Kobalt:
Had a very good experience (Maybe 1995) on my way to Cupertino, CA. I do not remember exactly where this was but we where a couple of guys, dressed not too good, going from San Fransisco to Apple HQ in Cupertino when we passed a car dealer and I saw that they had a BMW M1 (The original one) on display. We had to stop there for a closer look - The M1 was my favorite car at that time.
We entered the dealership feeling kind of out on deep water. I think they where specialized in European Exotics, remember that they also had som Lambos but my main interest was the M1.
An older fellow approached us and asked us I we needed any help. I said no and that we just was passing by and had stop to look at this amazing car. He was very polite and told us some details about the car. Think he mentioned that the M1 never as imported to the US and that this car was privately imported.
I was so impressed with the way he took care of us, young, not exactly rich guys and obviously not there to by a car.
But he knew probably that we might come back sometime in the future - maybe not dressed better but with money in the pocket...
here in Silicon Valley, guys go from borrowing money to buy gas to having enough pocket change to buy a Ferrari GTO or a Picasso , overnight...so sales guys of enthusiast sports cars could care less how you look ....but in couple introductory exchanges they can quickly separate out a rising venture backed techie grad from the usual " big three " of Stanford, Carnegie Mellon or MIT from a clerk at a sporting goods store who spends all his earnings on a used WRX while still living at home with his mother ! Sure , he is an enthusiast , but a sales guy has to put food on his table , blah, blah .
also , many preowned sports car stores as referenced above are run by a car nut type always present owner who is looking to talk cars with anyone , esp since their floor traffic is so low . A Porsche dealership, with sales managers closely monitoring the effciency of their sales guys trying to separate the wheat fron the chafe on a busy spring Saturday presents a predictably different " experience " if you just wanna browse and " shoot the breeze " and have no intention of financial ability now or in the future to be a customer ...just go in on a rainy Wednesday 10 am in a mid winter month and you will have all of everyone's time and attn !
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2016 991 PCA 60 GTS Club Coupe