What’s the point of Porsche dealers

[Geoffscars]

I am hopefully in the last few weeks of the long process of buying a Porsche. My car is in port emden waiting for a boat.
The dealer took a deposit etc placed the order

But I got to thinking: they don’t negotiate a price and any discount is a central thing.
The p/x deals are woeful and motorway etc do better
Most people configure themselves
They process a finance application but have no discretion and only use VW
The cars need an oil change at 20k miles and that’s about it

So Porsche could easily have a website to order online with finance options and get rid of all the men in suits
A few service centres is all they need

I also wonder how they make money. There is always a lot of people about in the centre but none who have the time to discuss anything
The sales volumes aren’t that high tho I accept the margin is more than on an Audi or bmw
Servicing is minimal on the modern cars and I’m guessing that warranty work isn’t paid for by Porsche at anything like 200 an hour

I’m struggling to think of anything they have done that couldn’t have been done quicker and probably better on line apart from a cup of coffee from a machine

[Not Ideal]

^^ I agree entirely on this.

I'd order the entire thing online if I could.

[Cheib]

It's an interesting point when you think of the new car sales process. Most conversations revolves around lack of availability of cars, length of delivery etc which could all be handled online I suppose.

I'd say there's a lot more to the after sales than an oil change in my experience though. .

[Geoffscars]

Should mean it’ll breakdown a lot?

[Paul_M3]

Geoffscars said:

I’m struggling to think of anything they have done that couldn’t have been done quicker and probably better on line apart from a cup of coffee from a machine

Whilst I do agree to a certain extent, that's because you're looking at it entirely from the perspective of somebody who knew what they wanted.

I'm sure there will be many people who want/need to have a look around the different models first, maybe test drive a couple, see some of the colour options in real life etc.

You're also a car enthusiast who understands the ridiculous amount of options on the configurator. I expect there are many people who appreciate a bit of assistance with that aspect.

So whilst the likes of you and me could easily and happily do the whole thing online, that certainly won't be the case for all.

[Wombat3]

You'll need them in the future for all the warranty work!

[Richard718]

Geoffscars said:

I am hopefully in the last few weeks of the long process of buying a Porsche. My car is in port emden waiting for a boat.
The dealer took a deposit etc placed the order

But I got to thinking: they don’t negotiate a price and any discount is a central thing.
The p/x deals are woeful and motorway etc do better
Most people configure themselves
They process a finance application but have no discretion and only use VW
The cars need an oil change at 20k miles and that’s about it

So Porsche could easily have a website to order online with finance options and get rid of all the men in suits
A few service centres is all they need

I also wonder how they make money. There is always a lot of people about in the centre but none who have the time to discuss anything
The sales volumes aren’t that high tho I accept the margin is more than on an Audi or bmw
Servicing is minimal on the modern cars and I’m guessing that warranty work isn’t paid for by Porsche at anything like 200 an hour

I’m struggling to think of anything they have done that couldn’t have been done quicker and probably better on line apart from a cup of coffee from a machine

I completely agree. And I was interested that the only thing a friend commented on when they came with me was that they weren't even offered a cup of coffee. All that fancy dealership, loads of people walking about or in glass rooms (what are they doing?) and yet that is the only thing my friend remembered.

[SuperMario888]

They were probably all online trying to buy a Playstation 5 and then moaning about how unfair the process was and that there was a complete lack of transparency how the allocations of stock were handled.

[churchie2856]

They do negotiate on price and discount. More crucially the offer test drives and demonstrator loans for the weekend.

[RDMcG]

I only buy from the dealer. I know them well, they know my cars, I get a loaner when needed and there is never any hassle if there is an issue with a car. Never worry about the quality of the work, the ease of booking a service, the warranty and so on, and I get my cars as I specify them. I order well in advance typically and find it a completely worry-free experience.

[2 GKC]

They’ll make more on the service side than the sales side

[supersport]

Where would all the hair gel and bunting go

[Gio G]

RDMcG said:

I only buy from the dealer. I know them well, they know my cars, I get a loaner when needed and there is never any hassle if there is an issue with a car. Never worry about the quality of the work, the ease of booking a service, the warranty and so on, and I get my cars as I specify them. I order well in advance typically and find it a completely worry-free experience.

You are very fortunate and I have this relationship with an Audi dealer. I suspect really successful dealers (potentially not corporate or HQ owned) keep their staff allot longer and look after them, which in turn creates loyalty between sales and their customers. My local dealer at Hatfield has only a few familiar faces, one of them is the finance guy.

Buying a Porsche should be an enjoyable experience if you use a dealer, whenever I go back my expectations are always on the low side.

G

[RDMcG]

Gio G said:

You are very fortunate and I have this relationship with an Audi dealer. I suspect really successful dealers (potentially not corporate or HQ owned) keep their staff allot longer and look after them, which in turn creates loyalty between sales and their customers. My local dealer at Hatfield has only a few familiar faces, one of them is the finance guy.

Buying a Porsche should be an enjoyable experience if you use a dealer, whenever I go back my expectations are always on the low side.

G

The dealer relationship is hugely important. I also had BMWs and Mercedes ..bunch of M cars and an SL amount other things.
In each case the dealer became corporately owned. The personal touch when I had a regular service person was replaced by central booking desks in the name of efficiency. When I went to the dealer I was offered cappuccino and other nonsense when I just wanted to get to my service guy, have a two minute conversation and get going, Instead it became a 15 minute wait, and the whole experience was sterile,

With BMW in particular,the previous experience was helpful and they really cared. When I wanted my M6 delivered at the factory it was a huge pleasure . No longer.

