crw

I had emailed RS re: one his cars listed.

Q: Are your cars sold on consignment?
A: No, I own them all

Q: Do you allow a PPI?
A: Yes, I insist on it and correct anything that is identified at my cost?

It was actually an intersting conversation and a bit helpful.

He mentioned that this is just a side business for him and he was in the "tech industry."

He offered to run a free Car Fax on any car I was looking at (even if not sold by him).

He offered me tips about buying from others:

- SAI issues (which I knew about)
- Encouraged me to have paint checked with paint meter
- Leakdown and compression tests
- Airbag issues
_ How to check if codes had been cleared (such as check engine light)

Said that any car he sells will have new tires and a full inspection and correction of any problems.

There is a bevy of information about him on previous posts - some postive and some negative.

Comments?

TheBen

I bought my C4S from Richard over 2 years ago. Unless something has changed recently, he does not own them all. Mine was a consignment for instance. It is true - the Porsche business is a bit of a side business/hobby for him. I think he was in copier technology or optical recognition if I remember correctly.

He did insist on a PPI and he did correct whatever was found at fault on it. That being said he recommended the shop and they missed one or two things. When the car arrived in california it did not pass the smog test and Richard paid to have the work performed that enabled it to pass. He did replace the tires with new ones (Michelin PS2's) too.

All in all a good experience...but others experiences may vary.

rol607

I spoke to him about a 993 a few years back. Sent me pictures that were horribly grainy and the car had leaves inside the driver's footwell area. Not impressed at all. He did claim that car was a consignment car in the end to me. I also heard the "former IBM'er" story too.

Marshy

As a general rule of thumb the seller should not choose the garage the buyer is using to get an objective assessment (PPI) of the car being sold.

As a litmus test, just mention to Richard that you want the car of your choice inspected at a reputable garage in the area like Dan Jacobs (aka Hairy Dog Grrrage). I did. All of a sudden Richard changed his mind about the ppi.

IMHO Sloan lives up to the stereotype that precedes many used car salesmen. Caveat emptor.

Geoff

77'3.6vram

He must have gotten wind of his rep. and is trying to make adjustments.I can tell you that three years ago he sold a car to a close friend of mine.He shipped it out to long island ,NY.He claimed to own the car.It took six weeks for the tilde to be sent.The tilde was from MA and it did not have his or his business name on it.I have personally been to his showrooms.There were a few nice low milage cars but the majority had stories to tell.I only live an hour and fifteen minutes drive from his showrooms.I would only do a face to face transaction with him.I have never been able to see his privet collection.I do not know if it exists.I believe selling used cars is his only source of regular income.He name drops all of the time and claims his wife and Ruff's wife are best friends.Make of it what you will.

deadhead1960

I've never purchased a car from Sloan although I've visited his warehouse 2x. He has been a valuable source of information and promptly answered the most arcane of questions via email. When I needed some OEM fabric for a sunroof replacement, he kindly gave me his contact at the supplier in CA (I forget name but something like GAAC) and to use his name for a discount, which I did. He is a character for sure. I would much rather have people like Richard selling P-cars at a premium than others simply dumping cars in the market. He's been in business long enough; he must be doing something right.

911Dave

I can't imagine why anyone would buy a car from him. A premium for a pristine, low miles car is one thing, but his advertised prices are beyond ludicrous.

IXLR8

I guess he uses a sawed off broom handle to hold the engine lids (and front hoods) up when (if) he does a PPI on his cars.

Cactus

Every issue of Excellence comes and I have to see the two page wishlist. I want this sooooo bad......

http://sloancars.com/752/1972-rsr-li...e-tribute-car/

vjd3

I wouldn't use the fact that the title is not in his name to determine if he actually owns the car ... dealers don't re-register cars in their own names when they buy them, they just sign the previous title over to you.

I met Richard a couple times a few years ago when he was interested in a summer yellow 1988 Targa I had up for sale, didn't wind up doing business with him, but I enjoyed the experience. He's a very nice guy in person.

rcg412

Agree. Very nice guy in person. His car collection is something to behold... His prices are high though... But negotiable.

993Brendan

I hear you Cactus- one of my favorite bathroom activities is to find Sloan's add and pick my top 3 cars (6 if its the two page ad). That RSRish car makes the list every time!

No personal experience with Richard other than being aware that many have negative impressions of him based on posts here.

vjd3

I think with almost any car dealer, you can find negative impressions ... people go into the car business to make a living, not necessarily to make friends. Although, you can do both. There are certainly dealers who elicit multiple warnings every time someone new comes along and asks about one of their cars -- there's one in St. Louis and one in Houston that come to mind -- and then there the guys who have desirable cars and price them high -- Sloan, Willhoit, Holt, TruSpeed, etc.

People give Mike Willhoit in Springfield a jaundiced eye because they see him swoop in and buy a low miles car on eBay and then it shows up on his site for a lot more money. I bought a 930 from Mike a few years ago, and while he definitely plays hardball, it was a good car and he did right by me on the deal.

Ray Joseph at RPM in Houston has incredible examples that sell for incredible prices, but every review I've read about dealing with him has been positive.

When you're in the car business, you make your money when you buy the car, not when you sell it later. I think there's a certain amount of wariness when you're looking at a car at a dealership, particularly an independent dealership, and that's a good thing. I don't think Richard masquerades as a private owner or as something other than what he is ... a dealer who brokers and specializes in Porsches. Caveat emptor applies, just as it does down at the local Porsche franchise.

Luus

Richard is like any other used car salesman--he buys cheap and sells high. Most of his cars are on consignment but he also buys outright. He has tried to buy mine several times.

He knows most of the techs/dealers in the area so do your due diligence when looking for someone to do the PPI

IXLR8

Lets not deviate from the original post which states "Said that any car he sells will have new tires and a full inspection and correction of any problems."

So, how did something as simple and cheap to replace as 4 hood/engine lid shocks get missed. Did they all fail on the drive off the lot?