eilig

Four years ago, while talking to the Sales Manager of my local Porsche dealer, I told him it's only a matter of time before a new GT2 or GT2RS is released, As I am a good customer of the dealership, having bought/traded/sold GT3's, Macans, 911 Turbos, 911 S's, I asked what it would take to get allocated the GT2RS when it eventually came out. He said that the dealership was going to begin creating waiting lists for yet-to-be-released models, and taking $500 deposits from people interested in being put on the lists. I told him that I'd like to be first on the list for the GT2 or GT2RS (whichever eventually came out) and plopped over $1,000 to be "first on the list" for both models. Over the last few years, I've checked in with him regularly and was always assured that I was still "first on the list."

So last year, when the GT2RS was announced, I excitedly contacted the Sales Manager about my allocation. He ignored me and didn't return my calls or reply to my emails. When I was finally able to pin him own, he told me that the one or two GT2RS's that they anticipated to be allocated would go to 918 owners. I live in a smaller town, so our dealership is not high volume. There were only two 918's that passed through my dealer. One went to the dealership owner, and the other went to his son. As it turns out, both the dealer and his son will be getting the dealership's sole GT2RS allocations as well, and I was told that I "don't have a chance" of getting one.

Last fall when I was told this, I raised HOLY HELL and made a big stink about it. All I did is **** off the Sales Manager. But the point is, he was happy to take my deposits, and I was told for a few years that I would absolutely get an allocation.

I'm probably not the only one going through such a plight. But just thought I'd share.

Needless to say, I have an extremely dim view of Porsche and Porsche Dealers, who are playing the "good ol' boys" 918 Club game just a little too much. I thought this level of pretentiousness was reserved only for Ferrari dealers. That's certainly not the case anymore. Besides, the owner of the dealership putting himself ahead of customers should not be tolerated by PCNA. Does he own the dealership just so he can enrich his personal collection of cars? I thought the purpose of dealerships was to sell cars, not hoard allocations for the personal enrichment of the dealership's owner and family. PCNA should crack down on this stuff..... They know it is happening, yet they do nothing.

I'm not going to push it any further, as I was able to get a 991.2 GT3 allocation with no mark-up. So I'll just leave well enough alone. But still, they shouldn't make promises that they can't keep. It leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. After this new GT3, my business with Porsche will be done. Besides, I don't like turbo cars anyway and that's where it's all going.

Lastly, it is worth noting that the dealership owner recently sold his 918.... For a $800k profit.

G.Irish

Sorry to hear you got hosed there. It seems like the various GT car allocation soap operas are a great case study in human nature. Dealers are happy to keep their word when there are a decent number of allocations to around and markups are minor. But when a truly limited model comes into play, promises become worthless as dealers (and buyers) cash in on markups and/or keep the tasty cars for themselves. When push comes to shove, only the biggest dog is going to get the bone.

I don't know what recourse there is other than signing legally binding contracts when you put down your deposit for a GT car. Unless Porsche starts making more cars or withholding allotments to jerk dealers, this kind of thing is only going to continue. Maybe even worsen.

JRidge

I had a similar situation with my .2 GT3. I ended up getting the car but had to raise holy hell and involve PCNA. In my case too it was the dealership owner himself who wanted my allocation. Kinda hypocritical that some of the dealers who claim to want to crack down on flippers are among the most notorious flippers themselves.

As an interesting postscript to my situation, and unbeknownst to me at the time, my dealership was in the process of being sold. The selling dealer now no longer owns a Porsche franchise. Certainly doesn't excuse, but helps explain, his desperate behavior.

Now I have to figure if I'm worse off or better off with my local dealer in new hands! Better, because it's not the same clowns? Or worse, because I have no history with the new owner?

WenigerAberBeser

Dealers should not make guarantees unless they can actually guarantee whatever they promise; however, customers should also take whatever a dealer says with a grain of salt... they are SALES guys (and gals)

astolfor

Without a dealer name and formal complaint to Porsche in Germany, this makes no good.

ExMB

BS

If you read through all the threads here you will find that 918 allocation are outside of normal ones. That leaves as an only option that the stealership was allocated a single GT2RSs based on the criteria adopted by PCNA. Rank (stink) has its privilege. Or got none and just waited til he got his 918 privilege GT2RS before finalization of his 918 sale.

djcxxx

orthojoe

You're not alone. I think a lot of us are really tired of the games at this point and are giving up on the brand.

Catorce

It's total bull****. Klaus Zellmer knows this and the entire PCNA management is in cahoots on it. Literally no other brand does it as seedy as Porsche does.

As a point of comparison I just placed a deposit down on an AMG G63 SUV. The 2019 is new, and they are not taking orders on it per se, but you can put down a 1K deposit for an allocation. I am #4 in line, Mercedes is extremely transparent about where you are on the list and puts together a written sheet for you.

Why can't Porsche do this???

eilig

I've decided to take the $$ I had planned to use for buying the GT2RS and use it to instead by an F12. Porsche can go F#*% themselves.

G.Irish

I can't imagine that Porsche is any worse than Ferrari and their special models (TDF, Speciale, Pista). I'd expect the Porsche experience to be better than Ferrari for sure, but at this point I don't think it's worse.

soulsea

There might have been a time when dealer lists had some usefulness, but for the most part these days and moving forward they mean absolutely nothing.

First GT allocations go to VIPs and car dealership owners, the rest go to their best customers, and the rest to dealer inventory to be sold with ADM (for the dealers that do that).

Going in today and plopping down x$ deposit on 992 GT3 doesn't give a low priority customer (someone who hasn't bought from the dealership before) a higher priority unless they get in writing, which most dealers won't do.

The cat is out of the bag with GT cars, once it became public knowledge that these cars can be bought, driven, and sold for more, everyone and their brother tried to game the system and rushed to their local dealership getting on these hypothetical lists that dealers never had a chance in hell to honor. If you put together all the US dealerships that's millions of dollars collecting interest in their accounts for cars they know they'll never have to sell. I don't blame the dealers to be honest, but it has led to this acrimony, and everyone involved shares responsibility.

The reverse of all this of course being on a McLaren forum bitching about how come my car deprecated $100k is six months.

thebishman

You have to wonder whether this owner and his son won't just flip the cars themselves for huge profit a few weeks after they take delivery. I wouldn't bet against it.

FORENN

I'm not so sure about that. I think there's a bunch of guys on RL who complain and threaten to leave the brand, but only a small percentage actually does it. And for every long-time Porsche guy who does leave, there are 10-15 newbies lining up looking for GT# cars.

BK77

The dealer should be getting a least 1 or 2 cars outside the VIP status. Sorry to hear you got the shaft, but when any business sees a easy way to make a quick 200K+, a lot will do it. Four years ago when you gave the deposit they had no idea of what the market was going to be like, so of course they promised you a car.

I'm kind of in the same boat, "first" on the waiting list, deposit 5 years ago. currently I'm promised a September build, but nothing is for sure until its sitting in my garage.

My local Ferrari dealer only sells their "limited edition" cars to his family members, and hes very open about it. The grass is not greener...