I bought a 996 turbo, Gt2 and GT3 from them, I recently dropped by for a test drive after receiving one of their numerous email solicitations. They treated me like I was a homeless person trying to sleep in one of the cars. I would never buy a car from The Auto Gallery under any circumstances. I went to Beverly Hills Porsche and got a GTS.

 

This freaks me out. My car was a CPO ... and now I'm starting to question the rattling noise I'm hearing from the hear on occasion.

 

I reviewed some CPO checklist forms when I was in the market for a 997. The form has 130 pass/fail items. It seems that body damage/collision repair is allowed as long as no more than 2 panels are painted and there is no signs of frame damage. A statement about collision repairs reads as follows:

"Does this vehicle have signs of previous collision damage/repairs (vehicle is not eligible if more than 2 body panels painted or signs of frame damage)?

If yes, the vehicle may not be eligible for certification. Consult the Porsche Approved Policy & Procedure Manual for clarification.
Note: Paint touch-ups for rock chips and parking lot dings are not considered collision damage"

 

I wonder if this is the SAME car I saw listed last year when I was shopping for a 09 C2/C4. A black 09 C2 at Auto Gallery was listed, but when I called, the internet sales manager said up front - there was body damage from a strap that had come loose during shipping (they had bought the car from Porsche of Honolulu) and dented the rear quarter panel. The guy assured me that a reputable body shop had repaired it to as-new spec. Then he immediately stated that he would not entertain any discounting related to the damage. He flat out told me that he would not accept any offers in the low 70's, so I just let them keep the damn car.

Found my 09 C4 for $72, better equipped. Wonder if AutoGallery likes their car still

 

That just makes me really uncomfortable. I hate not knowing the full history of the car - I feel like the dealership is always hiding something.

 

Code Red sorry to hear that. Sounds like you were a ver loyal customer and to treat that way disgusts me.

To clarify: The car needed the roof and front bumper replaced and doors painted. They could possibly CPO it but what other thongs are wrong that I did not find.

Note: The car is for sale again on their website for $67998. It has only been one week since they tried to sell it to me. It makes me wonder if they fixed anything in that time and some poor person is going to be taken advantage of again.

 

I'd say this is a value judgment based on each person's expectations. We called them and four other dealers when scouting for our Porsche. All of them seemed as welcoming as I expect someone to be when hoping to make several thousand dollars from my potential visit.

Auto Gallery had a very friendly front-end person who dealt with us on the phone for three pre-visit calls. She met us on arrival at the dealership, introduced the Sales Manager, and he in turn introduced the salesman who got out each of the cars we were interested in testing. When nothing interested us, the Sales Manager got involved again to describe the improvements in the dot two models and suggest that he had a low-mileage S Coupe or a new-off-the-truck base Carrera we might enjoy more than the cars we'd driven. After we drove the S and approved of it, subject to an agreeable price, we negotiated and he offered to provide either the S or the new base Carrera for the same out-the-door price. (The only way we ever negotiate.)

Since the new-car storage floor was locked for the night by then, he offered to truck the new car to our home 78 miles away on the following day so we could examine it in daylight, test drive it in our hometown, and make a decision. No commitment of course. Just a way to keep from losing our business to Beverly Hills Porsche or the nearby Mercedes dealer.

After consideration, I chose the S with some minor improvements part of the deal. Little stuff like adding colored enamel wheel centers, having a leather man work on a seat bolster scuff, and subject to a road-force wheel balancing being able to get rid of a front end imbalance I didn't like. Done and done. No PPI, but the car still had three years of the original factory warranty.

They took care of those agreed items in a subsequent visit. No issues to report and the mechanic was personable and knowledgeable.

All in all, we were very satisfied. We went in expecting them to make money on the deal, but aware of his margins and able to negotiate how much money he'd clear on the deal. That attitude and the knowledge are both prerequisites to any successful deal, as well a willingness to go down the street of course.

It was awkward though. We found that all the dealers who didn't expect to make money had closed for some reason. We had to stick with the ones expecting a profit darn it.

Gary

 

Did any of you dealt with David Laing by any chance?

 

is this the same guy ??