For sure, trepidation is totally understandable. However it is a new car, any issues would be in the dealer/manufacturer (defects, mis-ordering, etc) court and not your problem. There would be more ‘risk’ if buying a used car sight unseen.

That said, if you’re not comfortable paying for it completely before placing eyes on it, your dealer should have no issues with that. I honestly believe they just wanted the deal on the books, nothing shady or backhanded.

 

So, how did this all turn out?

 

Unless I'm just a sucker, I think that anybody who's done European Delivery is required to pay for their car several months prior to picking it up. Some dealerships also add the nearly 20% VAT on top of the cost of the car (which the buyer gets back once the car returns to the states). I haven't heard many people complain about that process on RL. I'm not siding with you or the dealership, just a point of reference.

 

I agree, that's a good point. Doing ED (similar to PEC), with advance payment, does have an element of risk. I'm not sure what would happen if you traveled all the way to Stuttgart (or LA / Atlanta) and there was a problem with the car that needed correction. I guess it's a question of whether you have more trust in Porsche Corporation to quickly fix the problem or a Porsche dealership to deal with the issue in a timely manner. In both cases, they have your money already, so you're assuming a high standard of integrity and desire for customer satisfaction will get you to the top of queue (vs. desire to make a month-end quota).

On the other hand, when you choose ED or PEC, you've accepted the risk and presumably aren't a first time Porsche buyer - so have an increased level of trust that Porsche will deliver flawlessly. Maybe I just need to get through this first purchase before I'm that confident.

Talking to my SA tomorrow morning, so will report on progress then.

 

I think this comes down to what the contracts say, follow what is written. I suspect with ED, even if the car is paid for in advance, the buyer has to sign off on the condition of the car. In Brad’s case, I’m not so much worried about the money itself, but the options he has in the unlikely event there is some type of problem. I just wouldn’t send the money until I was sure I was protected. The dealer has legit reasons to want to close the sale in Feb, so if it was me, I would make an effort to accommodate, but 1.5 weeks is a reasonable ask.

 

We're doing our first ED in April, and I fully expect if that anything goes wrong it will be addressed in as expeditiously a manner as possible. Loaner car, quick fix at a dealer...wouldn't matter to me. Much of life is a crapshoot, and overthinking things strips a lot of the joy out it. Picking up a custom-ordered 911 at the factory is for me (perhaps) a once-in-a lifetime experience. No matter how it plays out I get memories...maybe stories (yeah, PDK crapped out at 150km doing 200 km/hr on the Autobahn)...and a 992 delivered to me at the end of it all.

 

Just an update on this thread. I picked up my new 911 C4S (Carmine Red) today. Beautiful car. Really enjoyed the 3 hour ride back home after picking it up.

My original concern had been the request for early payment prior to pick-up (I'm 3 hours away and didn't think I'd be able to get away before month-end to pick up). However, I ended up doing the pick-up earlier than expected (I was having a tough time with the wait) so payment at pick-up time wasn't an issue.

Great experience at the dealership. They had completed the PPF as well as the Ceramic coating (2 coats as requested) prior to picking it up. It is quite stunning to look at. Review of the car along with Porsche Connect features with the SA went well. As usual, way to much detail, but they did provide some great tips and left me looking forward to driving the 992.

 

congratulations Brad . Please send pictures. I haven’t seen too many Carmine red, I bet it’s stunning.

 

Great to hear that it has worked out in the end. Congrats and enjoy the ride!!