I gave up! I’ve never given up before on anything big or small. Maybe it’s just a function of being well into my 60’s.

I grew up riding in the back seat of used Karmann Ghia’s. Eventually a ratty old Speedster appeared in the drive of our tiny tract house in the late 1950’s. There were 3 of us (kids), in those days; & I vividly remember the threats on weekend road trips of: "if you don’t knock it off back there I'm gonna pull over & whomp you good' coming from my dad. My mother was more sanguine & figured we would sort it out ourselves when we eventually had to stop for gas or bathrooms. Mind you in the early Ghia there was a hand throw valve deep under the dash that could give you another 50 miles or so but for some reason it was ‘verboten’. When we asked the answer was always the same: ‘only in dire circumstances’.

It was a great young life in the days of b&w TV & watching for sputnik laying on a blanket in the front yard. All those air cooled cars my friends laughed at when getting dropped off at little league or some such activity gave me a great touchstone with my dad. It helped form my personality which helped lead me to be precise, adventurous, & a kid with a love for books hundreds of pages long with nearly indecipherable diagrams in German. Medical texts paled in comparison. It also gave me a sense of history & passion for everything in life.

Having never purchased a new car (except for my wife), & after disposing of my collection of 356’s (all personally restored) I was gung-ho & anxious to grant myself a custom spec 991. In its current iteration, I think the 911/991 is the perfect maturation of the 356 *** 911 with perfect graceful lines & a nod to history. I’m a purist so no ‘appendages’ although I greatly admire the photograph of the recently posted ‘modegrau’ with duck tail – very classy! Eduardo’s photo of an A in same color – fantastic!

I worked every day of my life from age 16. That’s not an exaggeration. Worked my way through university & I’ve kept methodical records of long long hours in the OR during a 42 year medical practice. Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining. I loved every moment. The government/FDA/insurance-industry drove me to quit medicine so I never imagined the same company that produced the sublime 356 would also beat me down.

I joined Rennlist to share in the accumulated knowledge, patience, & wisdom of like minded souls. I never knew Rennlist existed until one of my grandchildren showed me the forum site. Grandkids are a blessing.

I want to say thanks to you "Porsche Fachmännish-ta’s" & a special tip of the hat to ‘Old Guy’ & ‘Eduardo’.

I thought retirement (in name only) was supposed to be the ‘less bumpy travelled road’ but alas PNA is simply VW-South/Stuttgart. So no new custom 991 for me (soup **** episode Seinfeld). The 911 is the finest ‘non-super-exotic sports car’ available, extant (again IMO). But the dealer network & home office in Atlanta are inept; bumbling; rude; slow; & inarticulate. And those are the polite epithets. Apparently they don’t need or want the business on a build approaching $180+K.

In conclusion (can hear all of you going whew rant almost over), I simply wanted to take a moment to say thanks!!

Danke und pass auf dich auf!
Marko
(long live every 356)

 

Anybody have the Cliff Notes?

 

I hear you, Marko.

And Zathras. (see post 204 at link below).

https://rennlist.com/forums/987-981-...nd-you-14.html

And I get quite a number of pm & emails too from other Rennlisters at the 991, 981 and 991 g3 forums with complaints about how PCNA & PAG is badly running this program (PTS in particular, which is so dear to my heart!). I must honestly tell you that I am growing increasingly frustrated with the inability of 'Porsche Exclusive' to be better organized & managed...for the benefit of their customers. And recently I have been voicing my opinions here at Rennlist in louder & more alarming tones:

'Let me know if I still did not make myself clear on the subject. I am trying... but Porsche is not my native language. It's sometimes very hard to translate Porsche into words that all of us can understand. And of all dialects spoken in Porschedom, 'Porsche Exclusive' has proven to be the most challenging for me to fully understand. That is why I keep writing about it here at Rennlist. Hopefully practice makes perfect. At some point it has to make sense, no? After all, these are the volk that invented the automobile, executed not one, but two, Schlieffen Plans against the same enemies 30 years apart and created the first cruise (V1) and ballistic (V2) missiles.

So can PAG provide an effective PTS program to its customers with the complications of outside vendors for some of vehicle's external/internal painted parts given the 'just-in-time', 'just-in-sequence' logistics involved? Sure it's difficult. But it's not Peenemünde-type rocket science! I say 'Yes' and think it can be better executed than at present.'

https://rennlist.com/forums/991-gt3/...t-color-3.html

or

'I have been trying to reason with 'Porsche Exclusive' for years to be more transparent in their process so that THEIR customers understand the issues & rules involved in the ordering PTS & 'Porsche Exclusive' options like deviating stitching, CXX special requests which are not on the configurator. I have put a lot of time and effort in these 'Custom Ordering' threads trying to explain the system for those here at Rennlist. The folks at 'Porsche Exclusive' have told me they don't read any of these threads and they don't care what is written in the forums. Why I bother to keep posting is even a puzzle to me!

