salesman | The Silo

It’s not all 9,000-RPM test drives; our friend at Rennlist has just finished breaking down the top 10 headaches at the Porsche dealership and the one reason why you will keep coming back.

Well, hate might be a little strong, but I can see why people would dislike going to the Porsche dealer. I have listed 10 reasons that in my personal experience and in talking to others in the community why the thought of going to the Porsche dealership is akin to a visit to the dentist’s chair. But there is one reason above all that I, and all of you keep coming back. Let’s discuss.

The truth is that I don’t hate going to the Porsche dealer. I have been going to Porsche dealers since I was a teenager. I have bought and sold many cars at a Porsche dealership. I go there for grand openings, new model reveals, Porsche Club of America membership meetings, cars and coffee events and more. I was just at a local dealership last night for a few hours. I have made plenty of friends at Porsche dealerships in my area. And it is not just me that enjoys the experience. In the most recent J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Customer Service Index (CSI) Study, Porsche ranks highest in satisfaction with dealer service among premium brands. It is the second consecutive year that they earned that distinction. So, why all the hate?

#1 Dislike – Playing the Allocation Game

After struggling for years and driving a beat-up Chrysler Sebring Convertible, your Pet Rock business takes off and you are now flush with cash. You want to replace that old convertible with the new 911 GT3 S/C. You head to the Porsche dealer excited to finally be in a position to buy your dream car. You burst through the dealership doors full of anticipation for speccing and ordering your new Porsche. You grab the first salesperson you see and tell them that you would like to order a new GT3 S/C. And they reply with “Yeah, you and everyone else buddy. How about we test drive this former service loaner Macan we have over here?” Having to be a dealership favorite with a long history of purchases to get a whiff of any of the desirable sports car models is one of the worst things about the modern Porsche dealership experience.

#2 Dislike – Talking About Added Dealer Markups

Let’s pretend for a moment that by some miracle, the dealership does have an available allocation for the GT3 S/C. That is only hurdle number one. Next, it is time to talk about how much money the dealership is going to drain from your account for the mere privilege of placing an order on your behalf. This added dealer markup is not small potatoes either. In some cases, it can go into the six-figure range. Some folks happily pay this, but personally, I hate the practice of dealer markups.

#3 Dislike – The Price for Service

OK, you got your allocation and you swallowed your pride and forked over the cash for the ADM. You have been enjoying your car for a while, and it is time for a service. If you have not serviced a Porsche at a dealership before, you might want to sit down before you get the invoice. Service pricing at a dealership can be a real eye-opener to say the least. Do they fly your car to Mars to change the oil? How the heck can it be so much when you can buy a 5-quart jug (that is about 4.73 L for my Canadian friends) of the recommended synthetic Mobil 1 at Walmart for less than 30 bucks? Paying dealership prices for parts and service can get painful very quickly.

#4 Dislike – The Lack of Technical Knowledge

This will vary on a case-by-case basis, as I have dealt with some very knowledgeable Porsche sales professionals. That being said, I am sure some of you have experienced talking to a Porsche salesperson and realized that you know far more about the vehicles on the showroom floor than they do. You expect them to be experts in the field, and many are. But when you encounter that one that tries to convince you that they can order you a new Carrera T with a PDK, it is uncomfortable for everyone.

#5 Dislike – Intimidating Atmosphere

As I said earlier, I have been going to Porsche dealers since I was a teenager, so I have pretty much always felt comfortable there, but that is not the case for everyone. For those new to the brand, walking through those Porsche dealership doors can be incredibly intimidating. No one is intimidated going in the local Honda store, but Porsche is on a different level. Is there a dress code? Will they run my credit before offering me a cup of coffee? No matter how friendly the dealership actually is, it can still be a bit like being on the set of Fear Factor for those that have not had much Porsche shopping experience.

