Folks, watch out for Santa Barbara Auto Group aka Santa Barbara Porsche.
I am in Atlanta and have been looking for a 2018 Porsche Macan GTS for a while, to be my daily driver. Santa Barbara Auto Group posted one for a reasonable price. While I was uncomfortable flying out during the pandemic to view the car before buying, I felt confident because:

-The CARFAX was clean. One owner, no accidents
-The car was a CPO by this dealership
-The car was originally purchased and serviced at Santa Barbara Auto Group and the dealership provided service records that checked out
-The car was owned by a major celebrity known for loving Porsches, giving me peace of mind that the previous owner had the means and interest to maintain the car well

I had the car shipped to Atlanta via Plycar, which took a few weeks. I immediately noticed a flaw on the car that indicated body damage, as it came off the truck. I took the car to a Porsche Approved Collision Center, who said it has $19k in body damage, on multiple panels, and that the repair had been poorly done. I then looked very closely at the original photos posted by this dealership, now that I knew what to look for, and noticed orange peel. I then showed the photos to the Porsche collision center, and they agreed that the photos match the damage they see.

Less alarming but annoying was that before I could get into the collision center, I had to deal with an oil leak--after the first night in my garage, there was a good bit of oil on the floor. So, took the car to Hennessy Porsche, they took off the under pan, and there was oil everywhere. Turned out, the metal sealing washer for oil drain plug showed signs/wear it had been reused versus replaced. There was also an electrical issue they fixed.

I sent everything to Santa Barbara Auto Group, letting them know that the car was misrepresented to me, and that I want to return the car. Tony R., the sales manager, refused, stating "it's impossible for the vehicle to have almost $20k in repairs". I've escalated to Porsche North America and am hoping they will make things right. I am so disappointed and feel swindled by this dealership. I was buying an accident-free vehicle, and I received a vehicle that needs $19k in body work from one or more accidents. I've had numerous 911s and this experience is crushing.

If anyone has advice at this late date, I'm all ears.

 

They are guilty, or ignorant. Either way, shady. Keep us updated on PCNA's response. This hasn't happened to me to this extent, but have personally heard a lot of "carfax damage report is just because it was a parking lot incident."

 

Sorry to hear about your purchase horror story, but I'm a bit confused about one part: "oil drain plug washer was crushed". They're actually called "crush washers", and are supposed to deform (they're made of soft aluminium) when tightened in order to provide a better seal (to prevent oil leaks). However... the mechanic is also supposed to use a new crush washer... each time the oil is changed (can't crush an already crushed washer). Perhaps the oil leak is due to reusing a crush washer?

 

Hi apache2,

Yes, yes. Thank you for catching this. In my haste to publish I now realize I should have written/said there were multiple points on the "metal sealing washer" indicating the washer had been reused. I'll correct the original posting.

 

Good luck and sorry you had this experience........PCNA may require an in face appointment since you live in Atlanta. They usually advise to negotiate with the dealer as their authorized agent on these matters, but please keep us advised if PCNA does anything in your case.......the selling dealer was not honest at all........

 

Update everyone. Long story short, Porsche Santa Barbara bought the car back. They also reimbursed me for Plycar transportation to Atlanta. Their transport company took custody of the vehicle yesterday June 28th.

Three days after posting on social media, the General Manager of Santa Barbara Auto Group contacted me and within a few days offered to "unwind the deal." This was five days before Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) contacted Porsche Santa Barbara. In other words, PCNA hasn't been as helpful as I had expected/hoped. Frankly, their inaction has caused me to question the brand I’ve loved and trusted since I was eight years old.

Next steps: on the lookout for another 2018 CPO Macan GTS.

 

I’m glad that it all worked out (relatively). They’re buying the car back and covering shipping costs, but yes, the experience must have been frustrating to say the least. Next time, if you insist on purchasing a vehicle sight unseen, hire an independent appraisal/inspection company to visually inspect the vehicle in person, and provide a report before you close on the deal, even if it’s new. I used to work at a Ford and a BMW store in F&I and internet sales, and we’ve seen damaged and repaired new cars, never mind preowned. It is what it is. Cars can get damaged in transport as well as on the lot. They’re not wrapped in force fields. This is a cautionary tale on buying vehicles, or expensive anything, sight unseen.

 

I'm glad you were able to unwind the deal! Just curious, which form of social media was it that the GM of the Santa Barbara Auto Group noticed? rennlist? Facebook? Twitter? Other? Thanks in advance.

 

@ryandarr1979 - Yes; totally agree.
@apache2 - Out of all of them, it was Yelp which caught me by surprise.

Still on the lookout for a 2018 Macan GTS.

 

Yelp, very interesting! Thanks.

 

I will only buy from Carmax and purchase their MaxCare extended warranty. I purchased my S8, CTT, TTS, TT, GTS, GT4 and others from them and NEVER had a problem. There are a lot of 2018 MGTS's for sale right now on their website. Not affiliated but a good return customer.