phx991

What is the typical protocol when making an offer to a Porsche dealer located in another state? Would I need to be present to make an offer, or do they entertain out-of-state offers (accompanied by a deposit of course). Any other advice in this regard is appreciated.

This for a CPO vehicle.

Homeles

I bought my last one when I was in Vietnam. Get everything in writing.

StormRune

I bought an out-of-state (Salt Lake City) 991 CPO. They agreed to hold it a few days for me to fly in and inspect it. They took a credit card number for a refundable $1000 down, with the agreement that I could cancel if I got there and didn't like to the car. We negotiated most of the price on the phone, but agreed that final price negotiations would occur only after I saw the state of the car. Don't expect a whole lot of change once you're there but I did get some more movement in my favor. It worked out just fine.

We did something very similar with my wife's Lexus (new car), saving around $5k buying in Nashville over what the local Austin dealer wanted. Again, it was easy... and we had a nice road trip on both occasions!

I think once they look at you and see you have a top credit rating then they are willing to do what is needed to get you to come buy the car there.

NoGaBiker

A couple months ago I traded a used Carrera for a used Cayman, sight-unseen on both ends, to a Knoxville dealer. We described each of the cars to each other, I asked for a couple specific pix which he texted, he made an offer on the deal, I did the usual "You've got to be kidding," he ran it by the mgr and came back with a slightly better offer, I sighed and said I had hoped to be able to do business but this wouldn't work and thanked him for his time, he called back a little later... blah, blah, blah. Worked exactly like it would have with a local dealer.

We agreed on a price, I gave him a CC for $1000 down, refundable if either of us cancelled the deal when I got there. Drove up two days later, all was well, swapped cars, went on my merry way. Super easy.

And the "tax advantage" of trading (essentially no tax was due because the delta between the two prices was very small) was applied to my Georgia sales tax.

chicago

I purchased my first 911 CPO this summer from an out of state dealer. I wanted a base 991.1 MT and wasn't seeing any come up in the local market, nor were any local dealers willing to assist in a nationwide search. Finally a near perfect match was listed online at a Porsche dealer clear across the country in New Mexico.

I put significant faith in the CPO program and negotiated entirely over email. I had the dealer send high-resolution photos to confirm condition and we spoke a few times on the phone to work out the financing details. The dealer was very happy to do an out of state deal and mentioned it is not uncommon. All paperwork was signed via FedEx and I sent a wire transfer to the dealer's bank for the down payment. No CC deposit was required. The out of state dealer was even able to get my car titled in my home state and arrange for license plates.

I was able to negotiate the cost of cross-country shipping into the sale price. They handed me off to the shipping company and we arranged delivery details.

I never saw the car in person until it was delivered to my house via carrier truck. In fact, I never test drove any 911. The whole process was surprisingly seamless and the car is fantastic.

eddielasvegas

Some think that CPO means showroom like. That is not so. CPO only extends your factory warranty by two years. And let's not forget a tech missing (wink, wink) or negligence a critical item in the attached list (sent to me by PCNA about three years ago).

I would negotiate the price via email (ideally) or phone and secure with a refundable deposit based on your inspection and test drive. Once you are in the dealership, they have you by the short hairs and they know it. Are you really going to walk when you are 100's of miles from home?


Good luck,

Eddie

fuddman

No, you do not need to be present at the dealership and I don't think there is such a thing as typical protocol for an out of state purchase. However, due diligence on your part is a bit more important than usual.

Because it's a used car, make sure the SA you work with understands, without you being there, he is your eyes in this transaction. Tell him that and that you are depending on him for an accurate response when you have questions about the condition of the car. Establish a comfortable rapport.

Negotiations over the phone are the same as if you were at the dealership. Make sure you get a list of all the items the dealership charges you for. An out the door price, listing each charge should be sent to you. You want to know what form of payment the dealership wants if your buying with cash. Get ready to fill out and send forms for lease or finance.

If you plan on registering your car in a state other than the one you bought the car in, make sure you ask for a temporary set of tags allowing you to drive the car for thirty days. If you're not paying cash, they may be required to have you pay sales tax. Your state should give you credit for that during registration.

When you get there, look the car over carefully (glove compartment) and note anything missing.

Jerry991

The only disadvantage of buying from an out of state dealer is the obvious: You do your preliminary negotiations via phone, etc., spend the time and money to get there, you want the car, but then you find out there are issues and it makes it tougher to negotiate as the dealer knows that you will have a tough time walking away from the deal because of the time and money you spent to get there.

Pavegeno928

Bought my 911/50 out-of-country while stationed in Stuttgart. Found the car in Ohio, Beachwood Porsche. Phoned/e-mailed and they were very responsive. Sent me about 100 high-res pictures and pointed out two small blemishes. Negotiated on e-mail and phone and had them CPO and change the tires over to winter tires all before shipping the car. Two glitches: 1. sending the paperwork to the wrong place which cost a few days of time. 2. Accidentally disposed of the summer tires they took off instead of shipping them. I was wondering when the summers were going to arrive so I called. They told me what happened and were waiting on a brand new set of summers to arrive and then shipped them over. Great follow-up. Easy.

Cay911

Hey,


2 years ago I bought a very low mileage 2011 CPO Cayenne S with every option available at the time of original purchase from a Porsche dealer in the South, Im in New England. I first tried to have my local Porsche dealer make the connection and buy it for me. They told him it was sold. I called 10 minutes later and made what I considered a low ball offer based on the following requirements: all service records emailed to me and had the salesperson do a walk around the vehicle with me "there" via FaceTime.

Gave them a 2K deposit via credit card and wired them the rest of the funds 2 days later. The arranged delivery with a reputable car hauler and I had the Cayenne S in 4 days!

