Back to Porsche- My Daily Driver 997.2 Cab
06-09-2011, 12:20 AM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 191
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Back to Porsche- My Daily Driver 997.2 Cab
With both kids, now 2 and 4, out of rear facing car seats and daily begging to "take the race car" just about everywhere we went, it didn't take much internal debate before I decided to sell my 2000 996 Cab and 07 BMW 550 and consolidate to a new 911 as my daily driver. Originally, I planned on waiting for the 991 release and picking up a base coupe. Of course it didn't take long before I headed into the local dealership to "research" my upcoming purchase to plan my deposit/order. Fast forward 5 minutes and I was test driving a PDK coupe, followed shortly after by formal negotiations on a manual Black Edition coupe. How ANY dealer lets someone leave the showroom that is willing to sign a contract is beyond me, but they were looking to head home for the night (6pm on a Saturday, close was at 5) and I left a little frustrated that it was back in my BMW.
I would decide later that night to do a little more research before just buying something that I originally planned for about 12-months later which led me to pass on the Black Edition 6-speed coupe and seek out a PDK coupe. Enter stage 2 of mass confusion- why not a CPO'd Turbo? The next few weeks I researched like crazy and found a handful of 997 PDK coupes and manual '07 Turbo's, finally heading out a few weeks back to go drive (and I thought, buy) a Cobalt '07 Turbo at a remotely-local dealer. Tested the car in a small town and, while I LOVED the unreal amount of sheer speed the car had at any moment, I just didn't LOVE the car. For me, I couldn't keep it in the right area of the power band regularly on in-town drives and it really just didn't feel as great as I expected. I still made an offer, but really lowballed them. Hindsight 20-20, I'm VERY happy they didn't get to my number. It was also classic seeing the sales guy, sales manager, and dealership manager standing together in the parking lot with dumbfounded looks as I drove off- I'm certain they thought the car was sold. It took about 20 minutes of the 90-mile drive home before the epiphany came- the only car that I had driven over the last month that really made me excited every minute behind the wheel was the PDK that originally whetted my appetite for an immediate purchase. I hit the car locater on Porsche.com immediately after getting home, knowing exactly what I (thought I) wanted.
Found a newly listed '09 PDK coupe in Atlanta with a lot of the options that I wanted and in one of the two colors that I wanted- Aqua. I spoke with the dealer that afternoon and made an informal offer, they countered that night about 5 minutes before closing by phone- not what I wanted, but really close. Told me they'd check in the morning to see what I wanted to do. What's with these guys not closing a deal EOD??? I slept on it, woke up certain I was going to buy, and started planning the next couple of days out on how I'd rearrange the schedule to get down there for pick-up. Then, I put my kids in the "race car" and went off to school. Looking back, it was almost silly that morning- perfect weather, sun shining early, TONS of looks from morning commuters at the kids in the back, smiling and waving. I took the opportunity at a stop light to tell the kids that daddy was buying a new Porsche that morning and that this was probably their last ride in the convertible. Immediate tears. LOTS of tears. I was a little surprised, but they'd get over it. I dropped them off then sped off heading home. I kept thinking about them being so sad and how nice of a day it was. Man, I was really going to miss those times. That's when it hit me... It wasn't just the 911 that was so much fun to drive every day, it was the open top 80% of the year with it. I had a hard top to put on for a 'coupe-like' experience when needed, but it was so d@mn good to be able to drive around with the top down in such a great car. Settled it right then and there- I couldn't give up having a cab. Texted the wife (at a stoplight) and told her I wasn't buying the Aqua coupe I left the house intent on bringing home. She's mildly used to my borderline OCD lunacy when it comes to cars, but I thought she was going to hit the roof. Slightly frustrated, but still supportive- like always, told me to get what I want.
Took me another week or so of scouring every possible outlet you can think of for cars. Spoke with at least 20 dealers, visited the car locater on Porsche.com in Guinness-book fashion daily, monitored Cars.com and Autotrader.com hourly. All but gave up on an immediate purchase because I couldn't find an '09 or '10 CPO'd cab spec'd how I wanted within reason of what I thought was a fair price. I resigned to a long-term search that could last the summer or longer. Then, randomly on a Tuesday morning a few weeks later, a listing actually hit the Porsche.com car finder that met my requirements. Went to the dealer's site and called the wife after seeing the first picture- it was literally the EXACT combo I would have ordered myself. After a lot of gyrations to inspect a car 1500 miles away and quite a bit of favors called in, the official papers were signed yesterday and title was put into my name today. Having the car shipped home enclosed carrier. Without further ado, the first forum pics of my new 2009 Meteor over Black/Terracotta C2 PDK Cab...
