The latest update on my 996 buying saga...(beginning to think this might not happen)

Back in December I posted a thread about where/how everyone found their 996as a used purchase. I got alot of good feedback and I've continued my search for what is to me, ........just the right first Porsche. I've been following several Seal Grey - Silver 2002-2004 996's that meet my criteria and I've been in serious discussions with a couple of the sellers (either private or dealers) A car became available recently that fit my want list and seemed like a winner: -advanced technic package -PSM -PSE (dual mode exhaust) -black leather -low'ish mileage -decent enough service history -decent price -never seen winter It doesn't have sports seats (that I want) but I could look past that because it does have the dual mode exhaust "PSE". so, the dealer emails me on Saturday to ask outright if I'm going to buy the car (we had been back and forth several times). When I respond with one more question (I was about to line up a PPI at my expense) I was told that the vehicle had sold !!?? The next thing I know it shows up on Ebay on Sunday / even though its been removed from autotrader and other sites, including being removed from the dealers own website. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CARRE...orcev4exp=true So, naturally I figured there was a mistake and that maybe I'd be better off just bidding on it through Ebay (maybe the reserve is lower than my last offer?). As part of my due diligence, I contacted two different people at the stealership who both confirm the car sold over the weekend / and yet there is still active bidding going on through Ebay??????????? I've tried reporting it to Ebay (but their customer service sucks) I'll bid on it as long as its still on Ebay (and not over my upper price) If I win it, and its not available because it was truly already sold - then I'll decide what to do at that time. This is frustrating!!!!! Cliffs Notes Version: -found an ideal 996 at Irvine BMW -been back and forth with dealer -dealer asks me outright on Saturday if I'm gonna buy it -I respond a couple hours later with a question - and then I'm told that its already sold -the very next day the exact car appears on Ebay -the day after that, I'm told by two people at the dealership that it is in fact sold? -I'm gonna continue to bid on it anyways? Will

Message them on Ebay saying you want to come view the car prior to bidding and set up a time to come look at it. ...Then punch them in the ***** when you get there and go buy a car somewhere else.

3, dont waste your time and energy. Been through this with Porsche dealer before. They will lie through their teeth until you catch them at it then its a "mistake". Just move on and keep looking. There are many out there to choose from.

What the Capt. said.

Nevermind what I said, yes go do that. Much more reasonable approach with better resolution to issue. Absolutely!

Assuming the dealer listing on ebay is the same one you were contacting initially? If so, may honestly be as simple as they didn't get a firm offer, and some decided by X date, it's going on ebay, so if people call, they SHOULD be told it's on Ebay, but instead say it's sold (their loss - or out of their control from the boss). I knew one owner of a dealer who was selling his own car through his dealership - that got confusing, because reception rarely puts you through to the boss, so I get a couple of salespeople telling me they think the car already sold, is not there, etc etc. As others mentioned, bid and see what happens (sounds like you already did put a bid in), or turn and just walk away. Funny enough, the car I was looking at back then was a seal grey 4S with all the goodies - very nice car, but found a nicer one (in Paladino Metallic). Good luck! There are lots out there, be patient, or, good luck with the auction. Please let us know what happens.

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Chill Krazy, folks want to throw their 2 cents in to bust *****. Have a cold one

Someone did a console delete on that one.

Walk away from this one. Look at their feedback-83%. No reputable dealer would have a rating that low. Besides, from the pics, it looks as though the car has been ridden hard and put away wet and then covered up by Armorall. In my experience, when you ask question that a shady dealer doesn't want to answer, they respond that the car has been sold. 10 to 1 the PPI would come back really negative. Plenty o' cars out there. Keep the faith!

When you say "dealer said", do you really mean "salesperson said"? There is probably only one person who can actually negotiate pricing on that car, the used car manager who likely took it in on trade. Talking with anybody else, except maybe the general manager or owner is going to be a waste of time. If you really want the car, and assuming you are local, do this: Ignore the eBay listing. It will go nowhere. Verify the car is physically at the dealer (drive by). Find out who the used car manager is (website or telephone). Stop in, talk directly to the used car manager (not a salesperson), tell him you are ready to buy today and here is your best and final offer. He'll either agree or not, but either way you'll stop wasting time. If your not local, just skip directly to step 4 and call the used car manager directly to negotiate. On that particular vehicle, I googled the VIN I saw on the eBay listing and came up with its carfax. Looks like the transmission has been out twice, both times for the RMS. Not a deal breaker, but even before considering a PPI, I'd crawl underneath with a flashlight and see if the bottom of the engine is clean or if the RMS is leaking again... PS: I bought a very similar C2 a month ago, also from a dealer (Mercedes in my case...) They are definitely more of a pain in the *** than buying directly from an owner, but they had the car I wanted. Paid $26,000 for it. A good deal, but not anything extraordinary. I paid a bit more for this one vs. others I had looked at as it had only been serviced at the original dealer and one local P-car shop, and was a zero issue, 100% unmodified and was showroom clean. 2004 911 C2 55K miles Polar Silver Metallic over black leather. PSM, heated seats, power seats, bi-xenon, 18" wheels (pretty basic car). Pristine in and out, Complete and fully documented service history, clean carfax

You should let this go. Life is too short, and there are many cars yet to be listed. Time to move on.

