Boxster - poor experience....
Discussion
First off, Saturday was generally a good day - I had my first drive in a Boxster. Standard-as-you-like 987 Boxster 2.7 on 17" wheels and it was sweet as a peach. A true sports car, and made my BMW feel rather understeery on the drive back home!
Anyway, that aside, the rest of the experience left me feeling rather, well, meh. Long story short, the OH and I are looking at chopping in both our cars and getting a Boxster - it will be used by her in the week, and me at the weekends, and one seems to perfectly fit the bill.
So, I put in a call to a very well known specialist car dealership the middle of last week to give some details of what we were looking for, some details of both our cars to allow them to put together some p/x prices, and to book a time to see the carir at the weekend.
I was dissapointed then to be told I would be called back, but then having to wait 24hours before calling them, only to be greeted by a puzzled salesman who didn't recall our conversation the day before. Not a good start.
Despite this, we turned up at the weekend to see the car and I did my usual checking/inspection of the brakes, tyres etc whilst my OH checked to see if she felt comfortable with/in the car. The discs were pretty much shot all round and the tyres were mismatched front to back and N/S to O/S on the rear axle. Again, pretty poor.
I was also dissapointed that the car had not been prepped ready for a drive; the one we drove had the PSM warning light on due to the car having "a new battery". I would also have hoped for a drive where we could both head out together, seeing as it will be a car for us both. But, alas, accompanied drives only. I also wanted my OH to see how she found the car with the roof up and down however, when she came back, apparently the roof would go up but the fuse for the drivers side window had blown, so it was stuck in the down position. Rubbish.
To add insult to injury, we were offered pretty insulting figures for our cars with seemingly no room for manouvere and a nonchalant attitude regarding the Boxster along the lines of it being priced well and it will sell itself.
So, all in all, very dissapointed. I'm not going to name and shame, but I do find it dissapointing that a garage who sell themselves as a specialist in the marque clearly are are not.
I have been doing some reading about local OPCs and am tempted to pay a visit and see whether they can offer a better service. This would involve upping the budget and going with Porsche finance, however it may be that we are offered a better p/x deal, a better prepped and newer car, and the 2 year warranty. You pays yer money and all that, but would certainly be interested to hear whether there are any favourable tales of the OPC's in the North West; Wilmslow and Bolton seem to get good press, and happen to have a rather nice Boxster up at £22k.
Long post, sorry, but was hoping our introduction to Porsche would have been better than it was...
Anyway, that aside, the rest of the experience left me feeling rather, well, meh. Long story short, the OH and I are looking at chopping in both our cars and getting a Boxster - it will be used by her in the week, and me at the weekends, and one seems to perfectly fit the bill.
So, I put in a call to a very well known specialist car dealership the middle of last week to give some details of what we were looking for, some details of both our cars to allow them to put together some p/x prices, and to book a time to see the carir at the weekend.
I was dissapointed then to be told I would be called back, but then having to wait 24hours before calling them, only to be greeted by a puzzled salesman who didn't recall our conversation the day before. Not a good start.
Despite this, we turned up at the weekend to see the car and I did my usual checking/inspection of the brakes, tyres etc whilst my OH checked to see if she felt comfortable with/in the car. The discs were pretty much shot all round and the tyres were mismatched front to back and N/S to O/S on the rear axle. Again, pretty poor.
I was also dissapointed that the car had not been prepped ready for a drive; the one we drove had the PSM warning light on due to the car having "a new battery". I would also have hoped for a drive where we could both head out together, seeing as it will be a car for us both. But, alas, accompanied drives only. I also wanted my OH to see how she found the car with the roof up and down however, when she came back, apparently the roof would go up but the fuse for the drivers side window had blown, so it was stuck in the down position. Rubbish.
To add insult to injury, we were offered pretty insulting figures for our cars with seemingly no room for manouvere and a nonchalant attitude regarding the Boxster along the lines of it being priced well and it will sell itself.
So, all in all, very dissapointed. I'm not going to name and shame, but I do find it dissapointing that a garage who sell themselves as a specialist in the marque clearly are are not.
