ChicagoWhale

It's a beautiful car. The pictures in the "Vehicle Marketplace" thread are stunning. It's not surprising that it sold fast. There's a pretty good debate whether the story is accurate, and most posters seem to believe the dealer on this one.

I'll take the opposite bet - I'll bet the dealer spec'd this one. It's....too perfect. It checks all the right boxes just like the graphite blue one, which is also for sale two weeks after its "delivery." Most people in the business (or near the business, in my case) would recognize it as a dealer ordered car configured to appeal to the widest audience. Like I said, it's too perfect. On the flip side, people who custom order their unique dream car always select some out of the ordinary options, especially since Porsche has hundreds of options and everything is a la carte. It's part of the fun of configuring your own, unique car - and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, many dealers worry that they'll get stuck with a customer-ordered car because the configuration is strange, or unique in a weird way, or it has weird options, missing critical options, or colors that clash, etc.

Not in this case. Like the graphite blue car, this one is a perfect configuration -- missing nothing -- with all the right boxes checked that'll appeal to the widest swath of people looking for an agate grey GT3. It's too perfect, configured by someone who knows exactly what sells and what's popular. If any dealer mysteriously had a GT3 order cancel, this was about as PERFECT of a configuration for any dealer to be "stuck" with.

Please know, I'm not being critical of PNH. They are an excellent dealer with a fantastic reputation both among their clients and inside the industry. In fact, the thread in the Vehicle Marketplace should be a testament to PNH's customer service; here they are selling a "used" GT3 at $22K over, and the RL anti-dealer brigade is finding any reason they can to give them a mulligan. I just find it a little ironic.

There's an old expression that is apropos, "Whatever you're looking for, you'll find it."

Archimedes

Funny, IMO, this is exactly why I believe the story. Dealers don't typically check all the right boxes. They more often than not wind up with odd, bloated builds.

BTW, this car was actually sold to a buyer and then sold back to the dealership. You think the dealership spec'd the car, then sold it to a buyer and bought it back, throwing sales tax to the State just to hide a spec car build?

ChicagoWhale

Respectfully disagree. Dealers usually* build heavy MSRP's (yet still done very well), or they build the PERFECT configuration with all the right boxes checked. Like the graphite blue car that came from Walters, this one is perfect. I recognize it's difficult to make a blanket statement like that and there are definitely exceptions, but I'm confident a dealer as large and as experienced as PNH (or Walters) knows exactly how to build a perfect configuration to appeal to the greatest audience - exactly like these two cars have been configured.

Customers, on the other hand, usually build stripper configurations or cars with strange, unique configurations tailored to their individual tastes and desires. Any dealer principle involved in the day-to-day operations can look at a build sheet and know exactly if their own sales manager configured the car, or if a client configured it, or if it was a pool car. Configurations are like fingerprints.

To answer your last question: no - sales tax is normally not paid in these "flip" situations. The original "client" either has a dealer license of some sort or it's punched to someone from a state with no sales tax consequences like Montana.

Again, personally, I believe PNH can do whatever they want - more power to them. They are forced to abide by market prices all day long on their entire inventory. Why should this be any different? But please don't willingly fool yourselves.

WernerE

I don't know how I missed the build, but I agree it's nicely optioned without the normal "check every box" to maximize MSRP and gross profit. OTOH, the not-totally-committed customer probably had lots of help from the Dealer and that explains the build and the subsequent flip. Porsche North Houston sounds totally on the level here -- their reputation precedes them as well.

PorscheHusna

Hey guys, I don't usually jump into threads like this but I felt the need to justify this with you as there seems to be two sides going here..

The client spec'd out his own car and was the very first to do so when they came available, the reason that he sold it back to us was that
he wanted a Touring Pkg car that was not available to him at the time his order reached the "freeze point". He completed the transaction as agreed
and we simply refunded him the total back. This is what we do for our good clients..

So, no intent on our part just an exchange to satisfy a clients desires, plain and simple..

Thank you for all of the continued support.

06C2s

So guy specs out a car he doesn't want taking an allocation from somebody else and loses nothing on the trade in, and Im going to assume he also got a Touring allocation at MSRP as well

Perimeter

Bingo!

"loses nothing" ?
Looks like he is making $22k, keeping his Porsche Preferred status and making friends with is local dealer (twice)

sampelligrino

This car brings out the worst in us... lol. And I say that even as I am desperately seeking an allocation from just about anyone as an enthusiast intending to drive the .2 GT3 until the wheels fall off...

Needsdecaf

Except that you're wrong. PNH is telling the truth. The original owner is known to many of the local PCA chapter members, one of whom happened to be at this past weekend's meeting in his brand new GT3. I brought up having seen the car the day before and he told the same story that John did. So maybe suspend your disbelief for a bit....

mooty

wow, such discussion
i worked with PHN and they are abt as straight forward as can be.
i cannot speak the mind of the original owner, but i have on MANY occasions, bought a car and decided something really irritates and so i sell it back in a few days. but my ex-dealer, CARLSEN, never makes me whole. usually 10-20k dep'n in a week or two. but if something irriatates me, then i just want to get rid of it...

i once optioned front end lift... it broke 2x in 1 months. sold the car, it irritated me
i once tried to like smurf blue, paid a big premium for it. my 5 yo saw it when i drove it hoem to the garage. "why did you buy such an ugly color...." sold it the next week.
i once tried to like the chrono things, but coming from a watch guy, the chrono is just cheap looking. i hated it so much, i took a hammer and pound the **** of out it damage the dash and sold the car back to dealer.

you cannot read ppl's mind.
stranger things has happened.....

WernerE

If I was a dealer I’d sell you cars all day long just for the entertainment value. Carlsen must lack a sense of humor....

silverrules

Been there, done that. Bought it for the wife but she can't drive stick anymore?

usctrojanGT3

They also lack a soul and ethics. King stealer of NorCal.

ChicagoWhale

Well, I was a bit conflicted on how I wanted to handle this situation, and here comes Martin with yet another flyby smear of another Porsche dealer. There is no one on Rennlist who takes a more active role in disparaging PCNA and Porsche dealers than Martin. He takes pride in it. Most of the dealers he targets, he's never had any interaction with. And we all know, of course, PNH has provided Martin with a highly desirable GT3 allocation - fully aware of how Martin treats PCNA and Porsche dealers here on RL.

So....how can I turn this issue into a positive?

Martin,

If I could prove to you that PNH is not telling the truth about this particular GT3 situation, would you agree to stop smearing every Porsche dealer in the United States for one year? You would not be permitted to make your typical reprehensible statements like the one above, nor would you be able to accuse dealers that you've never interacted with as stealers, lacking a soul, etc. etc.

It might take me 24 hours to get this proof (time zone issues), but if you're willing to agree to these terms, I'll see what I can do.

All the pressure is on me... now I've got to deliver. No reason why you should say no.

Deal?

Archimedes

If you're gonna pick on Martin, at least do it when he's stretching to make his point. Saying Carlsen is a ****ty Porsche dealer is not stretching.