Car is very well equipped, certified almost through 2015 with 14k on the clock currently. 1 previous owner, PCA member that traded for a GTS (or so I was told). Babied the car and it shows. Clear bra, no scratches, pit, or touch-ups. 19" Sport Design wheels, Nav, Bluetooth, Heated and Ventilated seats, Dimming mirrors, cornering headlights, comfort seats, universal audio, factory carbon fiber package, full leather, etc. No Sat radio was the ONLY downfall and I can live without it if I can't add with Nav TV. I was actually looking for a non SC car because I want to add the software without having the dash wart. No offense to those that love it but, for me, just doesn't do it. I've already ordered the software and switches, have an appt with my local dealer to install the day the car arrives. Car comes with black mats and the all-weather mats with the tire tread pattern- both things I had intended on buying already. Immediate plans for the car are V1 hardwire, SmartTop, BumperPlugs to cover those front plate holes, Black-chrome AWE quad tips, Sharkwerks bypass tubes. All but the exhaust will be on the car within 2-hours of being in my driveway. Many more pics will follow. So now the wait for my transport to arrive begins. I feel like a kid again in anticipation.
Thanks for reading my excessive tale. Looking forward to being back in the Porschephile mode everyday. Truly appreciate all of the great posters and info on this board- it's a major help.
I would decide later that night to do a little more research before just buying something that I originally planned for about 12-months later which led me to pass on the Black Edition 6-speed coupe and seek out a PDK coupe. Enter stage 2 of mass confusion- why not a CPO'd Turbo? The next few weeks I researched like crazy and found a handful of 997 PDK coupes and manual '07 Turbo's, finally heading out a few weeks back to go drive (and I thought, buy) a Cobalt '07 Turbo at a remotely-local dealer. Tested the car in a small town and, while I LOVED the unreal amount of sheer speed the car had at any moment, I just didn't LOVE the car. For me, I couldn't keep it in the right area of the power band regularly on in-town drives and it really just didn't feel as great as I expected. I still made an offer, but really lowballed them. Hindsight 20-20, I'm VERY happy they didn't get to my number. It was also classic seeing the sales guy, sales manager, and dealership manager standing together in the parking lot with dumbfounded looks as I drove off- I'm certain they thought the car was sold. It took about 20 minutes of the 90-mile drive home before the epiphany came- the only car that I had driven over the last month that really made me excited every minute behind the wheel was the PDK that originally whetted my appetite for an immediate purchase. I hit the car locater on Porsche.com immediately after getting home, knowing exactly what I (thought I) wanted.
Found a newly listed '09 PDK coupe in Atlanta with a lot of the options that I wanted and in one of the two colors that I wanted- Aqua. I spoke with the dealer that afternoon and made an informal offer, they countered that night about 5 minutes before closing by phone- not what I wanted, but really close. Told me they'd check in the morning to see what I wanted to do. What's with these guys not closing a deal EOD??? I slept on it, woke up certain I was going to buy, and started planning the next couple of days out on how I'd rearrange the schedule to get down there for pick-up. Then, I put my kids in the "race car" and went off to school. Looking back, it was almost silly that morning- perfect weather, sun shining early, TONS of looks from morning commuters at the kids in the back, smiling and waving. I took the opportunity at a stop light to tell the kids that daddy was buying a new Porsche that morning and that this was probably their last ride in the convertible. Immediate tears. LOTS of tears. I was a little surprised, but they'd get over it. I dropped them off then sped off heading home. I kept thinking about them being so sad and how nice of a day it was. Man, I was really going to miss those times. That's when it hit me... It wasn't just the 911 that was so much fun to drive every day, it was the open top 80% of the year with it. I had a hard top to put on for a 'coupe-like' experience when needed, but it was so d@mn good to be able to drive around with the top down in such a great car. Settled it right then and there- I couldn't give up having a cab. Texted the wife (at a stoplight) and told her I wasn't buying the Aqua coupe I left the house intent on bringing home. She's mildly used to my borderline OCD lunacy when it comes to cars, but I thought she was going to hit the roof. Slightly frustrated, but still supportive- like always, told me to get what I want.
