# Portiacraft buy-back deal on Porsche



## Carlos

Came across this company in the 911 & Porsche mag

http://www.portiacraft.com

The deal is, you buy a used car from them in the autumn, they will buy it back from you, _guaranteed_, for Â£2k less after 6 months, when demand recovers (March/April).

As someone who spunks literally thousands of pounds in depreciation each year (witness current 330d, will lose at least Â£6k in the year I will own it), this is very interesting.

The car is serviced and warrantied for the period you own it as well.

Think about it, a different Porker every year for 6 months, at a cost of Â£2k plus consumables.

;D ;D ;D

One for next year methinks.


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## Carlos

I can't believe that after 30 minutes nobody has replied to this incredibly, incredibly exciting thread.

It's the most exciting thread I have ever seen, I can hardly contain myself.

I'm serious.


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## kmpowell

I cant see the catch, but there must be one! According to the website, i can buy a Â£22k boxster, then in the spring they will buy it back from me for Â£20k gauranteed!!! I lose Â£2k on a car that should depreciate by alot more!!!

Sorry Carl, but it just seems TGTBT. Â :-/


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## coupe-sport

??? - kev - the'd buy it back for 2k less... ie 20k


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## Carlos

Doh! They buy it back for Â£2k _less_ than you pay them. Keep up Kevin. :


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## Carlos

And don't you dare change that posting, I want that piece of F#ckwittery to last for all time! ;D


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## kmpowell

:


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## NickP

Kev, if I buy your TT will you buy it back from me for Â£2k more in April :


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## Carlos

The main question I have is, what's the mileage limit?


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## garyc

Seems good. Too good. I'd be interested to hear from any people who have done business in this way with Portiacraft.

I am trying to think how they make money - are the cars stolen/recovered/refurbed/repossessed?

Nice link though Carl - I like the thinking.


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## snaxo

So I buy in the Autumn, sell in the spring - and then I am car-less for 6 months waiting for the next autumn offer?  

Damian


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## Carlos

> So I buy in the Autumn, sell in the spring - and then I am car-less for 6 months waiting for the next autumn offer? Â


You could always downgrade to a Z4 for the summer months :

And Gary, I could see them making money like this: They buy a car for Â£33k in the autumn, hammering the seller as its the wrong time of year to be selling a car etc. They then sell if for the sticker price of Â£35k (they could get away with not discounting if you are taking up the buyback offer). They have made Â£2k on this transaction. They buy it from you for Â£33k, then sell it again for Â£35k (winter depreciation offset by increased demand in the spring).

Total upside for them, Â£4k on the two transactions. Of course they have to take the brunt of warranty etc, so knock say a grand off, making Â£3k in their pocket. I know this is an over-simplification, before I get jumped on by the Arfur Daley's of the forum.

I imagine this must be better for them than sitting on stock and not turning over any money during the dark months. :-/


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## teucer2000

They would also have to pay VAT, presumably under the marginal profit scheme, ie on the profit only, but there goes another chunk of their income on the transaction.....very odd.


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## Carlos

Agreed, perhaps it's just a way of buying stock cheaply in the autumn and not having to sit on the stock or capital during the winter. :-/

Am making enquiries.


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## coupe-sport

from the site



> CAN NEVER UNDERSTAND PEOPLES LOGIC WHY WAIT TILL SPRING TO BUY A SPORTS CAR WHEN PRICES ARE AT LEAST 15% HIGHER.SOME OF THE CARS WE HAVE IN STOCK AT THE MOMENT WILL BE AT LEAST 2 GRAND DEARER IF NOT MORE IN FEB/MARCH 04
> THAT IS WHY WE CAN OFFER OUR BUY BACK IT HAS BEEN THE SAME FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS.
> 
> OUR WINTER BUY BACK OFFER IS NOW STARTING. AS DEVOTEES OF OUR COMPANY KNOW EVERY YEAR AT ABOUT THIS TIME AS THINGS SLOW DOWN A BIT FOR WINTER WE REDUCE THE PRICE OF OUR CARS ALLOWING US TO BUY THEM BACK AT THE START OF THE SUMMER SEASON FOR A GUARANTEED PRICE. USUALLY Â£2000 LESS THAN THE PRICE YOU PAY NOW. BECAUSE OF THE LOW DEPRECIATION OF PORSCHES WE CAN DO THIS FREEING UP SPACE AND CAPITAL WITH THE ASSURANCE OF GETTING BACK GOOD STOCK IN MARCH/APRIL WHEN WE ARE DESPERATE FOR IT. IT ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE THE USE OF A PORSCHE FOR MINIMAL COSTS FOR 6 MONTHS AS WE SERVICE AND WARRANTY EVERY CAR FULLY WHILST IN YOUR POSSESION. WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS NOW FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS AND IT WORKS WELL WE HAVE REGULAR CUSTOMERS WHO BUY A CAR OF US EVERY YEAR ON THIS BASIS. OF COURSE YOU HAVN`T GOT TO SELL IT BACK TO US AND A FEW PEOPLE DON`T BUT ENOUGH DO TO MAKE IT A WORTHWHILE EXCERCISE.


hmm - looks interesting indeed


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## Neil

> Am making enquiries.


