What It Means to Buy a Porsche

I used to think, “Buying a Porsche was something way out of reach. I couldn’t even imagine a Porsche coming to our home.” Back then, my husband always said, “Someday, I’ll buy a Porsche,” but I thought, “Even so, it’s a luxury car, so actually buying one must be tough, and even if we could, it would probably be far in the future…”

Also, at that time, I had never been to a Porsche dealer (I vaguely remember not going even when my husband invited me), so I imagined things like:

“If I go to a Porsche store, should I wear a dress or a jacket? But most of my clothes are from Uniqlo… If I go dressed like this, will they even pay attention to me?”

and I had a somewhat intimidating impression. However, when I actually went, the customers there weren’t particularly dressed up, and the staff were all friendly, so I felt that “it’s a more welcoming space than I had imagined.”

Then, when my husband finally decided to buy his first Porsche (981 Boxster GTS), I was quite surprised, thinking, “A car that costs 10 million yen…! Did my husband really have that much saved up?” But I learned that he had financed part of it with a loan, and that you can buy a Porsche on a loan.

When we were told it would take a year to deliver, I thought, “No way, that’s strange. Why such a long wait? Do they even want to make it?” and felt quite uneasy. That was when I first learned about the concept of a “production slot.”

Moreover, in my husband’s case, the model year changed while waiting for delivery, and the price at delivery was higher than when he ordered it. I remember complaining, “That’s not fair! It’s their problem, so why do they just raise the price on their own!!” but my husband took it in stride.

So, as I’ve touched on in previous articles, today I want to take a moment to summarize “how to buy a Porsche.” However, this is just “our personal experience,” so naturally, other cases may differ. Please read this as just one example.

1) Is the Porsche Dealer a Place You Can Drop By Casually?

My husband first visited a Porsche dealer when he felt, “There’s a good chance I can buy a Boxster, so I want to see the actual car soon.”

That said, he didn’t schedule a visit in advance but happened to finish work early on a weekday and decided to stop by. He called ahead to check, “Do you have a Boxster on site? Can I test drive one?” and then visited the dealer.

He was a first-time visitor, not introduced by an owner, and wore very casual clothes (he mostly wears Uniqlo every day), and he doesn’t recall wearing an expensive watch, but he said they welcomed him warmly.

Of course, it’s not good to just browse without serious intent, but I think there’s no need to be overly cautious either. Incidentally, a Porsche salesperson told me:

“Honestly, salespeople are human too, and I’ve heard stories where customers who came in a kei car were ignored… However, the experience really varies by dealer and salesperson, and there’s no strict rule like ‘you must do this.’ Feel free to come by anytime.”

Come to think of it, last year I visited a Bentley dealer for the first time, and it felt much more luxurious than Porsche’s, with fewer consultation spaces, and not a place you could casually drop by. Compared to that, Porsche dealers seem like places where you don’t have to be overly formal even though they sell luxury cars.

2) Can Anyone Buy a New Porsche?

There’s a rumor that “new Porsches can’t be bought by first-timers,” but I don’t think that’s true. As far as I know, for general models, anyone—even first-timers—can buy one.

However, for special models (like GT3 series, limited editions) or rare models (like the 911 Targa), production numbers are low, so it can be difficult for a first-timer to just walk into a dealer and buy one immediately.

So how do you get a special model? I asked my husband:

“I think it varies by dealer and can’t be generalized, but it seems that if you’ve already bought several Porsches new, you’re more likely to get a purchase slot. Also, it probably depends on whether your salesperson is a veteran or a newbie, so there’s no guarantee that ‘if you do this, you’ll get one.’ By the way, I don’t buy just to get slots. I buy simply because I want to drive them. That’s it. Well, I’ve bought a fair number, but there are still people who have bought more than me.”

3) Is It True That Porsche Delivery Takes One Year?

When ordering a new Porsche, after deciding the model and grade, you carefully select options related to body color, interior, performance, comfort, and so on, to order your one-of-a-kind car.

Choosing specs is often a tough decision for many, but for general models, it’s usually possible to make changes for a while after ordering. (For the GT3, for example, my husband got a call one morning saying, ‘If you decide by this time today, we can place your order!’ and he hurried to finalize specs.)

However, just because you’ve ordered and finalized specs doesn’t mean you get the car immediately. Delivery can take as little as six months or as long as nearly a year. This is because “production only starts at Porsche’s factory after securing a production slot.”

Each dealer is allocated a certain number of “production slots” per model. The number of slots varies by dealer and is based on past performance and other factors.

Depending on the model, some slots can be secured monthly, while others might only get one car every few months. I was shocked by how few slots there are, having only known the usual way of buying a regular passenger car. (The dealer we work with seems to have a relatively large number of slots.)

Only after securing a production slot can you get an approximate delivery date.

Also, even within the Boxster line, delivery times vary greatly depending on whether it’s a standard model or GTS, and whether it has a PDK or MT transmission. My husband’s first Porsche was a Boxster GTS, MT, left-hand drive, and since production slots for left-hand drive MTs are very limited, he had to wait quite a while.

That’s why, as I mentioned earlier, the model year changed during the wait, and the price at delivery was higher than at order—something that’s apparently common when buying a Porsche new.

In other words, if you order a new Porsche and say, “I want it immediately,” that’s not possible. If you really want a new Porsche right away, you have to choose from dealer stock cars (though finding one with your desired specs is quite difficult).

For reference, our Porsche delivery times have been about 10 months for the Boxster GTS (MT, left-hand drive), 6 months for the 911 GT3 Touring (MT only), 7 months for the Panamera Turbo, and 7 months for the 911 Cabriolet (planned).

4) Can You Buy a Porsche on a Loan?

In conclusion, you can buy a Porsche on a loan, and according to salespeople, many customers do so.

When my husband bought the Boxster, he thought, “People who buy luxury cars like Porsche all pay cash,” so he tried to pay as much as possible in cash—about 70% cash and 30% loan.

But after learning that many people buy on loans, he decided to pay by loan except for the deposit when buying the Panamera.

When buying a Porsche, you can apply for loan services like “Porsche Auto Loan” and “Porsche Power Loan.”

The Porsche Auto Loan is a standard loan program that lets you choose the best payment plan for your lifestyle, including down payment, number of installments (6 to 60), and bonus payments. The Porsche Power Loan sets about 40% of the vehicle price (depending on model and payment terms) as a deferred amount to be paid at the final payment after 3 years, significantly reducing monthly payments compared to a regular auto loan.

According to my husband, it’s better to keep cash on hand for other investments or uses, so he prefers to choose loans whenever possible.

So, there’s still a lot more to say about how to buy a Porsche, and I hope to write more articles on this topic in the future.