Hello all!

Sorry if this question has been asked before, but from what I have gathered reading the forums, I wanted to seek clarification from the collective group. A little back story of my issue: (Currently in the market for a '23 992 Base 4 allocation)

Dealer 1: Says they have an allocation for a '23 Base 4, they want $10k down. After some emailing and back and forth, they go radio silent for approx 2 weeks and then the other day I got info for a purchase order to put $10k down, non refundable as this is less a deposit and more of a partial payment towards the build I want.

Dealer 2: Since dealer 1 went radio silent and wouldn't respond to my emails or texts or calls, I was put in touch with Dealer 2 through a friend who has sent them a lot of business. The SA is very quick with responses, is upfront that it will take approx 8 months to get a car but if I go Euro Delivery, it will likely be a lot longer given the program has been temporarily suspended for now. Asks for $1500 down, which I sent and then, generates a V070 code for a request for allocation. While I know it is just a request and may never get it, at least it was done.


My question to the group is, should I go with dealer 1 even though their customer service seems a bit off and apply the $10k payment? I know I have to clarify if they really have the allocation or just locking me into their dealership or go with dealership 2 since their customer service is better and while they don't have an allocation at this time, I feel they are more responsive to any questions etc...


Thanks!

 

I would suggest you consider the dealership you would like to create a relationship with. $10K seems a little high for a base C4 but not entirely unreasonable. EDs have been delayed but not suspended. I suspect that both dealers are just trying to filter the "tire kickers" from the serious buyers and not just someone calling in on the phone or via the internet. My experience has been that when a dealer believes you to be serious, they will be happy to work with you. Even though SAs and GMs may change over time at a dealer, your purchase history will not. If you like dealer 1 but only want to put $2K down, tell them so ... but be wiling to do so immediately. Visiting a dealer in person to "write the check" goes a long way.

 

I went into my local dealer and put $1000 down to join the waiting list (V070). The SA said that when they receive an allocation for me, I would need to return and put another $1500 down to start the allocation and build process. That's $2500 for a guaranteed allocation in two payments. That seems very reasonable. If they had told me that it was $10k for the waiting list, I think I would have walked out. In fairness, I placed my order in late January so I don't know what the war in Ukraine has done to dealer policies in the proceeding two months.

I'd go with Dealer #2 because I think your instincts were right.

 

State law usually dictates whether a deposit is refundable. I believe that in California state law says deposits on car orders are refundable no matter what story a dealer tells you. Even after the car arrives and you take a look and the color is not what you expected. Deposits can be any amount a dealer asks for however. I have had California dealers ask me to sign a no deposit refund statement but I know this is not enforceable. The dealer will often ask for more deposit or even refuse to order oddball color combinations or strange option combinations as they are concerned they could get stuck with a car that is hard for them to sell.

I ordered a Boxster GTS from a California dealer and wanted shark blue body colored wheels and the salesman tried talking me out of body painted wheels and the sales manger even called to do the same. They wanted to order black wheels. A hard to sell car in their minds with shark blue wheels.

Then they asked for an additional $5,000 deposit and asked me to sign their unenforceable no refund deposit letter.

If you are ordering say a base Carrera with $40,000 in options they will ask for larger deposits - if you look at dealer ordered floor cars they are always lightly optioned - easier to sell.

order a white base Carrera with black interior and $10,000 in options and the dealers will take a small deposit as they know that car is easily sold from the floor.

some states like New Jersey can make a deposit non-refundable legally.

I have also had dealers say they would refund a deposit on an ordered car if they can resell it at zero discount but they can offset any discount they give a buyer by your deposit. But this discount is not in your control of course.

what surprises me is that they don’t usually require a credit check or proof of funds before taking an order on a $100,000 plus car to verify a cash buyer’s ability to pay or ability to finance the car. My SA told me most of the ordered cars end up on their floor because the customer can’t qualify for the Turbo S they ordered after it shows up at the dealer.

when I placed an order for my Targa 4 - 2021- the dealer wanted a $15,000 deposit that they made non-refundable because the vast majority of Targa buyers want the Targa 4S —- not the base Targa 4. They only sell less than 20 Targa 4’s in the U.S. every year but closer to 1,000 Targa 4S models. I spent the $18,000 I saved on an additional $18,000 worth of options. Driving at 80 mph in my Targa 4 with 390 hp I find feels almost as fast as a Targa 4s with 440 ho driving at 80 mph.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone! I went with the 2nd dealer, given the established relationship fiancé's friend has with them and all the positive things I have heard from the people she has referred to them over the past few years. They took a $1500 deposit against my credit card and and generated the V070 code the following day along with receipt of deposit. Given their sales person didn't blow me off at all and was a warm referral, I would rather establish a future of business with them vs. Dealer 1.

Below is the link to the build I am looking for:

PNB8DGJ7
http://www.porsche-code.com/PNB8DGJ7

 

Glad that you've found a dealer you can work with.

On your build - I'm not sure I'd go with a beige interior on a red car. I love the Carmine Red, but I'd probably pair that with a black or grey interior - say, Slate Grey / Chalk combo.

Granted, a bit more money...

 

Not a fan of the gray but may switch to the black. I am still torn on the exterior color as well as I go back and forth between Jet Black, Carmine Red, Gentian Blue and Agate Gray.

 

One local dealer has a targa GTS for MSRP + $25k in "dealer installed options". Another called the other day offering a GTS at list. It's on the lot. Buyer backed out.

 

Sorry for your situation but you have to accept the fact that with limited supplies of these cars, the dealership still needs to make money. They have fewer cars to sell therefore they have to stay afloat one way or another....they reduce SA, they add ADM, they add on extras that they make huge profits. Way back when, Honda dealerships were doing the exact same thing. Everyone wanted one of those new Japanese wonder cars. I refused to pay ADM and have never gone back to that brand...obviously many others did. If you don't buy the car, someone else will be willing to pay the price...that's how America works. It's a crappy situation but it's how America works.

 

Two tidbits…

Norwell. I was there to buy a ‘20 C4S and changed my mind based on concerns over condition. I chatted cars/prices with mgr a while, cool guy. Showed me his upcoming allocations just in from Porsche. Handwritten list in a notebook of maybe 20 cars or so sorted by model. I was a buyer, and it felt like ADM not going anywhere.

Burlington - been chatting with a nice SA there with for a while as I was hung up on a spyder prior to 911. A lackluster spec (imo) spyder had posted 30k adm. manager there cut it to 10 because I was local…I was not a buyer and it felt like ADM was fleeting.

guess I’d say ADM trends will shift over time and across dealer and model cuts. Attitudes toward and acceptance of it will always vary.

 

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My dealer is $1K down to wait and $5K down when you have a confirmed order. The $1K is refundable and the $5K is not.

 

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New member today. My dealer was the same when I ordered a 992T (currently stuck at Emden port). It was $1,000 to get on list, another $4,000 deposit when I got an allocation. As for ADM, my dealer priced MSRP but required I order a minimum of $10,000 in options (easy to do). I assume the minimum amount for options was the ADM. Is it normal to require a minimum dollar amount for options? Of the options, my dealer did require that I include in my order the heated steering wheel and the lane change assist. He said he would not order a car in my market (long Island, NY) without these two options.

 

First post, sorry I posted in wrong discussion...