As I may be placing an order shortly, I'm curious about how this changes the bargaining process. Assuming you can normally buy off the lot at roughly a 5-6% discount, does this hold true with an order? When you place an order, is the price finalized at that time, or upon delivery? Seems as if once you place an order the dealer knows you really want that particular car and might not be willing to budge off sticker. Anyone had success at negotiating a discount on an ordered vehicle?

 

I've never had an issue with getting a discount on an ordered car. You negotiate everything prior to placing the order, not after the car has already arrived.

 

Ya. you can get some bucks off the dealer depending on when they want to fill their orders with Porsche. And, ya, negotiated price for the vehicle is done before you place your deposit down and sign the paperwork. Obviously, you can ask your dealer for an estimated good faith price including taxes, fees, etc beforehand.

 

Order is the way to go. I'll never take a car off the lot ever again after ordering the exact car I want. I got around 6K off sticker from my order.

 

If you can find 90%+ of what you want on a car on the lot then in my opinion that is not a bad way to go. However, if you want certain options, don't settle for something without them - I have experienced this. One caveat, I would not by a "demo" car - I have driven too many demos and people do not adhere to break in periods or treat them with much respect.

As for discounts, I think with patience you can get a pretty good deal on a custom order. When you think about it the dealer is locking in a future sale and they don't have to worry about inventory, etc. The cars on the lot are an investment (inventory) and they need to make an ROI on these. Their motivation to take a lower price is more because they are asking people to settle for certain options - or lack there of. Price is locked in when you order - so order quickly before the increase 1/1/13!

 

if it's close enough , buy it off the lot. you will always be saying i wish i would of got this or that......regardless of how you buy it. just the nature of porsche owners, perfection is redefined every day.

remember your 3-5 months down the road also with an order.......so if your 25 no big deal, if your 65 then ????

 

Get what you want. If you find it on a lot do it. If not, order. You may save a few $ if lucky with a car the dealer has an itch to sell, but over the long run may regret not having just the car you want. PS-rational and rationale are often confused here.

 

I had ordered a car to my specs and was waiting patiently for delivery. But one day while hanging around the dealership, I spotted a car that totally blew me away. It was love at first sight. The car had a totally different color, wheels and transmission than the one I'd ordered. It also had the Sport Design package, which I had never seen--other than in pictures--until that very moment.

Fortunately for me, the person who originally ordered this car was forced to cancel his order and it was available. The car is now sitting in my garage and I'm one of the happiest people on earth.

“I wonder how many people don't get the one they want, but end up with the one they're supposed to be with.”
― Fannie Flagg, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

 

There is a line of thought that goes something like this: The dealer is just taking your order and has no money in the car. The car comes in the dealer calls you and you come in and pay for the car and the dealer pockets a quick/painless profit.

So the dealer is not entitled to the same markup as he might be for a car on the lot that he might have had to pay flooring for.

The trouble is getting a dealer to see it your way.

If you order you have to be careful. Be sure the order is correct. If you sign off on the wrong options...

Be sure you have a price agreed upon *before* the order is placed. And you have this in writing. There should not be any blanks.

If a trade in is involved this complicates matters. A trade in price is agreed upon but then the trade in car is damaged even in a minor accident. Or the price drops. Or you add 10K miles in the meantime.

Put some time limit on the order. A dealer can't be held responsible for say a dock workers strike that holds the car up at the dock, but it can be responsible for not putting the order in when its says it will or puts it in wrong and having to reorder the car or even worse not being able to reorder because the line is shut down or the dealer has no more cars allocated to it.

This happens due to sloppiness but also sometimes the goal is to try to get you to buy a car off the lot. The dealer would prefer to sell a car it already has vs. ordering one.

Or your car comes in and the car is sold to another buyer who pays more for the car.

When the car comes in check it very carefully to be sure it is as you ordered. If you order a red car and it comes in blue... you can refuse the car, unless you signed off on a blue car when it was ordered.

'course if you ordered red and it came in blue and you change your mind and like the blue...

You can't refuse the car just because you changed your mind though.

Although...sometimes the dealer can let a car buyer back out of an ordered car.

It depends upon various factors. If the buyer backs out of an ordered car to buy another more expensive (profitable) car, well...

Not too many months back I came across a Cayman R that looked tempting but it had no A/C. Sorry but where i live/drive no A/C is no sale.

But I was curious and asked and was told the car was ordered to be a track only car which explains the lack of A/C.

But the buyer or would be buyer didn't spec PCCBs though he did spec a 6-speed manual transmission.

I loved the car and the price was attractive but as I said above no A/C is no sale.

Surprisingly the dealer let the buyer off the hook but I think the buyer was a very good customer because that car's spec was just not that mainstream.

 

I only ordered one car in 50 years of buying cars. It was a1963 Corvette. Things I missed:
No radio. Thought I could get an after market, no radio was vertical and didn't get ignition shielding.
Ordered 340 HP 4 barrel instead of fuel injection. Didn't think 25 HP was worth extra money
I think $500 at the time. The whole car was $3933 so that was a big extra. I kept car for 15 years and sold it for $3000 more than I paid. It would have been worth a lot more with FI.
Every car I have bought since has been off the showroom floor. I have never been sorry.

 

Looks like my salesman has found a car on the East coast that fits my spec exactly, with the exception of the wheels (car has Sport Technos and I would like the S wheel painted platinum). If the dealer can work out a swap I'm curious who would end up with the bill for shipping the car to CA. Also, has anyone had success with having the dealer swap out the wheels? (If I were a dealer I think I would figure out a way to provide the buyer with the wheel/tire package he desires, and not force him to live with the installed set. For me at least, the wrong wheels would be a deal breaker).

 

Wheels are an easy fix even if it down the road. I have a lot of friends who swap their wheels every couple years. I wouldn't let that stand in your way. Shipping will be an out of pocket cost to the dealer so it needs to be part of the deal. I would think 5% off of MSRP and dealer eats the shipping would be a fair deal. I don't like to over-negotiate with the dealer and seem like a cheapskate - I like to feel welcome when I visit which I do regularly. Just one opinion.

 

In this day and age, I always buy toward the end of the year when the new models are coming out.

Often times, you can get huge discounts and with the power of the internet, I have always found very close to what I wanted.

 

Life is too short so get what you want. So many options to choose from and that's the fun part along with the wait as its worth it! It's a great adventure! Savor it! The discounts are low either way and its a minor difference. Go with your own build! I truly enjoyed every minute of it cause it doesn't happen very often that they make such a drastic change! Happy buying!

 

This may vary depending on dealer and dealer/buyer relationship....when my 991 arrived I almost refused/changed my mind....they said they had no problem putting it on the showroom floor and refunding my meager $1000 deposit.