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I'm a long time lurker and first time poster. I've been patiently gathering valuable information in darkness and I'm now proud to say I have secured a 991.2 GT3 allocation for October 2018 build. I'm so glad to join this wonderful family of Porsche enthusiasts (if you will have me), and hopefully I could become a helpful member of Rennlist.
I'm writing this post in hopes of advising members who are in the same position as me so that they could make well-informed decisions to fulfill their dreams. This is not to say I'm an expert in anything, but I just wanted to share my experience of seeking an allocation with Porsche for the first time. Please feel free to share any suggestion you may have for me to improve.
Please let me know if you guys have any suggestion. (I'm desperate for one.)
Introduction of My Journey
It seems "sacrilegious" for a person who's never owned a 911 to jump straight into 911 GT3. Or at least that's how a lot of Porsche ambassadors made me feel. Until 991.1, I was determined to acquire GTS so that I could enjoy both luxury and performance that only Porsche could offer. However, with the introduction of turbo charged engine on 991.2, I didn't know what to do, because I wanted to experience Porsche's legendary NA engine before I experience Porsche’s (also legendary) turbo engines. Around 2016, with spy photos of 991.2 GT3, many auto blogs have reported that the GT3 will continue to have NA engine despite the drastic change and from then on, I decided to start looking for a GT3 allocation.
Calling Up Dealerships
Starting from 2015, I reached out to Mr. Tom McParland (Jalopnik writer) who's an auto consultant to see if he could help me out with finding an allocation at MSRP. He was happy to help and I was able to have a little hope in finding one.
As soon as spy photos and CAD images started leaking out, I've called more than 10 dealership in NJ and NY to be on waitlist for allocation. There were some important things to consider when you give dealerships a call:
1. How many customers are on the list
2. How many GT cars were allocated from previous years
3. Whether they charge MSRP or Market Value based on demand
4. How much you need to pay for waitlist deposit
5. Whether deposit is refundable
I'm sure there are more than what I've listed here, but that's what I asked when I gave them a call.
It is also important to note that vast majority of special vehicles (918 spyder, 911 R, GT3 RS, GT3) go to clients who have established relationship with company or have owned cars like GT2 RS / GT3 RS prior to new models coming out. Considering this will be my first Porsche, I realized it would be an upfill battler if I choose to pursue.
What I've found out
991.2 GT3 was announced during Geneva Motor Show in March 2017 and they claimed only 800 units would be available for US. Also, Porsche will be starting GT3 production in the fall of 2017 and 1st batch of allocations will be ready by June 2018.
Obviously, bigger dealerships will have more allocations than smaller ones, but it doesn't hurt to ask any dealership that's gotten allocation in the past. Because of such high demand, dealerships are taking deposits from customers just to put them on the list. 1 dealership has asked me for $200, 2 dealerships have asked me for $1000 and 1 dealership has asked me for whopping $10,000 for a car that's not even out. What's more ridiculous was $10,000 was non-refundable and they were planning to charge customers $20,000 more than MSRP. I just hung up. After that nonsense, I found a 1 dealership that was nice enough to put me on the list for free as 3rd customer on the list (When I gave him a call, they only got 2 allocations and they are not expecting any more allocation. Go figure.).
The Waiting Game
In summer of 2017. I paid a visit to every dealership I had deposit with. They couldn't give me much inofmation regarding allocation status and it seemed waste of my time, but I thought if they saw me in person, they would be more willing to do business with me, so I pressed on. In the end, 1 dealership was willing to put me on the Porsche database for V070 status for GT3. As a guy with no previous relationship with Porsche, I was very happy to at least get my foot in the door.
Because I have created V070 Order demand with a dealership, I had to retrieve all my waitlist deposits. However, during the process, 1 Porsche ambassador gave me an interesting offer. He was telling me, even if I had V070 order demand with Porsche, I don't necessarily have to retreive deposit from them and he was willing to offer me an allocation right there and then with 10% markup.
I found this very skeptical and I asked Mr. McParland to see if they can make such offer when they only gave me an offer when I was about to pull out from the waitlist.
Mr. Parland explained, what this particular dealership is doing is that they have what is a called a "phantom allocation" for a made up person, so they can slide someone in there and charge them more. After his explanation, I decided to find allocation legimately by patiently waiting for V070 order demand to update. And Porsche has awarded me with a package including a miniature GT3 model and hardcover GT3 configuration book on Christmas. I really thought Christmas mircales do exist and finding allocation was only a matter of time.
