That's where you're wrong, Sid. I'm not trying to convince you that a GT-R is anything. Not trying to be harsh, but whether you like GT-Rs or not is totally irrelevant to me. I've owned both GT-Rs and high-end Porsches, so your opinion on the matter isn't going to have any impact on my future decisions.

I'm simply responding to a guy who I feel somewhat boastfully bases his self-worth on the badge on his car. I would be making the same argument against him if I currently owned a Porsche, and have done so many times over the years....even when I owned Porsches.

I completely respect that. There is nothing wrong with loving your car at all. I mean, you should love it. If you don't, you need to get a different car.

Don't feel bad about it! Just don't be one of those guys who needs a badge to impress people.

If you carefully read my posts, I think you would better understand the context of my comments. Having owned 911s before, I know for a fact that people that matter do not care what kind of car you drive. The poster claimed otherwise, so I wanted know what his personal experience with regard to the subject has been. That's why I asked.

Thanks for the comments.

 

Interesting discussion about car prestige. I don't really fault people for choosing a car which projects status, since that appears to be a natural thing, but I personally try to achieve a sense of self-acceptance which is tied more to my personal relationships and my participation in society, rather than material markers of status. That's partly because the latter isn't generally a direct reflection of the former, and I think the former matters more. As far as I can tell, we go through this journey of life only once, and it's over pretty quickly. Gotta try to make the journey meaningful.

 

exactly, if you primarily rely on material status, you will be lost sooner or later and old, hollow and alone.
it´s not as important as leading a meaningful life but status is and never was irrelevant!
it`s part of our evolution and nature as you said and there is nothing wrong as long as you got (the other) priorities right.

 

Without any past purchase history at this dealership, I would think that is pretty much standard. But I do not think they are actually going to ask you to finance if you are paying cash. Its common practice to shake out the tire kickers vs actual buyers with this tact... after all, you are inquiring about their TROPHY DISPLAY or CROWN JEWEL similar to GT3 RS 4.0/GT2 RS,

And with so few 2013's available in the USA, you were lucky to find one within reasonable distance.

I was not planning on buying one when I went in, but it was interesting that after test driving with me, the sales manager referred me to the GM/Owner for a direct deal. I thought I did well, A FREE 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT! I have yet to redeem the voucher, but it was fun.

They were very nice and cordial and introduced me to the ONLY MECHANIC that will ever work on the GTR too! Pretty cool.

When the 2012/13's came out, they called me and said was willing to give me a pretty good incentive as well to update the GTR.

AND no you are not getting old, just wiser and more patient.

 

I suspect that Nissan dealers might also be used to dealing with a less serious crowd than Porsche dealers (I could be wrong), hence more caution about letting people do test drives.

 

Nice post. I'm sorry I made assumptions into our personality based on your comments, but since we don't each other personally, your comments are all I have to go on. Anyway, it's been a good discussion. Other than a few jabs here and there, I think we kept it pretty polite overall.

Enjoy your evening, my friend.

 

Manifold - you are one of the most eloquent posters on this forum.

 

This is a fact. My dealer has told me that more often than not, people who aren't in any financial position to purchase a GT-R are likely the ones who come in and attempt to get test drives.

But then, my Porsche dealer gets their fair share of those types as well.

 

Thanks! I enjoy hearing all the different perspectives in 6speed, most of which come from people who are relatively accomplished in their careers. I've learned a lot, including from people I've disagreed with.

 

I'd be waiting as well. As i said earlier the price hikes that have gone on in Porsche's campsite are hard to stomach least of all justify in the current climate. Even when 991tt comes out i can't see myself being first man in....that is if the price of the car is actually justifiable, which it more than likely won't be.

GTR is a proposition if one is prepared to accept the real differences between the two products i.e.;styling, substance of manufacturing, looks, smell, touch, and drive etc....as previously pointed out in my earlier posts. And then there's the demeaning BS that goes along with the buying process at a Nissan Dealership. Being treated like an idiot by moronic simpletons can be hard to take especially after the respectful treatment you are accustomed to ....which lets face it doesn't bode well when you think about the inevitable issues that would go along with the car, and all cars usually wind up with issues at one stage or the other.

I also would agree that if you can't be thrown the keys for a day to have a play then that would be a deal breaker. I always like to take a car home and park it in my garage to see how it looks in the stable too, and get the wife's opinion and the other people that matter to me.

Anyway GL. My turn will be coming around soon too so i will be faced with the same dilemma. And if it means i have to hold my 997tt even longer again to get a deal on the car that really turns me on then so be it.

Life's too short to be trying to get used to something that you know deep down really isn't your cup of tea.

 

That's fine Manifold, but it's inexcusable for any dealership to be unable to identify with it's potential clients, particularly when they are well heeled. A properly trained salesperson is able to do that. If a salesperson is unable to identify or qualify a real buyer against a tire kicking bum in the first 30 seconds then it is evident they are out of their league, especially trying to deal with customers that have received real service in past experiences. I have never come across a real salesperson in a Nissan dealership and i don't expect to any day soon. Although i will never say never.

