I was at my dealer yesterday taking my Cayenne TT in for service and asked if there was any info on the GT2, GT3RS and Panamera.

He confirmed that the Panamera will be in the US in about 18 months. It will have AWD and they are aiming for the upscale Audi, Merc and BMW buyer, who is interested in a 4 door high performance sedan.

He could not confirm nor deny that the 997 GT2 will appear in the US. We all know that earlier this month they announced it will be available in the UK, so we are expecting something from Porsche within the next 2 months. They know that some from Florida, NY, California, etc. have already given deposits and/or letters of intent (or so claimed on these and other webpages) but they are fully prepared to give the deposits back if the 997 GT2 is a "no go" for the US...I like 99% of the people on these pages am highly skeptical that Porsche will cut off it's largest market !

Porsche is annoyed that some dealers have taken it upon themselves to sell the GT3RS at horrific dealer mark-ups. Even though they have not decided if they will (or can) do anything about it, they are considering what options they have. They make it harder for those dealerships to get certain cars in the future, or they may reward dealerships which have not gouged their customers. In other words probably nothing will happen !

No new info on the facelift Carrera, DFI, etc.

About the only thing I got the "official" word on was about the Panamera. Everything else was just speculation with no "official version" from Porsche yet....uh huh .

And finally, I decided to trade in the old C4S and ordered a GT3 (Basalt black on black) for June build and here in August or September. At least I know this information is close to being accurate .

 

The reason dealers are selling RS's at those mark ups is partly due to the Cdn/US dollar disparity. Porsche HAS NOT adjusted Cdn pricing since the devaluation of the US dollar against the Cdn dollar which started to occur in 2005.
MSRP for an RS in Canada is $174,000Cdn, which is roughly $150,000US. There are a lot of Canadian's buying US cars, since Porsche only offerred about 24 07 RS's in Canada (that number could be even much less, I have heard more like only 12RS's came to Canada).

Porsche has just announced in March that Canadian Porsche dealers will no longer honour warranty on US cars in Canada.

The reason Porsche didn't re-adjust their pricing to reflect the new US/Cdn dollar difference is to protect dealers who have Pre-Owned inventory on their lots - if they adjusted the pricing downward on new cars they would lose millions in inventory values literally overnight on all of their old stock.

 

Ive been here for 3 years(Porsche of Orlando) and if you want info on the new cars you search the forums and the net. Dealer is always last to know. I cannot stress that enough : )

 

How very true. I guess on the forums you can pretty well say anything but the dealers still have to tow the party line and only tell the "official" news.

An interesting side note though is they also want to protect what buyers have paid: They did have one customer who apparently thought he was a "big wig" in the Porsche world and was able to pull a few strings and get a brand new order GT3RS (direct orders from Germany or PCNA it is not clear). The catch is though...he only wanted to pay $100 (yes one hundred!) over cost. Needless to say they told him to take a hike (no matter what his inside contact had arranged).

 

the GT2 will make it to our shore it's not even a question. majority of the test/spy pics we've seen so far suggest that there's a hole on the roof. only US car will get that crap.

 

Good point, and yes thank you very much DOT!

And the other obvious tell-tale sign...the ugly orange side-marker lights...I can't remember if the spy pics had any of these though.

 

Thats very bad business on the dealerships part. We had a similiar situation where the guy knew this guy and that guy over at Porsche. We did the deal took the order and sold it at sticker. In fact no matter what the car we do not sell anything over sticker and never have. Technically i would make more money but being a huge enthusiast it feels better not to gouge people. Good people good policy. : )

 

ZEMDOGG,

No that was not my point, even though I agree with what you said.

This guy only wanted to pay $100 over what the dealer cost was not what the MSRP was, and that was after they had completed 2007 orders. Porsche was prepared to make a special car for him.

 

Porsche is all about performance. That is their forte. Since all their car resemble one another (most casual observers other than Porschephiles cannot tell the difference) I am having difficult following why anyone would pay over MSRP for the RS.

We know that the 997TT, GT3, soon the Gt2 and 997TTx50 will out perform it or at least have the same performance. So why are several people lusting after this car to the point that they will pay $50,000 over MSRP?

I cannot believe it is the Canadian buyers that are pushing up the prices. I don;t get it.

 

I agree w/ Nick.....I can't believe the Candian buyers are driving the market price up either. What's the real story?

Regards,
Chris

 

If you re-read my post, you'll notice that I said that Cdn/US dollar disparity is "partly" responsible for what's going on - not fully responsible. Further what is not believe.

Look at the facts.

I know myself there are 2 people who have purchased a US GT3RS here on the east coast b/c they couldn't get one in Canada. What you guys in the US are calling a dealer rip off we here in Canada are calling a fair deal.

Remember MSRP for a GT3RS in Canada is $152,000US. MSRP in the US is ONLY $123,200. That means Canadians - or especially - the 2 Cdn's I know who bought a US GT3RS WERE WILLING TO PAY the US MSRP + $30,000US - and leave with the feeling of getting a GREAT DEAL!! That's the difference. To an American its a rip off, to us Canadians who couldnt get a Canadian GT3RS it's a god send.

There is also someone on this board in the West coast of Canada that purchased a US GT3RS.

If you think US/Cdn dollar disparity isn't part of the problem, you'd better think again. And it isn't just happening with the GT3RS, it's happening with all and any cars up here.

As I mentioned in my earlier post - it has become such a problem up here that Porsche announced on March 28 2007 that Canadian Porsche dealers will no longer honor warranty work on US cars brought into Canadian dealers.

Again, I repeat, I don't think it's the sole reason for what's going on in the US with Gt3RS pricing, but it is definitely a factor. There are many re-sellers here on the east coast of Canada for high end vehicles. There is one around the corner from my office. He carries Ferrari's, Benley's, Porsche's, Lambo, Aston, - basically you name it, his showroom is loaded with cars and guess what?...they are ALL US cars.

 

My mistake! That is crazy!!! Some people just dont get it I guess.

As far as the people that dont get why the GT3RS is getting over sticker, are you guys crazy???? In all due respect there are a lot of ridiculously wealthy people on this planet that happen to be Porsche fans. Paying undere $200K for a limited production one of a kind Porsche is no big deal. If I had the money I would do it in a heart beat! Where else can you get a US RS that really kicks ***???? RS America??? I think not! Plus you would have the exclusivity of being 1 of only 200 something people in the US!!!! I personally cant afford one so i'll just stick to my 996. BUT IF I DID! You get the point lol Just my .02

 

The thing about canadian dealers not honoring warranties on US cars is horse****. This has come up over and over again. It is a North America warranty, not a Canada or US warranty. When you bring a car from the US to Canada you pay taxes, an any applicable duty. It does NOT negate any warranty. In fact.... Car dealers in Canada themselves are the ones importing tons of US vehicles and selling them to Canadians..

You say, "porsche announced".. Please provide a link to the press release on the porsche website..

 

The Canadian $ isn't going up, Porsche should raise the price in the US to even it out. I doubt that will happen since LA probably has more sales then all of Canada so it much easier to screw the Canadian dealers.

 

And then the dealer turns arounds and sc**ws the Canadian buyer. I have had great dealer experiences with Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Lexus and GMC in Canada and the US. My absolute worst were with the Porsche dealership on Burrard Street in Vancouver, and with the BMW dealership at the Richmond automall. If anyone on these pages works at these institutions...take note...you are a******s (and I am sure you have lost a lot of sales because of it).

SORRY...just brought back some memories and I had a mindless rant!

PS. I have absolutely no complaints about my local Porsche (and GMC) dealerships here in the US. They have treated me extremely well.