Why I don't like dealerships

Anyways, I have to say I've never got good service at my local dealership in San Antonio, TX so I just steer clear of it. No joke, but I get weird looks when I say I am looking for a used Porsche. Last time I went I walked into the dealership and asked to look at one particular Carrera. The salesman said I could go out to the car and wait if i would like while he grabbed the keys. I had several questions so i figured i would wait till he came outside and unlocked the car. Instead, the guy pokes his head and arm (fob in hand) out from the dealership door, unlocks the car and shouts to me, "It's open!" I give him the benefit of the doubt and think to myself he probably needed to grab something else and will be right out. Guy never came out to the car. I went back in to ask him some questions and he was just sipping some water chatting it up with the receptionist. (I know someone will ask so, yea she was hot.) So anyways, the thought of trading in my Cayman S crossed my mind the other day when a black C4S 997.1 passed me up on the highway. I was in west Houston today so I figured I'd give that dealership a try. I inquire about a used 997.1 C4. Guy tells me I should get a C2. I stated no I really like the wide body of the C4 and he tells me only the C4S has a wide body but its not as wide as a TT. Odd I could of sworn.... So instead he then attempts to pitch a 2011 C4S at me. Told him it was way out of my price range but he insists that I can afford it and payments will be the same, "It all depends on how you finance it," he says. I said something like, "I'm sure with a long enough note but I don't want to pay that much regardless." He then hands me a card and says to give him a couple of hours and he will work out a great deal and call me. I'm not interested in that deal because it's not what I want or can afford... and yet it kinda bugs me he didn't call. :hilarious: Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm under the impression that a 997.1 C4 has the same wide body as the C4S?

Yeah it definitely sounds like a bad experience. Typically at that point I just say I will be back to look in a few days. What really annoys me is when people at the dealership tell me what I can or can't afford like "you can afford that 2012 991 for the same monthly price as that Boxster, you just have to finance it over 10 years!!"

That type of attitude is typical of too many dealerships (Porsche and others). I got great service where I bought my car (the Porsche Exchange, a sponsor here). And yes, you're right, the C4 and C4s both have the same wide body.

Ask for Matt at the SA dealership, he's always been helpful to me.

The C4 and C4S have the same wide body dimensions. The guy you spoke w/ is an idiot and he did you a favor by not calling back.

West Houston Porsche? I'm not a fan either. Park Place really needs to open a dealership in Houston. I hear those guys are great.

Guy is just an idiot,....will probably be complaining all day to the receptionist about why he can't sell a car. It's really amazing how different dealers can be, even in the same city. I have two near me,.....one I won't even go near, the other is fantastic. When I ordered my C4S I had a newer salesman that came over from the MB dealer next door, and while he did not know every little detail about a C4S he was willing to find out and always came back with a timely answer. It's just a willingness to help and be professional that makes a good sales person. When stepping foot into a Porsche dealership (instead of say Kia) I would like them to understand that I know what I'm doing and not just a rube that would accept 7 years of financing @ some ungodly interest rate just because they can do it. But you know what the sad part is?,.....I'm sure there are people that do it all the time, and one of the reason we are in the shape we are today.

