My wife and I are thinking about ordering a 2008 997S. We aren't planning on going crazy with the options but I've been lusting for a 911 for a very long time and I figure that I might as well get the exact car I want if I'm going to finally "pull the trigger".

We live in S. CA (Orange County to be more specific) and I know there are a ton of variables involved here but I'm curious...

Would most dealerships be willing to discount off of MSRP for an ordered car or am I likely going to pay MSRP? I am a big believer in a fair price for a fair product and would prefer to have an excellent buying experience over haggling the last $100 off of a $95,000 car but I also don't want to naively get taken to the cleaners.

I plan to contact several local dealers via email and see what kind of deal their internet dept.'s would offer me but I thought that posing this question to the group might provide me with some good direction.

Thanks in advance.

 

Hey buddy, good to see a local on here..I am in Dana Point as well As far as the dealerships go, I have always had good service at Newport Porsche. I doubt they will discount much though, and you will likely end up paying MSRP or very close to it. However, if you would like to maybe save a couple bucks, try asking about their European Delivery option.

 

if you are going to but a $95K car, you obviously can afford it, so get the car you want, don't try to save a fewe bucks by not getting the options you want, even if Porsche prices are absurd!

I went for a full leather interior (seats rear console, sunvisors, roorliner etc) and have no regrets,

You should be able to negotiate a nice discount, if not locally, then over the net. I got about 6% off on an ordered car last April

 

Thank you for the welcome. Is your car Cobalt Blue? If so, that's a truly beautiful color. There's a cobalt blue on tan 997s here in the parking garage at my office and I admire it nearly every day.

It is my understanding that whereas BMW and Volvo have Euro delivery programs that can save you money, Porsche's Euro Delivery program is not a bargain. Is that not correct?

I have heard that MSRP is fair for a ordered car and I've heard that maybe you can get a few thousand off of MSRP. 6% off of MSRP is a lot more than I would expect.

Any/all input is greatly appreciated.

 

IIRC the Euro delivery program is actually more pricey than the US MSRP.

When I considered ordering a car it was easier to work with dealers on the East Coast than dealers on the West Coast.

1-3% is what was quoted to me in the West and in the East the discounts seemed to be roughly double that number.

Forgot who I spoke with but there was a guy @ "Checkered Flag" back east who was particularly aggressive.

Ultimately buying a $100K plus MSRP car with CPO (for a lot less than that! ) ended up making more sense to me.

 

Its midnight blue.

 

That mirrors what I've been told about the Euro delivery program.

For sure, a pre-owned car is a much better financial decision. But I've been waiting a long, long time for a 911 and if/when I do buy one, I want it to be exactly the way I want it and I really like the idea of taking delivery of it brand new.

Sports car ownership is too emotional for me to make it a purely dollars and cents decision. But I would like to save a few bucks on a new one if that's feasible.

 

I understand completely. This is my first p-car too. Luckily I was able to find a pristine one that has got just about everything I wanted (and a little more) and I didn't have to take the 40K hit.


The problem for me is that if i were going to spend 100K+ right now I'd also be considering an R8 and the AMV8 as well - with strong consideration to the AMV8.

 

One more local O.C soon to be Porsche owner. Everything in life is negotiable. Visit Circle Porsche in Long Beach. GL with your purchase!!!

Anytime you need help with anything or want to join us on meet & run come out with Pcars group. Here is the link: www.Pcars.us.

 

I forgot to mention to you about PCA Orange County Chapter. Sign up and come out to AX for driving instruction and Auto X. You will learn fast how to drive a rear engine car on all type of road conditions. Meet other Porsche owners for tips and info. Great fun and whole lot of driving skills.

 

I'm a big mid-engined car fan (currently have an NSX) so I was naturally drawn to the Audi as well. Luckily for me, one of my wife's better clients took delivery of one of the first one's in CA and he was nice enough to let me spend time with it.

It is a magnificent automobile. And it drives extremely well. But to be 100% honest, I just don't like the way it looks. And as I said earlier, sports cars are an emotional purchase for me and if I don't love the looks... I'm not going to stay interested.

In addition, they're nearly impossible to get right now unless you're willing to pay way, way, way over sticker.

I also looked at a new Aston Martin Vantage. To me, that car is extremely good looking. But I wasn't really impressed. It was nice, to be sure, but just didn't drive as well as I expect a $120,000 car to drive (that was the sticker on the British Racing Green MT model I looked at). I found the steering to be lazy and heavy and the engine to be a bit of a let down.

The 997S that I drove was just right. The looks are timeless, the steering is wonderful and the brakes are simply out of this world. It's not blow your eyeballs out quick or fast but I'm honest enough with myself to know that it has more than enough power for a driver of my skill.

I've been lucky enough to drive several very high powered cars lately (C6 Z06, Dodge Viper and a modded 996TT) and each time I came away dazzled by the power but scared by the thought of having that much power on public road ways.

I can't honestly use all the power my nearly 10 year old NSX makes on public roads. That's just being honest. So more than what a 997S puts down sounds good to the heart but the mind knows it's probably a waste.

 

Thank you for the welcome and the info.

We're probably going to order our car early next year.

I'm curious... would I be welcome to join you guys for a meet now in my NSX or do you guys do exclusive P-car runs. It's cool either way but it might be nice to get more "first hand knowledge" before I order the car.

 

exactly. This is one of those decisions where sure you will try and get a reasonable deal, but like you I want new and I won't fight to the last nickel. I also highly encourage when you finally get this car to not let it be a garage queen. It is going to depreciate regardless so get out and drive it as much as possible. No few thousand dollars in resale is worth the opportunity cost of the miles of smiles the Carrera S delivers. Get it exactly as you want it and drive to heck out of it. Good luck!

 

I will definitely do that when I get the car. I'm a member of the NSX club of America and while it's a very good group of folks, I have to be honest and say that it pales in comparison to what I've hears about PCA. Honda/Acura just never did figure out how to get behind the NSX (or the S2000, for that matter) the way that Porsche supports their cars and their owners.

Moreover, I'd like to think that I'm a reasonably humble guy and I completely understand that the dynamics of a mid engined car and a rear engined car are not the same. I'd rather figure that out with some cones in a parking lot in El Toro than on the 5 freeway.

Thanks again for the warm welcome.

 

Thanks Pepper Brooks.

I hear you on the garage queen idea. When I bought my NSX, I treated it like a garage queen for quite some time. I wouldn't take it out in foggy weather, I didn't drive it to work except on Fridays. You get the point.

I ended up catching a big piece of concrete on the 5 freeway a few months into ownership and it was almost like a de-flowering experience. It broke my heart but the car was no longer a virgin and I suddenly realized that my extreme measures of preserving the car would only really benefit the next owner.. not me.

So while the NSX is still my weekend/date 3rd car and it still lives most of its life under a cover in my garage (primarily because it's black and a huge PITA to keep clean), I've taken it on a few road trips over the last few years and now sometimes just take it out to go to the grocery store. It's definitely changed my perception and added tremendous enjoyment to exotic car ownership.