Michael Willhoit: caution | FerrariChat

Michael Willhoit: caution

Discussion in 'Porsche' started by Bullfighter, Aug 30, 2005.

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  1. Bullfighter

    Bullfighter Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jan 26, 2005
    22,352
    Indian Wells, California
    Full Name:
    Jon
    Probably more an alert for Porsche buyers, but I think he does some Ferraris as well. I'm posting this just to save someone some aggravation - kind of a long post, as mine usually are.

    I bought a '96 993 cabriolet from Michael Willhoit earlier this year, described as mint, as new, perfect, recently serviced, etc. (priced accordingly). When the car arrived in the enclosed truck, it was very nice, but for some minor things.

    One wheel had been curbed, the spare key was missing and there was a very small scratch at the base of the driver's door that had been brush touched-up (black car, and it blended well). Also, there was tiny dent in the rear deck above the tail lights, although I didn't see this until I had washed the car due to dust from the cross country trip.

    None of this stuff was huge, but I had paid for and wanted a perfect car. I called Michael before signing the purchase agreement for the car, and he said he would pay to have the wheel repaired, order a spare key for me through his Porsche contact in Springfield, Missouri, and (a few days later) pay to have the dent removed on the rear deck. With these caveats, I bought the car.

    I received multiple emails from him confirming this. I paid for the wheel repair, and the dent removal (paintless) and mailed the original receipts to Michael ($200+).

    Then I took the car over to Pioneer Centres Porsche here in San Diego for an oil change, because after I looked at the records it had been several years since this car had been serviced. Pioneer's tech told me the belts were cracking, and that there was an oil leak from one of the filters. The tires will need replacing, because the rears are low on tread and also 9 years old. Not the end of the world, but disappointing because I was told the car had been thoroughly gone over prior to delivery. I would have thought Pythian Motors in Missouri (inspected the car) would have caught this, but now I wonder how hard they really looked.

    After a few non-returned calls and ignored emails, I get the sense Michael would rather keep the $200-$300 then make good on his promises. The additional $800 in servicing, including overdue maintenance and the cost to get the belts and filter done, has pretty much fallen to me.

    This isn't a financial horror story, because I had the resources to take care of the car. It's just about being careful when a dealer says you can trust him that everything will be made right. 'Trust' is easier to talk about than it is to live.
     
  2. Bergamasco

    Bergamasco Rookie

    Sep 29, 2015
    1
    I am sorry to hear that your experience did not go as well as you had hoped but I can only say from my experience in 2010 that I experienced the complete opposite. I purchased a 1996 993 Turbo with just under 15,000 miles. I had a highly experienced and quite expensive mechanic go over the car from top to bottom before I agreed to purchase the car and the mechanic did an excellent job. In all fairness Michael does his part to in my opinion to sell quality used vehicles but he is not a mechanic and a thorough PPI is always very strongly recommended when purchasing exotic cars of this vintage. My car according to my mechanic was an excellent example of this model and vintage but it did require service including the replacement of belts, fluids, gaskets and new tires. The car was transported to the mechanic's shop where it remained for three weeks to complete all the work that I wanted done on it. I had every part of the car checked and the service list was extensive but Michael was excellent in paying for a huge part of the service as well as the conversion to day light running lights required here in Canada. He also discounted the price and was very patient with me and my mechanic through the entire purchase process. I remain very pleased with my purchase and have recommended Michael to many others.
     
  3. andrew911

    andrew911 F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 8, 2003
    2,887
    Northern NJ
    I love these super S L O W M O T I O N threads. Here we have Jon commenting on a purchase in early 2005 in the same year (pretty relevant comment to make in a reasonable time frame), then a follow up comment regarding a 2010 transaction, that is made 5 years later in 2015! This conversation is like watching a natural diamond form :)

    I'll check this thread in 2020 for the next comment. Sorry I couldn't resist :):)
     
  4. SWB

    SWB Formula Junior

    Nov 12, 2006
    964
    Toronto & Ottawa
    Full Name:
    Seth
    LOL Perhaps Jon's post got the dealer to up his game since then? Imagine the value of a 993 in 2020.
     
  5. carguyjohn350

    carguyjohn350 F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 7, 2007
    3,826
    Houston, TX
    Full Name:
    John P
    #5 carguyjohn350, Sep 30, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Current trajectory?
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