Anyone Use or Know Manhattan Motorcars?

I have had only good experiences with them. What type of business are you looking to do with them? I can help steer you in the right direction.

 

talk to walter, he is very nice.

 

They are over priced in sales and service, however convenient they may be...
Check the lambo section for comments.. I remember reading about not returning depo s on gallardos and not delivering them either!
BTW...they're showroom is drop dead gorgeous
as was the carrera gt sitting in the window last friday.

 

Yes he is, I gave him some of my photos a while ago too, from my experience most of staff there is pretty nice. Definitely overpriced though, 23k for a 1984 928 is crazy.

 

PM me with the car you want and the price they offered you, i know the owner and have helped others buy cars through him before

 

Yeah, gots to go in through the owner or they [try to] run you through the ringer... Nice guys, and they have the right attitude for selling insanely expensive cars in New York City... but among us who know better, they generally settle down quickly.

 

I service my Cayenne Turbo there and ordered a Lotus Elise from them. I like Michael, the service manager. I have no complaints (besides that everything in Manhattan is more expensive).

 

Stay far away from the service department!!!! About 5 years ago I brought my 96 993 Porsche in for service, after Ray Catena and three local guys misdiagnosed it, even Manhattan motors misdiagnosed it. I got in touch with a tech from Porsche North America who was able to tell me exactly what the problem was. He recommended Manhattan Motor cars. Well, to make a long story short, it needed a cam replaced, head gasket etc, 9,500 bucks!! Even though it was covered under warrantee MMC made me pay up front until they submitted all the proper paper work. They had my car for 9 months!! That is not a typo, 9 months. Towards the end of the repair they told me I should replace the clutch & fly wheel, I didn't drive the car for long so I forgot if there was any problem, but I figured it has 45,000 miles.... whatever go ahead. That added another 4500 to the bill, 2 years later I sell the car, and it gets sold again. Fast-forward to about 5 months ago, the newest owner found an old business card of mine in the car and called me, wondering if I had any service records for the car, which I sent him. He proceeds to write me a few weeks later and includes a picture of the "Original Clutch" that he just replaced!!! They never replaced the clutch. I was fuming mad, I was so tempted to go into NYC and strangle someone, but my wife convinced me to forget it and move on. I have heard many stories similar to mine regarding MMC. Buyer Beware.

 

Hemi - how wld you be able to ID the clutch as the original one, and not simply the replacement thats been thrashed by the newer owners just from a photo?

 

agreed, if your replacing somehting with OEM equiptment...how do you know if its # 1 or #4 ? if someone buys a sports car that they are learning how to drive on its easy to go through a clutch.

 

Regardless, they took his $$$$.

A 993 clutch and fly wheel and exhaust are not $4,500. I did a clutch and light weight fly wheel in a 993 Turbo S at a dealer and the bill was $1,800. I did an exhaust and M033 springs in a 993 2 S at a dealer and the bill was $2,500.

It's a Porsche, not a Ferrari.

 

The mileage on the car when I replaced it was around 45,000; fast forward to the current owner the mileage is now 49,000. I used the car as a second car, and the current owner collects Porsches and it very knowledgeable. I asked him the same question, he gave me a plethora of ways to tell if the clutch/Flywheel is O.E.M I will try to dig up his email.

 

Read this. And this.

As you can see, opinions have formed both ways. Caveat emptor.

 

I bought my brand new 2003 911 C4 from them last year. although the slaes process was fine (Walter is a nice guy), the after-sales experience has been truly abysmal. Took the car in for minor service twice during the first 6 months of owning the car, and everytime was treated as if i own a Camry or worse, not as someone who ahs just spent 110k on a car. to make matters worse, i was told that a loaner car will always be available if i took the car in for service at MMC, but the 2 times that i called, they said it will take several weeks to get an appointment if i wanted a loaner car. once again, being treated like a second class citizen!...This was a dealership that i thought i can buy all my future cars from (including the Gallardo and the 430 Monza that i will be buying in the next few years)...but i will take my business somewhere else...in the last 12 months i have been servicing my car at Town Motors in Englewood, NJ and have been much happier....hope this helps...

 

What's a 430 Monza?

 

This is interesting. Coincidentally, I was the Porsche Service Manager @ MMC from 1996-2001. I recall this person well--too well :

After Ray Catena "dismissed" him as a customer (it was not a misdiagnosis; RC has some of the finest Porsche techs) for an essentially and engine overhaul out of a Pre-Owned warranty (yes, he was the 2nd owner). The car was not schedueled, and we were booking over four weeks at the time. I believe his name was Piazza--a doctor from SI with a white/blue 993 cab. Our Porsche DSM was notified, and no warranty was due. It took about 4 months or so, because he failed to make an appointement (and disclose all the details) and because the cylinder heads were shipped out for machining (4-6 weeks alone. The additional costs were $1020.00 for the 993 clutch kit, and $1154.00 for the 993 flywheel, and I think an extra hour labor for the flywheel. Mr. (Dr.?) Piazza seemed displeased no matter what; even though warranty courtesy decisions are out of the dealer's hands

The real funny thing is, he was reffered to us by Porsche Cars NA directly, and he still did not get any out-of-warranty courtesy by the manufacturer.

-Gus

 

Agreed! I know this person. I was there. It seems his "truths" are super-stretched...

 

Gus,

Since you seem to remember the "Situation" so well lets clarify a few details. You did get my location and profession correct, kudos to you.

