Trigger Pulled...Finally!
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From: Charlotte, NC
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Trigger Pulled...Finally!
Let me start off by thanking this forum for all of the sage advice that all of you gave me a litte over a month ago on my search for a 997S.
Having started by looking at 2006-2007 997S varients and making the only thing required being a tan colored interior I was dumbfounded at how the prices for these models strengthend in the first half of 2012. After talking it out, doing a ton of research and watching my budget go up and up and up I finally decided to just bite the bullet and grab a 997.2 S. The way I saw it the DFI, LED and up to date PCM were worth about $10k more.
Throughout the negotiation process I watched many cars sell out from under me. Finally I decided to get aggressive and toss out a bunch of offers on different cars and see who wanted to deal. I learned a lesson, car dealers don't want to negotiate anymore. Takes all the fun out of car buying in my opinion, especially when you know the real market prices and dealers just refuse to acknowledge them. I refused to overpay for a car so I waited about a week and right before the Memorial Day weekend I took the one car I was most interested in where the sales rep said he couldn't go any lower and called the Sales Manager directly making a cash offer. Sure enough, we struck a deal quite quickly and it was right where I thought was fair from the beginning. So on Memorial Day weekend I flew out of town and took delivery of my new-to-me 2009 C2S!
The dealer ended up doing a great job because two of my requirements to complete the deal were to install the Sport Software and the Universal Audio Interface. Both require the activation codes from Porsche which take a few days to get but they pulled a few strings and had it done in about 36 hours from the Thursday we made the deal to the Saturday I took delivery! The only issue I had was the fact it looked as if the previous owner (not one of our type of enthusiasts) probably never waxed or hand washed the car. This is something I could not detect on the photos. Taking into consideration that the paint needed a bit of TLC but the rest of the car was just about perfect I finalized the deal, drove it home and spent 2 days bringing the paint back to life all the time with a permagrin. I still need to work some swirls out but now the shine is awesome. There is nothing like getting to know a new car through an intense detail job.
Having spent about a month with this car now I can say that it is simply amazing. The acceleration is unbelieveable and while I was 50/50 on PDK I now love it. I just wish the 997.2 had the "Pull both paddles/switches and the car goes into neutral" like the 991. The Sport software is a requirement and I am glad my car did not have SportChronoPlus because it means the previous owner didn't abuse the car. Now I can do that and I have no wart on the dash!
Here are the specs and I have to say I am so happy to be back in the Porsche fold, it is amazing how these cars make every day so wonderful.
2009 911 Carrera S
Midnight Blue Metallic
Sand Beige Standard Leather
Pwr Comfort Seats w/Driver Mem
Rear Ctr Cons Painted Extr Clr
Porsche Crest in Headrest
Self Dimming Mirrors
Heated Front Seats
Heated Steering Wheel
19" Turbo Wheel
Bluetooth Phone Interface
Navigation Module for PCM
Bose High End Sound Package
XM Radio
iPod Interface
Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK)
Having started by looking at 2006-2007 997S varients and making the only thing required being a tan colored interior I was dumbfounded at how the prices for these models strengthend in the first half of 2012. After talking it out, doing a ton of research and watching my budget go up and up and up I finally decided to just bite the bullet and grab a 997.2 S. The way I saw it the DFI, LED and up to date PCM were worth about $10k more.
Throughout the negotiation process I watched many cars sell out from under me. Finally I decided to get aggressive and toss out a bunch of offers on different cars and see who wanted to deal. I learned a lesson, car dealers don't want to negotiate anymore. Takes all the fun out of car buying in my opinion, especially when you know the real market prices and dealers just refuse to acknowledge them. I refused to overpay for a car so I waited about a week and right before the Memorial Day weekend I took the one car I was most interested in where the sales rep said he couldn't go any lower and called the Sales Manager directly making a cash offer. Sure enough, we struck a deal quite quickly and it was right where I thought was fair from the beginning. So on Memorial Day weekend I flew out of town and took delivery of my new-to-me 2009 C2S!
The dealer ended up doing a great job because two of my requirements to complete the deal were to install the Sport Software and the Universal Audio Interface. Both require the activation codes from Porsche which take a few days to get but they pulled a few strings and had it done in about 36 hours from the Thursday we made the deal to the Saturday I took delivery! The only issue I had was the fact it looked as if the previous owner (not one of our type of enthusiasts) probably never waxed or hand washed the car. This is something I could not detect on the photos. Taking into consideration that the paint needed a bit of TLC but the rest of the car was just about perfect I finalized the deal, drove it home and spent 2 days bringing the paint back to life all the time with a permagrin. I still need to work some swirls out but now the shine is awesome. There is nothing like getting to know a new car through an intense detail job.