I have been doing some reading about local OPCs and am tempted to pay a visit and see whether they can offer a better service. This would involve upping the budget and going with Porsche finance, however it may be that we are offered a better p/x deal, a better prepped and newer car, and the 2 year warranty. You pays yer money and all that, but would certainly be interested to hear whether there are any favourable tales of the OPC's in the North West; Wilmslow and Bolton seem to get good press, and happen to have a rather nice Boxster up at £22k.
Long post, sorry, but was hoping our introduction to Porsche would have been better than it was...
Hi
PLEASE sell your existing cars privately and go with the resulting Cash (+ finance or whatever) and search out a nice example (From OPC of wherever) and I assure you you'll get the car / deal you want.
I'm telling you - going to a dealer (Indie or OPC) with 2 cars to chop in they aren't going to be interested - too much hassle work - getting stuck with 2 more cars to shift at what price etc etc etc.
Selliung yourself will get you more money and a better deal/experience when you go for the Boxter
Trust me on this !
MF
PLEASE sell your existing cars privately and go with the resulting Cash (+ finance or whatever) and search out a nice example (From OPC of wherever) and I assure you you'll get the car / deal you want.
I'm telling you - going to a dealer (Indie or OPC) with 2 cars to chop in they aren't going to be interested - too much hassle work - getting stuck with 2 more cars to shift at what price etc etc etc.
Selliung yourself will get you more money and a better deal/experience when you go for the Boxter
Trust me on this !
MF
Chopping in two cars for one will induce too much hassle for a trader to be really interested I agree, but having nothing to trade in doesn't have to do you any favours, either as the trader tends to see trede-ins as a profit opportunity.
Of course, if you want to trade in a car they'll tell you that they're doing you a favour by taking it, and if you sell it privately and go to the dealer's with a wad of cash, the salesman will say they can't discount the car because you don't have a P/E vehicle...
Of course, if you want to trade in a car they'll tell you that they're doing you a favour by taking it, and if you sell it privately and go to the dealer's with a wad of cash, the salesman will say they can't discount the car because you don't have a P/E vehicle...
ABSOLUTELY agree on the p/x front - selling them privately is always better. However, I can also vouch, having sold many of my previous cars privately, that it is also a PITA. Having also had my car up for a while now, I can also tell you that this "current climate" (and I deliberately use " ") seems to have generated more chancers, time wasters and idiots that I have ever previously encountered.
If I had gone to a tin-pot dealer I wouldn't have been suprised. It is more that it was somewhere who should and could have been better that I am dissapointed.
I think I need to lower my expectations!
If I had gone to a tin-pot dealer I wouldn't have been suprised. It is more that it was somewhere who should and could have been better that I am dissapointed.
I think I need to lower my expectations!
snorkel sucker said:
ABSOLUTELY agree on the p/x front - selling them privately is always better. However, I can also vouch, having sold many of my previous cars privately, that it is also a PITA. Having also had my car up for a while now, I can also tell you that this "current climate" (and I deliberately use " ") seems to have generated more chancers, time wasters and idiots that I have ever previously encountered.
If I had gone to a tin-pot dealer I wouldn't have been suprised. It is more that it was somewhere who should and could have been better that I am dissapointed.
I think I need to lower my expectations!
Sold our TT (in advance of 981 arrival) for c£2k more than dealer offered If I had gone to a tin-pot dealer I wouldn't have been suprised. It is more that it was somewhere who should and could have been better that I am dissapointed.
I think I need to lower my expectations!
