Porschegaleno

First of all, thanks again for the responses. I love this site. This year after 30 years of waiting I'll be able to buy my first Porsche ever. I'll be ordering a NEW991S, Im so excited that I have finally come to the decision to buy a 911. At the end is not about the money but It is about the JOY the car will give me.
My questions are:
1) If I give a deposit ( i heard usually $500-$5000) when I order a 911, what happens if for some reason I change my mind? DO I lose my deposit?
2) I have asked for quotes via email but nobody answers back (I live in Virginia), Is that the norm? Should I go out of state? Can you order a Porsche over the phone or via email?
3)Do you recommend the extra warranties? which one is a must? Probably I'll be putting 7-8000 miles per year (I have a new Accord)
4) I will buy my car outside Virginia, (it is rude that they answer emails), does anybody recommend a dealer in any of the Carolinas, Maryland, NJ
5) do you think It will be easier to get a discount if I travel, Do they take your offers seriously over the phone? If I was buying any other car, the car salesman would be calling me everyday but not this guys in Virginia. I dont want to give them my money anyways I rather drive hours before doing business here in VA
6) Do you people remmenber the precise moment when you say to yourself "someday Im gonna have a Porsche"? Mine was after watching the movie Risky Business!!

Thanks for any responses

Nicoli35

Hi and congrats I'm driving my second now - and thought I was just going to drive one for a few months and check it off the bucket list (a while back)..but no. There is nothing else like it, truly, and when we were without a Porsche for a while...I could not believe the longing to drive one again. It just is like nothing else to drive a 911!

I can only offer my experience with the deposit. My dealer explained if I ordered a car, they would ask for $1,000 deposit up front. Then after the order is "locked" by Porsche (perhaps a few weeks after the order, I guess that can change though and be sooner or later) they will ask for an additional $4,000 deposit. This would of course total a $5,000 deposit to order from my dealer (we are in the far northwest of the US and perhaps more isolated than other dealers who might ask for less). If I walked away from the order, I would lose the deposit.

I ended up choosing a car off their lot as it "grabbed" me (held my daily attention for over a month..kept just staring at it on their website and did two test drives) and I figured, if I like the car that much, ordering a different one was just bad karma (for me. I decided to give that Porsche a good home

Good Luck and enjoy. It's really worth it.

Rocket_boy

Welcome!

For me I have only been asked for an initial deposit and nothing more. For my previous Cayman S and 997.2 C4S it was $1000, for my 991 it was $2500. The higher the car price, the deposit may rise a bit. If the car is a really "funky" config, there is a good possibility they may ask for more.

I would work with your local dealers first, a face to face with a good salesman and test drives is the best way to start. If the local dealers are jerks and not helpful,...then by all means look a bit more out. I would say that most sales people like to a have a personal meeting instead of email, but that should not stand in their way of selling you a car. This is a very expensive item, so ask tons of questions and make them work for it. A good salesman will have no problem with it.

For discount, they range widely,...but there are good ones out there. The biggest will be on in-stock cars, but you can still get a decent one ordering. The economic times are tough, but there are still a lot of people with money and the 991 is still a pretty popular car right now so don't expect "invoice" pricing. Most orders can start with a 3% discount and go up with negotiation.

I typically don't do extended warranties, but have a car slush fund set aside for any real emergencies out of warranty. Always remember these are not Toyotas, but Porsches, and while not unreliable by any means, parts and service are quite pricey on them. A simple window switch for a Toyota may be $20, while one for a Porsche could be $80. Just be glad it isn't a Ferrari,....it would be $300.

Yep Risky Biz was a major influence for me also,....I've owned six 928s and still have one. The first time I really said I was going to own a Porsche was in high school when I was a yearbook photographer and took our staff photo at a Porsche dealership leaning against a 928 and 911 turbo at the time. Just the mystique, style and presence is all it took.

aelia

Hi Porschegelano, I am in a very similar position in NVA. Looking to order a C4/C4S within the next few months. Just trying to do my research and this forum is great for that. As for your questions here goes:

1. Deposit - work on the general rule that if you put a deposit on anything, consider it gone.
2. Dealer experience in VA - I went to a dealer not far from me in NVA and wandered around looking at their new inventory of 991's for about 15 min with no approach. As I was about to leave in my E90 M3, two sales people were washing a Cayenne. Suffice to say, I left! I have also reached out to the dealer in Charlottesville via the website to test drive a C2S MT and PDK and got an email response in 15 min - will follow up when we chat next week. Looking at MD as an option as well. Please let me know if you get anywhere with any of them...
3. Not sure what I am going to do with Warranty, need to investigate further.
4. See response 2.
5. Interested to hear other responses on this one.
6. I remember the precise moment like it was yesterday. When I was eight years old, my father's lawyer had one (not going to say which one because it will show my age ). I sat in the back because I could and he drove us to Heathrow airport on the M4 from London. Yes - I am an ex-pat. Cannot explain felling . If I could I would be Jeremy Clarkson. Since then, I have driven a few in my time but never owned one...

