Here's an example of why some dealers are referred to as stealers

I'm looking for a number replacement parts to take care of some minor issues on the C4S and Boxster and called a couple of places to get pricing. For reference, I contacted Sunset Imports as I tend to buy a lot of stuff from them. I also called the local Indianapolis dealer as some of the parts are small and it may make it worthwhile to pay a small premium to avoid the shipping cost. Wrong. Items priced included the interior light cover (996 555 557 06 C53) at $48.85 vs. $108.32, the small cover to the left of the light switch (996 552 621 01 A03) at $10.xx vs $26.49 and finally, the cap for the wiper arm nut (944 628 305 01). I only priced the last item locally and it was $3.12 - almost reasonable. Even allowing $15 for shipping costs from Oregon, the local prices + sales tax are over 100% more expensive than mail order. Wow.

Yep did the same thing and I thought So Cal dealers were out of their minds. But legally you're supposed to be paying Indiana state tax on the items you purchased online so the tax difference is not something that the dealers are doing out of profit. You'll notice that when you file your taxes and have to pay then.

Thats why it a rare occasion that I will buy from a local dealer, However when I bought my Aerokit parts one of my local dealers matched suncoast prices! The parts guy there was awesome. They have since been acquired by another dealer so those days are gone.

I bought my first Porsche from Tom Wood Porsche in Indianapolis. When I was married we bought 4 P-Cars from them and they do not negotiate. Its a monopoly, the closest dealer to them is 2 hours away and parts are list price minus 10% if you're a PCA member.

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They do not negotiate? 2 hours is a small trip not to have to deal with a jerk off dealership. The wife and I went to visit some friends in central/northern jersey this past weekend (from Delaware) and we must have passed 5 p-car dealers along the way. It's nice to have options....

A few years ago I had a chat with the local dealer's parts guy. He explained how Sunset (and a few others) are able to provide these sorts of discounts. Apparently Porsche deeply discounts some parts to dealers. Dealers supposedly pass on these discounts to customers. Sunset amortizes these savings across all of their parts, instead of just the ones that Porsche discounts. This works out to about a 15-20% savings across the board. The local guy expressed his frustration that he did not have the manpower/time/authorization to do the same. Don't know if this is true - or the entire explanation, but it made sense. My problem with Sunset is when I need something fast. Their ship time is slowwwwww. One time I ordered a hatch trim part for my 968. They then ordered it from Porsche's warehouse (Atlanta?) and had it shipped to Oregon. There they inspected it (appreciated!), repackaged, and sent it on to me in NC. It took weeks. Ordering it locally might have cost me another $30-$50, but I would have had it in days. That said, I like dealing with Sunset. The guys who answer the phone know their stuff. When I have time I always try to buy from them. Their current price on 996 window regulators is incredibly cheaper than locally.

I try to give local businesses my tax money, but my local Porsche dealer makes it very difficult. Heck, my local BMW dealer won't give me the best price, but they'll be at least close enough for me. Perhaps the Porsche dealer is factoring in the cost of overnight shipping??? /m

I have bought parts from New Country Porsche (Greenwich) and Fairfield Porsche. I was told over the phone once that price they quote for parts are recommended retail prices from Porsche. The two parts departments have different recommended retail pricing in their computer systems for the same part. Go figure..

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I would love to give a local dealer the business but they are more interested in raping their existing customers than getting additional business. My local Porsche dealers parts/service is literally 2 minutes drive from my house and their other location is 3 minutes from my office!

I have bought a lot of parts from Sunset and think they are great. As far as timing, the time it takes to get it from Porsche if the part is not in stock is about the same for Sunset or any other dealer (and my experience is that Sunset has a better stock due to their volume). You can pay for expedited shipping from Porsche, I think it is 20% of the cost of the part with a minimum. The time from Oregon can be frustrating, although Sunset will overnight it for a fee. Once they missed my overnight shipping and I was frustrated as the shipment was also delayed due to a wreck. They refunded all the shipping costs. The local dealers around here are all over the board on the pricing. One will be higher on some items and lower on others compared to the other local dealer. Never any real pattern that I have found. Both seem to mark up from list prices, typically 15%+ over the "list price." I know some of the parts guys and sometimes they will give me a break, never hurts to ask.

And at most local dealers you should have a PCA discount.

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yeah, 10% off parts marked up 20% over list, thanks allot.

I typically go through Suncoast as their prices are about the same as Sunset. They get orders from Atlanta warehouse in a day or two and my parts will be at door the next afternoon. I do have to pay FL sales tax for them. Rick 99 996C4 87 944S

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So true. My local dealer is a stones through from my house and I have yet to purchase any parts from them. Sunset if I can wait, Suncoast if it's a bit more urgent. My dealer has 2 04 run of the mill 996s with really low mileage listed for $43K & $47k. When can I get my ticket to fantasy camp?

I understand that there are pricing differences between dealers. What I don't understand why all porsche owners seem to feel that parts should be "free" or have little to no markup. A dealer has to pay for lots of things.. Shelf space, employees, healthcare, benefits, floorplans, rent etc etc. They are in business to make a profit and the service/parts side IS where the money is made (moreso than in sales). I am glad some dealers give better pricing and that, thanks to Al Gore's internet, are learning that their local guy may not always be the cheapest. People can still vote with their wallets and I hope as smart consumers, people continue to do so.

Best real Porsche parts prices I ever got were from Sunset Porsche. Wonder what happened???

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I don't think anybody is begrudging a dealership making some profit. I think the real issue is how large the delta is among the full-boat prices and the discount prices for over-the-counter sales. If the list price dealers are loosing sales due to their higher prices then they may actually make more money by reducing prices a bit - or more. The trouble is that they really have no way to know how much business they may be loosing or how much they could gain due to price adjustments. Then again, if most of their parts are actually sold as part of a service visit then they have little incentive to adjust prices to accommodate over-the-counter parts sales.

I think Tom hit the nail on the head...

IMO the real issue has to do with 2 things. One - the car brand that we have. We own a porsche, therefore we should pay whatever any porsche dealer feels like charging. Two - Porsche sales and dealers are very limited compared to other common car brands. I drove mostly Hondas/Acuras in the past and I have not come across any pricing differences in the parts between dealers at all - not even once.

Not limited to Porsche dealers its endemic of the dealer mentality that they are somehow entitled and endowed with the right to rape their customers since competions is limited locally.

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Not limited to car dealers. Seems like the old addage of "An honest days work for an honest days pay" is just that, an "old addage" Don't even get me started with professionals in the legal, finance and healthcare industries. These guys think there is no end to how much they should charge and my best friends are MDs, CPAs, CEOs and attorneys. I frankly get tired of their whining (those that do) about how this and that seems over priced, when their salary is in the top 1-5%.