Having spent about a month with this car now I can say that it is simply amazing. The acceleration is unbelieveable and while I was 50/50 on PDK I now love it. I just wish the 997.2 had the "Pull both paddles/switches and the car goes into neutral" like the 991. The Sport software is a requirement and I am glad my car did not have SportChronoPlus because it means the previous owner didn't abuse the car. Now I can do that and I have no wart on the dash!
Here are the specs and I have to say I am so happy to be back in the Porsche fold, it is amazing how these cars make every day so wonderful.
2009 911 Carrera S
Midnight Blue Metallic
Sand Beige Standard Leather
Pwr Comfort Seats w/Driver Mem
Rear Ctr Cons Painted Extr Clr
Porsche Crest in Headrest
Self Dimming Mirrors
Heated Front Seats
Heated Steering Wheel
19" Turbo Wheel
Bluetooth Phone Interface
Navigation Module for PCM
Bose High End Sound Package
XM Radio
iPod Interface
Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK)
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 45
From: Cashburn, VA
Rep Power: 17
Congrats on the purchase. That looks like Tysons Corner Porsche and I drive by there a few times a week. I don't remember seeing this one on the lot though. I would have snatched that color up in a second.
Enjoy the car man!
Enjoy the car man!
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From: upstate, NY
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I will admit that "real market" prices are all estimates but I just combined a lot of research. I focused on:
1: Cars.com, Autotrader, Dupont Registry trends on prices.
- I reviewed the prices over a 4 month period and especially looked at the posted price reductions for the specific model years I was looking at in the geographic area I was concentrating on and when those cars left the listings (either sold or taken to auction). This gave me a good baseline as well as quite a few comparisons of cars on the actual market. One thing that was necessary was to only look at cars from actual Porsche Dealers on these sites, otherwise it really is not apples to apples.
2: 6SpeedOnlines's Lease/auction price forum.
- This was invaluable because it tells you what price the cars are selling for at auction, this allows you to make what could be a fair and realistic target price for yourself.
3: Edmunds.com's Lease Message Boards.
- This allowas you to find out exact residual prices for the cars in the year you are looking at and in your geographic area. When you know this, and you know the car you are looking at was a lease return you have a good number that the dealer bought the car for.
4: Recent maintenance dealer did.
- If you know the dealer replaced the tires on the car with Michelin PS2's and performed other routine services that would be out of pocket if you bought the car then you can also estimate how much was put into the car.
From those points you can derive a realistic market price. TrueCar and KBB are great to look at but I have seen too much variation between the pricing tools for my comfort level. Now the problem is getting a dealer to listen to you and understand what a "fair" deal is. End of the day no matter how much research is done it comes down to what the dealer wants to do. If they think they can actually sell the car at a sick profit then they will not reduce the price at all and will not take into consideration other Porsche dealer listings online as price comparisons. I still see two cars online where the dealer said their best deal was $1k off and they have now dropped the prices by $5k and the cars are still not selling and have been on the lots for over 90 days. What this research did for me was make me confident I got a fair deal for the market at the time I purchased.
1: Cars.com, Autotrader, Dupont Registry trends on prices.
- I reviewed the prices over a 4 month period and especially looked at the posted price reductions for the specific model years I was looking at in the geographic area I was concentrating on and when those cars left the listings (either sold or taken to auction). This gave me a good baseline as well as quite a few comparisons of cars on the actual market. One thing that was necessary was to only look at cars from actual Porsche Dealers on these sites, otherwise it really is not apples to apples.
2: 6SpeedOnlines's Lease/auction price forum.
- This was invaluable because it tells you what price the cars are selling for at auction, this allows you to make what could be a fair and realistic target price for yourself.
3: Edmunds.com's Lease Message Boards.
- This allowas you to find out exact residual prices for the cars in the year you are looking at and in your geographic area. When you know this, and you know the car you are looking at was a lease return you have a good number that the dealer bought the car for.
4: Recent maintenance dealer did.
- If you know the dealer replaced the tires on the car with Michelin PS2's and performed other routine services that would be out of pocket if you bought the car then you can also estimate how much was put into the car.
