Today I called Randal at Porsche of the Main Line. We spoke briefly on the phone until he informed me that he had a Macadamia Metallic car in the showroom sitting next to his desk. I told him I'd be there tonight at 6pm to see it, as prior to this the closest 911 I could find in this color was 2 hours away. I thought I'd be taking a road trip this weekend but instead I can just run down to the local dealer - great.
So my wife and I walk in a 6pm sharp and Randal shows us the car and the color. I'm fairly familiar with the 911's but never really went through one, especially a new one, in any real detail until now. I'm very impressed. Randal was very thorough explaining the many features of the car (an '08 model) and what would be different for '09. We chatted a bit more as he showed us around the dealership, and then we sat down and started having an initial discussion on the options I may be interested in. He only recently got the detailed information on the '09s and it's the first I'm seeing of the new detailed option list. I get to take a copy home so I can really work it out (time to update my spreadsheet).
As for the timeline, if I get the order in within the next couple of weeks it will make the September "allocation" (build date at the factory). Delivery to the dealership is 30-45 days later, so if everything goes as planned it looks like I'll be taking delivery of the car in October or early November. I've only talked to Vu from Porsche Club once on the phone since the day I found out I won, and I still haven't received any of the paperwork related to it. Vu informed me that he would be busy at the annual Porsche Parade and that I would see that information the following week. So I'm going to try to have everything worked out with the dealership here pretty soon and then we'll just work out the paperwork and get the order in, hopefully.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
More Thoughts / Input from Others
Now most people I know have been informed about my winnings one way or another. I'm starting to get some feedback from some of my closer friends and family on the color and configuration of the car. Something a little unexpected is that now I'm apparently in some kind of snob/yuppie zone with the car, or so some people have alluded. I want my car to be pretty unique anyway so I was looking at some of the less common and more "classy" colors, I'm currently leaning toward the Macadamia Metallic with a Sand Beige interior. This color is new for '08. Edmunds had this to say about the Macadamia Metallic color:
Which brings up another point - what do I really want to use this car for? I still have the 87 944 Turbo (and technically the 86 944 Turbo, but I'm trying to sell that) which is fairly well prepped for track days. I just can't see NOT using the 911 on the track though. But at the same time I'd like to use it on the street more than I do the 944's, so I want to be careful in my choices - performance and safety oriented, but I don't want to cross the line where it's unusable for a nice drive with my wife. My current plan is to keep the 944 probably until next summer and keep using that on the track while I get the 911 broken in and sorted out with safety equipment. Then I'll probably sell the Turbo and use that money to pay for some of the taxes.
"this 911's color speaks volumes to a particular type of Porsche buyer — one we respect greatly. With a few exceptions ("Brown? What is this, 1977?"), our staff — including Niebuhr — came to view Macadamia Metallic as a brilliantly understated and classy way to festoon this brilliant car. This is the type of color someone would pick if they couldn't care less about what other people thought about their high-priced automotive purchase. This buyer bought this 911 because it's excellent, not to show it off at Pure or Mood or any other one-word nightspot."Sounds good to me. I've been talked out of yellow, and I've been talked out of the Aerokit for fear of being some kind of GT3 "poser". I was borderline on that anyway, it looks good at the track but might be a little much for everyday driving.
Which brings up another point - what do I really want to use this car for? I still have the 87 944 Turbo (and technically the 86 944 Turbo, but I'm trying to sell that) which is fairly well prepped for track days. I just can't see NOT using the 911 on the track though. But at the same time I'd like to use it on the street more than I do the 944's, so I want to be careful in my choices - performance and safety oriented, but I don't want to cross the line where it's unusable for a nice drive with my wife. My current plan is to keep the 944 probably until next summer and keep using that on the track while I get the 911 broken in and sorted out with safety equipment. Then I'll probably sell the Turbo and use that money to pay for some of the taxes.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Taxes
After I tell people about the win, people either ask how the car is or if I can bring it over (I then have to explain I don't actually have it yet), or they ask if I'm taking the car or the cash if they have a little better understanding of how raffles work.
If this were three years ago or even two years ago I probably would have taken the cash. But at this point in my life I'm in a position to be able to take the car. I did, after all, enter the raffle to win a car. I knew there would be a fair amount of taxes involved, but I wasn't sure of all the ins and outs of it. After speaking with an accountant and a financial advisor, there are more than I had thought - there is state sales tax (6% in PA), federal income tax, and if I understand it right state income tax. The vehicle luxury tax has been gone for a few years now, and local income tax is for earned income only, so those are non-issues. The sales tax and an initial federal withholding (25% according to the PCA Raffle rules) will be due up front upon taking delivery of the car, and then the remainder of the federal income tax and all of the state income tax will all be worked out when I file next year.
