[danielmellen]

I'm curious if there are folks that frequent this forum that have recently purchased Cayman Ses in the area. I'm planning on joining this group in the next few months and am curious about your experiences:
- dealerships to use/avoid?
- price/deals (warranty, loaners, etc) you received?
- vechicle details (options)?
- other noteworthy comments?

thanks!

[Terry #44]

Hi Dan,

I bought mine in August from Kody Wood at HBL. He was a real gentleman to deal with. I offered $5K off MSRP on a lightly optioned car--heated seats, bi-xenon headlights, metallic paint and floomats. They accepted so fast I realized I left some money on the table, but, oh well . . . it was exactly the color/options I wanted, and it's the best car I have ever driven.

My guess is that you could strike a very good deal now on any remaining 06's.

[danielmellen]

Thanks for the advice, Terry. I'm planning on stopping by HBL to see what they have left of the 06s. I had talked to their internet manager at one point, but that didn't go anywhere. I'll try Kody.

[Vicegrip]

HBL will work with you and has well more cars in hand than what is on the showroom floor. Any of the Porsche dealers will work with you as the market is slow for everyone right now.

Don't look for a deal on a CGT. That market went from not to hot as many/any remaining unsold US CGTs are getting shipped back to the factory and being converted to ROW. With the $ to Euro conversion the US cars are a bargain and the ROW cars are all gone. At one point if you purchased one of HBLs CGTs they were going to throw in a matching Boxster. Two sporty mid motor Porsches for the price of one!

[Ryan]

'06 Cayman S can be had for $500 under Invoice on the east coast. So if a local dealer can't match it, buy elsewhere... Bought over 5 cars from HBL, but they are rarely price competitive anymore...and am getting my latest p-car from a dealer in PA. I Just use HBL for service now...nice group of guys that treat you well.

[danielmellen]

Thanks all for the great insight into the local market - I might come back with questions before I pull the trigger; wife calls me 'scared' but I guess that is better than some other unsupportive circumstances.

[michael lang]

Dan, don't turn this into a project of drudgery. I see it everyday how people come into a dealership and they cannot stand having to buy a car. You can negotiate the same deal you can in MD that you can in VA as you can in PA. It doesn't matter where you go, the cars all have the same dealer invoice. You should enjoy the process and have fun with it. I would think that you would want to look back on this part of ownership as something you had fun with not something that you just wanted to be over. The best piece of advice that I can give you would be to talk with various salespeople, yes they are going to try to sell you a car that is their job, just talk with them in general. Don't be like most people and have the wall up and not be willing to give any information. If asked about particulars of the deal, i.e. financing, trade, down payment, etc...just say that you haven't gotten that far into the process yet. A true proffessional salesperson will respect that and try to help you find exatcly what car you want. That is probably the number one reason most car salespeople don't sell a car is because they take away from the fun of the experience and try to go right for the sale. Anyway try to find someone that you are comfortable with, the deal will work itself out. Talk with Kurt, he works at HBL, ask him who might be someone that is going to help you find the car you want not what they have in stock at that time. Remember, no matter what you paid, whether you got full boated or you stole the car, if you didn't have fun with the process you will still think that you didn't get something. I see it everyday! Good luck

[Terry #44]

I agree 100% with Michael. One of my life's big goals was to buy a Porsche that was absolutely new--no ppi, just go to the dealer, find the right one, and say "yup, that one."

The Cayman was that car, and I wanted to have fun doing it. I know I left a little $$ on the table, but I was happy with the price and more than happy with the car. The whole deal was a pleasure, and Kody treated me like a friend. In fact, just this week he called me up and offered me tickets to a sporting event, two months after the sale.

[Vicegrip]

You can also shop around get the best price and then take it to the
Dealer you want to use. I went to 2 of the local Nissan dealers and got nothing but bullshit, smoke, bad breath and cheap suits telling me what I wanted without hearing a thing I was saying. Which I might add so happened to be stuff they had in stock and fas from what I carefully discribed when I came in.
Went internet to get info on just what options and the like I wanted and what a reasonable sell price for just what I wanted. This price gave the dealer some $ for selling the truck but did not bend me over. Called around to some of the 13 in the area untill one bit on the price and found then just the truck. Done. One of the original slimey smucks that I went to in person called me a week later telling me about a truck he found that was "just right"... except for the color, drivetrain and options, he was right as it was made by the same co I guess. I told him I already found what I was looking for. He said he could beat any deal and get any truck. Told him the price and he said I was lying and was wasting his time. Thats when I reminded him that he called me then reminded him to brush is teeth once a week or so as the only thing I though about when he was talking in person was the stench of road kill/dog crap stew he must have had for lunch. Even after that he was still trying to get me to give him the "real" price I got when I told him to impregnate himself. He then ended the call. A day later his so called sale manager calls me to see if he can make a deal with me. i told him that xi purchased a truck and that he had the chance but blew it. He asked what they did wrong and I let them know that I was not in the truch sales training busness. MoRons.

The salesman that sold the truck made the sale without ever meeting me other than when I dropped off a deposit check. No tickets but he did send me a $2 tin of cookies for Xmass that year.