Back in 2005 I went car shopping dressed in shorts, t-shirt, and sandals (it was August and very warm out). Walked into a BMW dealer in the middle of a weekday, there were no other customers there, just me. I spent 30 minutes looking at the cars, no sales people would talk to me. Left there and went to a Mercedes dealer, younger sales guy asks if he can help me. I told him apprently I wasn't dressed well enough, he just laughed and said he was pretty sure my money was dressed just fine. In fact the week before a young guy walked in the dealer wearing sweats and a hoody, dropped $200k cash on a new ride, turns out the guy had just signed a pro hockey contract. So this sales guy answered all my questions, I test drove a couple of MB's and ended up signing a deal that day for a new car. When I bought my Cayman in July 2011 it was an interesting experience too, because it wasn't my first choice. I had a low mileage Acura 3.2 CL Type S coupe and it was in terrific condition and whatnot, but I was bored with it and had the itch to buy another car. I had agreed to buy a used BMW Z4 hardtop coupe from a guy 5 miles away from me, 8000 miles and we had agreed on a $20k price. No financing, I was going to pay cash. The dude sold it to someone else the day before we were supposed to swap cash for title. I got all "green" and decided I really should buy a hybrid, so I test drove a Hyundai Sonata loaded with every toy you could think of. These things are selling like hotcakes, sales guy gave me a pretty good price, $31k. I asked the sales guy to give me an hour to think it over.. as nicely equipped and economical as the car was, it's really boring to drive. Anyway, called the sales guy back 6 times over three days, he never returned my calls. I'll never buy a Hyundai, ever. Sitting at home pondering what to do next and my girlfriend emails me and sez "betcha if you wanted to buy a Porsche they'd return your phone calls". Perusing Craigslist I saw a 2007 guards red Cayman for sale at a local Audi dealership. I'd never seen or driven a Cayman before, but it fit my budget and looked interesting. Off we go to the dealer, a test drive, and I bought the car the same day. Post-purchase I followed up with the dealer, Audio Wilsonville. There were several items we had agreed ought to be addressed on the car: - find the second key and provide it to me (done) - order replacement buttons for the CDR24 (never got 'em), changed the head unit anyway - provide me with an original hard copy owner's manual. Never got it, ended up buying one from Suncoast - provide me with the service records for the car. Never got 'em - fix all the weird squeaks and rattles. Ended up fixing them myself. They sure were quick to sell me the car but despite repeated phone calls and emails the dealer did not live up to their end of the deal. Obviously I'll never buy another car from Audi Wilsonville. I look forward to the day dealerships are completely eliminated as part of the purchase and post purchase process.

I just had to vent out. I really wanted to test drive a C2 and C4 to begin to weigh my options. I've heard the C2 is more fun to drive while the C4 is more sure footed. It all sounds great but i have to drive it to know for myself and i just feel i don't get that opportunity at dealerships. Anyways, this morning I felt so discouraged I went to a local tuning shop and ordered a drop for my Cayman S. When I'm sad I shop and when I shop... I'm happy. Thank god its not a cycle. Anyways, I'm just going to get over the Carrera thing for the time being and wait till my note is over. I've always got AMAZING service at my VW dealer. Bought 2 cars from them before my cayman. I mean seriously, the sales guy drove 150 miles to deliver my car and pick up my trade in. That's over and beyond what i would expect from any dealership but it as very much appreciated. Just dont get why my experiences at porsche dealerships havent been pleasant. Anyways, my rant is over, thanks for listening guys. I'd love to hear what others experiences are.

Surprisingly, my best Porsche dealer experiences have been when traveling out of state. Porsche of the Village in Cincinnati treated my nephew and I like royalty when taking care of a check engine light. The other was while in Ashville, S.C. (forget the Porsche dealer there) for a minor brake issue. Both times, they knew we were from out of state. They both deserve high praise for the way we were treated and how our car was serviced. Perhaps they were hopefull they might get mentioned on a forum.

Porsche Houston North is small, but so far has treated me reasonably well. David Moore in service has been pretty helpful and doesn't seem to mind when I just call him up and ask dumb questions about my car. The only problem I had was the loner they gave me when they replaced my HPFP under the recall. A giant boat car Grand Marque...what a pig lol. At least the seats were comfortable? I see a day <next 10 years?> where the shake-down dealers go out of business to the high volume, low price high customer service places.