First bloke that saw it bought it and drove it home that day and this was on a less desirable 3.2V6 with high fuel consumption and highest rate of road tax
535dBoy said:
Sold our TT (in advance of 981 arrival) for c£2k more than dealer offered
First bloke that saw it bought it and drove it home that day and this was on a less desirable 3.2V6 with high fuel consumption and highest rate of road tax
There are some good buyers out there of that I don't doubt. I may just be unfortunate that those who have contacted me have been less than genuine! I don't want to get into p/x vs private sale debates to be honest, I just thought it was an interesting experience to share.First bloke that saw it bought it and drove it home that day and this was on a less desirable 3.2V6 with high fuel consumption and highest rate of road tax
Conversely, when we do sort something out, I'll be happy to sing the praises of whoever sells us the car, assuming they are ok!
sounds like you saw an absolute dog a good indie wouldnt have a car like that.if your budget is circa £20k you will get a nice S circa 2007model.its worth going to an opc as you will get the 2 year warranty and a lot more choice and a better deal than you might think(they have a glut of boxsters at the moment a new 2.9 can be had for low £30ks).as some said before sell your cars privately and haggle hard as a cash/finance buyer
snorkel sucker said:
You pays yer money and all that, but would certainly be interested to hear whether there are any favourable tales of the OPC's in the North West; Wilmslow and Bolton seem to get good press, and happen to have a rather nice Boxster up at £22k.
Might be your lucky day - there is a nice looking Boxster S at Bolton OPC now for £19990! Speak to Sam in sales who is very enthusiastic and pleasant to deal with. Their service team have always done their best to look after me too. My car has just been in there for service (they originally supplied it to me too) and the whole experience was completely professional - 61 plate Boxster S courtesy car for the day, everything done on time etc.
Cut out the OPC middlemen - sell your cars, they are only worth what someone else will pay for them.
Buy private; read the Hartech buyer’s guide http://www.hartech.org/buyers.html negotiate a good deal; have it checked-over by an independent in the area where the car is and then have it serviced at Hartech, assuming that Bolton is near enough to where you live - job done.
No sour purchase and no patronising salesmen involved for you and OH. Most importantly, no heavy OPC mark-up.
At the end of the day, a Boxster is a very nice car, but it is only a car. I bought my 987 last year, spent a lot of time asking the right questions before going to look at it. The car matched the detailed photos and description that I had been sent, the seller would not budge on what seemed an already competitive price, but I did get the immaculate low-milage car that I expected.
I am very please with myself.
Buy private; read the Hartech buyer’s guide http://www.hartech.org/buyers.html negotiate a good deal; have it checked-over by an independent in the area where the car is and then have it serviced at Hartech, assuming that Bolton is near enough to where you live - job done.
No sour purchase and no patronising salesmen involved for you and OH. Most importantly, no heavy OPC mark-up.
At the end of the day, a Boxster is a very nice car, but it is only a car. I bought my 987 last year, spent a lot of time asking the right questions before going to look at it. The car matched the detailed photos and description that I had been sent, the seller would not budge on what seemed an already competitive price, but I did get the immaculate low-milage car that I expected.
I am very please with myself.
rdjohn said:
Cut out the OPC middlemen - sell your cars, they are only worth what someone else will pay for them.
Buy private; read the Hartech buyer’s guide http://www.hartech.org/buyers.html negotiate a good deal; have it checked-over by an independent in the area where the car is and then have it serviced at Hartech, assuming that Bolton is near enough to where you live - job done.
No sour purchase and no patronising salesmen involved for you and OH. Most importantly, no heavy OPC mark-up.
At the end of the day, a Boxster is a very nice car, but it is only a car. I bought my 987 last year, spent a lot of time asking the right questions before going to look at it. The car matched the detailed photos and description that I had been sent, the seller would not budge on what seemed an already competitive price, but I did get the immaculate low-milage car that I expected.
I am very please with myself.
The Hartech buyers guide is very useful. Both cars are on the market so will see what comes of that. I don't really have a preference either way regarding private or retail purchase - a retail purchase is just more convenient for our situation right now, and also offered the chance to see if a Boxster was suitable.Buy private; read the Hartech buyer’s guide http://www.hartech.org/buyers.html negotiate a good deal; have it checked-over by an independent in the area where the car is and then have it serviced at Hartech, assuming that Bolton is near enough to where you live - job done.
No sour purchase and no patronising salesmen involved for you and OH. Most importantly, no heavy OPC mark-up.
At the end of the day, a Boxster is a very nice car, but it is only a car. I bought my 987 last year, spent a lot of time asking the right questions before going to look at it. The car matched the detailed photos and description that I had been sent, the seller would not budge on what seemed an already competitive price, but I did get the immaculate low-milage car that I expected.
