I want to buy a new Ferrari from a dealer. Secret Handshake?

Bought my first Ferrari from Algar. They are a class act beginning with salesman Tony Palmer. Great experience. Wouldn’t hesitate going back to them.

 

The secret sauce for being a Ferrari dealer and for being a hot woman, is tell the guy with the big bucks "NO!". Everyone else is willing to fall over themselves to help them and get their cash, but if you say NO and tell them they can't have something, they want it even more. It's a simple model really. When one day I'm at that place, I'll buy a used LaFerrari and maybe take it to the local dealer for servicing. I suspect that owning that bumps you up in the pecking order and you don't have to buy a Portofino or used stock to get a new order.
My experience with my local Porsche dealer is the exact opposite. They have a limited allocation for GT3's and could give a rats if I wanted one. Most sales peeps couldn't be bothered to get out of their chairs when I visit.

 

Funniest thing I did with a Porsche dealer was to go there and have some dopey salesman trying to pretend I couldn’t afford the turbo I was looking at, and told me I’d have to buy a used one as I’d more likely be able to afford it, and maybe he would put me on the list for a nice trade in if one came up, usual bull as I was only in my early thirties, and didn’t arrive in anything too special. The next day I went back in my year old at the time 575, walked up to his desk, and showed him the invoice for the CS I had ordered and paid for after I left his dealership and had gone down the road to the Ferrari dealership where I was well known and had already owned a number of Ferrari’s and Maseratis, plus other marques all bought via them... should’ve seen his face

That Porsche dealership then regularly invited me to all their launches and events trying to make up for it, but the Porsche’s I did buy I purposely bought via my Ferrari contacts and their friends at other dealerships. I’m not saying they lost much, as I’m not as big a fan of Porsche as I should be, especially now they are sooooo sorted, but I did buy 50 cars in a four year period after that time, so definately cost them something

 

I have to ask, has anyone paid cash under the table to get what they want?

My guess would be yes, but I’ve never seen it mentioned here.

 

No one is paying under the table to get a short supply car, donating to dealer's Motorsport Division/Foundation or whatever else they call it, is a different story.

 

I want to be in the wait list for 488 facelift and the V8 hybrid. But the dealer is currently not taking deposits.

 

Sooo true. The rub is, if you're not the typical grey haired "old guy" shopping for a 911, then you're a "younger person" who is there to lease a Macan or Cayenne. A while back I befriended my favorite sales associate and gave him a ride in my 360. Unfortunately he's moved to their Alfa and Maserati group.. which now the I think of it isn't a bad thing!

 

Like so many things in life the impression people get when they first see you makes too much of a difference. It is almost impossible for me to walk into a higher end dealership and not have someone know who I am. I bought another Porsche yesterday and the general manager of that dealership remembered how I used to talk to him about cars over 20 years ago when he was a runner at another dealer. I don't dress in fancy clothes (unless I am going out to eat at a nice place), and unless you know watches (and can see what I have on my wrist), I do not look like I could afford a Ferrari. I have been ask many times in stores if I want to see something more affordable. I do think that unfortunately many higher end car dealers do not take younger people as seriously as they should, though I also think that unless you are buying one of the special 911's the bread and butter ones are geared towards older folks (becoming more GT cars than sports cars). I am not exactly capable of relationships with people, but (other than my girlfriend a couple other who tolerate my ways) you could say that the closest I come to it are the people I've come you know at car dealers. They always say, whatever you want Morrie, we will get you one. I understand that does not say much about my life, but I am not sure I can tell one way or the other. I will admit that I love deals (the Maserati GT MC I just bought I really did not need but it was too good a deal to pass up), but I also realize the value to a long term relationship with a dealer, and with Algar, sometimes I get my price and sometimes I don't, but the relationship keeps going. That is more important to me than a few dollars.

 

everyone thinks its the dealer .. Ferrari is very involved with the limited vehicles

 

Absolutely! I buy lmost all my cars from the one ferrari dealer, whatever the marque, they get them in from their ‘connected’ group for me, and I buy them there.... only a local Mercedes dealer gets any cars from us, the Mrs annual Merc comes from a good little place that looks after us well, so we are sure to buy our mercs there and send 4 or 5 clients and friends there each year too.....

 

Unfortunately, after reading all these posts, it is all too much of a game for me. I guess I am fortunate enough to not be able to afford these "limited" editions of all makes just to make my life a little simpler, easier and hence sweeter...life is too short fellow car enthusiasts.

 

I'm not sure it is as much of a game as it is basic supply and demand. Just like when a ford dealer gets a hot model they charge extra money (over sticker) for them. That is one thing I always refuse to do. It comes down to what you are comfortable with, and what something is worth to you. I have always believed a good deal is nothing but a state of mind.

 

The game(and the experience if it is your 1st f-car is the list) If you don't want to wait for MSRP you either need to overpay or buy an extra car. I was on the list and others would jump in front of me because they bought a maseratti or some other not so well sought model they had on stock, of course you also need to make a relationship with the dealer I was/am a track freak so I was in with the track guys.

 

Big time no-no across the board. GM would kill a sales guy. Owner would kill the GM. FNA would kill the owner. Who knows at the FNA level. They all want their bite of the apple.


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat