mjj

I am going to buy a new fun car in the next couple of weeks. I really want to buy a 911. I live in a rural state. My closest Porsche dealer is about 150 miles away from home. I am concerned about the logistics & time requirement of getting the car serviced. Would you buy a Porsche or just stick to brands that could be serviced locally? I have access to most other brands except Porsche and the true exotics.

Like many of you, I have a very demanding job and a family so my free time is limited. If I stick to local dealers my secondary options would likely be an Acura NSX or Nissan GTR. Merc's and BMW don't interest me.

Thanks for the feedback.

MJJ

911-TOUR

Many dealers are willing to transport cars to/from for servicing. Not for free, mind you, but a nominal fee compared to what your time is probably worth. My dad has been doing this with his 911 for 20 years.

cheers!

CSK 911 C4S

That sounds uncivilized.

Where are you? Does the person/company that owns the Porsche dealer own any of the dealers that are closer?

If they do they might be able to offer you basic services you may need or at least act as a drop of and pick up point for their transportation services to the actual dealer location.

Does the Porsche dealer have service hours on Saturday?

If it's just a fun car you might only be servicing once a year.

mjj

I live in Des Moines IA. Woodhouse is a major dealer but they are primarily all located in Nebraska. We used to have a poor performing Porsche dealer but they were shut down and moved to Omaha 10+ years ago.

dflowerz

If they can transport your car then OK. If not....! The NSX might be fun. Standard maintenance on the 911 is once a year I think so not bad, but if the car has any problems or recalls then not worth it. I paid a little more for my car to get the closest dealer, and it has been handy as there were some recalls and I had an annoying squeak. So in a year and a half the car has been to the dealer four times. If someone gave me a NSX I would probably sell it and use the cash to buy a Porsche 911 Turbo

Hurricane

STG

Seeing it's new and will all be warranty work, better to have a dealer closer than further if more limited with time in work/family life.

With that far away, a whole day is shot just with one small visit. Most of the time dealers want cars 1-2 days just for basic service like oil change because they overbook. So that's a loaner and two trips and two wasted days.

All depends on time you want to invest. Personal call.

mjj

Thanks to all for the feedback. I am going to consider local options. Sounds like a 911 will need to wait until retirement.

STG

Just so you know, nothing is fast with Porsche service. They rarely want you to wait around for any service. Always drop off. My dealer usually is backed up and keeps for at least 2 days.

LexVan

Did you ask the Davenport Porsche dealership what services they provide Des Moines customers?

You might go once per year. And you can cut that down once you learn to change your own oil.

John Mclane

When I did time in the Houston area, it was at least 1 hour drive to the stealership, due to a combination of distance and traffic, most of the time 90 mins. I end up only taking the car for recalls or warranty issues. All the regular services I did locally, without issues.
Now, when the HPFP went bad, the car was not drivable. It was then towed (at no cost) to the stealership. That place had what's called Porsche reunite, which towed the car back to me at no cost. I don't know if that still exists or if your dealer would do it.

It's a risky proposition for sure, but feasible depending on your will and the dealers resources. My humble suggestion, quote how much would be to flat bed each way (in case of recall) and/or see what the dealer can offer. Rental for a couple of days can be fairly inexpensive. That should give you a sense of worst case scenario. If the car is not drivable and covered by the road assistance, towing is included and transporting you to your home and then to pick up the car too. It's all about downtime with your routine. I too have little time to do anything out of the daily wash-rinse-repeat , any car services I have to plan weeks ahead, and the location of the dealer nearby helps, but not that much.
I didn't want to wait to retire to drive these cars. Bought my first one 12 years ago and my only regret was not doing it earlier.

Zetta

Pleas don´t hinge your decision on some opinions on the forum, if you really want a 911 buy it. Every other option will not make you happy in the long way. Find a way with the Porsche dealer to solve this "problem", I am sure you will. And let me tell you, that you will not regret it. Most of the 911 are not problematic cars, the 991.2 is at the end of its lifecycle and its very reliable. Enjoy your life time with a 911 BECAUSE your free time is limited

koala

I wouldn't let that deter me. Think of it this way - once a year, you have a nice little road trip to get the car serviced, or, you just seek out a local independent that can do the maintenance.

BlackBeauty

Just have the car transported, factor it into the ownership cost and enjoy it everyday!

Zetta

In Europe the service interval is 24 months or 30.000 km.