Dealerships and initial contacts

[tchavei]

Hello.

Totally new to the forum.

So basically I decided that I'm ready to give EVs a try and what's best then going for a Taycan?

Anyway, I explored the forums for a couple of weeks, tried to learn as much as I could, and eventually went through the official porsche website to compose the extras I want.

I have 5 oficial dealerships in my country and as first contact, I submitted the generated porsche code to the dealership most close to my location (only a few km away). I assumed it would be easier to initiate contact like that since I'm currently pretty busy during the day until mid December. I did chose the phone option hoping they would call me but I got a nice email instead. No problem at all. The seller was very forthcoming, gave me a good quote (I think, 5% off MSRP), suggested some other optional equipment and will be able to arrange a test drive before end of year. Unfortunately they couldn't give me an estimate for a slot except the fact that the last taycan to be ordered by end September, got a slot allocation for April 2023.

Now I do intend to follow through with my local dealer as they seem to be the most convenient option but would like to consult the other dealerships in case they have available allocations or even make a better price.

I'd like to know how you guys did it. Did you just went local? Did you call other dealerships? Submitted your generate porsche code to multiple dealerships? Just went on to a long trip and went in person to other dealers?

I wouldn't mind to fly or drive over to another dealership but can't do all 4 of them. Just want to get a feel of how things are countrywise before commiting to one.

Regards

Tony

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[Finbo]

Not sure how you’re getting 5% discount, never heard this before with wait times of 9-18 months. Get it in writing and don’t waste your time going to another dealer

 

[tchavei]

Not sure how you’re getting 5% discount, never heard this before with wait times of 9-18 months. Get it in writing and don’t waste your time going to another dealer

I have it in writing already and I confirmed that it was the proposed "key in hands" price

I didn't really asked for a discount. But the quote I got was 6k under what I got from the website (I double checked they didn't forgot any extra)

That's why I'm wondering if I whine a bit about it with a another dealership I could bring it down further or, much more important, get lucky with an available slot allocation? Like I said, the local dealer doesn't have one right now so basically will go in blind if I chose this one. Could be, as you say, 9-18 months waiting time.

 

[TXAG]

Bemvindo e boa noite, Tony! You have nothing to lose by contacting multiple dealers, especially if another dealer has an earlier and confirmed slot allocation. And get it in writing. Even if you buy your Taycan from a dealer that's a long way away, have your Taycan serviced at the dealer closest to you (if they're good) and get that relationship established.

What trim level are you getting? Allocations are hard to come by, especially for the GTS, Turbo, and Turbo S levels. You'll have to decide whether to wait and how much "key in hands" discount you're willing to wait for.

Good luck!

Here in the USA, I signed a purchase contract that guaranteed the price to not increase. Not sure what you have in Portugal.

Here's my story (copied from other posts):
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
It's a good thing we have two dealers in the Phoenix (Arizona USA) area …

In January 2022 (before Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the sinking of the Felicity Ace), I was all set to work with Porsche North Scottsdale. But just as I was about to confirm, their SA (Sales Associate) told me that his management decided to add a US$20,000 surcharge. To which I said, "let me think about it and get back to you."

I called Porsche Chandler and spoke with their SA, who said Porsche Chandler had no surcharge, a lower sales tax rate than Scottsdale, and an available allocation for a May 5 delivery. (He was also stunned at North Scottsdale's greed.) I gave him my code, he looked it over and had one suggestion, and I put down a deposit in late January.

I called North Scottsdale back and said sorry I took my business to a surcharge-free Porsche Chandler, which is only five miles further from my home than Porsche North Scottsdale anyway. The SA wasn't happy, but he understood, and then he continued to give me good advice on what to do next and what to watch out for.

Now that I was committed to Porsche Chandler, I told my SA that I was going to install clear front side markers and get window tint, paint protection film (PPF), and ceramic coating right after taking possession.

Much to my surprise, he said I can have that all done here before you pick up the car. The clear markers were US$200 installed. After we worked out the specifics*, he quoted me the price and the warranties, and they were in line with other quotes I received. These "dealer-installed options" were added to the bill of sale, and I didn't have to worry about dings, chips, and bug splat on my first drive home.