The fact is that they have chosen to ignore those arguments that I have made to them in person since I started posting about this subject in 2012. And as evident from comments of others on this thread, 'Porsche Exclusive' has made little, or no progress, in making the process work more effectively for themselves, their dealers or their customers. I myself bought a competitor's car rather than order a new PTS Porsche, which would have been my preference. I voted with my feet and I posted about my frustration with them back in late 2012. But this is a marque I have deeply loved & cared for since 1973, when I first discovered a love of automobiles. And ultimately, I decided to continue posting because forum members asked me to help them understand the system...even if PCNA was not doing much to assist any of us in that task!

The Future - There is a new 'Porsche Exclusive' manager for the USA coming soon to replace Sascha Glaeser who is now in charge of the 'Porsche Experience Centers' being constructed in Los Angeles and Atlanta. That new manager is a woman currently employed by Porsche in Zuffenhausen and with some background in 'Porsche Exclusive' in Germany. Melissa Witek will continue in her job but now based in Atlanta (rather than NYC), where the new manager will reside. The former offices in Beverly Hills of Sascha Glaeser will be occupied by Matthew Henry, the newest member of the 'Porsche Exclusive' team. He came from 'Product Planning' in Atlanta. In a year or so, those offices will be moved to the site of the 'Porsche Experience Center' in Los Angeles. They are also studying the possibility of adding other members to the 'Porsche Exclusive' team in the US...so the program is deemed successful and they may invest even more resources into it.

I share with many of you a frustration with the an attitude I have observed now more than ever at PAG/PCNA. That of 'we know best, we will continue to do it our way and if you don't like, we don't give a damn'. From my experience in business & life in general, I can tell you that is not a recipe for success. And it saddens me. It truly does.'

https://rennlist.com/forums/991-gt3/...is-year-2.html

Is anyone at PCNA or PAG listening? I don't know. So it's frustrating all around. But keep the faith, Marco, we all learned that in the old 356 days. And good luck on your next car acquisition...though sadly it's not going to be a custom PTS 991!

Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel

.

 

Customers like MarkoPolo are exactly why Porsche Exclusive exists. It is sad to see the dreams of a fellow enthusiast go unfulfilled when Porsche should clearly have the capability and the.motivation to grant the requests.

Ryan

 

It would be nice to know what was asked for and was denied....... or did I miss it some where?

There's enough god awful colored and optioned Porsche's out there I thought the sky was the limit if you had the $$$ to request it.

 

MarkoPolo
You are correct, but you forgot to add arrogant.

I find it interesting how difficult it is for some folks to be objective about this car and the Company as a whole (and their collective shortcomings).
This company has the worst customer service, thinly masked by their relentless PR campaign peddling exclusivity.

Move on and find a brand that makes you feel appreciated for your business...

 

+1

 

Sorry for the OT,but nothing would give me more pleasure than supporting Eduardo to be the head of the PTS and Exclusive department within PCNA,if Eduardo would agree and have time for such a demanding position.
What do you think? I think he'll do a damn good job,I'm serious!

 

Yeah, good luck with that. Any manufacturer that sells tens of thousands of cars a year (or more) isn't going to "appreciate" any one customer. They should, fer sure, but they ain't. Not these days.

Old dude: has had Porsches, wants a new one custom-ordered, unable to get what he wants, disappointed.

To the OP: sorry to hear of your misfortune. Maybe take a different approach? Just buy a kind-of normal car (be it Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari) ordered to spec but nothing requiring special treatment.

 

Then they should stop peddling their wares as some "Exclusive Product".
I think we sometimes lose sight of how much money these cars cost.

I get far better service from Land Rover, Lexus and Maserati.

Porsche fights you on everything and at every step of the way. After a while this attitude towards their customers gets old.

Are we to beg the almighty PAG to take our money?

I applaud the OP, because there IS a substitute..

 

I have barely been able to get them to respond to a simple e-mail (matthew henry) ... not what I expect when I am ordered a $150k product, and all I want to know are next year's PTS windows for the 911's!

fail...

 

+1 Eduardo for ElPresidente del Exclusivo!

 

I've had that problem also. Luckily there are quite a few dealers where I live. Just astounds me.

 

Hopefully the pathetic PAG trolls on this and other boards will take note of the exceptional service that is being provided, when it comes to addressing their customer needs.

 

+1