What discounts have people gotten for new cars

[renzop]

I am trying to get a feel for what a fair price for a new Boxster is and I thought the best place to go is to previous purchasers. Please let us know the % of sticker that you paid for your 987 when new. Please let us know if the car was a leftover or other special circumstnces.

My understanding is that invoice is 87% of MSRP. Anyone pay that? Anyone pay below invoice?

TIA

Alan

[geoff]

I can't speak for new Boxsters, because I'm planning on keeping mine. But we just went through the process of ordering a new Cayenne (to add to our current P-cars). Before I go into details, the things I found were that huge discounts on new cars from a few years ago are much harder to find, and starting next model year, several dealers have reported smaller allocations and they will need to plan their orders further in advance. When people online talk about negotiating big discounts on Porsches, you need to confirm it is for the '08 model year and not their experience from a few years ago.

We started looking by talking to a friend who is the fleet manager at a local Porsche/Audi dealer. The best he could offer was the fleet price (less than $4K off MSRP). I was unimpressed. We started talking to a different local dealer where we bought our Boxster and 997, and have the cars serviced, but didn't talk price specifics. I asked for experiences on a few forums - ppbb.com and rennlist. While in Albuquerque for a business trip, I stopped by the dealer, discussed price, and was quoted $3K over dealer invoice, but no car order possible until late Summer (they didn't have any '08 allocation left, so it would be an '09 build). Again talked to dealer where we bought our cars and have them serviced. I said I would be happy with 10% off MSRP. They said no-go, and after several days came back and said markup on the cars was 12%, and they were willing to split the difference because of our past relationship with them. I exchanged emails with an east coast dealer who saw my post on rennlist, and he couldn't beat the deal. I now have a build-to-order Cayenne scheduled for production some time in March, at about 6% off MSRP. It's not a terrific deal, but it is fair and I don't feel bad about it.

Many dealers appear to be running out of their '08 allocations now, so are less likely to negotiate on price. Dealer relationships (i.e., you've spent a lot of money there) do seem to count, even more than friendships. Dealers prefer to sell vehicles in stock rather than take orders for customer specified configurations. US allocations from Porsche will probably be lower in '09 than '08, and given the pathetic value of the dollar, I would expect the prices to go up next year. (More cars going to emerging markets, Middle East, Russia, etc where there is plenty of money) I think the sales numbers for Boxsters are down quite a bit, and Porsche is not overselling like in the past, possibly in an effort to keep resale values up (i.e., lease residuals).

If you are going for a custom order, dealers are probably a little more flexible price-wise on "good" configurations instead of "bad" ones. If you back out of the deal, they still have to sell the car, and odd option combinations will be harder for them to get rid of. They liked the configuration we put together - a good mix of options for driving and looks - and didn't ask for any deposit. They knew we were serious buyers, but figured the car would be easy to sell as configured if for some reason we didn't buy it.

If you go to edmunds.com, you can get their supposed "true market value". That price is somewhat meaningless, but you can get the true cost of options, and if you configure the car you want and email it to a salesman you are working with, it will give some indication you have done your homework and understand how much markup there is on options. It could help negotiate a few $ off, but probably not much.

I have also read that Porsche is cracking down on dealers selling at or below invoice. While it's legal to do so, Porsche supposedly withholds future new car allocations from any dealer selling too low. Also be careful of any advice telling you to buy in Canada and import into the US. You're not supposed to do that, and US dealers don't have to honor the warranty.

If you have lots of time, the usual car buying advice probably applies - wait until the end of the month / end of quarter, contact every dealer you possibly can, contact dealers in areas where the economy is slow, etc. However, keep in mind you have to get the car serviced - and warranty repairs done - so make sure the dealer where you go for service will gladly take care of you if you buy elsewhere (i.e., free loaner cars for customers who bought from them vs. no loaner if bought elsewhere, etc.)

[White987S]

I ordered my 2006 Boxster S in August of 2005. The car was a January build allocation. The car shipped in February, and I picked it up in March of '06. I negotiated a deal that was 10% below MSRP. The MSRP was $67K.

[renzop]

Geoff

Thanks! That is a great writeup. So far it mirrors my experiences. I want a "bad" special order (base Boxster, PASM, Sport Chrono, Yellow - no luxury options ) and I have had all dealers want a healthy deposit.

Regards,

Alan

[Bob Z.]

I am trying to get a feel for what a fair price for a new Boxster is and I thought the best place to go is to previous purchasers. Please let us know the % of sticker that you paid for your 987 when new. Please let us know if the car was a leftover or other special circumstnces.

My understanding is that invoice is 87% of MSRP. Anyone pay that? Anyone pay below invoice?

TIA

Alan

I ordered a 2008 Boxster S in early November 2007, January build and I expect it in 2-3 weeks. I discussed prices with the 3 closest dealers to me and one offered me 9.5% off and the other two offered 10% off (after back & forth negotiations of course). I wound up ordering from the dealer closest to me for 10% off and a 5% deposit. For what it is worth, I did not have a trade-in vehicle.

[White987S]

It was my experience that most dealerships only required a $500-$1,000 deposit. And you can put it on most credit cards. A 5% deposit sounds steep, but not surprising.

[Bob Z.]

It was my experience that most dealerships only required a $500-$1,000 deposit. And you can put it on most credit cards. A 5% deposit sounds steep, but not surprising.

I was happy that they asked for a 5% down payment since I could use my credit card and get miles on it! If I could have bought the car with my credit card I would have (I always pay it off each month). The other dealer who offered me the same discount, but was further away, wanted a $1k deposit.

[majormcf]

I got a left over 07 for 15K off sticker which comes to a little over 25% off MSRP 59,525. I saw a dealer in NC sell a left over cayman for 19K off sticker (msrp 67k)

[White987S]

It is a great market to purchase luxury items. Especially if you are a cash buyer.

[percymon]

Still no discounts available in the UK, but i read an article in the UK Porsche magazine over the weekend saying Porsche USA sales are down 31% in Q1 so a deal is certainly there.