*Tint: darkness, name brand, %UV protection, %heat rejection, warranty (I did Xpel nano 35% US$700 in June 2022) The darkest window tint permissible in Arizona is 33% on the rear and side windows.
PPF: whether to do front bumper, full-front, or full-body (I did Xpel Ultimate full-front US$2000)
Full-body Ceramic: whether to do single or double-coat (I did double Opti-Coat US$1800. Single was US$1400.)

 

[tchavei]

Thx for the answer and warm welcome ?

I'm going for the base RWD with the air suspension, extended battery and a few other extras. Nothing too over the top. Have been a loyal MB customer over the years and following my family's tradition but I'm ready to make the change. Kinda had enough of it (not something to be discussed on this forum).

Moving to EV is the biggest challenge rather than the brand. I live in the middle of the city which automatically implies a flat and no home charging options. I do have plenty of chargers around (AC/DC) plus the dealer within 4km reach and a mall with a porsche destination charging station (free). In the last couple of years, my driving habits changed a lot professionally so instead of 50k km yearly I only do around 15k, most in the city. I think I should get away with weekly charging only but who knows.

I'll probably submit my code to the other dealers and see what comes out of it. I initially was a bit shy to do this as it seems the requests gets routed through Porsche Iberia (Porsche Representative in Portugal and Spain) and I don't want to look like an ass contacting multiple dealerships nor ding anything with the local one which obviously has a certain preference (specially since I'm hoping to test drive the taycan with them)

Regards
Tony

 

[tchavei]

Just a quick update

Spoke to all dealerships. Pricewise they're all around the same with one or the other outliner (between 1% and 6% discount).

I'm down to two dealerships but the allocation system is screwing me over or I really don't understand the little "details".

None has open slots for the rwd version for the first semester of 2023 albeit some openly say they're full while others say that "they will surely get a slot around May / June 2023" after the attribution.

I tried to dig further and apparently, dealers here get a proportional slot amount on the beginning of each semester for all versions which they allocate to customers that already signed up. So basically you get on a local dealership queue which then is allocated to the available slots they recieve. Obviously the queue is managed according to the dealership's pleasure.

Bigger dealerships get more slots, smaller ones get less slots (but also shorter queues).

Not sure if all this true

But I do know one thing. Apparently Porsche factory went crazy over the weekend and delivered hundreds of taycans (and other models) across Portugal. The dealership in Lisbon was having a mental breakdown trying to deliver 78 cars to their customers and my local dealership had its front parking lot full of taycans without license plates. Never saw so many there at once.

Anyway, back to topic. Most likely going local unless they plain tell me they're full for the 1st semester.

There's another thing bothering me. In case that the production gets delayed and crosses to the second semester (model 24), a few dealerships are telling me there might be a price increase which I'll have to deal with despite signing a contract at another price (is that even legal?). A couple of other dealerships told me they would honor the contracted price no matter what.

I need to read the fine print of those contracts. It doesn't make sense.

 

[TXAG]

My guess is that if your contact locks in a price for model year 2023 (MY23), that price can't increase. Taking delivery of a MY24 is outside of the contract so the price can increase. I hope the dealers don't ? you by 'conveniently' running out of MY23 allocations, thereby forcing you to pay more for a MY24 or buying a MY23 on the lot that doesn't meet your specs. Good luck!

 

[McgR]

I have 3 dealers all 30 km away from where I live. I didn’t like the contact I had with the first. They let me standing in the showroom for more than 30 minutes without welcoming me because they had another more important customer. So I just left and drove 30 Km west and had a good contact there and signed the contract.

I was offered 4% off directly and after a couple of changes during the next weeks it changed to 5% without me asking. Five % seems to be the maximum in Belgium.

I ordered in December and it should have been finished around February but at the end collected it in April. It would have been longer if I didn’t order the 4CT, they had a build slot that just came available after a cancellation.

