This is not designed for people to defend why they make certain decisions, rather I'd like to explain my reasoning and to see if there is anyone else who agrees. Since I bought my first Porsche 2 years ago, I have read more posts on pricing and MSRP and discounts than I ever thought possible. Regardless of what ANYONE says on this forum, I don't believe that people are honest in this arena. Similar to going to Vegas or getting a raise, 80% of people will err on the side that makes them look good - it's human nature and no one here will convince me otherwise. So save the "go ahead and call Bob from Back Woods Porsche and he will swear I got that deal" quotes.

My first 997S was on the lot because I was an amateur to this car and did not know what I wanted and I wasn't even ready to purchase but since it was there, my CPA brain said to buy. My second 997.2S was ordered exactly with what I wanted and took countless hours of rehashing all the options to ensure I got every option I wanted and none I didn't. I only saved a few grand off MSRP. Now granted, this was back in July of last year so, very very VERY few people were discounting the 997.2, especially in CA. I will probably never buy a Porsche on the lot again as the joy of having somehting this unique is important to me.

Now that we have finished my long winded introduction. My question is this. Since it appears that most people on this forum are true Car/Porsche guys, why do so so SO many of you choose to get something on the lot and save 10% 15% 50% (just as believable as some of the claims I've heard)? Does anyone else think like I do that the money saved to get many options you don't want (incidentally, if you calculated the thousands of dollars of options on that car at the dealer that you wouldn't have ordered, are you really saving that much - yes you get more on resale with all those options, I get it, but still you aren't saving that much more had you gotten a modest discount on an order and gotten less options) doesn't outweigh the fact that you get options that you DO want that will NEVER be on the car on the lot. For example, stitching.

I'm a CPA and money is very important to me, and I don't make all that much in relation to others I'm sure, yet this car elicits so much emotion that getting every detail to my content was worth the money.

I bet 70% of people disagree with me based on the posts I read that say "I just got 95% off MSRP but the color is a paint to sample Purple with cooling seats and I live in Alaska."

 

I bought my (lean spec) 997 off the lot because I wasn't sure I was going to like the 911 and I didn't want to waste a lot of money on options that I'd never recover if it turned out I wanted to turn the car around quickly.

Wait, what? . . . I want stitching? That's news to me. I guess fundamentally I'm not much of an options guy. As a (your words) "true Car/Porsche guy" the options aren't what draw me to any car and for the most part on-the-lot specs are usually pretty damn close to what I'd pick myself if I were ordering to spec.

I guess that's the big difference. All those goofy options that are "never" on a car on the lot aren't something I care about. You can keep your suspension bushings paint to sample, supple leather floormats, and deviated stitching trunk lining.

 

I'm with you about ordering the car. I picked up my C4S off the lot because it had 90% of the options I wanted, plus I wanted to give PDK a shot, try out the sport buckets, etc. My next car will definitely be a special-order GT3. Discounts are nice, but long-term happiness is more important. I was only concerned with this car on the money end to avoid going (more) upside-down since I knew it would be a "placeholder".

Now let's see some pics of your car!

 

Would have ordered a car to my tastes but have not yet encountered time when I wanted car and couldn't find one to my tastes in stock.

Bought my 02 Boxster off lot -- actually from underground parking garage at dealership in Merriam KS where car was parked along with a lot of other unsold new car stock -- and my new 08 Cayman S off lot April of these year.

Boxster I bought at $5000 under sticker and Cayman S was marked down $12K. Got over blue book trade-in allowance for GTO I traded in at time I bought Cayman S.

(4 months before buying Boxster bought new 01 Camaro Z28 off dealer's lot for around $5000 under sticker. This at time when GM had nearly 300 day supply of Z28s. Shortly after buying Boxster sold Z28 via consignment.)

(Shortly after buying Boxster bought new 02 VW Golf Tdi off of VW dealer lot -- across freeway from Porsche dealer where I bought Boxster) (at around $900 under sticker - paid $16.1K for car) and in '07 bought new '06 GTO off Pontiac dealer's lot, paying just under $27K for car stickered at $33K.)