Let us know any info you get.

Looks VERY tempting, they've got some good cars at reasonable prices, and even better if you've got a guaranteed buy-back.

One day, I WILL have a 911


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## KevinST

/me starts counting Â£'s
one...two...three...four...oh, a tenner, forteen... fifteen...

buit the only problem is that in 6 months time I'll have sold the Porker back to them, be in withdrawal from not having it anymore... and watching the days tick by until I can "lease" another one from them for 6 months and 2K.


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## Carlos

Sent an email off asking a few questions, got the following back from "Harry", who I assume is the proprietor



> Hi re our buy back scheme it is more or less coming to end now we run it till middle of December as we need to buy the cars back before end of April we fully service all cars prior to sale and we stipulate 1000 miles per month maximum the car needs to come back in the same condition it left us ie no damage to bodywork int etc. It covers all our cars.
> Regards Harry


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## thorney

I bought my first 911 from Portiacraft and they were complete bandits. Had numerous problems, all of which were ignored (they claimed the heater fan was working but lack of heat was down to it being a 'warm day') when I had it checked at a dealer they showed the heater matrix was completely burnt out.

I vowed never to buy a Porche form these guys ever again and yes, I did deal with Harry.

Â£2k less buyback does sound good but I guarrantee they will try to wriggle out of it once they've got your money.

AVOID.


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## Carlos

Damn :'(


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## garyc

Doh. It almost seemed like a Group 996 Buy was forming for a minute there....

Too good to be true. Best stick to main dealers, although there are a number of respected independnt Porsche specialists out there outside the franchised network - I just can't think of any.


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## snaxo

> Doh. Â It almost seemed like a Group 996 Buy was forming for a minute there....
> 
> Too good to be true. Best stick to main dealers, although there are a number of respected independnt Porsche specialists out there outside the franchised network - I just can't think of any.


Camtune in Godalming, Surrey is one:

http://www.camtune.com/index.htm

I know a couple of people who have bought Porkers from there and:

a) got pretty good deals
b) been very happy with their car and the service

Damian


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## Carlos

I'm still into the idea of driving a Porker through the winter months.

Just have to take the depreciation risk myself.

Fuchs are another independent with a good reputation.


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## jampott

> Fuchs are another independent with a good reputation.


I thought they made Japanese rice wine?

hence the tagline "For Fuchs Sake"

(so quick out the door, I think I took someone else's coat by mistake....)

   ;D


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## garvin

Dead easy to make money out of this sort of thing as long as the sale price to you is high enough over the price they paid for it (which they probably can achieve as the 'sell' will be based around the loss of Â£2k you face rather than the up-front price). They will then have your cash in hand to finance more lucrative business over the winter period, with no requirement for any fixed capital 'real estate' to park the porkers on (they are using your garage/street or whatever during this period), and a pretty much guaranteed supply of motors to meet the 'summer' demand. Oh, and if you don't want to sell it back to them they will be quite happy to let you keep the car as you have probably paid 'over the odds' for it anyway.

Yep, I can definitely see the why they do it.


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## R6B TT

What about 911virgin.com - they seem to get reasonable reviews ?


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## peter may

Hi to all re the Portiacraft buy back. I actually have had 2 cars from them on this scheme. 
The first a 993 Cab 2 years ago I kept it for four months and took it back mid April. No problems apart from knocking me back for 2 wheel refurbs and nose cone paint. A not unreasonable Â£500 although it probably only cost them Â£300.
So in all it cost me Â£2500 to own a 993 for four months. It would have cost treble that to hire one. 
Last year I bought a 996 cab I loved it bought it in September and did not want to give it back.
I took it back in mid June a month after the deadline I damaged a door and again as my wife drives it damaged all 4 wheels. I lost 3k on this one.
In both instances it cost me nothing in repairs so in all I feel a cheap way to find out which car to eventually buy.
I am now in the process of buying a 996 cab from Portiacrtaft that I intend to keep.
The pricers of these have tumbled and are now stabilising. Had I kept the one I sold in June I would have lost a fortune.I am now buying at the bottom of the market and really feel I will not lose a fortune over the next 3 years.
Re Portiacraft I found them open and honest they do not wear suits or offer you tea and they do not valet the hell out of their cars and yes they can sometimes appear rude I can see that some people will be put of by their attitude but they have a terrific selection of well priced cars and they are the only specialist I know who have a fully equiped work shop to service the cars they sell.
I recommend you speak to Martin not Harry as he is definately the friendlier of the two. Harry tends to fly of the handle if you ask for a discount.


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## r1

vaniTTy said:


> What about 911virgin.com - they seem to get reasonable reviews ?


Quite expensive in my opinion. Interesting marketing though - read up on their millenium bug price arrangement.

