My first (and last) buying experience with Porsche of North America
01-08-2018, 10:21 AM
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W202 AMG C55
My first (and last) buying experience with Porsche of North America
Since I've been a 10+ year member of both the MBUSA and BMWUSA clubs, 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
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