I agree with pfbz. I think you need a reality check on car buying. Dealers are in the business of selling cars. If a guy walks in and says he is interested, I'm sure they see a lot of that and it means nothing. If a guy walks in and says I'll buy that today...the car is sold because that is what they do. They will sell it to the first person who puts the money down. Contrary to some opinions, the Porsche dealer will deal honestly and fairly IF you are ready to put the money down. Here's how my deal went down: I saw a good used 99 C2 at the Porsche dealer. Called them and confirmed it was there and for sale. Went and checked it out (it was a 2 hour drive). Spoke with sales manager and we confirmed service and maintenance records (everything was there and stamped by the dealer). Test drove, returned to dealer, put a check in his hands for $1000, negotiated the final price, said we would go to the bank and come back with a check. We did and went back and picked up the car. We were serious about purchasing of course, and the sales person could truly understand that. No bull..just a deal. 3 years and awesomely happy with the car. BTW - I would never buy a car unseen and without a test drive through EBay, especially a Porsche. I think that is either crazy or taking a huge risk. I would go to the Porsche dealer, let them know what you are looking for and see if they can locate a good buy. Greasing the sales managers palm with a few $ would not hurt things and let them know you are serious. Good luck!

Sorry you missed the car, and yes they should have pulled the ad. Their web guy is probably out sick... The reality here is that when you find a Porsche that meets your narrow parameters you have to move quickly. Not rashly of course, but rapidly. Perhaps most importantly, you need to let them know you are serious (a deposit helps). Then schedule a PPI and proceed from there. You really cannot do this over the phone or through email with much credibility. People waste salesman's time constantly with questions and promises. If the car is out of town, get a friend or a fellow Rennlister to swing by to check out the car and talk to the dealer. An in person walk around with cell phone in hand will answer most questions and lets them know you are serious. I have done this with the last two Porsches I purchased. Both from out of state. Good luck!

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I though it looked pretty good, just "dealer' overpriced. Can you help educate me on what keyed you in on this? Seriously, I love to learn this kind of stuff. I though I knew some things to look for, but besides the console delete, it looked dang stock.

guess who just listed a Seal Grey 996 for sale: LINKY>>>> https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ew-engine.html

I've been to Irvine BMW, their used stock is usually in very good shape. That car, from the pix, why is the front badge all black? The other thing is the CA plate. It is almost a new one. In CA the plates go with the car, not the owner. A new plate is usually only due to someone turning in personalized plates (very rare), bringing an older car into the state from somewhere else, or if the originals were stolen and need to be replaced. The dealer would in NO case get new plates for the car and install them on the lot prior to sale. People drive around CA all the time with no plates or temp tags for what seems like forever... Most likely the car is from somewhere else, not necessarily the original owner. I did not look up the Carfax as someone above said they were able to. That might help to explain it.

It didn't strike me as a beat car from the pictures. It looked pretty clean and mostly stock. Carfax wasn't as impressive with no detail or facilities on the service info. And the 2X RMS seal leak. Photos can be deceiving though... I've seen cars that looked much better in person than they did in the pictures (sometimes a nearly invisible defect really pop in the photos) and other cars that looked far worse in person than they did in photos (not photographing blemishes and/or fuzzy, low res pictures).

(duplicate/delete)

its been an experience so far I must say that! I agree with everyone that there will be other cars, and to just be patient. The frustration just comes as a result of seemingly not getting the treatment that I believe I would provide to others (honesty / integrity etc...) It doesn't seem a stretch to me to expect this. On another front, that seal grey C4s that was posted here on Rennlist would be an ideal car but I don't want a cabriolet (I want a coupe) and as far as coupes go I would prefer a narrow body C2 over the C4s. Will

To me, it does seem a stretch to always expect honesty and integrity from an car dealership salesperson... even in high-market dealerships. Not to say there aren't many that do operate with integrity, but easily as many that do not. Often it's driven by high pressure management demanding results.