To answer your questions not yet asked I paid $40K.

The Cayenne has never given me any problems.

Also and this is a big ALSO. I just two weeks ago purchased a 10 month old 2016 911 Turbo Cab with less than 2,000 miles on it. I found the car at a "High End" car dealer in Texas, not a Porsche dealer. It has 3 years and 2 months left on it's original Warranty. If I were to do a build on the Porsche Turbo of my dreams this car had exactly what I would build. Seeing that the agreed upon purchase price was $100K+ more than the Cayenne I wanted to ensure that my *** was covered.

My local Porsche Dealer Sales Person a great guy who I have a relationship with agreed to purchase the car for me and he even tried to negotiate a lower price though they would not budge. The local Porsche dealer then arranged all the Title verification and hauling of the vehicle in a covered transport directly to their dealership in New England. Plus when the car arrived they added for what I think was well worth the price a CPO. My car is now covered under a Porsche Warranty until 8/22 or 100,000 miles. I could not be happier and yet I never saw or touched the car until it rolled off of the truck.

One more note: Last October I bought my wife a sub 10,000 mile fully loaded 2013 535i XDrive that was located in the midwest at a BMW dealer. Same followed Facetime routine and a view of all service records and then wired the funds. We both flew to Chicago ($80 oneway flights) and drove it back to New England and visited a daughter we have in Ohio. The car is fully CPOed and includes a maintenance package until 10/21. Yes, BMW has a better CPO plan than Porsche.

So take it from a guy who always felt he had to actually kick the tires and take a test ride. The car you want will most likely not be in your State. Go for it but be smart.

Good luck,
Cay911

PS: I know a lot of of info. but for what we pay for these cars its with the piece of mind.

3Series

CPO is just a warranty. If some wear items are near the end of life the dealer has to replace to get it up to snuff. Those items are inexpensive (for a Porsche) and easy like brakes and tires. It doesn't guarantee the carpet hasn't faded, or the ***** are sticky or there are stains on the headliner.

I purchased out of state and sight unseen. I had the sales guy take the car for PPI at a local independent. Than everything else was handled by email, phone and FedEx. Enclosed shipping went well and the car arrived as described.

Try to get as much in writing/email as possible, just in case you have issues. Along with photos.

StormRune

There's some truth to that. But...

We've also found there's a big advantage in negotiating over the phone with a distant dealer since they know you'll need a bigger carrot to travel there. Just don't let them know if this is the only car you are considering. When we've done this, we've tended to identify at least 3 or 4 cars that we tell them are acceptable (usually true for my wife's cars), tell them what the other cars are and where they are, and tell them you are looking for the best deal all-around between all of the dealers... all variables considered (It's usually a combination of features and cost together, not just the lowest cost). I'm pretty certain we've actually made out better in remote negotiations that the local ones we've done. It's easier to walk away on the phone.

I never go and actually get eyes on a car I'm not virtually certain I'm going to buy... I'm just doing due diligence at that point. Like Pavegeno928 said, on used cars I get them to do a detailed set of photos the car, especially any issues, and have them talk me through them. So far I've only found the most minor things that they missed this way, and on my last car, they ended up giving me several hundred additional dollars off the thousands we had already negotiated to make up for my "disappointment" over those. If there are show stoppers, the few hundred dollars I spent traveling would be well worth it.

It can be hard to find ideal matches locally for buyers with really specific wants in a 911, so I don't really know of another option other than settling for something not quite what I wanted or waiting a long time for a good match to show up locally.

9111177

I purchased my last 3 sport cars out of state. I live in NY. Different states may have different procedures.

The first out of state purchase was from New Hampshire. it was a brand new car and I did not have a trade-in. Easy peezy, Negotiated price via internet and drove a rental up there to pick it up. Dealer game me a temporary tag and i registered the car upon my return.

The second deal involved the trade of the above vehicle and purchase from Porsche dealership in Boston. it was a headache. i drove my trade to them to get a value. Then drove back to NY to arrange the loan. With Bank check in my pocket i drove back to Boston to complete transaction. The salesperson said I would be in and out in an hour. However, according to the dealership MGR I had to have the car registered in NY and pay the sales tax before I could take the car off the lot. They gave me 2 choices A) drive back to NY and register the car or they could send a Runner to NY Dmv (but it would take 3 days). I went with 2nd option. They also promised to deliver the car to my house as a courtesy for all the confusion. On the day of delivery they called to say I lived too far away and would like to meet mid way. After my blood pressure went down i drove mid way to Conneticut and we swapped cars at a mcdonalds parking lot.

deal #3 drove to New Jersey to see a CPO 911 that I wanted . Made a deal and came back the next day with a check. temp tags , quick coffee and I was on the road.

Gus_Smedstad

Which dealership, if you don't mind saying? I ask since I've visited them all at some point.

Capt_and

I live 2 hrs away from the nearest dealership so most of my car shopping is done with my laptop and cellphone. The distance is an advantage since there is more bargaining power and it saves a lot of time. I always ask for best and final which they usually provide since all I have to do is hang up and never call back. I'd say the most important part aside from a PPI is watching carefully how the finance dept. works and how they handle the paperwork. 100% of all my long distance purchase nightmares have come from the finance dept. with the papers. I almost bought a car in OK but backed out because the finance guy didn't know how to handle the sales taxes, registration, or titling process and simply told me to not worry about it and he would throw it over to the accounting department and they'll figure it out (this was a cash deal so it should've been extra easy). Another experience was when I drove a few hours after I negotiated the price, the finance rates, and had everything "ready to go." I showed up and apparently nothing was done and the finance paperwork wasn't even sent in yet. Lastly, be prepared to be a little disappointed in the physical condition of the car, but you can negotiate the reconditioning at that point.