Originally Posted by baronm69

Criticism from idiots is always a good form of compliment.

Originally Posted by mooty

hate to say this, op and other young entrepreneurs are all great. i started my first business at 17 and the primary expense item on my income stmt is "evaporation rate" it's a common line item in many business in many many parts of the world. in english parlance it translates loosely to "bribery". some may not agree, but sometimes and some area of the world it IS business and it IS the ONLY way to conduct business. i think stealers are well versed in this practice. pls note i did not say this is GOOD practice, but hey, if i am stranded in the hamalaya and you are my only food source..... sorry pal....

perhaps in other states, there are "relationship" dealers. in CA, not so much. if you added all your fingers and toes.... that's < then the number of p cars i bought from the carlsen porsche so noted in my signature. they flat out told me, i didn't give them a big enough RED ENVELOPE. so "relationship".... fk that. this country has the HIGHEST divorce rate in the world, and you think dealer (not all but most) give a shi*t about relationship? most dealership principlals are on 2nd 3rd marriage now. relationship....

some words have no meanings, just sound. and RELATIONSHIP with dealers is one such word.

good luck finding one. the RS is a great car.

Originally Posted by baronm69

Criticism from idiots is always a good form of compliment.

Originally Posted by fxz

You were sleeping last 3 years when RS were still available Now what do you pretend?? Re opening production for Mr Baron? You live on the moon man and i can understand your dealers hating such a poser idiot like you

Originally Posted by ewjax

Not all dealers need a red envelope. Some do have good principles.

Take Brumos Porsche, soon to be Fields Porsche. I bought a 996 in 1999 and another in 2003. I then decided too late to buy a 991 gt3 and they could not get me one. So I bought it elsewhere (@ msrp). I then decided too late to get an RS. For months I would stop by and talk to my SA. And one day they asked me if I'd be interested in an RS that was already spec'd. I believe they offered me the car not because of anything else other than the relationship I had developed with them over the years. Being involved in swap meets, pca car shows there, buying parts for maintenance, and having them service my 997 rs over the years. I've developed a good relationship with no intents. They are genuinely nice people.

I'm confident there were 100 other people with much large checkbooks than I. Im very fortunate and grateful. They also know I'll take the car to the track.

So not all dealers are the same. There are some good ones and Brumos is (was) one of them.

Originally Posted by 16'991GT3

No offense or anything but I think you completely misread OPs original post as he is not trying to get a current gen RS, but he is trying to get on a list for a next gen RS when it is announced

Originally Posted by mooty

absolutely not all are bad, but most are.
especially in ca.
I know everyone of them from WA to San Diego.

Originally Posted by Banango

I've cut a bit out, but while I respect anyone's opinions on how the branding works, and while you may well be an expert in branding and marketing (I have no idea and I am not an expert), your stated opinions do not tally with what I have seen doing some of the relevant brand management and marketing. You are seeing things from a very non-business, data-agnostic perspective. You are expressing passion, which all the brands "sell" but it's not what they are actually interested in. They are interested in money. Passion for their brands is shown to them in dollars. They do NOT care about the enthusiasm unless it is backed up by dollars and value one way or another.

"Aura" is more usually referred to with irritatingly jargonistic terms like "buzz" in the short term. I think you are trying to say something about the longer term and the most normal phrase is "brand equity".

Actual racing constitutes relatively little active brand equity any more. It is a big part of heritage, but aside from a few individual races and their specific demographic and geographic adherents (Sebring, Le Mans, Monaco, Indy, Daytona, Bathurst, etc) current racing prowess has been proven ineffective as an unsupported marketing - read branding - tool. With a smart and well targeted effort, success in even "lesser" series' or a few races can work wonders.

Porsche maintains a connection to racing both by being involved and promoting some of its cars to those who wish to race at different levels. BMW has done the same in the past. Mazda's contingency programs have at times done wonders for them. Aston Martin has been racing again for some years now and it has done next to nothing for them. For most of the brands, and to a very large extent for Porsche, perception of performance is more valuable than actual racing victories. More important still are perceived value, perceived and actual exclusivity (that's the big one separating premium from the true high end), perceived technological leadership, and perceived quality (which translates primarily to reliability and service response).

When Ferrari spent two decades in the F1 wilderness, it didn't fail to sell cars. Lamborghini has no racing heritage and, while you don't think they have an aura, their sales and brand loyalty suggest otherwise especially as the quality of the cars has consistently improved since the VAG purchase. Bugatti has no racing heritage within living memory and had no problem selling endless variations of the same car; Pagani likewise. I could go on. I won't. Suffice to say that Porsche's brand perception amongst the younger set has to do with performance, technology, and accessibility more than with racing per se, and that will stand them well unless they make a terrible error.

Your demographic doesn't much matter until and unless it begins to buy cars in large numbers or shows some other real influence. What you may not realize is that when those who are currently in their fifties have ceased to buy the cars, people like you will be in their fifties and no longer inhabiting your current demographic. (I'm in my 40s, BTW and never even wanted a Porsche until a couple of years ago and just bought my first.) People change.

Porsche doesn't need to sell you a car today if they can make you aspire to one until you can afford one. They may **** you off, and others will step in to take your place in the order queue so long as they fulfill the brand promise. If you think you will "get back at them" by becoming an evangelist for another brand, think again. Porsch isn't competing with Ferrari, or McLaren, or Lamborghini, etc. They are each selling to much the same market, and they are each quite successfully selling everything they make at the moment.

The view of Millennials about McLaren, etc, and the advent of the self-driving car is not of tremendous import. It won't be for decades, and possibly never (never to me, at least - not in my lifetime or my child's!). You may not understand what a tiny portion of the consumer base has ever bought these types of cars. That tiny portion won't disappear. They will still seek thrills and toys. Those that can afford them will still have self driving cars, drink chai lattes, and grow Victorian beards if that is what ends up defining their generation as they age.

You are, at the moment, exactly what I suspect a Porsche GT brand manager wants to see: a person that really aspires to and wants the product, but is proving its exclusivity and getting actual owners to rally to the brand. You may think the marketing isn't working for the future; I would suggest you are demonstrating how well it is working in the present, which is the timeframe about which the current brand managers and sales force care.

Again, good luck to you. I haven't driven an RS yet, but I am confident they the GT3s will live up to your hopes and aspirations. So too will whatever other brand you choose. Luxury purchase satisfaction is incredibly self-fueling, except in the case of a lemon...and the best of the manufacturers will convince their real brand adherents that the lemon was a good experience despite all evidence! That's high brand equity.

Originally Posted by fxz

C'mon there are plenty 996 997 GT3s RSs 991 GT3s 2/3k miles any kind of colours or optionals and soon 991 RS

Originally Posted by Bloose993TT

Why don't you buy a barely used 991rs? There is probably 20 up on eBay to choose from. Lots of colors and options. Owning and servicing one at your local dealer will only help you get into the club.