The car as configured for the raffle is worth in the neighborhood of $92,000 - $93,000. That amount will show as income for me this tax year, which will also push me into the next bracket. All said and done it looks like I'm looking at a minimum of $30,000 in taxes and probably closer to $40,000 worse case. Still not a bad deal overall though - buying a new 911 for 40 cents on the dollar - so don't mistake this as complaining :) The only thing that really gets me is that it seems like the state is double-dipping, I have to pay income and sales tax on the same thing - about 9% in total.
After working some spreadsheets to figure out all of these costs I also did a comparison to the cash prize just to convince myself that the car is the right decision. It seems that after all the taxes are accounted for I'm still ahead by taking the car by $12,000 - $14,000. Of course I know the car is a depreciating asset and the cash is appreciating (theoretically anyway, if it's invested). But still, that's enough of a difference to satisfy me.
If this were three years ago or even two years ago I probably would have taken the cash. But at this point in my life I'm in a position to be able to take the car. I did, after all, enter the raffle to win a car. I knew there would be a fair amount of taxes involved, but I wasn't sure of all the ins and outs of it. After speaking with an accountant and a financial advisor, there are more than I had thought - there is state sales tax (6% in PA), federal income tax, and if I understand it right state income tax. The vehicle luxury tax has been gone for a few years now, and local income tax is for earned income only, so those are non-issues. The sales tax and an initial federal withholding (25% according to the PCA Raffle rules) will be due up front upon taking delivery of the car, and then the remainder of the federal income tax and all of the state income tax will all be worked out when I file next year.
The car as configured for the raffle is worth in the neighborhood of $92,000 - $93,000. That amount will show as income for me this tax year, which will also push me into the next bracket. All said and done it looks like I'm looking at a minimum of $30,000 in taxes and probably closer to $40,000 worse case. Still not a bad deal overall though - buying a new 911 for 40 cents on the dollar - so don't mistake this as complaining :) The only thing that really gets me is that it seems like the state is double-dipping, I have to pay income and sales tax on the same thing - about 9% in total.
After working some spreadsheets to figure out all of these costs I also did a comparison to the cash prize just to convince myself that the car is the right decision. It seems that after all the taxes are accounted for I'm still ahead by taking the car by $12,000 - $14,000. Of course I know the car is a depreciating asset and the cash is appreciating (theoretically anyway, if it's invested). But still, that's enough of a difference to satisfy me.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
The Next Day
Now that there has been a little bit of time for this to sink in and after talking with nearly everybody I know about it, I am starting to do some real research on the 2009 Carrera S's. I'm getting really familiar with Porsche's website and vehicle configurator. I'm reading all the reviews I can find on the car. It seems that 2009 is a good year to wait for in the 911 - Porsche has added 30 HP to the S (now 385hp), LED brake lights and daytime running lights, a number of other engine improvements, a modernization of the interior technology (touch-screen navigation, ipod / USB interface, etc.). It has the new PDK transmission, but I'll stick with the manual.
My first obstacle is picking a color. I like most of them - white, gray, yellow, green, brown, gold, etc. I just want to steer clear of silver and black. I've never been a black car guy (OK my 87 944 Turbo is black but that's my first one). I generally like green but the only 2009 green is basically a British Racing Green and I don't know if a Porsche can pull that off. The white is nice but I'm worried about keeping it clean, especially on the track (yes this car will end up on the track sooner rather than later) with black marks from flying rubber. I'm told... by some people... that the yellow would be too obnoxious, so that's out too. Right now I'm liking the Meteor Gray and the Macadamia Metallic, but I'm going to have to see these in person.
I'm still telling people the story over and over, so I decided to start this blog so I can tell the story once and anybody who cares can read along. I actually didn't start writing the blog until later after the announcement was officially made at the Porsche Parade on June 30. The reactions from people I tell have been great, everybody seems really excited about it. I know I have some rounds to make once I actually get the car.
Here is a graphic some guys at work made up for me, who are also fans of the TV show "Top Gear" like myself.
