John B

Despite warnings here and giving the benefit of doubt to Schmitt et al fellow Rennlister Marshall M and I set out from Knoxville to St Louis Saturday AM to trade for a tiptronic 993. 18 hours and 1000 miles later we were back home with the same car.

In my desperation to trade for a tiptronic car I cut a deal over the phone on Thursday for a decent looking 97 coupe at Schmitt. The salesman was knowledgable and cooperative and after a resonable amout of haggling we had a deal contingent on inspection at Reid Vann and my approval. I faxed them the sticker from my car so there would be no questions.

Jon checked the car and gave it a pretty good report. The maintenance record were nearly up to date. I asked Jon about Schmitt and he said they had a range of cars, good and not so good, but he felt like conditions at the dealer were better now than in the past. These facts gave me the confidence to make the deal. They took a $1000 deposit and we were off to trade.

We loaded up and made the 500-mile trip to St. Louis Sat AM. On arrival we met the salesman Jamie, and started going over the subject car. It looked pretty good, but was quite a bit more "tired" than my car...OK. The wheels were scuffed badly an I asked Jamie if they might allow me to swap the wheels and tires and he said that should not be a problem. A few moments later, the "Sales Manager" come out and said they won't take my car because it is ZENITH BLUE!!!! At that point Jamie sculled out of sight. I reminded them I was very descriptive of the car and had faxed the sticker. What followed was a litany of "we never got the fax, you told us it was dark blue, your car is horrible conditions, we refused to take a ZB car, etc".

We were shocked and awed.

They never went outside the showroom to look at my car.

At one point danny himself came out and offer to refund me for the inspection and $200. I insisted he should honor the deal he made, he and has staff became defensive, insulted my car, and verbally abusive.

When their business practiced were questioned, they claimed to sell 30 car a week and one unrelated salesman proudly informed us he made $125,000 last year, so I must be wrong about them.

The day ended abruptly with danny tearing up the $400 check telling us to get out of his f***ing showroom and threatening to call the police. He even engaged has speaker phone but could not recall the police phone number and aborted the call.

It was a long drive home, but old ZB was a pleasure to drive. The Arena red car was no loss, but the I could have done without the experience.

I try to give people the benefit of doubt, but this time the negative press seems to be well-founded. I don't think Schmitt Cars is where this group of enthusiasts will have much luck.

I the meantime my quest continues for a GREAT tiptronic car, and someone wanting a GREAT 6-speed will come along for mine.

Buyer Beware...I know I will.

John B

Deano

Sounds like you had some tough decisions to make. I would think that after a couple of days and a cool down you should feel better. Obviously it was not meant to be! There are some great cars out there. Before you know it, one will pop up & it will be much better than dealing with a rough, ignorant car salesman who crosses his own issues into your dream deal. Good luck & at least you have one in the garage now!

reed

I think all you have to do is look at their numerous ebay ads to get a pretty good idea of the kind of place it is. There is so much in those ads that is beyond just salesmanship. I know "puffing" when I see it, but these guys just look disreputable.

laurence '97 C4S

John B-
What a mess, sorry. Why was the dealer so negative on Zenith Blue?

Deano

Looks like I won't be dealing with these guys ever (as I've thought about it before). One thing I do like is their excellent photos on ebay. It's just nice to browse.

GTR 993

Your probally better off looking for an individual owner that has taken good car of the car and is selling for financial reasons or needs a larger vehicle. You may check Autotrader or PCA,Rennlist classifieds.

chris walrod

zenith blue is one of my favorite colors. why wouldn't they want a ZB car? Is it because they show dirt and swirls?

Its amazing that this small community has had many problems with this dealer. Can you imagine the bad experiences that we dont hear about??

Sheeeesh!

Bob D.

John, if the car you were trying to buy is the one I think it is, then it was purchased at auction 2 1/2 weeks ago. At that time the wheels on it did not have curb rash. That should tell you something right there....

I know you just want to put this whole experience behind you, but would there be any value in filing a BBB complaint?

Funny, but I take comfort in the fact that they didn't want Zenith Blue. I personally find it a beautiful color!

88clbsport

there is nothing necessarily wrong with cars that come for Porsche Financial OR for that matter other dealer auctions! Sure a personal party transaction allows for more of a one on one relationship, remember that Rennlisters and most Porsche owners are pretty **** when compared to the general public. I have bought quite a few "auction cars" with no problems.

GTR 993

Is Zenith Blue the Medium Blue Color? I like the color of that car I wonder why they would not want that one? I could see maybe the Riviera Blue just because it is kind of a personal taste color even though I like it some people think it's to bright.

ed devinney

I think they wouldn't take a Zenith Blue car because they wanted to change or weasel out of the deal. Color was probably the first weasel idea that came to the sales manager's mind.

Sounds like bait & switch to me.

carsschmitt.com

I am sure everybody has had a bad experience at a car dealership and most were probably the dealers fault. This is not the case in this situation. This gentleman never told us he had a Zenith Blue Porsche. We agree to trade even; no cash out of pocket for a dark blue 911. He supposedly sent a fax that we never asked for and he never told us that he sent until after the fact. He pulls in with an oxidized Zenith Blue car not dark blue like he claimed and the leather was not soft and supple. We have a Zenith Blue Cab that looks like it is supposed to. We have a beautiful Arena Red 911 with cashmere interior that was in exceptional condition with full maintenance history "even though it was an auction car". We politely informed the gentleman that we would not be willing to trade "even" after seeing his car. He began to get extremely belligerent and started to raise his voice with other clients on the showroom floor. As most of you know selling cars is all about "curb appeal". His simply did not have the "curb appeal we were anticipating. We went well above the call of duty and wrote him a $400 check even though we were lied to. We handed him the check and his friend said "I would insist on cash". The owner was insulted, as would anyone be. We asked them to leave when they started to get argumentative and they refused. I truly am sorry for the inconvenience that was caused but we do have rights, just like the consumer. He could have passed simply for the scuffed wheel or for any other reason. We have the same right. He simply tried to take advantage of us. We appreciate and enjoy Porsche buyers and rennlist members. If you review our "feedback" on ebay, you will see that we try very hard to take great care of our clients. Thank you all for your time and the "benefit of the doubt".

GTR 993

Thank You for taking the time to give your side of the story. It is helpful when making a decision on who to buy from and who not to buy from.

carsschmitt.com

Thank you everyone.

Randy M

I'd like to see some pics of that 'oxidized' paint.