A car dealer has recounted a story in which the sale of a Porsche Cayenne SUV turned into a nightmare after the buyer claimed the car was missing a feature he thought he was getting. This was despite the fact that the buyer had actually seen the car he was buying in person.
Car salesman Ali Talebi (@alitalebiauto) shared this story on his TikTok account in a video. “A California Porsche deal became a nightmare very fast,” he said, and upon hearing his tale, it’s easy to see why he said that.
Talebi is the president and CEO of Hi-Line Auto Group, which operates four dealerships in North Carolina and South Carolina. This particular Cayenne had been sold to a buyer in California, with the deal initially taking place remotely before they then flew out to finalize the purchase of the car.
Yet despite flying out to complete the deal, once they had the car, the new owner caused headaches for Talebi by claiming it was missing something he thought it had. Cue a frustrated Talebi in his video, who gave a good recount of what had actually happened.
This Is What Happened With the Porsche Cayenne
@alitalebiauto 👉 THIS PORSCHE DEAL WENT SIDEWAYS FAST 👀 #porsche #cayenne #carbusiness #luxurycars #dealershiplife @LotLaw | Car Dealer Compliance ♬ Powerful songs like action movie music – Tansa
According to Talebi, the client initially contacted his dealership remotely to buy the Cayenne SUV. Soon after, they flew out to Carolina to finalize the deal. Talebi said there had been issues with the buyer’s credit, but after two weeks the car was eventually shipped out to the customer.
The car in question was believed to be a Platinum edition of the SUV. The seller of the car said it had 21-inch RS Spider design wheels, a Bose surround sound system, a panoramic glass roof, plus 14-way comfort memory seats. So the Porsche wasn’t exactly short on features, but the buyer, for some reason, took issue with all this.
After the car had shipped, the buyer then reached out to the dealership to state that it wasn’t a Platinum edition. This didn’t tally up with what the seller had told Talebi, and what his dealership had found after inspecting the car. Having tried to offer a discount to the customer to keep the SUV, the buyer refused, and the car was taken back and the customer refunded. Talebi, as you can probably imagine, wasn’t happy with the whole ordeal.
Did the Dealership Get the Trim Wrong?
It also transpired that the buyer wanted to use the Porsche on Turo, a car-sharing platform. This allowed owners to rent out their vehicles, but this wasn’t a fact that was disclosed to the bank or the dealership. “Could we have held his feet to the fire because he had ample time to research the car?” asked Talebi in his TikTok, clearly frustrated at having to refund the car.
The immediate question is, did the dealership get the trim level for this Porsche Cayenne wrong? One thing that doesn’t help is how Porsche owners can customize cars with various options and extra features or packages. Even the VIN might not provide answers, but the window sticker and build information can clarify things.
Talebi said the dealership bought this Cayenne and believed it was a Platinum, based on its features and what the seller had told them. With Porsches being somewhat confusing, it is understandable that one or two might slip through the net, with dealers, buyers, or sellers believing them to be something they are not.
Viewers Were Split on Who Was at Fault in This Situation
Viewers of the TikTok video were divided as to who they thought was at fault. Some said the dealership should have verified the details, while others suggested the buyer could have done so. “Both you and the buyer are in the automotive business and didn’t know it was not [an] available premium model. Plenty of information available via the VIN,” said one viewer.
As we have said though, the VIN doesn’t decode specific trims, something Talebi pointed out. Others said that the dealership was right to take the car back after discovering it was set to be used on Turo. “Most lenders won’t finance cars being used for Turo,” one person said. “The lender will ask you to pay off. You did the right thing,” they added. The financing for the car had been arranged for personal use, but if you then use it for commercial purposes, various issues could have cropped up.