Carlos - I've been thinking about this and I reckon you'd get a good deal buying privately (or off a small dealer) at this time of year.

With respect to depreciation, I think you'd be unlucky to lose Â£4k on a 911 (unless under 3 years old) in a year which equates to the same as Portiacraft.

All depends on which year/model you're after of course but Porsches do have great residuals.


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## r1

peter may said:


> Hi to all re the Portiacraft buy back. I actually have had 2 cars from them on this scheme.
> The first a 993 Cab 2 years ago I kept it for four months and took it back mid April. No problems apart from knocking me back for 2 wheel refurbs and nose cone paint. A not unreasonable Â£500 although it probably only cost them Â£300.
> So in all it cost me Â£2500 to own a 993 for four months. It would have cost treble that to hire one.
> Last year I bought a 996 cab I loved it bought it in September and did not want to give it back.
> I took it back in mid June a month after the deadline I damaged a door and again as my wife drives it damaged all 4 wheels. I lost 3k on this one.
> In both instances it cost me nothing in repairs so in all I feel a cheap way to find out which car to eventually buy.
> I am now in the process of buying a 996 cab from Portiacrtaft that I intend to keep.
> The pricers of these have tumbled and are now stabilising. Had I kept the one I sold in June I would have lost a fortune.I am now buying at the bottom of the market and really feel I will not lose a fortune over the next 3 years.
> Re Portiacraft I found them open and honest they do not wear suits or offer you tea and they do not valet the hell out of their cars and yes they can sometimes appear rude I can see that some people will be put of by their attitude but they have a terrific selection of well priced cars and they are the only specialist I know who have a fully equiped work shop to service the cars they sell.
> I recommend you speak to Martin not Harry as he is definately the friendlier of the two. Harry tends to fly of the handle if you ask for a discount.


Wow - shame no-one knows you. :?


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## ronin

vaniTTy said:


> What about 911virgin.com - they seem to get reasonable reviews ?


Has to be the crappiest website ever, certainly wouldnt inspire me to by a car from them. They were at the Porsche weekend at brands this year with various cellulite ridden, foundation troweled on "distance" girls - very tacky.


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## dj c225

It is clear how they make their money.

The only worrying thing is:



> USUALLY Â£2000 LESS THAN THE PRICE YOU PAY NOW


Meaning they they could hit you with a bigger loss amount, depending on the car.

My friend bought a 993 from them last spring (not to give back), had quite a few problems with it, though seems like a good car and was at a good price.

Still sounds interesting if anyone gets more info, post!


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## sssgucci

I recently spent a few days here.

http://www.gmundcars.com/website/home.html


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## markh

I bought from paragon - http://www.paragon.gb.com/default-flash.asp

Not the cheapest, but IMO you pay for what you get when it comes to Porsche independants.


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## dj c225

Hmmm,

I actually now think its a bad deal.

You should not be loosing 2.5k on a 993 in 4 months! Those that know about the 993s will agree with me.

I think its a rip off scheme, makes you think you are getting a good deal.


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## kmpowell

peter may said:


> Hi to all re the Portiacraft buy back. I actually have had 2 cars from them on this scheme.
> The first a 993 Cab 2 years ago I kept it for four months and took it back mid April. No problems apart from knocking me back for 2 wheel refurbs and nose cone paint. A not unreasonable Â£500 although it probably only cost them Â£300.
> So in all it cost me Â£2500 to own a 993 for four months. It would have cost treble that to hire one.
> Last year I bought a 996 cab I loved it bought it in September and did not want to give it back.
> I took it back in mid June a month after the deadline I damaged a door and again as my wife drives it damaged all 4 wheels. I lost 3k on this one.
> In both instances it cost me nothing in repairs so in all I feel a cheap way to find out which car to eventually buy.
> I am now in the process of buying a 996 cab from Portiacrtaft that I intend to keep.
> The pricers of these have tumbled and are now stabilising. Had I kept the one I sold in June I would have lost a fortune.I am now buying at the bottom of the market and really feel I will not lose a fortune over the next 3 years.
> Re Portiacraft I found them open and honest they do not wear suits or offer you tea and they do not valet the hell out of their cars and yes they can sometimes appear rude I can see that some people will be put of by their attitude but they have a terrific selection of well priced cars and they are the only specialist I know who have a fully equiped work shop to service the cars they sell.
> I recommend you speak to Martin not Harry as he is definately the friendlier of the two. Harry tends to fly of the handle if you ask for a discount.


I'm still trying to work out why you dragged up this thread that is 2 years old! :?


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## dj c225

kmpowell said:


> peter may said:
> 
> 
> 
> Portiacraft employee!!
> 
> 
> 
> I'm still trying to work out why you dragged up this thread that is 2 years old! :?
Click to expand...

Me too, only just noticed, something doesn't seem right :lol:


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## r1

F*ck - didn't notice that.


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## Stu-Oxfordshire

Yes, WTF is going on!  
Still, good to see Carl's style of posting aint changed much in 2 years


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## R6B TT

Maybe he's on commission


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