My first obstacle is picking a color. I like most of them - white, gray, yellow, green, brown, gold, etc. I just want to steer clear of silver and black. I've never been a black car guy (OK my 87 944 Turbo is black but that's my first one). I generally like green but the only 2009 green is basically a British Racing Green and I don't know if a Porsche can pull that off. The white is nice but I'm worried about keeping it clean, especially on the track (yes this car will end up on the track sooner rather than later) with black marks from flying rubber. I'm told... by some people... that the yellow would be too obnoxious, so that's out too. Right now I'm liking the Meteor Gray and the Macadamia Metallic, but I'm going to have to see these in person.
I'm still telling people the story over and over, so I decided to start this blog so I can tell the story once and anybody who cares can read along. I actually didn't start writing the blog until later after the announcement was officially made at the Porsche Parade on June 30. The reactions from people I tell have been great, everybody seems really excited about it. I know I have some rounds to make once I actually get the car.
Here is a graphic some guys at work made up for me, who are also fans of the TV show "Top Gear" like myself.
Friday, June 20, 2008
My Birthday Present
OK, here's the backstory: I've been entering the PCA annual raffle for a few years now. It used to be $100 / ticket, only a couple thousand tickets sold, and the proceeds went to the American Cancer Society. So I figured whatever, I'll buy a ticket and it will go to a good cause. In the past couple of years PCA started doing the raffle directly, and I continued with it. This year it was $50 / ticket but I was used to buying $100 tickets, so I bought two. The raffle would only sell a maximum of 4,750 tickets total.
My brief Porsche history: I started with a 1983 944 which I had for many years and did some Driver's Ed events with. As I moved up through the run groups it ended up being a bit sluggish to keep up on the track, so I upgraded to a 1986 944 Turbo. Earlier this year that car developed a rod knock on the track, so I ended up getting a 1987 944 Turbo to replace the '86 just over a month ago. As of this writing I still have both Turbos.
So my birthday is June 20; this year it was on a Friday. I normally take the day off on my birthday, just to enjoy the day even if I don't have any plans. Around 8am we get a phone call, my wife answers so I just hear half of the conversation. It apparently was a pretty cryptic call, she didn't know who it was or where they were from, just that they said that they understood it was my birthday and they had something to drop off and wanted to know if we'd be around at about 3pm. Jen confirmed that yes, we both had the day off and would be around.
Later in the morning I just checked the caller ID and saw the name "Nguyen, Vu" on the phone. I thought the name looked familiar and I checked my email archives and saw that all my Porsche Club emails come from Vu Nguyen. I thought that was weird that somebody at PCA would be calling us saying they had a delivery for my birthday. I've been a member 10 years now so maybe they were sending something for a member anniversary.
So I continue about my day and around 2:30 I see an SUV with a few men in it pull into my driveway, and my dog starts barking. My wife was on the phone and tries to quiet the dog and get out of the way so I can deal with the "delivery". Then behind the SUV a black 911 Carrera S pulls into the driveway as well, with a window sticker on the windshield. That's when it really hit me about the raffle and that I may have won it - now the phone call this morning makes more sense. I tell my wife to get off the phone and come outside with me, and the dog is still barking.
We walk out through the garage greeted by 5 men with balloons and holding cameras. I was somewhat bewildered and slightly confused with the happy birthday balloons and what turned out to be Vu saying that they're "from the office". He continued to explain that they're from Porsche Club and that I had won the raffle. Here is the youtube video of my reaction. Yes I know I'm pretty "low key" in my reaction, that's just how I am, but I assure you I was overjoyed at what was happening and had an ear to ear grin the whole time.
So I met everybody who was there, Vu and Manny and a few other gentlemen from PCA who I forget their names (sorry), and Randal from Porsche of the Main Line who provided the 2007 Carrera S for the photoshoot. The whole thing happened fairly quickly - Vu took a bunch of pictures of me and my wife, the car, etc. I sat in the car for a little while, Vu explained to me briefly how everything would work and what the next steps would be, and then we said goodbye's and they took the car away.
Apparently the actual drawing was a few days earlier, on Tuesday. Vu seemed pleased that I was "local" in Pennsylvania because they were able to drive up from Virginia / Maryland where PCA headquarters are located. Apparently Vu had googled for some information about me to find where I work, etc., so they could come up with a cover story to track me down and make sure I'd be available. He ended up finding my amazon.com wish list and realized my birthday was later in the week, and set the plans in motion for that day.
The vehicle I won is a 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera S. The 2009's aren't out until mid-September, so I would have to wait. My options are to take a car off the dealer lot when they arrive or go ahead and custom build one to my liking - guess which I'm going to do. PCA had pre-configured the car with some options and I have up to that dollar amount to custom build to, and if I go over that amount I can just pay the difference. There is also a cash prize option of $65,000. Vu encouraged me to take my time and think about the options and I can make a final decision later. But I entered the raffle to win a car and that's what I intended to do.
