Feedback for RSJ from a newbie - Page 2 - 911/Carrera GT - PistonHeads UK

Hi guys, I,like a lot of people who visit this forum have wanted to own a 911 for as long as I can remember. I've spent at least 3 years lurking in the background of forums like this one, soaking up all the advice and knowledge that you're all so keen to share. My career has accelerated rapidly in the last few years and I've been lucky enough to have been rewarded with a nice salary and regular bonuses which has mean't that I could get rid of my almost brand new Lexus IS 250 and start looking for my perfect 997 Tip C2S. I started at Portiacraft. Quite a lot of choice and a couple of cars that I was interested in but their stock looked pretty tired in the flesh and despite me asking a couple of questions I never really got the attention of the salesman who seemed more interested in what he was looking at on his pc. So I moved on. On the way back to my house I passed Hendon Way Motors.. I've read all the horror stories but had an hour to waste so I popped in. 'Do you have any 997s I enquired?' Him 'No' Me: 'Oh how about that one over there' Him 'Yes we have one'.. It was a weird way to start. The cars have no prices advertised on them so I asked how much a C2S Tip in blue on an 06 plate was. They wanted 27k.. not bad I thought. Before I had time to reflect on the price the gentleman said that if I left a 2k deposit there and then I could have it for £24k. So straight away I knew something was wrong. So I moved on. HWM was not for me. I looked at a few examples through OPCs but they dont have many 997s and are obviously quite a lot more expensive than the indies. So my final choice was RSJ. They seem to have almost impeccable feedback on here and other forums and when things do go wrong they have a reputation for putting it right. I called them to let them know I was coming down and we got off to a great start with me telling Joel what I was looking for and what my circumstances were. RSJ is on an industrial type site very close to the train station in Slough. I met Joel and went upstairs with him to look at the cars. I was blown away with the condition of the cars. They're all immaculate. Joel left me to look around a 55 plate, 32k tip C2S with Ocean blue, bose and a few other bits. Full OPC service history. I could not find a single fault in terms of presentation other than the stone guards were discoloured. Joel agreed to replace them and we agreed a price of £28k. I left a £2k deposit and transferred the rest of the cash to finalise the purchase. I picked the car up a week later and it was prepared to a very high standard. Darren spent 30 minutes going through the switchgear in fine detail which is what I needed as this was my first Porsche. The only negative thing that wasnt pointed out to be at the time of purchase was that it only had one key. Joel promised to fix this once I had received my log book) I drove back to my place in Derbyshire with a huge smile on my face. I have a full 3 month warranty with RSJ so I wanted to get the car checked over before it expired. I booked it into Porsche West London for the 111 check or whatever it is. No problems found other than the radiator is blocked with leaves and the cigar lighter doesnt work. I was going back to RSJ as they had ordered me some new coloured centre caps so they carried out the work with no fuss. A week later I was driving into work and it happened.. the engine warning light came on. My heart sank. Everybody was right, it is a timebomb waiting to go off! Luckily I drive past Porsche on my way into work but this was on a Sunday at 7pm so I had to leave it in a residents bay right outside the OPC. I went back the next morning and Porshe said they would check it over and I'd have to pay £85 for the first 30 minutes to which I agreed. They called me later in the day to say that all 6 coil packs had failed and that the radiator was blocked with leaves (despite it being cleared the week before so this was BS) They quoted me £850 to fix these faults. I was given the all clear to drive the car to RSJ and to make a long story a little shorter 3 of the coil packs were cracked but Martin at RSJ (who is great btw) replaced all six. They also arranged for the new key to be sorted whilst they had it. So I picked it up yesterday and it runs like a dream. The guys at RSJ are all really informative and straight to the point. The main thing is that they take you seriously from the first moment of contact until you're in a position to buy. My aim is to have a Gen 2 by year end and I have every intention of buying it from RSJ because they haven't given me a reason to shop elsewhere. I cannot recommend them highly enough. From a practical point of view I have no issue using the 997 as daily driver using it to commute 12 miles into central London and parking it in a public car park. At weekends I have my 4 year old daughter and she loves the 'porker'. She fits a treat in the back with plenty of space. Insurance wise I'm 39 with 11 years NCB and live in West London. I pay £550 a year with AXA which is cheaper than my old Lexus?! I guess the nature of my post is to encourage people like me who have been lurking for years into taking the plunge and just doing it if your finances allow! I hope to make it to some of the meets later in the year and look forward to meeting some of you. Best wishes and thank you for creating an invaluable source of information for a newbie Porshe owner like me! Here's the obligatory pic!