Two comments - First I agree about dealers. there are good and bad but many of the salespeople are not worthy of the product they're selling. I must give credit when it is due though. I recently switched from a dealer that I have purchsed two new Porsches and two A8's because they didn't seem to care aboput my business. The new salesman and dealer now will deliver a brand new Cayenne S and a Carrera S to me in the next 90 days, over $200K of business for them just by showing some respect for the customer. I also think that you should really think hard about trading your Cayman, going to a C4 will not give you the amount of pure driving fun as the Cayman does. Get a 911 when you really want the other parts that make it such a great car, but if you are not sure, drive a few first, then if you want one, make sure that your budget can handle the one you really want, don't settle.

My 2 cents worth. I've had excellent serviec...,maintenance & a couple of minor problems, from Euro Classics in Midlothian,Va .Same tech every time. Knows me ,knows the car. Small dealership. Can't speak for their sales department. Tried to get a quote from them when I ordered my 07 CS but got jerked around. Bought the car elsewhere. Maybe things have improved.

Sad story about the sales skills at that dealership. All I can say is that I used the regional sub-forum here to ask for advice on dealerships and sales reps when I first knew I'd be moving to the Pacific Northwest. I went with the recommendations I got here and am about to buy my third car from Nick Leader at Roger Jobs. Last year I bought a 2011 Touareg and my Cayman R - both in cash. I regularly drop by and chat with Nick when I'm out with the Cayman. He always has time for me and is keenly interested in the modest mods I've undertaken. From my neighbors I have heard nothing but bad comments about Roger Jobs and their service department. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. But for a very positive sales experience (He did not try and sell me any one of the many 911's they had on the lot) that understood my needs and sought to deliver solutions that would match those and some I had not anticipated - I would and will go back to Nick.

I have 4 Porsches, with two from local dealer in halifax. I find them to be helpful. Given that only one is under warranty and that I get them all serviced there probably helps. No issues with test drives, etc. I feel like they do appreciate my business.

My experience was a very positive one. I purchased through Rush Autos in Calgary,AB. Verbal agreement to purchase in February, no deposit just my word. Flew in, sales manager picked me up at airport. not only did they install the new battery I'd requested, but did a service on vehicle from Porsche dealership ($860) the day before I picked it up. Have nothing but good things to say about them. They even included a Porsche car cover.

That's very generous. Lucky man. Nice to see you back on "board"...did you have fun Thursday this week? I drove home from Vancouver at about 06:30 and it was a mess on 99...

I think a picture of the receptionist is required here to respond appropriately.

Just picked up my CS from Nick tonight and quite frankly I would agree with everything that Singletrack said. Very easy!

It's a global thing where sales guys are order takers and not salesmen! Any job I do, I do it 100% and so if I were a salesman and an enthusiast was to walk in to my dealership and obviously knows what they want etc. then I'd spend even more time with them. When I went to buy my Cayman I stood in the dealer for 30 minutes and nobody took a blind bit of notice! Walked into the secondhand car place a few doors down and was sold on the spec and how friendly the sales guy was, and still keep in touch with him and pop in every couple of months.

There may be an Ashville, SC, but I think you mean Asheville, NC, where I live. They were Deal MotorCars when you were likely there, and have recently undergone a change of ownership. It's now called Harmony Motors, and the new owner is Scott Wilkerson. I'm hoping for great things, but I haven't had an occasion to try their service department yet. John

The experiences we've all had suggest the car purchase process can be a negative experience, due to just one personality. I went to a dealership in the region a few years ago, because it wasn't too far away. The salesman I spoke with gave me blatantly wrong information: 'The Cayman and the S have the same engine, just different features.' Without challenging him, I made certain I understood what he was saying. It frosts me enough when I know more than the typical auto salesman, but it really pisses me off when the dude confidently spouts wrong information. I can handle 'I'm not sure about that, but I'll get back to you.' Needless to say, I never went back to that dealership. Shame in a way; they might have excellent service people there, but I'll never know. John

Porsche of the Village is by far the best Porsche dealership I have dealt with. Sales, service and parts have all been great to deal with. Plus they put together some really fun tours in the summer along with a truly outstanding indoor winter concours.