I've never wired money for a new Porsche purchase, or been asked to, always wrote a check the day of pickup. Three different dealers. I wouldn't have a problem with a wire though, it's a safe transaction with a dealer, just be sure you have the details and account numbers right.

 

As others said this is normal. I’m sure I could have done another method if it bothered me.

 

As a dealer, I find this thread hilarious and ridiculous. Amazes me that people still think it’s the 1970’s with shady Sh*t going on…. It’s very simple. Here’s the price. Do you want warranty, tire wheel policy, any other protection policies? Yes? No? Here’s your OTD number. Want the car? Agree? Then wire the F’ing $$ money and it’s yours. Voila. As for method of payments accepted, that’s simply a dealer, GM or dealer group policy, some don’t take personal checks over 5k, some don’t take credit card payments over 10k, etc etc.,, big deal. Pay whichever way or combination of ways that both agree to. As for ADMs, some cars sell over MSRP, some don’t. Big deal. Do it or don’t. As for ‘products/policies added’ to price, this is also dealer or group specific. Maybe they add etch or appearance package or LoJack or back alley BJ’s as an addendum, maybe they don’t. Agree to it or don’t. Cry about it or buy the car and enjoy. Your choice. Most dealers that have addendums with added front end products/policies negotiate with you on the price of the car itself which almost always results in the total price ending up being the same as a dealer that doesn’t add them prior to sale so you end up with some protections for the same price as a car without any… the benefit of those policies is another story… some are good and have benefit and some are just lame. Can’t fault a company for trying to make profit on a negotiable item. This isn’t the Red Cross; profit isn’t a bad word.

 

And as double-o-seven said, it IS good practice to confirm the wire info and be certain that it’s going to the right place and not a rogue employee’s personal LLC lol. He's right, it DID happen at Champion Porsche some years ago to the tune of millions of dollars in deposits for a specialty car… so ya, make sure more than one person in dealer is attached to the email with wiring instructions etc,

 

Picked up my 2024 911 from the dealer in December and after inspection paid the full balance by personal check (which was the balance after a 10% deposit when I placed the order). I was local to the dealership and I guess they were comfortable with me. For someone they didn't know as well I understand the request for the wire.

 

I dealt with a local dealer whom I had never purchased a car. I looked over the car before I did anything, then met with the salesman, then met with the finance guy, and then gave the dealership a personal check for the car and off I went after the salesman gave me an overview and set up the PCM.

 

For PEC delivery, the dealer I ordered from as a new customer sent me a prepaid overnight fedex envelope and I just put a personal check in there and sent it back. But I had to pay 2 weeks before pickup at PEC.

 

What surprises me the most about this thread is that so many people actually still use paper checks.

 

It's the most convenient option for the customer, so why not? You need to go to the bank for every other option. I've always used personal checks to pay for cars.

 

Sorry bud, that’s how it’s usually done today. Some take cashier’s check. If you want to use a personal check expect to wait for it to clear before you can take the car.

 

This has been my experience as well. Although I'm not surprised by the request, I've never dealt with a dealer where they will only accept wire transfer. All the dealers I've worked with in California and Texas have been willing to accept multiple methods of payment (cash, credit up to a certain limit, financing through dealer arranged lender, personally arranged financing, personal check, cashier's check, etc.) and in various combinations. Perhaps this dealer has been burned one time too many in the past.

I have paid via wire transfer for a Porsche that I hadn't seen in person and that took less than half a day to process by my credit union.

 

They should be ok with you inspecting the vehicle before wiring the money. I wouldn't be worried about them scamming you, but if there are any issues with the car it becomes more difficult to get it fixed to your satisfaction once they have your money.

 

I initiated the wire transfer while finalizing the paperwork in the finance manager’s office. It took less than 30 minutes from initiating with my bank to receiving confirmation of funds transfer. This was done after inspecting the vehicle with the sales rep on the day of delivery. Very common practice.

 

Plenty of issues can be found on delivery day - my father bought a car once, went to get it on pickup day - it had a ding in the hood. Needless to say, he didn't pay for the car, walked out and told him to call him when it was repaired. Had he pre-paid for the car, what could be done to compel the dealer to repair it?

 

Amazing how many people wire cash or write checks for cars, but doomer threads for the past two years says sales will crash because of high interest rates. Why do interest rates matter when everyone pays cash?