#6 Dislike – Test Drives Aren’t Guaranteed

This can vary wildly from dealer to dealer and person to person. But there is a chance that getting a test drive might prove to be harder than you think. Although, to be fair, you have to have realistic expectations as well. If you are a 16-year-old kid pulling up in a ratty old Nissan Altima and ask to test drive the pre-owned 918 Spyder they have in stock, you should expect some questions. But sometimes dealers can be wary of offering test drives on just regular core models if they don’t know you.

#7 Dislike – Feeling Judged

And that is when you might feel judged. Even if you aren’t being judged, the mere fact that you are in a Porsche dealership may make you wonder if folks are evaluating you and your intentions just by looking at you. Are you wearing a pair of Hermès Bouncing sneakers and a Rolex Daytona, or a pair of Skechers Slip-ins and a Casio A158WA-1? Does it matter? It shouldn’t, and maybe it doesn’t and you will be treated with the same respect no matter what. But walking into a luxury dealership like Porsche can make you feel like you don’t measure up to others in there with you. Personally, I don’t give a crap, but I know some that are bothered by this.

#8 Dislike – The Urge to Upgrade

You are perfectly happy with your Porsche. It has been everything you dreamed it would be. Then you pop into the Porsche dealer for service or to pick up your twentieth Porsche t-shirt. And that is when you spot it, the 911 GT3 Touring that you have been dreaming of. It is just sitting there looking for a new home. You don’t need it. But you WANT it. You start doing the mathematical gymnastics in your mind. Little Jimmy probably won’t want to go to college anyway. And Ramen noodles aren’t that bad. The next thing you know, they are appraising your car, and you are trying to figure out what piece of jewelry you are going to need to buy your wife after you tell her what you just did.

#9 Dislike – Spoils You for Other Dealers

Porsche dealers are a nice place to spend some time. The atmosphere and amenities are far above your typical car dealership. A couple of years ago I was shopping for a car for my wife. We started at the Porsche dealership, looking at Macans. Naturally, she loved it, but we wanted to look at other options, so we went to the Toyota dealership to look at a 4Runner. Word of advice, do not ever go directly from a Porsche dealer to a Toyota dealer. Talk about culture shock. Not that the Toyota dealership was bad, but when you get used to the Porsche vibe, you get spoiled.

#10 Dislike – Driving Leads to Buying

I tell my non-Porsche owning friends this all the time. Do not test drive a Porsche unless you are ready to buy a Porsche. Once you get behind the wheel, you will be hooked. Climbing back into your old car will feel like a gut punch. A Porsche test drive can wreck your budget if you are not prepared to buy the car.

For the Silo, Joe Kucinski.

General Motors’ affinity for using entertainment to promote its products reached a fever pitch in 1955, as an estimated two million people attended Motorama in New York City, Boston, Miami, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. It was followed that same year by Powerama in Chicago, a show that highlighted GM’s non-automotive businesses and featured a musical dubbed “More Power to You.” It included French acrobats atop a 70-foot crane, 35-ton bulldozers dancing the mambo, and a battle of strength between a top-hatted elephant and a bulldozer in which the pachyderm is sent packing. The show ran for 26 days and attracted two million visitors.

But that wasn’t the end of it, as GM produced musicals—yes musicals—to help move the metal. The result would be Buick’s Spacerama (so many -ramas) and Oldsmobile’s The Merry Oh-h-h.

Oldsmobile in 1955

1955 Oldsmobile black white — *Flickr/Chad Horwedel*

Having reached record sales of 583,179 units for the 1955 model year, Oldsmobile hoped to continue the sales boom for 1956, even though its lineup was mostly carryover. The biggest news was the Jetaway Hydra-matic automatic transmission, which was redesigned for the first time since its introduction in 1940. For the first time, it offered a Park position, like modern automatics, and featured two fluid couplings to enhance shifts between its four gears. The Jetaway was standard on the 98 and Super 88.

J.F. Wolfram, Oldsmobile general manager, confidently predicted Oldsmobile would sell 750,000 cars for the 1956 model year as Oldsmobile employment reached a record high of 19,170 employees.

