Dealer Wrecked my 996
 

I brought my '03 996 cab to the dealer for minor warranty work. On a road test, the tech got into an accident in my car. The impact was to the front right portion of the car. Headlamp assembly, hood,bumper, fender, door, radiators, wheel well plastics, wires, hoses, etc. It looks like at least $10,000 in repairs. My car has approx. 16,000 miles and was perfect in all ways before the wreck. What should I do???? I would think that it's not too much for me to ask them to buy my car for at least the market value just before the wreck. What do you think?

Damn, that sucks :(

Good Luck.

Tell 'em to give you a 997. :D Seriously, I would make their insurance carrier cough up the full *retail* value of the car and buy a new car. That is a LOT of damage and while it may be fixable it will never be like it was before the wreck. If they balk, get your insurance carrier and an attorney involved.

+1

:crying:

Absolutely sucks. What has the dealer offered you to make things right? If it's just repairing the damage, I would outright reject that offer. Don't take the car back from the dealership under any circumstances. It's their problem, and they should buy your car at fair value before the wreck. Any correspondence on this should go to the owner/GM of the dealership, Porsche NA, and your attorney. Good luck - sorry this happened.

Phil

It will most likely be repaired and not totaled - which means, sorry, but they don't have to "buy" your car from you.

Make sure this is reported to their insurance carrier and have them use the right parts, etc. DO NOT let them take it do their (dealer or ins co) body shop/their own shop - ask around for a recommendation of a GREAT body shop in your area. Unless there is a dispute over liability with the dealer/or the other car involved (who was at fault for the accident??) an attorney should be your last resort.

Truly sorry to hear this. I certainly hope the dealer will make things right for you.

wrecked 996
 

The dealer offered obviously to fix it at their repair shop down the street. I, of course refused that, although I did request an estimate from them, just to have it on record. I plan to tow it out of the dealer to my buddy's body shop. Get a complete estimate, and then prepare to fight them to buy my car! By the way, the tech driving my car was ticketed for the accident.

Even if it's repaired completely, you'll have to disclose it when you try to sell it, and accident-repaired Porsches have a diminished value. Why do dealers go around the car with a mil gage to check the paint thickness when evaluating a Porsche? I would be adamant that they buy out your vehicle based on the pre-accident value, but even if they agree to do that, there's where you may have a dispute with them on the proper value. If you put enough pressure on them, they will accede to your demand to avoid negative publicity about the incident.

A few years back, a neighbor had his new C5 damaged by the dealer while in for maintenance, and they bought him a another one to replace it.

Legally, the dealer does not have to do anything except fix the car.....you can ask them to compensate you for diminished value, if you can prove that....its tough....if your can can be fixed, get it done and be done with it....have the dealer throw in a CPO warranty or something....while you car is being repaired, get them to give you a PORSCHE....not some junky rental, trust me, the GM will give you his car for a month...happened to me when the dealer hit something in my Rover...mine was a minor dent, nothing major....good luck....and keep us informed.

sell the car as is, establish the value of the car prior to accident, ask the dealer to cover the difference. this way, dim value and repair cost are all covered by dealer.

Very sorry to hear what happened. i would expect them to buy the car back at open market value. That is very reasonable and does not take into account the hassle, loss of your pride and joy etc...

Best of luck with it.

Id ask them to either give you the depreciation on it now.. or even swap another car. Or.. get them to give you a deal on a turbo :)

I agree that legally all the Dealer has to do is to repair the car. An outstanding Dealer would however take the next step and make an offer which isn't required by law, and that is to buy the car for at least KBB excellent value, private party.

I don't what everyone means by "legally." Unless there's a specific law on the books in that state explaining what a dealer has to pay for in this situation, you've got a standard tort claim.

The dealer's obligation is to make you whole - right back the way you were before he wrecked your car. In our legal system, this is measured in dollars. Whatever the car was worth before, it needs to be worth when he's done. That means fixing it and compensating you for the diminished value.

Unfortunately, diminished value claims can be complicated, and you will probably need the help of a lawyer, unless your dealer is a rare bird indeed.

Check out my fellow lawyer/car blogger Automuse. I think diminished value is her field.

CP