hakaida702

I've inquired about a few cars that I have interest in and all will only drop their asking price by $1,500 to $2,000 max and refuse to budge further. All of these cars are in the 85 to 95k price range. I've told all thanks, but no thanks. I wasn't looking for 10k off, but I thought 5k would be possible. I guess either sales are going well for these dealers where they aren't willing to work with me further or I'm not good at dealing with them. If they are going to basically tell me to pound sand on further price reductions, I'm going to tell them to pound sand on their offer. I can wait 6 months to a year if I have to and by then a GTS might be in my price range.

Any tips?

Mike in CA

If you're willing to walk away from a deal, and they don't stop you from going out the door, then they're obviously serious about the asking price. I don't know what else you can do for leverage.

5-6% off on a $90-100K car should be very doable; I did a little better than that on my new special order '09 Carrera S. Maybe the market in Vegas is particularly firm right now. I don't think it's you.....

hakaida702

It's not the local Las Vegas dealer here. I've been talking to a dealer in Dallas and another in LA. It could be that their markets are more recession proof? I'm not sure if I should visit my dealer here as they currently don't have anything that I'm looking for or should I just go in and tell them what I'm looking for and they would contact me if something similar comes their way? Plus they like to put front license plates on most of their new and used cars. And I know you can buy a plug, but I would prefer to have a virgin front bumper if possible.

Opo

It all depends on the dealer, when I bought my 2009 TT I went to my local P car dealer where I had already purchase other P cars in the past, they offer $1500 discount from msrp, so I walked away, took a 2hr drive to Austin tx the following week and got a $14k discount from msrp for the same car, so i think it boils down to the dealer...

E320UK

Are you looking at new or used? A pre-owned GTS is just another 997 that will shift eventually. A new GTS will be taking up space that a 991 could be occupying and Dealers will be much more willing to cut a deal, both on discounts and financing. I suggest you look for a new one and you'll be surprised what you can negotiate.

hakaida702

I'm looking at used. I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask what they are asking for on new cars. If its not that much more I guess it might be worth it.

solomonschris

When negotiating it is important that you clearly indicate that you are ready to buy, checkbook in hand so to speak, at your price. The old saying "a bird in hand" is quite true here. As an aside, my salesman told me that since so many fewer cars were sold in 09' & 10' there is a shortage of newer used cars. This has caused the prices for these cars to be higher than would normally be the case. The fact that the new 991 is a bump up in price over the 997 further supports the prices of these P cars.

USMC_DS1

I recall negotiating with a dozen dealerships all over the country before finding one with the right car and the willingness to negotiate in SoCal. I find it's about building a personal affinity/rapport with the sales rep to be one of the keys. My sales rep fought on my behalf to close the sale with her management and saved me enough to buy an X51 kit retail. She also fought to honor the price they posted on their website which was -$10K off what they intended. In comparison, my local p-dealer was worthless. Timing and luck can work in your favor as well... my car had been sitting on their lot for 4 months and the economy was still pretty soft early last year when I purchased... so cash talked. Different p-dealers and their SRs will have certain pressure points affecting them at any given time. It's a game of olds... the more times you roll the die the more likely you'll find the right deal for you.

fast1

In my area it's a time of year issue. Dealers offer significant discounts in January / February, but very little beginning in May through the summer months. If you can wait until January I think that you will find Dealers in a more negotiating mood. Dealers typically sell most of their cars in late spring / early summer. Not too many people are buying Porsches when temperatures are in the 20s and there's a few inches of snow on the ground.

Palmbeacher

That's not the case here in South Florida, and why there are so many Porsches on the road year-round. And, why the absence of any countable 991s is quite telling.

At Porsche dealerships here in S. Florida, 997s are in very high demand and very short supply as a result of dismally poor sales of the 991 (something the dealer staff readily admit, not that they can deny it what with a row of un-sold 991s sitting for months now), and most of those sales (again, here in S. Florida) have either been to first-time Porsche buyers or to customers from Central and South America, hence, practically no 997 trade-ins. The few 997s the dealerships manage to get are lease-ends or those bought at auction from other states. As a result, prices are high and discounts are token at best. Perhaps the same is true in other areas, but as I have first-hand knowledge only of this locale and am not one to make unfounded statements I cannot back-up, I would not venture to make that extrapolation.

vman4639

For a difference of $3k on a ~$90k vehicle, I say if it's "the car" - buy it.

I know it feels good to find a deal, but if you can afford a $87,000 car, you can afford a $90,000 car..... And if it's "the car" - grab it.

USMC_DS1

+1... I had many more bites in Jan and Feb... and purchased at end of Feb last year. Conversely my search during Oct-Dec were academic at best.

LostSouth

Just bought one in the Atlanta area. Found the non-Pcar dealers more willing to negotiate. Found an '09 C2S Cab at a Mercedes dealership with 7200 miles. Got it to the same price as an '09 at PCar, but also got 15,000 less miles, PDK, sport chrono plus, special leather and a few other smaller options.

Hella-Buggin'

Agreed. You'll kick yourself if you loose 6 months or a great car over a few thousand dollars in the grand scheme of things.

Palmbeacher

Yes, definitely. I spoke only about Porsche dealerships. Just because people aren't trading their 997s for 991s doesn't mean they're not trading. Undoubtedly, in designing the 991 to feel and drive more like a Jaguar, Mercedes or Lexus, Porsche is bound to lose some current owners to those other marques, and still others, those who want a new car that's still in the spirit of what Porsche used to be, will defect to Lotus, Ferrari, Lambo, and even Nissan. Some dealerships like to keep their used lots exclusive to their new-car marque and tend to horse-trade with other dealers; but others feel it's to their advantage to keep other marques on their used lots. If I owned a Nissan dealership I would definitely want people driving by to see that people are trading Porsches on 370Zs or whatever Nissan is calling its Porsche knockoff these days.