I am very please with myself.
Although you would hope to see a car at a dealer with no major issues it's worth remembering that it's the previous owners that are the ones that have actually got the car in to that state in the first place. The PO of my boxster had received a list of advisories when they had a minor service done which they obviously decided to ignore (or maybe decided to sell the car as a result of that list). They had also fitted cheap and nasty Halfords wiper blades, removed the floor mats and kept the handbook and its wallet as a momento of their time of Porsche ownership.
That advisory list (from an OPC) helped me get a lot of items sorted by the independent dealer (e.g. the rear brake discs were clearly shot) before I collected it. My guess is that the dealer hadn't spotted the number of things that would need addressing prior to sale and probably ended up spending a lot more of their margin than they had expected to. However credit to the dealer for putting right what the previous owner had decided ignore.
That advisory list (from an OPC) helped me get a lot of items sorted by the independent dealer (e.g. the rear brake discs were clearly shot) before I collected it. My guess is that the dealer hadn't spotted the number of things that would need addressing prior to sale and probably ended up spending a lot more of their margin than they had expected to. However credit to the dealer for putting right what the previous owner had decided ignore.
I'm no fool when it comes to understanding dealer margins, but it did suprise me that the car could have such quite obvious signs of neglect that had not been tended to. I was also most annoyed to be told that the brakes were ok and my OH wasn't happy that her remark on the drive that the brakes didn't feel right was greeted with a "that's how they feel" reply.
They well have come back as being marginally ok, and therfore not replaced, but then I'd have bought knowing a large-ish bill was looming. Converesly though, it does also leave the wrong impression with a potential purchaser who then thinks "if they've left the brakes and tyres, what else have they ignored..."
They well have come back as being marginally ok, and therfore not replaced, but then I'd have bought knowing a large-ish bill was looming. Converesly though, it does also leave the wrong impression with a potential purchaser who then thinks "if they've left the brakes and tyres, what else have they ignored..."
rob.kellock said:
Might be your lucky day - there is a nice looking Boxster S at Bolton OPC now for £19990!
Speak to Sam in sales who is very enthusiastic and pleasant to deal with. Their service team have always done their best to look after me too. My car has just been in there for service (they originally supplied it to me too) and the whole experience was completely professional - 61 plate Boxster S courtesy car for the day, everything done on time etc.
+1 for OPC Bolton. Speak to Sam in sales who is very enthusiastic and pleasant to deal with. Their service team have always done their best to look after me too. My car has just been in there for service (they originally supplied it to me too) and the whole experience was completely professional - 61 plate Boxster S courtesy car for the day, everything done on time etc.
I bought my current car from them in 2010 and of the OPCs I've dealt with, they've been the best by far. They gave me an unexpectedly good trade-in for my old car (997S.1) and managed to find quite a bit of 'wiggle room' in the Porsche finance interest rates to get my current car within my budget. Add to that a helpful, courteous and professional service department and the experience has generally been a good one.
Bolton will be my first call when my current car is up for renewal next year.
535dBoy said:
snorkel sucker said:
ABSOLUTELY agree on the p/x front - selling them privately is always better. However, I can also vouch, having sold many of my previous cars privately, that it is also a PITA. Having also had my car up for a while now, I can also tell you that this "current climate" (and I deliberately use " ") seems to have generated more chancers, time wasters and idiots that I have ever previously encountered.
If I had gone to a tin-pot dealer I wouldn't have been suprised. It is more that it was somewhere who should and could have been better that I am dissapointed.
I think I need to lower my expectations!
Sold our TT (in advance of 981 arrival) for c£2k more than dealer offered If I had gone to a tin-pot dealer I wouldn't have been suprised. It is more that it was somewhere who should and could have been better that I am dissapointed.
I think I need to lower my expectations!
First bloke that saw it bought it and drove it home that day and this was on a less desirable 3.2V6 with high fuel consumption and highest rate of road tax
First one who actually came to see the car , bought it straight away .2K more than any dealer .
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