If you would like to chat send me a note.

Alstoy

1. Take your time & buy the car you want-you will know.
2. You should be able to buy a Porsche from anywhere. There are a lot of people that don't have the time or prefer to conduct business on-line. Expand your search radius.
3. Get the car, learn more about the car & you will know best what extended warranties, if any, you want. I only got one right at the end of my orig warranty expiration.
5. I've brought most of my cars (BMW, MB, & Porsche) over the phone/on-line. It just differs by the person on the other end of the transaction.
6. Age 10, heard an engine I had never heard before come around a corner-silver/black Porsche 911.

This is a great group of people on this site. You will find a lot of good advise. All the best.

solomonschris

I have been very pleased with Porsche of Annapolis, in particular Michael in sales. Casey Parken of Porsche Silver Spring also was great to deal with when I bought a new 09' C2S.
You haven't told us what other cars you've owned or what your particular desires are. My car, a C2S cab with PDK, would not satisfy one who was looking for a car to enjoy on track days. In short, Porsche makes a range on vehicles and they are all 911's. You might consider buying a used Porsche and doing a couple of DE days at the track. You would then have a clearer idea of what you want in a car. The other component is the 991 itself. There are many dedicated Porsche owners who do not like the 991. It is either a great step forward or a great step away from what a 911 is all about, depending on your perspective. I've owned a bunch of Porsches over a lot of years and I love my 991, but I can also see how it is so different to some that they just can't see it as the progress that I do. For me the best of the pre 991 cars was the 993 series. 30K can buy you a nice one of those. If you did so you might decide, as I did, that you have to own at least two Porsches. At the least, having driven one for a few months would help you order the car that will best fit what you want. Two things are certain, this is a great problem for you to
have and two, this is a great bunch of guys to help you in all things Porsche. Good luck.

skinzy

Truly agree with this statement even though this is my first Pcar. Just got back from a drive in western North Carolina mountains....WOW! Perfect day, Perfect weather, Perfect car! Try my dealer in Knoxville, Harper Porsche and ask for Joey! You will not regret it! Cheers

DBYT

Based on my experience, you would be better placed to call each dealership first, speak to a salesperson and tell them you are about to order a 991, have already got a build sheet done and need a quote but need an email address to send the sheet to.

I did that and the 4 dealers I approached, came back right away with quotes. The discounts ranged from 4 to 7%

Porschegaleno

First of all, you guys are great. Thank you for the great advice and ideas. I have read every post in this forum related to the 991. Im glad that here many people have suggested a few names of dealers and salesmen I can start my journey for a new Porsche. I believe we should keep a list of good dealers and good salesman. In that way we can help and reward the good dealers with our business. It is so amazing that I have all the intentions in buying a new Porsche S and all the dealers in Virginia haven’t bother to answer to my emails.
Rocket_boy, love the name.
To aelia, I’ll send you a private in the am. Definitely we can work together and exchange information.
Alstoy, great advice
Solomonschris: Thank you for providing names, I have this week off so I’ll be working all this week in my Porsche. I have never owned a German car. I had American cars and Toyotas. I’m older now (half a century) and I have always dream with having a 911. After many struggles in my life I’m now able to comfortably buy a new Porsche. I have realized that you can’t think about DEPRECIATION too much because “almost” everything depreciates (from a TV to a computer, now-days even houses depreciates) so I’m not worried about the money I’m going to lose as soon as I drive the car off the lot. I’m looking for a 991 2013, Porsche S, Bose, Leather seats, manual transmission, and Premium and BOSE packages. My car came to $105,000. I want a Porsche in which the ride is not so rough or loud. I’m not planning in tracking the car and I will be using it with my Accord for daily driving. I’m so excited I can’t wait but I’m following all of you gurus’ advice about keeping a cold head.
Skinzy, I’m jealous 
Dbyt, great points. I’ll follow your advice tomorrow. I’ll keep all apdated.
And Please keep coming with suggestions and names.
More questions:
7) How do approach them for a discount. What’s the best “pick up line”to get a discount?
8)What Kind of color interior goes better with Dark blue metallic or Agate Gray?
9) most comfortable seats?
10) will PASM suspension make the ride more comfortable or rougher?
Thanks for the responses

vasev

In the DC area be sure to call Casey Parkin at Porsche Silver Spring. Solid customer service.