In February 2018, After I found out that GT3's production will end by December 2018, I decided to give the dealership a call, but lo and behold, I found out the sales manager who filed V070 order demand resigned and he's no longer with the dealership. May I remind you, I sent him an email wishing happy thanksgiving and his reply was: "We may have something next year for you."
Right, I guess he meant to say I won't have anyone who's familiar with me and my situation and I might possibly have to start over.
C'est la vie... I guess.
Final Thoughts
I felt utterly defeated and I was in panic. I even considered calling my dealerships to take me back. But luckily, Mr. McParland has found an allocation and this chapter in search of GT3 allocation has finally come to an end.
I still have long way to go until I actually get to have the key in my hand, but I have learned so much during the process. I realized, in life, not everything is about how much money you have, or how much influence you have over someone. They could certainly help, but as long as you peservere and never give up on your dream, you will achieve it. I just thank my family and friends who have supported me to become the person I am, who can dare to pursue my passion and I'm forever grateful for this experience. I just have to remind myself to be more humble and willing to assist others who are in need.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
P.S. I realized this is more of a personal journal than a "guide" so I have changed the name of this thread. I apologize for any misunderstanding.
Last edited by ReadyEddie; 03-02-2018 at 12:45 PM.
Nice write-up - thanks! Good luck in your future endavours - hope to see you around as an owner soon
BTW - I have an allocation, but I only received the book, not the box and certainly not the model
You certainly got gypped by Porsche then. XD Make sure you call the Porsche customer relations and demand one. haha. (I called just to thank them for such amazing surprise and they were really glad I called to let them know how happy I was.)
I received mine after my Targa Purchase. “Shields up.,.BS detector on High Alert”. McParland is a journalist and has less then zero influence on Porsche sales. Show us the paperwork.
I received mine after my Targa Purchase. “Shields up.,.BS detector on High Alert”. McParland is a journalist and has less then zero influence on Porsche sales. Show us the paperwork.
He also runs automatchconsulting.com.....AKA "broker that takes a hefty fee to find a car"....
I received mine after my Targa Purchase. “Shields up.,.BS detector on High Alert”. McParland is a journalist and has less then zero influence on Porsche sales. Show us the paperwork.
There is no point in BSing here by spending my time writing about what I've been through. I just wanted to give credits to guys I've worked with. That's all. Also, he didn't charge a hefty fee to find me an allocation. If anything, he hesitated to collect fee since he wasn't able to produce a favorable outcome. If you guys are skeptical, that's fine. But I don't think there is no logical explanation to BS when I gain nothing by complimenting someone who has done nothing but helping me find an allocation.
To be fair, McParland is an auto broker first. He writes about his experiences as an auto broker.
This story has more holes than a block of swiss cheese though. I'm sure it's all true, but it's utterly useless as an "Allocation Guide".
This "guide" says "Hey... call Tom... he'll get you an allocation".
It doesn't say anything about how much he's paying or where it's coming from.
It's a nice story, ReadyEddie, and I'm happy you're getting an allocation. Some more details would be nice though. All I'm getting from this is that everything you did on your own was a waste of time and Tom got you an allocation at some price.
ReadyEddie, I think your title is a little bit misleading. The steps you took to get an allocation seem plausible but those steps didn't necessarily translate into an allocation for you. It looks like you had a turn for the worst at your dealer but ultimately paid ADM for an allocation, not necessarily a guide.
I do appreciate the story though. I, too, am a first time Porsche buyer and stepping directly into the GT realm. I started from scratch like you and called / emailed many dealers. I found a couple that would give me the time of day and put me on their list. Waited a long time and eventually got V200 status for a July build @ msrp.
So this thread is basically a PSA for automatchconsuslting.com, got it! Good luck with your allocation and car when you have it!
I apologize if you feel that way. It was not my intention to promote automatchconsulting.com and Tom McParland, but I just wanted to share what I've done to find one.
What's your V status and when is your car coming? Congrats!
Also what fee does a consultant like him charge, and how much did you pay over MSRP? And lastly, which dealership?
Ditto. After (and even while) reading through all the long-winded minutia, these were also my exact thoughts & questions.... so how much, how much over, and where? Why not reveal that....
Plus as stated, getting those diecast & book gifts is NOT a telltale sign that one WILL be able to get a GT3.2
03-02-2018, 09:17 AM
My Journey to 991.2 GT3
