Bay Area dealers
06-16-2007, 08:52 PM
#1
3rd Gear
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Bay Area dealers
Does anyone have any experiences they can share with Bay Area dealers? I'm looking to buy in the near future, and looking for a good experience. I visisted Porsche Audi at Oakland, and they seemed nice enough in the brief time I was there. A nice service department is a plus.
06-18-2007, 07:13 PM
#2
Burning Brakes
Wow, not much action on this board. I've had good luck with the service department at Stead Porsche in Walnut Creek. Bought my car ('02 C4S) used from a private party so I can't comment on the sales staff.
06-18-2007, 07:32 PM
#3
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YOU KNOW I'VE DEALT WITH PAUL ROBLES AT OAKLAND PORSCHE AND HE SEEMS TO BE A REALLY NICE GUY. I HAVE NEVER BOUGHT A CAR FROM THEM SO I CAN'T SAY HOW THERE CUSTOMER SERVICE IS. BUT I CAN VOUCH FOR NIELLO PORSCHE IN ROCKLIN CA. AWESOME DEALERSHIP! I WOULD HAVE TO SAY #1 IN NORTHERN CA. IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN THERE ITS WORTH DRIVING THERE, THEY HAVE A VERY LARGE VARIETY AND NICE PEOPLE. TALK TO NANCY SHE'S THE SALES MANAGER....THE SERVICE MANAGER JIM WEBBER IS REALLY COOL TOO.. I'VE BEEN GOING THERE FOR ABOUT 5 YEARS AND 3 CARS NOW AND, THEY HAVE TAKEN CARE OF ME TO THE FULLEST. IF YOU DO TALK TO NANCY LET HER KNOW ALFONSO SENT YOU. I DEAL WITH HER A LOT.
06-21-2007, 08:22 PM
#4
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Bill,
Depending on where you are in the Bay Area you have access to at least six dealers:
Sonnen
Carlsen
Rector
P of Stevens Creek
P of Fremont
Stead
This is a good thing because it gives you a large variety of inventory within reasonable driving distance.
But it can be confusing to get opinions here on dealers because you will get positive and negative for each one. For example there was a member who swore off Carlsen after doing business with them for years and now recommends going to Stevens Creek because they are better. Someone responded by saying that Stevens Creek is bad. Then there are responses defending Carlsen. So who are you going to believe?
What I did was do my homework. I went to the four closest to me and spent time at each one. Lots of time. To look at cars, to get a feel for the salesman's attitude and to observe how they treated other customers who also happened to be there. Ultimately I bought from the dealer that had the car I exactly wanted. If they became difficult/cannot be negotiated with then I would have asked another dealer to do get it for me if they can (do a dealer transfer).
Good luck and let us know what you get.
Depending on where you are in the Bay Area you have access to at least six dealers:
Sonnen
Carlsen
Rector
P of Stevens Creek
P of Fremont
Stead
This is a good thing because it gives you a large variety of inventory within reasonable driving distance.
But it can be confusing to get opinions here on dealers because you will get positive and negative for each one. For example there was a member who swore off Carlsen after doing business with them for years and now recommends going to Stevens Creek because they are better. Someone responded by saying that Stevens Creek is bad. Then there are responses defending Carlsen. So who are you going to believe?
What I did was do my homework. I went to the four closest to me and spent time at each one. Lots of time. To look at cars, to get a feel for the salesman's attitude and to observe how they treated other customers who also happened to be there. Ultimately I bought from the dealer that had the car I exactly wanted. If they became difficult/cannot be negotiated with then I would have asked another dealer to do get it for me if they can (do a dealer transfer).
Good luck and let us know what you get.
06-23-2007, 12:42 AM
#5
Nordschleife Master
I almost got a job at Stead last year. 
Very nice staff and showroom. Its a small dealer but very personal and polite.
Sonnen is a local favorite around here, much bigger than Stead.
Carlsen is also popular but I've never been there.
Very nice staff and showroom. Its a small dealer but very personal and polite. Sonnen is a local favorite around here, much bigger than Stead.
Carlsen is also popular but I've never been there.
06-23-2007, 07:58 AM
#6
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Porsche Oakland is closest to me, and I have checked it out. However, it's not a "Premier" dealer like Stead, Sonnen and Carlsen. Are "Premier" dealers, as designated by Porsche, better?
Also, Oakland doesn't have a TT on the lot to test drive, so it sounds like they sell relatively few TTs. I'm looking to try and cut a deal (is $10k off '08 MSRP unreasonable to start negotiating with?), and I think I have a better chance with the larger dealers, because they want to keep up sales numbers and maintain allocations. My guess is that Sonnen, Carlsen, and Stevens Creek do the best volumes because of the wealth of their local areas.
Also, Oakland doesn't have a TT on the lot to test drive, so it sounds like they sell relatively few TTs. I'm looking to try and cut a deal (is $10k off '08 MSRP unreasonable to start negotiating with?), and I think I have a better chance with the larger dealers, because they want to keep up sales numbers and maintain allocations. My guess is that Sonnen, Carlsen, and Stevens Creek do the best volumes because of the wealth of their local areas.