All cars had just the options I wanted and the in the color I wanted at that time. The Boxster came in Lapis Blue and the Cayman S in speed/signal yellow. (VW Golf in some blue color similar to Lapis Blue -- was in a real blue phase back then -- and GTO came in torrid red with red hot leather interior. Hot! Z28 in some titanium metalflake color. Can't remember interior color now. Car came with super good sound system though. Wow! Not a big fan of listening to music or radio when driving but my CDs never sounded so good.)

Then more recently bought a nice used 03 Turbo and it came with everything I wanted. Color is arctic silver with black leather interior. Car offered at $62K and I paid $57.7K.

Besides getting what I wanted I believe I saved some money and was able to buy more car than I would have otherwise since I too am on a budget.

I've probably bought my last new Porsche -- the Cayman S -- but I'm going to buy one or two more used ones if I can swing it.

Sincerely,

Macster.

 

I custom ordered one of my most recent Porsches for many of the same reasons stated by Mass27. And received a good discount (at the time) off MSRP.

There is the "slippery slope" issue when looking at the order guide. Lots of stuff you can select- like a kid in a candy shop! So you have to be careful and keep your budget in mind.

One additional PLUS of a custom order, is that the car was never test driven by other buyers.

 

I have always ordered a car to my specs before this one but a 15k discount and 1.9% financing and a fair price for my 02 Box was enough to make a small compromise. I wanted yellow and most of the options on my new car, I didn't get the dynamic cornering lights, and carrera sport wheels that I wanted but did get nav that I didnt want. I was going to order a new '10 non S but wasn't confident the sweet financing would be available and with the discount got the extra HP. for the same price as an "10 I am thrilled with the outcome. Especially if they can get the car fixed! hahaha

 

I don't think about recouping anything on a Porsche. I think about the enjoyment of equipping it the way I want it to be built. When I have posted any pricing information herein I have given the real numbers,--and haven't fudged on them.

I hope that more Porsche owners (or prospective owners) will forget about the resale value of these cars and order them for themselves. Most Americans are impatient, as as such, will buy a car off the lot that is close enough to their requirements. Europeans are patient as a rule, and have routinely ordered (and waited) for the car set up to their exact specifications. As you probably know, every Porsche produced is built to a specification dictated by the buyer. In America, the buyer is the guy at the dealership who orders these cars to a saleable spec. No matter what, to Porsche AG, that car is sold. When a dealership orders a particular collection of specs, they are always taking a risk that the stuff they have spec-ed may be less than desirable. Their objective it to maximize profits, and provide their purchasers a variety of cars and colors that will move quickly through their doors. That is all they do. A few dealerships take higher risks with unique Paint To Sample cars, but they cater to customers who know that they can get those cars from them. Is it risky? Perhaps, and perhaps not. With this climate of tighter cash, dealers are no longer fighting to get every 911 they can get their hands on like they were doing 3-4 years ago. Allocations are carefully calculated based upon the past sales numbers as well as the satisfaction of the customers at that dealership.

 

I was going to order a 2010 GT3 and also thought I would do Euro delivery (which they have now suspended) and was even thinking about doing paint to sample, one of the coolest options available. But I finally decided to go for a TT. I wanted black, my dealer had one black and one basalt. Black one did not have adaptive seats (which were a "must have") but the basalt one did, along with short shifter, thicker leather steering wheel, PCCB's, and the only two options I may have wanted that it didn't have were very easy things to add later at no additional cost (versus ordering). I think it only had one option I would not have ordered (CD changer). Bottom line, I got virtually everything I wanted (I am glad I went with basalt instead of pure black), I got a great deal on an inventory car, and I got instant gratification.

But ... I still hope to order something with paint to sample that is very special to me sometime in the future (and I would still like to do a Euro delivery just once).

BTW, I did order my wife's new 09 Cayenne S to my specs, and it is unlikely I ever would have found some of her special requests on the lot.

