geoff w

We are looking to buy a new Cayenne S to go with our Boxster and Carrera. We haven't found exactly the car we want in terms of color and interior options, but have seen a few that we could live with. Now we're starting to talk price and I was unimpressed with the initial discounts discussed. What kind of discounts on a new 'S' are people getting in So Cal these days? I understand the V-6 models are in higher demand than the S now, but the S selection is still pretty limited. Is there any difference in discounts between taking one in dealer stock, one they have to trade for, or doing a factory order for exactly what we want? We don't have to buy the car to replace anything (although we'll get rid of our old Lexus to make room for the Cayenne), this is just an extra vehicle for road trips and hauling the dog.

Thanks for any insights that will help with price negotiations

RoninM5

V-6 models in high demand???

Sure about that?

RoninM5

I've gotten discounts on build to order, but they are not in the same league as buying off the showroom floor or dealer inventory.

droptop

don't know what the current pricing is, but i would say you should be looking outside of CA as well if you want the best deal. with gas prices and the economy going south at a pace that (in the age of global warming) can be called glacial, i would suspect that any buyer with a good credit rating or better yet cash would get the tattinger and caviar while waiting for the test drive.

my wife did the dealing on mine (she makes sharks run for sea room). she at one point was running 14 deals in twelve states, but narrowed it down to 3 deals, one of which was in CA. this was mid 05, when they were still going strong and i got 20% off sticker on a new CS with 4 miles. i checked the two normal sources, edmunds and KBB for current pricing, and did not get any answer i believed.

my main rule for buying any car is don't be in a hurry. patience will let them surrender without a fight.

good luck

geoff w

Actually, both dealers I've been talking to say there's a lot of interest in the base Cayenne model (08 model year, not the older ones). We test drove the V-6 engined truck first, and it had fine power for an SUV - way better than I expected. The V-8 powered 'S' put a smile on our face.

Much less base than S inventory to choose from. Probably a combination of higher gas prices (but only 1 MPG difference between the base and S) and much lower purchase price ($12K MSRP difference for starters, but those options DO add up). The fine state of the economy might be a contributing factor as well. Porsche is also cutting back production to gear up for the GTS version, so they might have underestimated interest in the redesigned V-6 model.

I was surprised when I heard there was any demand for the V-6, given what dogs the older ones are in terms of performance. But they actually drive OK now

geoff w

20% off sticker!!! That's $14K off of a $70K car! Not sure if it's just a line or not, but all the dealers I've been talking to said Porsche has taken a hard line stance about dealers selling below invoice, and basically cuts off their allocation for the desirable cars if they engage in price cutting. I checked on Edmunds, punched in all the options for the car we're looking at now, and their "TMV" came out to be 0.9% below the window sticker. I realize the economy is way softer now than in the middle of '05, but this is a huge variance!

Anyone else out there in So CA have any current sales reports on what kind of discounts they got on a new '08 Cayenne S?

davidbrondstetter

Geoff,

dont let the dealer's bs you about the factory telling them they can't sell below invoice. There is a reason why there is an "s" in MSRP. Franchise laws in the auto space give very little power to the manufacturer. Holding back allocation would very likely have PCNA's butt in a sling. Bottom line-dealers can sell you the car for a dollar if they want to and the the manufacturer really has no recorse.

That said, here are a few tips:

1) make sure you know how much inventory each dealer you are speaking with has on the lot. the more days supply of vehicles, the more likely they are to deal. Note that it does not necessarily need to be all Cayennes as dealers manage their floor plan (holding cost) across their entire inventory. The more cars on the lot, the higher holding cost for the dealer. All but a handful of dealers floorplan their vehicles. A dealer with a boat load of Cayennes is best however.

2) if you find a few that you are interested in, get the vin and find out the build date. Some window stickers have it on there. The older the build date, the longer it has been on the lot. The longer it has been on the lot, the more inclined the dealer is to deal.

3) Get the dealer to drop his pants after a few hours of negotiation, then walk out the door. Two things will likely happen, first they will follow you out, second, they will drop the price. Even if they do both, my advice is to tell them you will think about it, but want to look around. Most of the time, they will call you the next day and tell you that they are "having a sales" and that they can get you an even better price.

4) do drive you Carrera when going to the dealership. Sales Managers are more willing to deal if they think you can afford it. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but drive to a porsche dealership in a yugo wearing cutoffs and see what happens.


5) Never, ever, take the first offer they give you.

6) Never, ever take the second offer they give you.


7) shop during the last week of the month. It's true, sales people need to make their monthly sales numbers. That means sales managers need to meet their numbers, which also means General Managers need to make their numbers. Many times, they will blow cars out the door just to hit the numbers.

8) best deals are usually on those vehicles already in stock. if you order one, you will likely not get a better deal.


FWIW, these are a few tips that I've picked up having spent many years in the business. Hope it helps.

droptop

why i said i didn't believe anything i got off of KBB or edmunds.

my 05 CS sticker was 75k, and i got it for 60k.

i would agree with everything david said except (4), of which i have no knowledge of, but it seems reasonable. my wife did everything over phone, fax and email. i think sometimes folks dealing like that get better deals, but perhaps she just windowed out the ones that wouldn't.

highly agree with the larger dealerships. tulsa (90 miles away, and about 8 cayennes on the lot) wouldn't deal at all, where as louisville (606 miles away and about 30 cayennes on the lot) didn't quibble much about 60k. don't believe for a minute the BS about not coming off of the MSRP, you shoulda seen them in the 06 glut...

yetis

I think times at Porsche have changed. I posted an article a couple weeks/months ago, there Porsche corp management admitted that it had to much inventory in the USA, in terms of Cayennes. I would call the Turbo S debacle, that saw $30k discounts on new ones.
Today, I think things are a little better and national inventory levels are significantly lower and global consumption, pickup up some of the slack in US demand.

SnP

For first time Porsche purchases I heartily endorse the approach of shopping around and being aggressive to get the salesperson to work with you.

However, don't underestimate the importance of building a working relationship with the salesperson you do end up buying from.

I have now purchased 3 Porsches from the same salesperson and on each of the subsequent cars, I got 10% off just for asking. While you may find better deals, it's nice to be able to skip the whole negotiation process and focus on the car.

ALPINE_997

ON the Turbo Cayenne's 10% is not unhead of. On the CS you are not going to see that kinda of discount at the moment. They have enough sales to not have to do the deal at 10%.

RoninM5

Got my 2004 C-S for $60K, sticker was $67,800. But wow. 20% off a Porsche. Great deal you got!!!

RoninM5

Good point. I had forgotten that the V6 is stronger now in the new models.

cbditty

not so fast, just got a 2008 Cayenne S for 10% off msrp, great lease rate too, my contact can get almost any cayenne in the country for you at 10% off, PM me if you want his contact info

racer_65

I've noticed that lately the dealers have been propping up the prices on CPO cars. Just check the listings on Craigslist. The '03 - '05 cars are probably a lost cause, but I'm seeing higher asking prices on the '06 cars. There seems to be a concerted effort to control prices. As one poster indicated, Porsche cut production in response to what happened last year when inventories piled up and the Turbo S could not be moved off the lot.