I would consult the other dealers too. However for a month earlier or a 1% More rebate I would stay at your local dealer.

I just had a broken heater. All was taken care of within a week. I think the dealer where you purchased the car will give you better service afterwards.

 

[tchavei]

I would consult the other dealers too. However for a month earlier or a 1% More rebate I would stay at your local dealer.

My thoughts exactly. The local dealer is the "second" cheapest right now and it's not really worth to me driving or flying 500km to potentially save a few hundreds (which I won't anyway at the current gas prices ?)

I would like to get the car in the summer though which might be too much to ask for but I don't seem to get more out of the local seller at this point. Maybe after the test drive and while sitting at the table, they'll be more forward about the allocations.

I do have a plan B which is another dealer in the Interior who mentioned having slots for other trims (CT, 4S, etc) that maybe could be converted blah blah. The same dealer was pretty confident on a May 2023 allocation though. We dealing with Sales here. You can't really take anything for granted I guess.

Cheers

Tony

 

[McgR]

My thoughts exactly. The local dealer is the "second" cheapest right now and it's not really worth to me driving or flying 500km to potentially save a few hundreds (which I won't anyway at the current gas prices ?)

I would like to get the car in the summer though which might be too much to ask for but I don't seem to get more out of the local seller at this point. Maybe after the test drive and while sitting at the table, they'll be more forward about the allocations.

I do have a plan B which is another dealer in the Interior who mentioned having slots for other trims (CT, 4S, etc) that maybe could be converted blah blah. The same dealer was pretty confident on a May 2023 allocation though. We dealing with Sales here. You can't really take anything for granted I guess.

Cheers

Tony

Yes they just might promise you a delivery date they can’t deliver at the end. So let them put it on paper.

 

[tchavei]

Yes they just might promise you a delivery date they can’t deliver at the end. So let them put it on paper.

Yeah ?

 

[poppap]

Dealerships can enter into the Porsche ordering system what is called "Demand order" which indicates that there is a demand for a specific model for a certain customer and that will help with the allocation for that dealership.

On the pricing, Porsche typically invoices the dealership according to the price of the Model Year of the vehicle so if you agree to the Model year 2023 pricing but end up with the Model Year 2024 allocation then it may be up to the dealership whether they will honor your 2023 pricing on 2024 you are getting.

Regarding so many cars at the dealership, they probably just got offloaded from the same vessel from Germany after they were stuck there waiting for a 12V battery that was having a shortage issue during July-October.

 

[tchavei]

Dealerships can enter into the Porsche ordering system what is called "Demand order" which indicates that there is a demand for a specific model for a certain customer and that will help with the allocation for that dealership.

On the pricing, Porsche typically invoices the dealership according to the price of the Model Year of the vehicle so if you agree to the Model year 2023 pricing but end up with the Model Year 2024 allocation then it may be up to the dealership whether they will honor your 2023 pricing on 2024 you are getting.

Regarding so many cars at the dealership, they probably just got offloaded from the same vessel from Germany after they were stuck there waiting for a 12V battery that was having a shortage issue during July-October.

Thank you.

Hopefully everything will be clearer and more transparent when the time comes to write a check for the deposit ?

 

[tchavei]

Another update

4 out of 5 dealerships are after me (in a good sense). The only one quiet as a mouse is... Yes, my local one ?

So today I called sales and apparently they don't have a car for a test drive yet. They got a car but the MG hasn't registered it yet and the dealership doesn't know if it will be a demonstration car or a direct sale.

I guess I'll hop to the dealership tomorrow and try to at least sit in the damn thing since I can't take one out for a spin.

I'm feel like I'm begging them to sell me a €100k+ car.

Plane tickets suddently sound appealing again, to be honest.

Tony

 

[tchavei]

Went to the dealership. Spent a couple of hours there.

Drooled over a Taycan gts and explored a CT.

Wow. The car is massive. It embraces you as you sit down in it. Really impressive. Feels more solid than any of my previous cars.

For some strange reason I felt a bit overwhelmed and in hindsight apprehensive.

This isn't a toy.

Now if they would let me drive one...

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