The rest of my day was spent smiling a lot and talking on the phone to family and friends. Vu mentioned that I can go ahead and tell family and friends, he didn't seem too concerned about it getting out. Word spread pretty quick, after I told a couple of people I started getting inbound calls from others. By 7pm my cheeks hurt from smiling and the whole thing started to sink in a little more.
And oh yeah I opened some other birthday cards and gifts later that day as well. I'm pretty sure they were nice too.
My brief Porsche history: I started with a 1983 944 which I had for many years and did some Driver's Ed events with. As I moved up through the run groups it ended up being a bit sluggish to keep up on the track, so I upgraded to a 1986 944 Turbo. Earlier this year that car developed a rod knock on the track, so I ended up getting a 1987 944 Turbo to replace the '86 just over a month ago. As of this writing I still have both Turbos.
So my birthday is June 20; this year it was on a Friday. I normally take the day off on my birthday, just to enjoy the day even if I don't have any plans. Around 8am we get a phone call, my wife answers so I just hear half of the conversation. It apparently was a pretty cryptic call, she didn't know who it was or where they were from, just that they said that they understood it was my birthday and they had something to drop off and wanted to know if we'd be around at about 3pm. Jen confirmed that yes, we both had the day off and would be around.
Later in the morning I just checked the caller ID and saw the name "Nguyen, Vu" on the phone. I thought the name looked familiar and I checked my email archives and saw that all my Porsche Club emails come from Vu Nguyen. I thought that was weird that somebody at PCA would be calling us saying they had a delivery for my birthday. I've been a member 10 years now so maybe they were sending something for a member anniversary.
So I continue about my day and around 2:30 I see an SUV with a few men in it pull into my driveway, and my dog starts barking. My wife was on the phone and tries to quiet the dog and get out of the way so I can deal with the "delivery". Then behind the SUV a black 911 Carrera S pulls into the driveway as well, with a window sticker on the windshield. That's when it really hit me about the raffle and that I may have won it - now the phone call this morning makes more sense. I tell my wife to get off the phone and come outside with me, and the dog is still barking.
We walk out through the garage greeted by 5 men with balloons and holding cameras. I was somewhat bewildered and slightly confused with the happy birthday balloons and what turned out to be Vu saying that they're "from the office". He continued to explain that they're from Porsche Club and that I had won the raffle. Here is the youtube video of my reaction. Yes I know I'm pretty "low key" in my reaction, that's just how I am, but I assure you I was overjoyed at what was happening and had an ear to ear grin the whole time.
So I met everybody who was there, Vu and Manny and a few other gentlemen from PCA who I forget their names (sorry), and Randal from Porsche of the Main Line who provided the 2007 Carrera S for the photoshoot. The whole thing happened fairly quickly - Vu took a bunch of pictures of me and my wife, the car, etc. I sat in the car for a little while, Vu explained to me briefly how everything would work and what the next steps would be, and then we said goodbye's and they took the car away.
Apparently the actual drawing was a few days earlier, on Tuesday. Vu seemed pleased that I was "local" in Pennsylvania because they were able to drive up from Virginia / Maryland where PCA headquarters are located. Apparently Vu had googled for some information about me to find where I work, etc., so they could come up with a cover story to track me down and make sure I'd be available. He ended up finding my amazon.com wish list and realized my birthday was later in the week, and set the plans in motion for that day.
The vehicle I won is a 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera S. The 2009's aren't out until mid-September, so I would have to wait. My options are to take a car off the dealer lot when they arrive or go ahead and custom build one to my liking - guess which I'm going to do. PCA had pre-configured the car with some options and I have up to that dollar amount to custom build to, and if I go over that amount I can just pay the difference. There is also a cash prize option of $65,000. Vu encouraged me to take my time and think about the options and I can make a final decision later. But I entered the raffle to win a car and that's what I intended to do.
The rest of my day was spent smiling a lot and talking on the phone to family and friends. Vu mentioned that I can go ahead and tell family and friends, he didn't seem too concerned about it getting out. Word spread pretty quick, after I told a couple of people I started getting inbound calls from others. By 7pm my cheeks hurt from smiling and the whole thing started to sink in a little more.
And oh yeah I opened some other birthday cards and gifts later that day as well. I'm pretty sure they were nice too.
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