 

I love Porsches and have had more than a few over the years. Driving my car gives me enormous enjoyment even in this area's clogged roads. But, it is still just a car and I am not an obsessed owner. It's my DD and I don't worry about rain, snow, etc. So, I buy my P cars used, usually 2 years old or older because I do not want to eat the heavy depreciation of those years. Thus, I look for and buy a car that has all of the critical options I want-necessarily, there are always some options that I would like to have that won't be on the car. I can easily live with that, just like i can live with some swirl marks. That said, i don't think less of those who are far more attentive to their cars. We are all different in large and small ways.

 

I got my C2S off the lot and had a positive experience in terms of an actual 10% discount off a car that has met my every need over the past three years.

If you are buying new, you will always get a better deal if you buy from a dealer's inventory...this is just a fact of life. To those who want to spec out their car to the nth degree--more power to you. To those looking to get the most new car for the least amount of money, a little flexibility combined with an agressive search of dealer inventories around the country will result in a better deal.

 

I got my first 911 C4 cab off the lot -- since I went with the intention of driving home a boxster, the 911 was an impulse purchase and I never regretted a thing.

I ordered my current C4S cab and got everything I wanted -- which is a great way to go -- I highly recommend it.

But now that I am ready to dive in again, (was going to order a turbo cab), I may p/u a "leftover" because the deals are just too good to ignore. I may have to give up on an option or two (certain options are "must-haves") and get some I wouldn't have ordered . But I suspect, as I take it out for a spin, I'll likely forget all about that missing accessory.

And in about 3 years, when prices aren't so inviting and I want a new car, I will order again - with european delivery!!

 

I ordered my last two Porsches to my specifications. Part of the enjoyment for me of ownership is having things my way and the ordering/optioning process is also something that makes my Porsche special. I don't pay for add ons, but I typically only get a token $2-3K discount for "loyalty". The depreciation loss is a fact of life and is part of the cost of ownership. The fact that my car may not appeal to the next guy is not a factor in my buying decision. I didn't buy the car for the next guy. Other people may consider the cost of the options outrageous, and they certainly add nothing to resale. As a mature adult I recognize this and accept it as part of ownership. However, I've worked a long time to have the financial ability to do this. I have nothing negative to say about others to simply buy whatever is on the lot for the lowest possible price. Whether they tell the truth on an internet forum has no effect on my decisions. For me ,forums like this are useful to find out about what's coming down the pipeline, what's available, what works, what doesn't.

 

I'm on my 6th Porsche, all 911s with the exception of one CaymanS. I got my 1st 2 off the lot and order the rest. I always felt with the cars I got of the lot that I was missing something and it bugged me to the point where I traded the car early.

I'm not mainstream when it comes to Porsche options but some options absolutely bugs me and some are must haves. Even with a bigger discount that the dealer were offering me to take a car from the lot, I would still be paying more for a car I like less.

When ordering a car you also get a fresh car. The battery, oil, fluids, mechanicals... haven't been sitting on the lot since manufacture date. Some fluids are time based, i.e. brake fluid. oil. Maintenance intervals are miles driven or time, whichever comes first. In another thread, the poster stated that his maintenance reminder came on days after he got his car. It's really due for service, in his case, just an oil change.

If I did find a car on the lot with the options I wanted and didn't have to pay for the options I didn’t want and not have options I don't want I would take it.

 

My experience has been that when ordering the car, options are a big deal. After he get it, those "gotta have" extras don't mean as much. When I ordered my DD (C4S) I ticked off several boxes, mostly for eventual resale value. I got hosed on Blue tooth and the iPOD interface which are free on a Honda! ( I don't have an iPOD and could care less but the next owner probably does). In the end, it's about the driving and dynamic cornering lights, full leather and carbon fiber goodies really don't have anything to do with the
pleasure we derive. So, if a car on the lot suits you in spite of not having those "personalizations" go for it

 

I've purchased both off the lot and new. The discounts I received were fair but there has always been someone who has gotten more off than I, but it's never mattered. All that really matters to me is that I get a car that I enjoy and enjoy the features. If I get a feature I don't really car about so be it. When it's time to sell, I just try to get the best price possible.