In the case of Porsche it has been great. I always get my cars ex-factory and they are very, very helpful. They know the people in Germany and some the things that have done on the ground there have been superb. For example , in 2010 I was picking up a 7.2RS and I was aware that the identical car was entered as a factory entry in the N24, driven by Harris etc.

I asked if they could hold the track car back after the race so I could photograph it with my car. Call to PR and it was done..morning after the race I went over in the rain and took this photo:



In 2015 I was picking up another RS and going to an event in Zell am See that was sponsored by Dr Wolfgang Porsche. My dealer did yeoman work for get the car moved up the production schedule at Zuffenhausen and I picked it up with two days to go before the event.

He kindly signed the car. I could not have had any chance of doing these things without the dealer.





I am aware that the experience with dealers varies and is local, but in my experience the Porsche customer service was vastly better than Mercedes or BMW. Interestingly and from long ago, I wlays had great experience with Toyota.

[av185]

The coloured deviated stitching options can be confusing to the uninitiated trying to spec via the configurator and thats where we are truly thankful for the highly experienced sales guys who step in and save the day they always really come in handy and earn their commission.

[David W.]

RDMcG said:

I only buy from the dealer. I know them well, they know my cars, I get a loaner when needed and there is never any hassle if there is an issue with a car. Never worry about the quality of the work, the ease of booking a service, the warranty and so on, and I get my cars as I specify them. I order well in advance typically and find it a completely worry-free experience.

Totally agree with this. Been dealing with the same dealer 16 years. Always a friendly welcome, I know most of the frontline staff by first name inc guys that run the workshop. There is huge value in the relationship. Been on trips abroad with them many times, made lifetime friends on these trips which give the new car launch evenings and great reunion party feel.
Personal contact and relationships help make long term sustainable businesses work and add to quality of life.
I’ll save my buying online for washing machines.

[Jefferson Steelflex]

av185 said:

The coloured deviated stitching options can be confusing to the uninitiated trying to spec via the configurator and thats where we are truly thankful for the highly experienced sales guys who step in and save the day they always really come in handy and earn their commission.

Ha ha, very good. I'm still trying to work it out on mine...


The sale of cars is moving to the model the OP describes anyway, BMW have already launched it in a few countries and have said it is coming to UK soon, where the dealer just earns a small fixed commission for every car they handover. The dealer just becomes a place for the buyer to learn about the spec options, do test drives etc. Pricing of the cars is fixed by the manufacturer, and the franchise really makes their money from service/warranty work.

For companies like Porsche, this transition should be easier because the pricing is rarely negotiable anyway, but for BMW, Ford and the other car brands whose dealers compete by discounting the cars using their own margin and manufacturer variable marketing allowances, there is a need for the manufacturer to recalibrate the list prices.

[av185]

Jefferson Steelflex said:

av185 said:

The coloured deviated stitching options can be confusing to the uninitiated trying to spec via the configurator and thats where we are truly thankful for the highly experienced sales guys who step in and save the day they always really come in handy and earn their commission.

Ha ha, very good. I'm still trying to work it out on mine...


The sale of cars is moving to the model the OP describes anyway, BMW have already launched it in a few countries and have said it is coming to UK soon, where the dealer just earns a small fixed commission for every car they handover. The dealer just becomes a place for the buyer to learn about the spec options, do test drives etc. Pricing of the cars is fixed by the manufacturer, and the franchise really makes their money from service/warranty work.

For companies like Porsche, this transition should be easier because the pricing is rarely negotiable anyway, but for BMW, Ford and the other car brands whose dealers compete by discounting the cars using their own margin and manufacturer variable marketing allowances, there is a need for the manufacturer to recalibrate the list prices.

Yep its interesting though even on PH which 'hopefully' represents more enthusiastic Porsche owners such as ourselves there are still many who are genuinely unsure about which model say 911 to buy for their exact requirements for a focused drivers car so the OPC really is their only real alternative to truly experience the car via test drive....... obvs not applicable to GT products though.

But as we increasingly move to a more subscriptive based economy though and more and more larger ££ value purchases are made online especially driven by lockdowns including even high value risky purchases like used cars the writing is really on the wall now and the clock would appear to be ticking for costly car dealer 'bricks and mortar' premises fronted by expensive sales staff the main role of which is to sell new cars.

[ChrisW.]

I would love to have good relationship with my OPC, but they just tell me that I'm not a good enough customer to have any chance of buying the car from them that I want.

A GT4RS would probably be better than my modified GT4 ... but I will never plead with them, so apparently this is a no-go.

Would it be any different if I was dealing directly with the factory ? It could be.

Could the specialist independents provide the support that may be lost from the OPC's ? Yes +

But they may not sell the volume of non-sports cars that are keeping Porsche flush enough to give us a GT2 RS ....

It is genuinely a tough call ...

[ags11]

A few months ago l was in my dealership first thing in the morning to have the wonderful electric handbrake adjusted.

I guess l was there 1/2 hours. Given the restrictions the show room was empty and l was sat coffeeless in a corner!

In my boredom l couldn't help but notice all the suits sat in glass boxes staring at computer screens.

In my naivety l wondered what the feck they were all doing? It looked like a jolly long day from where l was sat. Nowadays l guess there has to be someone with a fancy title for every task. Sales, after sales, finance, parts, manager this or manager that!
We're paying for it..

I'm self employed and have to juggle all these at times. I'm obviously not profitable enough!