Visiting a Luxury Car Dealer

Visiting a luxury car dealer for the first time takes a lot of courage. I myself remember thinking, “Someone like me going there…” and not accompanying my husband when he ordered his Boxster. I only stepped into a Porsche dealer for the first time when the car was delivered.

Regarding the question in today’s article title, “Should you make a phone reservation before visiting a luxury car dealer for the first time?”, there are many opinions out there. From what I’ve seen online, many say, “There’s no need to make an appointment for your first visit; just drop by casually.”

However, when it comes to luxury car dealers, it’s not so easy to just drop in… The thought of mustering up courage to go there only to be completely ignored would be a huge shock.

Also, I think the story changes a lot depending on the mindset you have when you go. Are you “ready to buy“, “just want to see the actual car or get a catalog“, or “considering a replacement within a year and want to check out options“… etc.

So today, I’d like to share, as just one example, “how we handle it at our house” and “some stories I’ve heard from acquaintances.”

First Time at a Porsche Dealer

First, about “whether you should make a phone reservation before visiting a luxury dealer for the first time,” at our house, we always make some kind of reservation before going.

Let me go back a bit to when neither my husband nor I had ever been to a Porsche dealer. At that time, my husband was in a situation where “he was starting to be able to afford a Boxster, but wasn’t planning to buy immediately.”

Then, one weekday evening, after finishing a work meeting early, he suddenly thought, “Let’s go see the Boxster at the Porsche dealer,” and called the dealer to ask, “Do you have a Boxster on display right now?” They said, “Please come on over,” so he went straight there for the first time.

He told them on the phone that he wanted to see a “display car, not a test drive,” because

he had never actually seen a Boxster with his own eyes and just wanted to take a look first.

Also, about going to the dealer only after he was in a position to afford the Boxster, he said,

“If I go and get an explanation but can’t actually buy it, that would be pointless…”

I remember talking once with someone knowledgeable about luxury car dealers, who said:

If you suddenly drop by a dealer, they might not be able to give you proper attention if they’re busy. Also, since they’re not prepared, you might not get satisfying information. So if you’re going, I think it’s better to make a reservation by phone. They might even prepare a test drive car for you.

When I asked, “For example, what if a woman like me calls to make a reservation at a luxury car dealer? And what about being underestimated for being too young?” they replied,

I don’t think that’s an issue. Recently, more career women and younger people are buying luxury cars, so you don’t need to worry about that. Also, if it’s hard to visit on a regular day, you might try contacting them during a test drive event. It’s easier to go casually during a fair.

I thought, “That makes sense.”

Intent to Purchase

Next, listening to my husband’s interactions with dealer staff, I noticed he always seems to clearly communicate whether he’s “serious about buying or not.” (Whether it’s the first visit or subsequent ones.)

For example, when VW or BMW calls him,

he often says, “I’m not planning to replace my car soon, and I might just take a test drive, but is that okay?”

Also, when going to test drive other luxury cars,

he says, “I want to test drive the ○○, but since its resale value isn’t great, I might look for a used one. Still, I want to try driving it first. Is that okay?”

I think how positive the customer is about purchasing affects how the salesperson approaches the conversation. The worst case is “a gap in understanding between both sides that wastes each other’s time,” so it’s important to clarify this from the start.

That said, it was surprisingly quick from the first time my husband saw the Boxster display car to placing the order. Also, with our BMW 320i (F30), he called ahead saying, “I’m looking at various options but want to see this one as a candidate,” without showing any intention to buy, yet after arriving at the store, he signed the order form within two hours (laughs).

I’ve come to realize that “once you visit a dealer and see the actual car, you suddenly want it badly,” so you really need to be careful these days.