Im usually one of those that tells newbies to go to RSJ and as you now found out Joel keeps everything on a serious level with Martin downstairs pulling out the stops if anything does go wrong. I too would always go back to RSJ for another car but something happened the other week that changed all that.......i saw a Youtube clip of a V8 Vantage. So my C4S is getting sold as soon as the local OPC can find my missing locking wheel nut(!!!!) and then its Aston for me im afraid. Im sure ill be back though.

Great looking car and from a great dealer. In a small defence of Portiacraft they have a different business model and their prices reflect that. I brought from them and they are very no nonsense and you're right the cars are not prepped visually to the nines. The sticker price is what you pay but they prep the car mechanically to what you want done after you put down the deposit. You're not paying for a machine polish, wax, Hoover, etc. you can get that done yourself later if necessary. For me they were really easy to deal with, totally no nonsense, assisted with faults by just getting on and sorting them under their in house warranty, which is 12 months. I agree however, they are probably not the place for your first time purchase. You never get a coffee but the toilet is clean.

Agree with Pierslofi - Portiacraft were pleasant, cheap and have a decent warranty. Not sure it is prep of cars but maybe the presentation of them is not the highest priority. For mine they did get a bumper repainted and refurb alloys and sort out all mechanicals so have nowt but praise at the mo. Need to take it back for a (totally unforseeable) warranty item in a couple of weeks so can't comment on that element yet but they have not quibbled it at all. RSJ sound fab and my friend is looking for a Boxster at the mo so will make sure she considers them.

@ Cigarette lighter broken I bought a 997 C2S from Joel and I would not hesitate to buy from them again. Great bunch of guys who know their stuff!

Thanks for sharing, I didn't make it to RSJ when I was looking at the time but will try to next time I'm in the market following the good reviews. Agreed with all the above comments on Portiacraft. Their cars are NOT well prepped bodywork/interior wise (you need to take it for a detail aferwards, add at least £500 mentally for that) but they are very straightforward to deal with and know their Porsches very well. petop said: ...its Aston for me im afraid. Im sure ill be back though. See you back in a few months then!

My visit to RSJ was not as good, I found the cars not as described, all grill fronts stuffed with leaves, paper and fag ends and to top it off no test drives allowed. I was also told that cruise control could not be retro-fitted? Not a fruitful visit.

Nice to hear your chuffed wit hthe new car OP. Did you get a test drive???? They only real negative I hear about RSJ is they don't allow test drives. Is this just an internet myth or something?

I think they will allow test drives but you need to prove you're serious about buying the car (maybe even leave a deposit subject to test drive) - I can understand it though, given how difficult it is to get them out, as well as the potential re-cleaning costs/hassle. Fine if you know what you want, a bit more challenging if you don't and need to try different models to decide.

Seems fair enough

I've had test drives at RSJ, I've bought 5 or 6 cars off Joel over the years, I'd buy a car from him over the phone because, as the OP has experienced, he'll stand by the cars he sells. The test drive thing is just a basic practicality issue, it's a pain to get the cars out and the local roads aren't that great anyway, I've test driven 3 cars there, if you're a serious buyer it's not a problem. If you're at the point of deciding between 911 / GT-R / Z4 etc etc then I can see why they aren't keen to offer a test drive.

It never bothered me that i didnt test drive my C4S from them. In fact i more or less bought the car from Afghanistan and only saw the car for first time when i went to drop deposit off. Joel stands by the fact the cars are prepared in such as way that a test drive isnt required but as people have said they dont refuse one. Having watched the cars being prepared im surprised the poster who stated about leaves etc being present, maybe you saw one prior to prep? As for the Aston comment....maybe but whilst i can i got to give it a go. Its a stop gap until PDK GTS's comes down a little more.