Took me another week or so of scouring every possible outlet you can think of for cars. Spoke with at least 20 dealers, visited the car locater on Porsche.com in Guinness-book fashion daily, monitored Cars.com and Autotrader.com hourly. All but gave up on an immediate purchase because I couldn't find an '09 or '10 CPO'd cab spec'd how I wanted within reason of what I thought was a fair price. I resigned to a long-term search that could last the summer or longer. Then, randomly on a Tuesday morning a few weeks later, a listing actually hit the Porsche.com car finder that met my requirements. Went to the dealer's site and called the wife after seeing the first picture- it was literally the EXACT combo I would have ordered myself. After a lot of gyrations to inspect a car 1500 miles away and quite a bit of favors called in, the official papers were signed yesterday and title was put into my name today. Having the car shipped home enclosed carrier. Without further ado, the first forum pics of my new 2009 Meteor over Black/Terracotta C2 PDK Cab...
Car is very well equipped, certified almost through 2015 with 14k on the clock currently. 1 previous owner, PCA member that traded for a GTS (or so I was told). Babied the car and it shows. Clear bra, no scratches, pit, or touch-ups. 19" Sport Design wheels, Nav, Bluetooth, Heated and Ventilated seats, Dimming mirrors, cornering headlights, comfort seats, universal audio, factory carbon fiber package, full leather, etc. No Sat radio was the ONLY downfall and I can live without it if I can't add with Nav TV. I was actually looking for a non SC car because I want to add the software without having the dash wart. No offense to those that love it but, for me, just doesn't do it. I've already ordered the software and switches, have an appt with my local dealer to install the day the car arrives. Car comes with black mats and the all-weather mats with the tire tread pattern- both things I had intended on buying already. Immediate plans for the car are V1 hardwire, SmartTop, BumperPlugs to cover those front plate holes, Black-chrome AWE quad tips, Sharkwerks bypass tubes. All but the exhaust will be on the car within 2-hours of being in my driveway. Many more pics will follow. So now the wait for my transport to arrive begins. I feel like a kid again in anticipation.
Thanks for reading my excessive tale. Looking forward to being back in the Porschephile mode everyday. Truly appreciate all of the great posters and info on this board- it's a major help.
Last edited by UNC Nick; 06-09-2011 at 12:34 AM. Reason: Paragraphs :)
06-09-2011, 12:45 AM
#3
Rennlist Member
Great post, and great choice! Congrats on the new Porsche. My wife suffers with my Porsche addiction almost daily, and the last acquisition took over 2 years of debating turbo/cab/coupe/CUP!
Enjoy the car - it looks awesome. Love that color combo!
-B
Enjoy the car - it looks awesome. Love that color combo!
-B
06-09-2011, 10:28 AM
#6
Banned
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Pa
Posts: 149
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"How ANY dealer lets someone leave the showroom that is willing to sign a contract is beyond me, but they were looking to head home for the night (6pm on a Saturday, close was at 5)"
I'm supprised on how many people think dealership employees have nothing to do other than work. They closed at 5 on a Saturday. Wanting to go home and enjoy the weekend with their families makes them bad guys?
Enjoy your new car....
I'm supprised on how many people think dealership employees have nothing to do other than work. They closed at 5 on a Saturday. Wanting to go home and enjoy the weekend with their families makes them bad guys?
Enjoy your new car....
06-09-2011, 10:41 AM
#7
Instructor
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 191
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Appreciate the comments guys.
DLennox- no one suggested a dealership employee was a bad guy and I absolutely agree with desires to get home for whatever that person may be doing that night. However, this individual's job is SALES. If I, and likely many others here, were in that situation, closing time would have nothing to do with closing a deal and making money. In this particular case, I was in the showroom with my wife and 2 kids with MY 2 car seats already installed into a car. There was no question of my intent either with actions or the words that I was using. Instead of taking action, passivity took over and it cost this dealer a new car sale. Even weeks later when I called back to specifically request they find me a car meeting my specs, no real action. I don't fault them, but certainly wouldn't have this "technique" in my organization. To each his own; my assumption is that sales people are/should be motivated to close a deal and sell product. Hindsight 20-20, I'm glad it happened and I'm happier now than I probably would have been with the '12 car. Purpose of this post wasn't to start a discussion on what's right, wrong, or indifferent in dealer behaviors and motivations, it was to share pics of my new car.