goatboy

Yeah, you probably need to visit a dealership, at least for a car in demand. Face-to-face is still important in business dealings. (That’s what keeps the airlines in business.) Also, Internet car buyers are often low/no profit customers. If times are good and a car is on allocation, they’re not worth the time to hit REPLY.

Here's a twist to consider.

Think about going to the Porsche Sport Driving School. This is the ultimate test drive.

https://www.porschedriving.com/sports-driving.aspx

If you can afford a 911, you can afford a $5k, short vacation.

PSDS attendance gets you on PCNA’s hot prospect list and the dealerships start e-mailing you.

Without test driving a 991 at a dealership, you can “Blitzkrieg” them. With your spec's and questions in hand, make an appointment, and tell them you only have a limited amount of time. It freaks them out when somebody says “I don’t need a test drive; I want to order a car.” This tells them they’re not dealing with a “looky-Loo.”

Test drives are dead time for a salesman. He’ll go for dozens of rides with looky-loos for each sale, and while he’s out on the test drive he’s missing real prospects coming in the showroom. If he can avoid them and go straight to specific questions and making a deal, he’s much more motivated to treat you right.

Don’t be greedy. What goes around comes around. They need to make a living, but they don’t need to screw you. If necessary, I remind car salesmen I’m willing to pay for good service during the sales process, meaning no Kia salesman games and getting a fair price without a big fight. High-end cars are bought by movers-and-shakers, high achievers, alphas, or whatever you want to call them. These people don’t tolerate getting jerked around. High end car salesmen have figured this out. That’s why they’re selling Porsches instead of Kia’s. A Kia salesman believes/has been taught that every person who walks in their showroom is an idiot, and he treats them accordingly.

If a 3% discount is reasonable, and the dealership is reputable, you’ll get that without having to go at each other’s throats. You might have to give them you name, phone number, and e-mail and walk away. They’ll call back.

The end of the month thing really works. A salesman’s commission (percentage of the spread between invoice and MSRP) is based on how many cars they sell in a month, and the percentage is retroactive for all the cars they sell in a month. So, selling one more car might get them 10% more on the spreads for every car they sold that month. Buying a car in December or January also works. Cold weather and Christmas bills keep people out of car showrooms.

Anyway, back to PSDS…

I went there the first time mainly to get away of my wife’s annoying friend who invited herself down for a week. My wife said “You’re welcome to come down, but I don’t get off work until 2 p.m. and it’s too late to put in for vacation time.”

“That’s all right. I don’t get up until noon.”

I said to myself “I’m outta here!” and started looking for someplace out of town to go. I was also curious to see if I fit in a 911. I’m 6’ 5” and have put on a few pounds in my 50’s. (911: yes. Cayman: no.) The economy had just tanked, so PSDS classes that were normally booked up months in advance then had last minute openings.

The one day "Precision" class, $1800 is a dead end. The two-day "Performance" class, $3,200 is the first of a four class sequence, ending with the two-day GT3 Cup class, $10k. The first day of the Cup class is workups in Turbo’s and (street) GT3’s.

Check with PCCA chapters to see if somebody has a group buy going on.

The people who come to these classes are interesting. There are a lot of “tourists” at the Performance class, people who are just looking for something fun and different to do. The Masters students are more skilled. The Masters Plus students are freaking hard core. I was one of the fastest students at Performance and Masters, but well in the bottom half at Masters Plus. “Practice makes perfect.” I shaved about four seconds after reviewing my telemetry with an instructor on the last afternoon.

A lot of people repeat Masters Plus. It's a damn hoot. The last time I was there, some guy from California was taking it for the 24th time, driving his GT3 all the way from California to Alabama to take the class. The standing joke was "He's hoping to pass this time."

