ED just suck it up
u made out alright considering you werent a previous GT owner.
the $10k deposit, as long as everything is documented clearly ON PAPER, i dont have a prob with that. but in some states non refundable deposit is illegal.

what is FBS?

bigskyGT3

Maybe full bucket seats?

mooty

on FBS, you mentioned you want to track, then you hae no choice
the other offerings cannot be used with harness

RealityGT

Congrats and do it! Like mooty, I would not have a problem with a NFD of $10k.

bronson7

Go for it.

Nemesis77

Sorry for the mispronunciation FBS: Full Bucket Seats, maybe I'm not writing the abbreviation correctly. I understand that this is the only way to go since I will be tracking the car, but because of the ED I will be driving around Europe and having my wife with me, just wanted to see if anyone has sat in the new buckets and can tell if there's a difference between the old vs the new buckets. From what they saying the new ones are much more comfortable.

The 3K is not a big deal, but the 10K non refundable doesn't sit well with me, especially when I'm planning to get the car next May, that's a lot of money to tie up for that extended period of time.

RajDatta

Bring an ED vehicle, I can see the dealership wanting to lock you in so you don't back out. Would be much harder to reuse an allocation with ED status.

WenigerAberBeser

Did you ask your sales guy why they want non-refundable vs. refundable? What if they are temporarily out of FBS or PCCB or some other option you really want that changes your mind on the car? I would get it in writing nonetheless.

I'm in a similar position as you though, 1st time Porsche buyer and buying GT3 next year at MSRP. ED would be $3,000 but I've decided to do PEC Atlanta and perhaps change it to LA if they allow since I get mine in late Fall next year as a 2019 model year. If I were you, I would pay for ED.

I do feel very lucky just getting an allocation after reading comments from other RLs that have bought many Porsches and either have to pay ADM or can't find a car due to mostly where they live.

For the bucket seats, just find a dealer or someone with a car that has bucket seats and ask to sit in them to find out for yourself. I've heard they really help on the track and they look great, too.

disden

Congrats on getting a build. Good choice in doing ED. A few thoughts:

find a local car with buckets. My wife hates them. If using this car for track, get them. If not- don't. Parking spaces overseas are tiny, good luck climbing out of those buckets without being able to fully extend the doors. Also, not aware of any changes to buckets. My ED is next month, getting 4 way sofas for comfort/-- my RS is for track.

Get the lift. You won't be able to get into parking garages without it.

Ive done quite a few EDs, most importantly think about parking at places you are staying. Find hotels with good parking- makes a difference.

Also, if plans are to hit big massive cities, rethink. ED is best for mountain passes and smaller areas. Otherwise you will spend entire trip fighting traffic. PM if you want some great ideas. Enjoy and congratulations!

RealityGT

TBH, if this is an issue perhaps the car @ this price point isn't the ideal move?
I can see why some dealers would ask for such a high deposit as many seem to have "wifey" issues when it comes time to cut a cheque..
5% down to guarantee an allocation seems like a godsend in the US where ADM bs runs rampant..

signes

Neither of those would stop me at all. Since you have no history with them the $10k is to make sure you're a serious buyer and not a dreamer. More and more of than around w easy money these days. (Easy for dealer to reallocate it if you back out and can also be easily changed to US delivery, but they don't want to deal with somebody flaking out.) As mooty said just get it in writing. The $3k is no big deal either, small price for the kind of experience you get - ED for. GT car is priceless.

LWB seats are great. I did 3k miles in 8 days when I picked up the RS and was very comfortable. They are the same size as every other 991 GT car, Spyder and 918. Not sure who is telling you they are different (perhaps they meant to the 997 buckets...)

fuddman

I put that (plus) down for a car 6 months in the pipeline. Signed a whole bunch of scary looking papers, too. Was concerned about it for a minute or two; but, when I told myself I was getting 7% off, I ceased worrying.

I suggest you look at your deal in the same way. If you believe what people on this thread are saying about how valuable MSRP for this car is, then you would have to conclude, at MSRP, your getting the car at a discount. A "Market." discount. A kind of reverse ADM.

0to60

Gave dealer my 15GT3 in March, won't see the .2 until the spring. I wouldn't sweat the 10K deposit and be thankful.

WernerE

If you change your mind the $10k deposit is not lost, as you could buy the car and recoup the deposit by reselling above MSRP.

Contact the Dept. of Licensing in your state to learn 2 things: 1. Whether nonrefundable deposits are legal and 2. Whether the dealer is required to hold your $10k in a trust account (for your protection).