....Salesman schooled.....

Over the weekend I went to a local Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini dealership, to get a rear wiper cap from the parts Dept. As I’m waiting for the parts guy to show up, I somehow wondered into the Porsche showroom, I looked around for about 10 minutes and no one had approached me yet, as I’m looking at the NEW 2015 Carrera TT the sales person looks at me with a window licking face and says " You know that’s a $132,000 dollar car you are looking at." I looked back at him and smile and replied " OH REALLY WOW, thank you but I already have one ", The Sales Person then became very friendly and asked me what year and model I had and if I was looking to trade it in, I told him not trading it in but Thanks, I told him I owned a 911 40AE, he looked at me like I was telling a story... lol. When I explained what the 40AE was he was surprised and asked me if I could show him the car. We went outside and he was surprised to see one, he said he never heard of Porsche building such a car, then he complemented me on owning such a rare car and again questioned the year of the car, because the car looked flawless he couldn’t believe the car was 10 yrs old. We talked a bit more and Then the parts guy came back, so I left and I ordered my part. It felt GOOD to own a 40AE……. As I was leaving the salesperson shook my hand and thank me for shearing the car and the chat. He said I guess I learned something new everyday!!!!!

Pretty weak that the sales guy's initial thought was that you couldn't possibly afford a new Porsche! Would he have said "you know that's a $58k car you are looking at" if you checked out a Cayman? Killer looking 40th you have - looks blue in your avatar, but is it Polar Silver?? And what wheels are those?

I get that treatment a lot but I roll with 3 days beard stubble and flops most of the time. I'm self-employed and don't physically see clients very often so I pretty much live like a hobo.

I thank the local Porsche dealership for letting the batteries run down on all the floor cars Been there a number of times over the last 10 years and was unable to squeeze (I'm 6' 4") into a Carrera, else I'd have bought new. Found my 40th AE here, in July. Exactly the configuration I was looking for and saved a **** ton of coin

I think the dealership plays a big role in your experience too - not just the salesman. If you go into a dedicated Porsche dealership, then the salesmen are generally more educated on the brand and the cars.

He's not a Porsche guy if he doesn't know about the 40ae and shouldn't be a salesman in the first place=sad.

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The car is GT Silver (40th Anniversary Edition) and as far as the Wheels they are 808-Series Wheels by Race Inc. TITANIUM 19x8.5 & 19x11 LOL

Funny, I have almost the same experience ,when I was looking for my Porsche first I was looking for a 997 this one was a 2007 with 37000 miles on it and 4 owners automatic coupe, (same type of dealer Luxury line vehicles) I took the car for a test drive and the salesman said : "Be careful is a 45000 dollar car" I was ready to step up from the car but I have a relative who also works with the same company so I didn't want to put her in an uncomfortable situation, I drove it and that was it, I didn't enjoy the ride just because of that comment. Off course I didn't buy it from them, the same week I found my baby they treat me like royalty and that was how I finished with my 996

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Not too long after the 996 TTs came out I had that happen at a local Lexus dealer. Someone traded the TT in and they had it out on display so I stopped to look. Salesman came out and explained that it was an "expensive car" and asked that I please step back from it and not touch it. His face in my review was priceless as I drove off in the 996 C4 On the flip side, the guy I bought my Jag from walked right up to me and started talking even though I was a 20-something kid in cutoff shorts, sandals, and had a green mohawk. The guy we bought both our Porsches from was cut from that same mold.

It seems to me that car salespeople should be trained on how to recognize and deal with different types of people, but I hear stories like this all the time. I'm not sure what drives it - maybe they get sick of dealing with deadbeat tire kickers all day. My parents were recently shopping for a new SUV for my mother. They were trading in her Jeep Grand Cherokee. The went to a dealership to look at a new Range Rover Sport. The salesman greeted the and then said something like: "You know, these are very expensive cars". My father was so angry about this comment that they left the dealership. They went next door and bought a brand new Lexus GX 460. They paid cash for it. They probably would have bought the Range Rover if the salesman had treated them with respect.

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It's the same mentality that has some people complaining about Porsche including Magnus in an Ad. They just get hung up on looks and that's fine for me as it is a good filter for people I don't want to do business with

When I went to test drive my 996, the sales guy handed me the keys and told me to have fun. ****, I suppose that means I'm respectable looking.

that is actually a sales tactic.....doesn't work on everyone but in a lot of cases it works on the person that will buy to impress. yes, people actually get in and pay for a car sometimes just to prove to someone they can afford it! this is why it happens so frequently it seems, because its what they are taught, and it works as an advantage a lot of the time, but no sales pitch is fool proof.

Is that kind of like the way that Elvis used to brag about how much he paid in taxes?

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Yep...agree...it doesn't work on a lot of ppl as they get offended and walk out. But they really only need 1 sale from that tactic. It doesn't help build reputation/long term relationships but can be a quick sale.

Buying a car is a business transaction. Letting what some sales guy says influence that process is foolish. Whether he insults you or kisses your ***, it's about working the best deal for a product. I'm much more concerned about prompt and competent warranty service and a decent parts dept than the sales process. Good coffee doesn't hurt either.