DLennox- no one suggested a dealership employee was a bad guy and I absolutely agree with desires to get home for whatever that person may be doing that night. However, this individual's job is SALES. If I, and likely many others here, were in that situation, closing time would have nothing to do with closing a deal and making money. In this particular case, I was in the showroom with my wife and 2 kids with MY 2 car seats already installed into a car. There was no question of my intent either with actions or the words that I was using. Instead of taking action, passivity took over and it cost this dealer a new car sale. Even weeks later when I called back to specifically request they find me a car meeting my specs, no real action. I don't fault them, but certainly wouldn't have this "technique" in my organization. To each his own; my assumption is that sales people are/should be motivated to close a deal and sell product. Hindsight 20-20, I'm glad it happened and I'm happier now than I probably would have been with the '12 car. Purpose of this post wasn't to start a discussion on what's right, wrong, or indifferent in dealer behaviors and motivations, it was to share pics of my new car.
Trending Topics
06-09-2011, 11:08 AM
#10
Rennlist Member
Re dealership sales personnel - this is the classic basically lazy sales people that assigned their poor level of sales to "the economy" and other outside factors. OMG! They had a buyer in the show room! Don't get me started... Great post and thanks for your story. We all have one and it's great to hear. Enjoy your car. You have me very interested in a cab but my son would be very bummed out should I even consider selling my coupe! Kids these days... Enjoy!
06-09-2011, 11:10 AM
#11
Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by DLennox
I'm supprised on how many people think dealership employees have nothing to do other than work. They closed at 5 on a Saturday. Wanting to go home and enjoy the weekend with their families makes them bad guys?
06-09-2011, 11:16 AM
#13
Banned
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Pa
Posts: 149
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I didn't mean to take this thread off track and I will bow out from here. I just thought it was a big deal because it was mentioned in the first paragraph of the post.
It's just that in my experience, if a salesperson lets a customer leave, especially after closing time, a deal was not close at hand. I have never seen a salesperson prefer to go home to closing a deal if there is a deal to be made.
In the end, you got a vehicle you prefer and are happy with it, so that is all that matters right?
It's just that in my experience, if a salesperson lets a customer leave, especially after closing time, a deal was not close at hand. I have never seen a salesperson prefer to go home to closing a deal if there is a deal to be made.
In the end, you got a vehicle you prefer and are happy with it, so that is all that matters right?
06-09-2011, 11:27 AM
#14
Rennlist Member
Fair point DLennox. I had actually read the original post when it was one giant paragraph! Nick went back in and made the paragraph edits...
Not to cotninue to venture off topic - but I have always considered car sales personnel to be a bit different than other sales people. They tend to be less relationship oriented (naturally) but spend little effort investing in trust or a connection with the ubuyer which no doubt would help close more deals... My most memorable story was flying home to my childhood dealership flush with cash from an IPO in my early 20s to order a 911 Cab. I went to the dealership with a high school friend, and we sat in a nice Cab on the floor - no doubt looking like teenagers in shorts, flip flops and baseball caps... I was shifitng through the gears relishing that I could finally buy a NEW one... The sales manager walks up to us as I am enjoying the moment, and says, "Son, that is not a toy. Please get out of the car."
Of course I got out of the car, left the dealership, and never went back. It didn't shake my views of the brand, but did not endear me to car sales guys...
Nick - beautiful car. Enjoy it!
Cheers...
-Blake
Not to cotninue to venture off topic - but I have always considered car sales personnel to be a bit different than other sales people. They tend to be less relationship oriented (naturally) but spend little effort investing in trust or a connection with the ubuyer which no doubt would help close more deals... My most memorable story was flying home to my childhood dealership flush with cash from an IPO in my early 20s to order a 911 Cab. I went to the dealership with a high school friend, and we sat in a nice Cab on the floor - no doubt looking like teenagers in shorts, flip flops and baseball caps... I was shifitng through the gears relishing that I could finally buy a NEW one... The sales manager walks up to us as I am enjoying the moment, and says, "Son, that is not a toy. Please get out of the car."
Of course I got out of the car, left the dealership, and never went back. It didn't shake my views of the brand, but did not endear me to car sales guys...
Nick - beautiful car. Enjoy it!
Cheers...
-Blake
06-09-2011, 01:29 PM
#15
Rennlist Member
How about some paragraphs...my head is spinning trying to read all that
Great looking color combination.