Since I've been a 10+ year member of both the MBUSA and BMWUSA clubs, I've always found the forums to be a great resource for info from fellow auto enthusiasts. I thought I'd share my experiences with buying my first (and probably last) Porsche.

The quick synopsis...
I live in Washington State, and found a CPO car on the Porsche website. The car was located in Pennsylvania so I couldn't easily do a personal inspection, but I figured that since it was CPO, everything should be ready to go. I purchased the car and had it shipped across country, but when I took delivery, I noticed that the car shook when braking. I took it to my local dealer, who confirmed that the rotors were warped (front and back), as well as needing new brakes. I told them that I had just bought the car as a CPO, and that everything was supposed to be fixed before I purchased it. They said that I needed to take it up with the dealer I bought it from. As further proof of the lack of proper inspection, the car was low on oil, the windshield wiper motor didn't work, and the battery needed replacing. Fortunately the oil, motor, and battery were things that my local dealer was able to cover under CPO.

I contacted the dealer I bought it from, who initially ignored my request, blaming the brake wobble as 'flat spots on the tires', as well as accusing my local dealer of improper measurements. After escalating and providing them documented proof that the car they delivered was out of spec, they still refused to pay for the repairs, instead only offering a few bucks as a 'good faith gesture'. I contacted Porsche of North America, who, while appearing sympathetic to my story, claimed that they couldn't get involved, and that it was up to the dealership.

Sadly, I was forced to take legal action against the dealership. I had my attorney send them a letter, and then later a follow up letter, which the dealership ignored. Once again I contacted Porsche of North America, who once again told me that they wouldn't do anything, and that I had to take it up with the dealership. So once again my attorney and I got all of the evidence together, and filed a lawsuit against the dealership. Right now we are waiting for the sheriff to serve the dealership, after which they will be forced to respond within 20 days. This is extremely disappointing, since I gave this dealership every opportunity possible to do the right thing, from the salesman, to the Pre-Owned Manager, to the Sales Manager, all the way to the General Manager, and each one failed spectacularly.

The first mistake I made was that I assumed that buying a "Certified" Porsche from a Porsche dealer was a safe way to buy a car. Heck, it even says so on the Porsche Website: "The best way to acquire a pre-owned Porsche — not to mention peace of mind — is to make it a Porsche Approved Certified Pre-owned Vehicle."

The second mistake that I made was assuming that Porsche of North America would stand behind the customer when presented with all the issues that my local Porsche Dealership found in the car I purchased. The car that supposedly had passed the "rigorous 111 point inspection", was clearly not delivered as promised, and the selling dealership refused to do the right thing and cover the repairs. As a lifelong fan of the brand, this is incredibly disheartening.

Ultimately dealership experiences will vary, but that in itself wouldn't turn me off from the brand. However, the fact that Porsche of North America did nothing to help resolve this situation, is something that would make me reconsider ever buying another car from them again.

The full thread (lots of Q&A) is here, for those who'd like to read about it in more detail:
https://rennlist.com/forums/general-porsche-discussions-forum/1035190-cpo-car-arrives-needing-repairs-dealership-refuses-to-fix.html

 

If you really are concerned about fellow Pcar owners or potential buyers and not just being vindictive; rather than flaming PMNA and all Porsche dealers you really should name the ******* dealer in PA that sold the car as a CPO car and refused to stand by it. Your advice should really be never buy a used car without inspecting it personally.

 

Hi, and thanks for the reply. As mentioned in the Rennlist thread, I am holding off on naming the dealership in public forums until the lawsuit has settled. Of course, if anyone is in the Pennsylvania area or is looking for a car, I can certainly point you to my Yelp review, which you may find of interest.

One other thing I mentioned in the full Rennlist thread is how great my local dealership has been through all of this. It's a shame that they have also had the misfortune of trying to deal with the Pennsylvania dealership. Pretty much everyone I've talked to has said the same thing... "it's clear that the dealership sold you a damaged car... why didn't they just fix it?" You'd think that's where Porsche of North America would intervene, but sadly, they just referred me back to the dealership I purchased the car from.

I'll update this posting as I get more information. I have been unable to drive the car since October, and it doesn't look like it's going to be back on the road anytime soon.

Thanks again!

 

Good information. Each dealership is typically franchised with a dealer principle. I know you mentioned you reached out to the GM, however I would research who the dealer principle is. This is the person listed on the dealership license that is responsible for the franchise and is legally accountable to not just PMNA, but is the one whose butt is on the line. This information is all publicly available with most state DMV's.

Sorry to hear you've had a poor experience. I've been on the fence about picking up another Aston or 911 cab and was considering engaging in a similar transaction. Even though it's CPO, always try to arrange a third party PPI.

 

Yup, you're right, Collinsjd, the big takeaway is that you can't trust the dealer to actually have done the CPO, or to stand by it.

One other thing of interest was the amount of people who reached out to me privately to tell me of their own similar experiences. It would appear that I'm not the only one who received a CPO car that was in dire need of repairs.

 

I can commiserate with my dealership stories while searching for a base-model Cayman. I looked at one with two accidents... but an aftermarket turbo. They would not budge on the price. This is not a CPO/Porsche dealer. The other car was at a Porsche dealer, lower milage example and the seller suggested since I was out of state that we could do a "FaceTime inspection" of the car and then have it shipped. I flew to the Chicago to check out both cars (and visit family) but ended up only looking at the independent dealership.

Fast forward another month or so, I found a one owner private party sale in my state. I bought this car. Oh and it's an S

Also the dealership which serviced my car previously... pretty sure they never ever opened the engine lid. The bay was completely dusty with no signs of human contact... and the steering & coolant reservoirs were both low. This is an under 50k mile car.