I was looking a 987 Cayman S and was at a PCA Swap meet at my local dealer all morning, after I walk in and see a guy I see everywhere (Almost every PCA event he is there, always forget his name, good guy though, a true Porsche guy). I walked up to him and said, whats the story with the 11' Cayman he says well where asking 78k...I looked at him like are you F-ing kidding, and said, really why so much, he laughed and said woops wrong car, we want 40k for the Cayman. I said, its locked can I take a look at it? He grabbed a plate, tossed me the keys (from about 6 feet away) said have it back with-in the hour (this was about 1pm, he meant have it back by 2), take her for a spin, I'm delivering a car right now, other wise I'd show you it a bit closer....you better believe I enjoyed that test drive hah! I highly doubt he would have done that to any other 23 year old, if we didn't see each other as often just at different events.

I was told that once...car was expensive...better prices in used lot for a Lexus. I told the guy i was extremely wealthy and was thinking about buying his and hers. His ears perked up and then I said...nah, would rather have his and hers BMWs. My wife was embarrassed. I was only 30. We left. Went to a different Lexus dealer and bought one there...only one...but it was new!

I had an awesome test drive experience. I was admittedly way out of my league - I was in college and out exploring the Connecticut countryside on my road bike, and came across this place called "F40 Motorsports". It's the shop from the show Chasing Classic Cars (this is before the show, but Wayne was still there). I noticed a 944 Turbo in the lot, as well as a couple of classic Ferraris, Jags and a Lamborghini Murcielago as their centerpiece. I'd always loved 944s so I decided to come back the next weekend and check the car out. I walk in, and it was like walking into a friend's garage - and I'm just your run of the mill 20 year old at the time. I could barely afford what they were asking for the 951, and it was the cheapest car on the lot by about $30k. After looking at it, Wayne says to me - you want to try it out? I went out on the test drive with him, absolutely terrified - and babying the car. He looks at me and says, "what are you doing? Drop a gear and give it some!". That was the first time I had ever felt a Turbo spool - and after that, I was hooked. If it weren't for Wayne and his awesomeness, I probably wouldn't have entered into this Porsche madness

Love the story Copilot= reminds me of the way things use to be.

^ Copilot that is a great story, CCC is a pretty cool show but Velocity has wayyyyyy too many commercials so I only watch once in a blue moon. Very neat that you drove with Wayne and he helped you start your love affair with boost and Porsche's.

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I'm still trying to figure out what a Carrera TT (Twin Turbo) is? The 911 base, 911 S, 911 CS, etc. are all Carreras. The Turbo is not a Carrera. It's a Turbo. Sorry to be a pedant here, but I learned that surprising fact after I became a relatively new owner of a Turbo several years ago.

My best dealer experience was back in 2008 when I was buying my first Porsche. Buddy and I went to check out a 2002 C2 in orange county and the dealer was basically a huge warehouse with a mix of about 100 Lambos, Ferraris, R8, Phantoms and so on. After we wonder through all the cars finally some guy in his late 30's comes by and introduces himself as the owner of the place. So I ask to see the Porsche but he tells me its at their service shop about 10 miles away and gives me the address of the place to go see it there. As we get ready to leave he comes back and says do you guy mind taking another car to the service place, I tell him sure why not where going anyways. He pulls out a stunning red testarossa and hands me the keys. It was the best 10 miles I ever had. Then when we get to the shop and ask for a test drive in the Porsche the guy comes out and say hey if they trusted you with a Ferrari then I guess I don't even have to come on the test drive with you and throws me the keys of the Porsche.

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Back in the day some 930's were labeled Carrera Turbo. It's not just a Turbo either nowadays, it's a 996 Turbo, 997 Turbo, or 991 Turbo etc. Heck, every one of their lines except Boxster/Cayman has a Turbo.

That salesman was asskissing. I don't think he really gave two crap about a 40th anniversary 996.

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It gets even more confusing with the new models. The Macan S has a turbocharged 3.0 liter engine. The Macan Turbo has a 3.6 liter turbocharged engine. Only the latter is known as the turbo, even though they both have turbochargers. The same will be true for the Cayenne. I've heard rumors that the base model Carreras will have a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine as an option.

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Was that Foreign Cars? I have never been impressed with the Porsche sales staff there.

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Indeed. I had to watch a video on it when it first came out to sort out the differences. I've always thought the Macan S was a normally aspirated model. Sort of like the M3 vs. 335iM for some peeps...

Tough job selling high end cars. You put your fifty hours in weekly standing around hoping that one "mark" will come in and allow you to manipulate him ( rarely "her") to pay a non-competitive price for a car nobody really needs. Some get a small draw against future commissions but for most its no sales- no pay. Where most car salesmen are waiting for a stupid customer with good credit, luxury sales depend on dreamers or egotists with deep pockets who have a need to prove to the salesman how deep their pockets are. It is the most corrupted sale most people ever encounter. I love that dealership in Greensboro. Twelve million worth of inventory under one roof. I walk in, ask if I can look at their cars without a salesman and spend an hour being amazed at the beauty and wonderment of those Italian and German masterpieces.