You bought your pre-loved P-car through a reputable dealer, and included in the package was a pile of service receipts.

Name(s) and address(es) of the previous owner(s) are right there on the old receipts. Is it ok to contact the old owner to get some commentary on the car? If ok, what's the best method? (Look up the phone number?, Keep driving by the address until you see someone watering the lawn?)

If you were the previous owner, how would you react to the contact?
Along those lines, if you were ever been walking down and saw your "old" P-car parked, what would you do? (Wait for the owner to chat him up?, Keep walking and put the past behind?)

Obviously, the case here isn't so hypothetical. Interested in your comments...

(and Waz....how did you feel about getting that call that your "old" engine had blown?)

-jerry

 

The shoe is on the other foot with me. The guy I bought my Boxster from over 4 years ago calls or e-mails me every few months. And I keep asking him if he wants to buy back his Boxster, and he keeps asking me how is the car. He only had it for 30 days and did not want to sell it.

I would not mind if someone called me about a car I had sold, but everyone is different. Jeff

 

I would not mind hearing from the new owner of my 1999 C2. I would be curious to know what happened to it, where it is, and that the new owner cares about it as much as I did.

Anybody see this car??? It was traded to Suncoast Porsche in Sarasota.


I would take exception if the contact was to complain about a problem and they were looking to me for a solution (considering the car was traded to a dealer).

 

Don't be shy call them. ..

I called the last two owners of my 99 C2, looking for old keys. No luck on the keys. One of the owners was very nice and the other one still hadn't gotten over losing 20k plus on the car and got real nasty with me.

 

I have to say, some unknown person who bought your trade-in would be the last person you would want to hear from. Even though Porsches are a bit special, it would still take a lot of nerve to impose yourself on some prior owner like that. I think it would be stressfull for them as they would assume you are calling about some problem you have discovered and even if the first thing out of your mouth was that you weren't, they'd still probably be worried about you knowing who they are in case something came up in the future.

 

Queue psycho music....

 

Little bit like having the person who buys your house call you up later on. the real truth is you JUST DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT...............

That is WHY you trade a car into a dealer instead of selling it directly.....

But hey, everybody has their own opinion............

It is why most people hate their inlaws..........they are POs.......

 

I would say don't contact him.

One of the many reasons people might elect to use a dealer is to avoid this very issue.

 

i agree with lanceK and would NOT call him

Bob

 

It would be different if you baught it directly from them, but from a dealer? No, I would not contact them.

 

I would not hesitate to contact a previous owner, but *before* I bought rather than afterward. Although I almost always buy used cars from owners, I have twice contacted the previous owners of cars (not Porsches) at dealers that I was very interested in. In both cases the POs were very receptive and helpful. They seemed impressed that I was interested in talking to the POs, and one even mailed me the complete service records along with other materials (the dealer hadn't even asked for them). I'd think carefully about good opening lines, however, so as not to put them on the defensive. In short, my PO contact experiences have been very positive and helpful, and I bought both cars.

 

I would think that the dealer would not give out the previous owners info without the approval of the previous owner. With privacy laws the way they are. Therefore if the dealer gives the info then contact the previous owner.

 

The new owner of my past 996 happens to have been a distant friend...

I certainly have a lot of attachment towards the car.. I was always enquiring about it, but NOT thru the new owner! Funny but I was quite shy to ask him, always thought maybe smthg is wrong... Until it happened! I was blown away by the news of the broken engine and i even felt more embarassed.. Again, it's all about luck and I keep saying he got a good deal for it...

No regrets!

Wael