There were a bunch of crazy Argentinians there, too. At the break, the instructors said we were the craziest bunch they’ve ever had and we’re going to have to slow down. Some old Argentinian plantation owner visited gravel beach. There was an Argentinian soap opera star and his entourage there. I don’t remember his name, I referred to him as “Rico Suave.” But, he was one fast hombre. He could consistently do 1:50 laps all day. Cass Whitehead, the instructor/professional race car driver they get to do the hot lap videos can do 1:47’s in a 997.2 Carrera S. I was consistent at 1:55. But, with the Race Keeper telemetry I think I now know where a few of my five seconds went. If I ever hit a consistent 1:50, I’ll treat myself to the GT3 Cup class someday.

Hurley Haywood, PSDS Director and “Porsche racing legend” usually is there for the Master Plus classes. I’m going to try to buy my 991 locally (100 miles away is “local” when you live in the boonies). I “have” to buy an X5 for goatgirl and as a loyalty purchase from an excellent BMW dealership, first. When it’s my turn for a new car, if the local Porsche dealership is reasonable they have a sale. But if I get some push back, the line “Every time I see Hurley Haywood, he asks me to come over to Brumos for my car.” will likely get them back on the straight and narrow real fast.

In addition to the X5 thing, I’m waiting for new-platform demand and new-platform bugs to settle down.

I’ve also of had the Porsche itch for over thirty years. I was fascinated with VW’s, Porsches, and BMW 2002’s in high school in the 1970’s. When I was about 13, A friend’s father treated himself to a 2.0 liter 914 after 30 years of building his HVAC business. He’d take me for a ride every once and a while. My old boss would let me drive his 1984 Carrera if I didn’t **** him off too much, too often. That inflamed the itch into a rash. But, that first trip to PSDS turned my inflamed rash into Porsche MRSA.

Mechanic

Porschegaleno, you're going to get lots of advice, but -- not to put a damper on your enthusiasm -- were I you, rather than jump into the deep end of P-car ownership with a $105k+ 991S (plus VA sales & property tax), I'd search long and hard for a well-kept '09 or later 911 for about 40% less. My recommendation is borne of the fact that I known more than a few new-to-the-brand enthusiasts who save for years, buy the car of their dreams, and then something goes sour -- bad car, bad service, unanticipated expenses, the reality of new P-car depreciation, life in general -- and their enthusiasm turns to regret, then anger, and in some cases, genuine depression. If the $ isn't that important to you, then go for it. If, on the other hand, as you've suggested here, this is a major life's goal for you, I'd recommend you begin your first Porsche ownership with a low-mileage garage queen with a solid warranty, and see if Porsche ownership is really what you expected. If it's not, it will be a lot less expensive to back away.

As for actually buying a new car, DBYT's suggestion -- speaking with sales representative with a build sheet in hand is the way to go. (Btw, if you are familiar with Mercedes of Arlington, nearly 90% of their cars are sold over the phone, so face-to-face contact is not essential.) But e-mail won't get you what you want. It's seen as tire-kicking and a way for you to forward a quote to another dealer for a better offer. You need to speak with someone and, thus, demonstrate your willingness to get some skin in the game. If 3% is what you are looking for, that's easily doable. More than that will require a closer relationship than a "would-you-take" phone call.

WRT dealerships, when Porsche of Arlington was Heishman's, they were big PCA supporters. Don't know what the new ownership/management is like now, but as recently as five years ago the store had two first-rate, experienced techs who knew treated my RS America as if it were theirs. Never charged me a dime for club-event services. Very enthusiast group out back. Euroclassics in Midlotian also has some interesting 911s from time to time. You might want to visit them to see if they can help you find a solid "starter" Porsche.

MJones

Yep, I'am that guy from CA! who drives most times from CA.
Going again next month for both the Cup Class and the Masters+ , 5 days of driving!
Barber is a great track & PSDS rocks!

MJBird993

"Mechanic" has some great advice.

My advice is: consider this as just another car. An expensive car fer sure, but the buying process is the same.

If you want NC dealership and salesmen recommendations, I've got two for you, one in Raleigh and one in Greensboro. PM for details if interested.

goatboy

Wow!

Yeah, PSDS and Barber are amazing. PSDS hooked me for a Porsche... and more PSDS. See you in the fall of 2013. I'm bogged down until then.

Somebody there told me they don't teach Masters and Masters Plus in July or August, making room for Precision and Performance classes, but also because M & M+ melt street tires in the summer heat.