Service is everything these days as is being properly recognised and dealt with accordingly. By and large you don't get this problem in a Mercedes, BMW, Porsche dealership etc etc... I have experienced it myself with Nissan.....un- be-lieve-able! They make it like you are the one that has to get on your hands and knees to give them 180K. And all i can add from the taste i received a couple of years back is that if they ever want to sell me a car they'd need to be able to at least accommodate for the basic's in selling. And if they can't handle a GTR sale in the same manner as a BMW or Porsche car salesman can, then they can kiss my *** goodbye. If you walk in to buy a Micra you may expect that level of expertise (or should i say lack thereof) but when you go in to shop a GTR you kinda expect something a little different. Maybe I'm expecting too much

 

Holy smokes!!!

There are some people that are truly car enthusiasts and there are some that are...well, for lack of better words...not.

Like a few others here, I am not a brand person. I own a Porsche and have owned just about every single brand of automobile since I have been 16 years old. I am 37 now and have learned to appreciate a little bit of everything.

I think is perfectly possible to appreciate something that does not carry a brand. While brands may represent prestige, some other brands represent "performance money".

I shop at Walmart and I am proud of it. Hell, if Kia or Hyundai could come up with a car that make 500hp and weighed 3,000 lbs and that would perform accordingly and that was not too unpleasant to the eye, I would probably jump on it too.

In my case, I work hard for my money and I have been blessed to the ability to recognize opportunity and capitalize on it. I could buy a more expensive home and more expensive cars, but, that really does not do anything for me. What does make me feel better about myself is not having to get a loan to get a car or a home. That, in my book, carries more value than prestige.

A few weeks ago I contemplated getting a 458 but simply could not justify blowing away most of my savings to get, what I would consider to be, one of the most beautiful cars and best performers out there.

Everyone has different perceptions on value and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Prestige and value however are also in the eyes of the beholder. Hell, when I went to Vegas to drive several "exotics", I took one of my favorite hats - a Honda Hat that was given to me for free when I bought a new S2000 about 10 years ago. If someone judged me for the hat that I was wearing, so be it.

Be happy everyone - be happy with your Porsche, your GT-R, your Veyron or you STi...they are all amazing machines that do bring us together - love for performance, speed, power, Gforces...and may I say, good looking women (that had to be said)...LOL.

Cheers!

 

It is funny you mentioned that because I truly believe that it depends on where you live.

Here where I live there is ONLY one Porsche dealership. They have NO competition and as such, they treat you and everyone else as if they are doing you a favor for attending to any of your needs. If you however, go to a Nissan dealership or a Chevrolet dealership, which there are about 5 or 6 of each in the area, and are looking at high end cars (Z06 or GT-R), you would be amazed at how well they treat you. I have had NOTHING but GREAT things to say about the people that I bought my GT-R and Xterra from...and if I were to buy another Nissan in the future, it would definitely be from them. I had the same results shopping for my Z06...I visited several dealerships and all of them did great - I stuck with the one that I had the best feeling about and based on the salesperson and service manager. The Porsche dealership...not so much. It was horrible and after trying to buy a car there once, I would never (very strong word, but I have lived up to it still) buy a car from them nor get it serviced there.

Back to what I said - competition is good and it creates and builds better service. I wish we had another Porsche dealership within a 100 mile radius....

 

Not so sure about that one tail wag. In sydney there is only the two P car dealerships now...used to be 3...and there are a number of nissan dealerships although that said only 2 GTR appointed dealers I am aware of. So the scales are pretty even on that front. My experience was mainly directed as a consequence of reading yrallis1's recent experience as being somewhat similar in outcome and treatment to my own. I believe the problem here is more general than just an isolated case too.

I would never take any brand car off the table if it fitted the criteria of what i was looking for....needless to say I've owned/stocked and sold a number of GTR's earlier in the piece along with other performance Japanese and German cars, so I'm very familiar with the general demographics that buy these types of vehicles and what they expect. I'm also from a sales/automotive/engineering background so i expect certain things as a minimum. That said, it's in the dealers interest to be able to accommodate for the respective clients. Didn't get that impression in my dealings with Nissan. The experience was much the same when i accompanied a friend who was shopping a new Z. Very ordinary....certainly wouldn't motive me to part with my money. Nor did it for my friend who wound up with a 135I ,and he was hell bent on buying the Nissan to begin with. He just got the right treatment and respect as one expects when parting with that kind of money. You really ned to have confidence in the company selling you their product and i certainly didn't get that....nor did he.

Edit: One thing i also found was the guy was more interested in throwing off at the Porsche once he became aware of what i drove, and spent more time on that rather than attending to the more important aspects of making any deal happen. It was bizarre and to be honest after being around this moron i felt like taking a shower. He had no idea...

 

I'm waiting for the Chinese to start producing really nice cars that cost way less than what's currently out there (while their labor rates are still really low).