To stoke enthusiasm, the company created a musical dubbed “The Merry Oh-h-h”, which debuted in New York City at the Ziegfeld Theatre. The show starred Chita Rivera, who had appeared in “Call Me Madam” and “Can Can.” Here she plays Miss Jetaway Drive alongside singer Mildred Hughes and Billy Skipper, who danced in “Annie Get Your Gun.” Other notable names include Joe Flynn, Frank Gorshin, Charles Cooper and Bern Hoffman. It was directed by Max Hodge, who would go on to work on the TV shows “Mission: Impossible” and “Mannix.”

The musical, which at the time cost GM $150,000 usd / $210,000 cad to produce, espoused the glories of power steering, automatic transmissions and Rocket V8 engines. Songs included “Tops in Transmission,” “Advancing on Lansing” and “The Car is the Star.”

After its New York debut, the musical and its 34-member cast went on tour to San Francisco, Fort Worth and Chicago before arriving in Lansing, Michigan, Oldsmobile’s hometown, which included an appearance by pop star Patti Page.

But the show generated unintentional notoriety when its piano player, Robert Orpin, was found dead in his room at the Hilton Hotel in Fort Worth. Orpin, who hailed from Forest Hills, Long Island, was found in a filled bathtub with the hot water running. He was discovered by a maid who heard the running water running. His death was later ruled accidental.

“The Merry Oh-h-h” would play to 30,000 Oldsmobile employees and their families nationwide. But it did little for Oldsmobile sales, as demand fell to 485,492 units for the model year.

Buick heads for Spacerama

No doubt using a stage show to promote new models was hardly an isolated idea at GM in 1955. In fact, Buick arrived at the idea before Oldsmobile, thanks to their ad agency at the time, the Kudner Agency and its vice president, Myron Kirk.

Kirk had attended GM’s 1954 Motorama during its nine-day stand in Boston, where he ran into Ivan Wiles, vice president and general manager of Buick, and Al Belfie, Buick’s general sales manager. While watching the theatrics, Kirk told the executives of the impressive dancing he had seen in the then-new movie, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” Kirk arranged a private viewing of the film for them, and afterwards, Kirk received approval to bring in the movie’s choreographer, Michael Kidd, to produce a show to promote the 1956 Buick lineup.

He tapped Alan Lipscott and Robert Fisher to write the show. The duo was well-known for writing scripts for such TV shows as “Make Room For Daddy,” “The Donna Reed Show” and “Bachelor Father” along with many others. The plot concerned mankind’s search for the obtaining transportation from the Stone Age to the current day, where a trip to Mars reveals a depressed population. They overcome their depression when they are brought to earth to see the 1956 Buick lineup. The show starred Mark Dawson and comedian Jack E. Leonard.

For the music, Kirk’s agency chose Bernie Wayne, who is best known for such songs as “Blue Velvet,” “The Magic Touch,” the Miss America theme, and the commercial jingle “Chock Full O’Nuts Is the Heavenly Coffee.” For Buick’s musical, Wayne composed such songs as “Just Like Coming Home Again,” “Switch the Pitch,” and ‘The Peak of Civilization.”

The show started in Flint, Michigan before heading to Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, and wrapping up in New York City. In all, 50,000 Buick dealers, employees and their families saw the show.

Still, you have to wonder why GM went to so much trouble. “We have about 12,000 dealers and their salesmen,” a Buick spokesman told the Detroit Free Press in September 1955. “Many of them will sell as much as $150,000 usd of our products next year. You surely can afford to spend $100 or more to entertain them.”

Of course, GM could afford such largesse; they were on their way to their first billion-dollar annual profit. Now that’s a lot of spacebucks. For the Silo, Larry Printz/ Hagerty. Featured image- GM’s Spacerama 2 promo.

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When Buick And Oldsmobile Promoted Cars With Space Themed Musicals

Oldsmobile in 1955

Buick heads for Spacerama

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