From those points you can derive a realistic market price. TrueCar and KBB are great to look at but I have seen too much variation between the pricing tools for my comfort level. Now the problem is getting a dealer to listen to you and understand what a "fair" deal is. End of the day no matter how much research is done it comes down to what the dealer wants to do. If they think they can actually sell the car at a sick profit then they will not reduce the price at all and will not take into consideration other Porsche dealer listings online as price comparisons. I still see two cars online where the dealer said their best deal was $1k off and they have now dropped the prices by $5k and the cars are still not selling and have been on the lots for over 90 days. What this research did for me was make me confident I got a fair deal for the market at the time I purchased.
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You are right, it was Tysons Corner. Good dealer with some really good guys there too. I recommend them and I will also look at them again when I upgrade. The car was on the lot for just over 2 months, not sure if they kept it outside on the lot or in back somewhere as I did the entire deal online. At the time it was the only Midnightblue/Sandbeige PDK listed in the country, really is a stunning color combo.
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I will admit that "real market" prices are all estimates but I just combined a lot of research. I focused on:
1: Cars.com, Autotrader, Dupont Registry trends on prices.
- I reviewed the prices over a 4 month period and especially looked at the posted price reductions for the specific model years I was looking at in the geographic area I was concentrating on and when those cars left the listings (either sold or taken to auction). This gave me a good baseline as well as quite a few comparisons of cars on the actual market. One thing that was necessary was to only look at cars from actual Porsche Dealers on these sites, otherwise it really is not apples to apples.
2: 6SpeedOnlines's Lease/auction price forum.
- This was invaluable because it tells you what price the cars are selling for at auction, this allows you to make what could be a fair and realistic target price for yourself.
3: Edmunds.com's Lease Message Boards.
- This allowas you to find out exact residual prices for the cars in the year you are looking at and in your geographic area. When you know this, and you know the car you are looking at was a lease return you have a good number that the dealer bought the car for.
4: Recent maintenance dealer did.
- If you know the dealer replaced the tires on the car with Michelin PS2's and performed other routine services that would be out of pocket if you bought the car then you can also estimate how much was put into the car.
From those points you can derive a realistic market price. TrueCar and KBB are great to look at but I have seen too much variation between the pricing tools for my comfort level. Now the problem is getting a dealer to listen to you and understand what a "fair" deal is. End of the day no matter how much research is done it comes down to what the dealer wants to do. If they think they can actually sell the car at a sick profit then they will not reduce the price at all and will not take into consideration other Porsche dealer listings online as price comparisons. I still see two cars online where the dealer said their best deal was $1k off and they have now dropped the prices by $5k and the cars are still not selling and have been on the lots for over 90 days. What this research did for me was make me confident I got a fair deal for the market at the time I purchased.
1: Cars.com, Autotrader, Dupont Registry trends on prices.
- I reviewed the prices over a 4 month period and especially looked at the posted price reductions for the specific model years I was looking at in the geographic area I was concentrating on and when those cars left the listings (either sold or taken to auction). This gave me a good baseline as well as quite a few comparisons of cars on the actual market. One thing that was necessary was to only look at cars from actual Porsche Dealers on these sites, otherwise it really is not apples to apples.
2: 6SpeedOnlines's Lease/auction price forum.
- This was invaluable because it tells you what price the cars are selling for at auction, this allows you to make what could be a fair and realistic target price for yourself.
3: Edmunds.com's Lease Message Boards.
- This allowas you to find out exact residual prices for the cars in the year you are looking at and in your geographic area. When you know this, and you know the car you are looking at was a lease return you have a good number that the dealer bought the car for.
4: Recent maintenance dealer did.
- If you know the dealer replaced the tires on the car with Michelin PS2's and performed other routine services that would be out of pocket if you bought the car then you can also estimate how much was put into the car.
From those points you can derive a realistic market price. TrueCar and KBB are great to look at but I have seen too much variation between the pricing tools for my comfort level. Now the problem is getting a dealer to listen to you and understand what a "fair" deal is. End of the day no matter how much research is done it comes down to what the dealer wants to do. If they think they can actually sell the car at a sick profit then they will not reduce the price at all and will not take into consideration other Porsche dealer listings online as price comparisons. I still see two cars online where the dealer said their best deal was $1k off and they have now dropped the prices by $5k and the cars are still not selling and have been on the lots for over 90 days. What this research did for me was make me confident I got a fair deal for the market at the time I purchased.
Did you think that paying in full made a difference? I will be paying in full, but sometimes I think that dealers would prefer financing to make some extra money on the loan.
