nick49

Just missed a TT that sold while I was test driving it. Long story, short. A Volvo dealer had a very, very nice '01 Slate Grey TT 49k miles, highly optioned, natural leather, sports seats, PSS9, tip that the County Attorney traded in. Local P-dealer sales mgr knew the car and said he understood it to be very nice. Anyway after my 30 minute test drive, salesman went to get the books and records, carfax report and came back telling me the car had just been sold on the net. Advertised price was $33,987. The car drove flawless and looked near mint, I was sick. Sales manager said they had the car over 40 days and advertised it nationally, dropping the price from $38k which I think would have been a good buy for this car.

Price does not necessarily reflect anything other than itself. I've found this to be true over decades of buying and selling. I'll continue looking.

Chaos

GREAT PRICE

Macster

How convenient the car sold just as the salesman left you to get the info on the car...

Remember: Everything a car salesman tells you is intended to get you to buy the car as soon as possible and to pay as much for the car as possible.

The car may have been sold, but check on the car often and surreptitiously to avoid tipping your hand to the seller how interested you are in the car. I think you'll find the car available again in a few days to a week...

Sincerely,

Macster.

nick49

I hope you're right, I have friends that are techs at the P-Dealer less than a mile away that will most likely do a PPI as a favor while I wait. I wrench on their Harleys, we reciprocate. This could be a very nice car for little money.

Durango Kid

I had this happen to me in July while test driving a base 997. Screaming bargain, 2006 CPO car for $42k. I was gutted, then the "buyer" flaked and the car was available again. In the interim, I bought a 996 turbo and couldn't be happier.

Frissen

too bad if it was a good like like you describe and local... keep looking and good luck

irie1029

Time to think about buying a "backup" or should i say reserve...

wolfgang1

their website says its still available....

nick49

I also saw it avertised with a new ad yesterday on a local internet classified ad site at a $5k preimum. I called the salesman right before closing and he said the is "definately" sold, they have money down on it.

This comfirms what I've always said about salesmen, "if their lips are movin', they're lyin'."

Macster

Early in 2009 when I was shopping for a car that would end up with me buying a new 2008 Cayman S and then a few months later again shopping for a car to replace the CS (lost it in an accident) I came across variable prices.

At the dealer the price on the car would be one number. Online it would be another. Sometimes lower. Sometimes higher. And prices of various cars I tracked would go up and down by several thousand dollars with no real pattern.

My belief is that just like the dealer believes moving cars around on the floor and the new car lot helps sales so does changing the prices.

Use your good judgement regarding whether or not you want to do any business with this dealer but do not let the unfortunately all too common crude car sales techniques stand between you and a good car and at a good price.

You should keep track of the car but without letting the saleman or dealership know. If either knows, then they know they have a fish -- you -- on the line. This drives their actions going forward to try to land the fish.

Remember the salesman and the dealer make their living selling cars. They do what they do because most of the time it works and to their benefit.

You have to try to avoid the path so many other cars buyer follow if you want this car at a good price.

Sincerely,

Macster.

dallison28

be wary also. A local p-car dealer has been known to abuse their p-cars for DE days. I was in the passenger seat as the driver was burning up the clutch and one of the salesman came up and told him to be more careful.

nick49

The story is getting more bizarre. Salesman called me 2 days ago and said car is for sale again and if I'm interested, I need to move. I went to the dealer yesterday in a snowstorm and the salesman brushed the snow off the car and fired it up. I asked if I could check out the undercarriage, so we pulled it in a bay and up on a lift. Most everything looked good, lots of nice stuff. Adjustable big sway bars at both ends, PSS9 rather new looking, Stainless cats and stainless performance exhaust and larger looking turbos, I assume as they looked newer and more colorful than the motor. Also impressive, is all 3 keys are there, book and record pouch, GIAC plug in ECU programmer. I checked out the car again in the cabin, and everything looks very nice like a clean one owner, I know what to look for as I do PPIs on motorcycles and have for decades.

Here's what haunts me. The car has had 6 owners, and sold 7 times. The 7th buyer did not even take possession or if he did, just for a sohrt time. The first buyer owned the car for a month, the second for 2 weeks, the third, for 2 days. The forth and fifth for over 6 years and the sixth for just over a year. The car had a new motor at 3000 miles, the motor and trans was recently pulled to fix a leak in the pan??? I'm unclear on this but the P-dealer gave me this info, they don't know the details because the work was done at an Indy.

Anyway, I think the car could be bought at a very attractive price especially today, (maybe $30-$33k), and it looks terrific and drives wonderfully, and it's verrrrrrrrrry quick, accelerates like my GSXR Suzuki. I'm somehow pulled to this car, maybe for the same reason I like rock and ice climbing and motorcycle roadracing. It arouses my curiosity, why 3 owners in the first 6 weeks? Absolutely unbelievable, for most any car especially a Porsche TT. All those owners walking, loosing thousands, rather than having the warranty cover them? And the Carfax is clean??? Wow!

theporscheguy

Are any of the previous owners actually dealers that quickly sold the car? That's a fantastic price if everything holds up. Have the car checked out and keep us posted.

Surfer161

dont forget a PPI at an independent shop BEFORE you place your money down.

JB

Mikelly

I'd be concerned about everything you've mentioned, to include the "leaK' in the pan... there's no pan on the motor, as it's a drysump system. I'd be interested in knowing why the motor was replaced. Doing a PPI on one of these cars is much more extensive than doing one on a motorcycle, based on all the systems associated with this platform. I'd absolutely have it gone over thoroughly... If it checks out, then who knows, maybe everyone else had a bad run of luck.

It may arouse your curiosity, but it could also arouse a depletion in funds if that $25K motor takes a dump on a $33K "basket case"... Proceed with caution... This car (and your interests, btw) sound a lot like mine did... I got lucky, but knowing what I've learned over the 4 years I've owned mine, I'd never in a million years have bought it... You might get lucky, like I did, with a modded car, but man the penalty for getting it wrong is pretty steep.

Mike