A few years ago I went to RSJ to view a couple of cars (996 C4S). Actually wasn't that impressed with the cars I viewed to be honest. One had had a nasty respray job on a rear quarter panel that I pointed out. They said they would sort it, but I was wondering why it was there in the first place! Also wouldn't budge an inch on price, even though they later reduced both cars unsold. Maybe I was just unlucky, but wouldn't make the trip down there again.

I have heard a lot of praise for RSJ over the years but the one thing that stops me buying from them is the lack of Bright colours. They have the occasional Cobolt Blue car but no Speed Yellow ones

giltranator said: I have heard a lot of praise for RSJ over the years but the one thing that stops me buying from them is the lack of Bright colours. They have the occasional Cobolt Blue car but no Speed Yellow ones I'd imagine they stock the colours which appeal to the widest audience and sell best. Speed Yellow is probably more of a Martime colour. Nice to see one out on the roads, not sure if I'd want to use it daily!

So you got 4k off the asking, well done Who was the BS with the leaves, OPC or the seller?

Wozy68 said: So you got 4k off the asking, well done Who was the BS with the leaves, OPC or the seller? Don't think he got £4k off. I think it had 32k miles and he bought it for £28k.

g7jhp said: Don't think he got £4k off. I think it had 32k miles and he bought it for £28k. Ah

I bought my 996 turbo from them in December 2012, absolutely top people to deal with. In fact, it is back with them now for a service and some minor niggles being sorted out, one of which is to stop a local OPC fitted windscreen creaking! The cars are properly prepped prior to sale, but they also have cars in the showroom that are awaiting prep. Mine looked like a brand new car when I picked it up, I couldn't believe it was actually mine! Martin and Gordon in the workshops are spot on too, no BS, straight to the point and accurate workers. Test drives? I had one in a showroom car just to demonstrate the ride quality to me. Following this, I bought my Turbo blind having not even sat in it before driving it home, such was my trust in Joel and Darren. The drive home was fantastic, the car was (and still is) as tight as a drum all round! I would not even hesitate to buy another from them, knowing that if the worst happened, they would fix it with absolutely no fuss at all. The OP's car looks great by the way.

I bought my 996 turbo from them in December 2012, absolutely top people to deal with. In fact, it is back with them now for a service and some minor niggles being sorted out, one of which is to stop a local OPC fitted windscreen creaking! The cars are properly prepped prior to sale, but they also have cars in the showroom that are awaiting prep. Mine looked like a brand new car when I picked it up, I couldn't believe it was actually mine! Martin and Gordon in the workshops are spot on too, no BS, straight to the point and accurate workers. Test drives? I had one in a showroom car just to demonstrate the ride quality to me. Following this, I bought my Turbo blind having not even sat in it before driving it home, such was my trust in Joel and Darren. The drive home was fantastic, the car was (and still is) as tight as a drum all round! I would not even hesitate to buy another from them, knowing that if the worst happened, they would fix it with absolutely no fuss at all. The OP's car looks great by the way.

giltranator said: but no Speed Yellow ones Not sure you need any more Speed Yellow cars!!!

Went to look at a 987.1S at RSJ when i was first thinking about a Porsche in about 2009. Stock looked good enough to me, but Joel's matter of a fact approach perhaps wasn't right for a nervous newbie to the marque, hence I bought from an OPC. Now I'm a little more confident I would definitely look at RSJ and 911V cars - their reputations seem deservedly good. As an aside does Joel or Henry post anymore? Don't ever seem to see them around...

RSJ is the Waitrose of the indy's. Portiacraft is the Lidl. All others are the Tesco's. Different business models for different customers - I'd recommend any first time buyer to go to RSJ.

911V fortnum and masons ?

What a dilemma, who is going to get the Harrods slot!

What a dilemma, who is going to get the Harrods slot!

What a dilema, who is going to get the Harrods slot!

doneitnow said: What a dilema, who is going to get the Harrods slot! SCOM?

http://youtu.be/uVvcD4Czx4Y

Limited experience, but paragon have been great for service. RSJ pretty good for purchase.