Regarding "Ray Catena dismissing me as a customer" LOL I wouldn't think a Car dealership would dismiss any customer, especially a good one!! I purchased a 2003 SL500 , and a 2004 Cayenne from them, feel free to contact their sales department for any references, my family has purchased over a dozen cars within the last 6 yrs from RC. The car was serviced on three occasions at RC, all were unsuccessful attempts in remedying the situation. Complete engine overhaul on a 45,000 Porsche???
Regarding warranty reimbursement: I was completely reimbursed by the company, sans the $4,000 for the "NON clutch replacement"!!
A walk in off the street?? I stopped by the dealership and spoke to you on one occasion and then was given an appt. The car sat untouched for many months, all with out the decency of a returned phone call. I guess MMC and yourself do not adhere to the adage "The customer service"
Referring to me as the second owner is frivolous, I could have been the 9th owner, your management of the service department was terrible.
I'm truly impressed with your ability to recall all the details (your version) . Gus, since the "Ginkoba" you have been taking has helped you so much, why don't you list the # of lawsuits MMC has had over the years regarding it's customers!!
P.S Gus, although my "forte" isn't marketing, I took the liberty to redo your tagline:
technik1.com - "Every detail is forgotten, concerning customers at MMC."

 

Well, I remember because every car situation holds unique details for both the car and the owner. I do however stand corrected on a couple of points, and my apologies to you for any inaccuracies :

-you had a generic warranty, not a Porsche Pre-owned one;
-Ray Catena (and most dealers) do not want to deal with generic warranties, as they are no more than glorified insurance claims, requiring approval for every single bolt and gasket, delaying things yet further;
-most dealerships will not accept direct-payment from aftermarket warranties, and most insurance companies;
-our Porsche District Service Manager called us to take you in as a second opinion;
-our appointment was to check the drivability of the engine;
-once we established an overhaul was needed, we advised you to return to RC for the repair, as that is where you service and that it was impossible for us to start such a job right away;
-we notified our rep., and he said no assistance is considered because you were the 2nd owner;
-you elected to have the repairs carried out at MMC, and wait a month or so before we started;
-I do not recall, or can imagine $4500. for clutch and flywheel parts; were there some roof repairs, or tires as well, perhaps?
-a NYC Porsche dealer that books 6 weeks in advance has nothing to gain by using aftermarket clutch parts, or has any need to--especially when the factory rep. was involved by the owner's request;
-I am not aware of law suits to MMC, at least in Service (I did leave in 2001);

This is just the way I recall it transpired, Dr. Piazza.

For the record, I have worked for several delaerships over the years, including Zumbach, and Difeo BMW. MMC is not the perfect dealership. I am not entirely certain on how the Sales Dept. operates internally, but I think the owner has always treated his customers with integrity. Those who have met him know what I'm talking about.

I also think MMC has some unavoidable misconceptions. Partly due to its exotic cars, and partly beacause it's in NYC. I think it's also worth noting that Manhattan BMW and Mercedes have similar customer experiences, and they are FACTORY delaerships.

-Gus

 

Gus,

I have nothing to gain by relating my story. It happened 4 plus years ago, some details might be hazy but one could not forget a $4,000 plus bill for clutch/flywheel. As I mentioned in a previous post, I sent all my paper work regarding service to the current owner. I will do my best to scan and post the invoice if at all possible. Gus, no "top repairs or tire repairs" were done...............I really think it's amazing your ability to remember all the cars over the course of 5 yrs as a service manager at a NYC dealership, truly amazing, you remember every customers name, invoice, service history, occupation, personality, hobbies, favorite color’s etc....Bravo!! However the long lists of lawsuits seem to jog your memory? I suppose when you opened up your own shop you took the data base of customers,( not very ethical) or you have someone in MMC who can look up records, either way, you should post the cornucopia of complaints against MMC and it's service dept, unless of course you can’t remember.

P.S. Gus I'm new to this board, and came here only to learn about Ferrari's and meet people with common interests, my intent is not to stir up trouble. I responded to your post with such vigor because it's unfair to portray me in such a negative way, as if I'm some problem client. Bottom line MMC made a customer unhappy and you coming to their defense knocking their customer make you equally bad. I only hope now that you have your own business you treat everyone equally.

 

Dr. Piazza,

No one refers me customers. I guess it's just attention to detail that makes me remember customers, and that same devotion burned me out over the years, handling 40 or so customers a week. I'd like to believe I have a loyal Porsche following for just that reason. Many MMC customers sought me out when I left.

I am honestly not aware of any law suits against MMC. I don't think you were a problem customer. However, your aftermarket warranty made it impossible to finish a large job promptly, as they require authorization down to the last o-ring. Had it been a Porsche Pre-Owned warranty, the car would have finished sooner. The "second owner" part was the Porsche DSM's words, not mine.

You'll enjoy this forum, Dr. Piazza. It's a great little community, especially our local EC group. It's not a Ferrari only group, so it's fun. I hope to meet you again at an F-Chat meet. Happy Thanksgiving to you.

-Gus

 

Gus,

It's never easy to be between a rock and a hard place and it sounds like you were there with this car. I, as do others on this board, feel your pain on the after-market warranty front. Ouch. And in all lines of business, we can share and sympathize with your more aggressive, and dare I say, difficult customers. VIACOM comes to mind for me. Sometimes I want to smack the crap out of those annoying twits, but, I digress...

You've always done the right thing with my little projects and I, for one, will stand behind you any day of the week. Sounds like the Doc got more than a few little annoyances and the brunt of his pain fell on Manhattan Motorcars, and specifically you. "The Perfect Storm" of expensive car ownership that all experienced owners anticipate and, thankfully, rarely experience.

While I'm not MMCs #1 fan, I am among your #1 fans and KNOW that you gave your all to this project, but the warranty gods and factory spirits were just not in your corner.

Speaking of Porsche being a really difficult company:

I hear that Porsche dealers are dealing with a REVOLT by customers over the tires on the Cayenne. Owners can't figure out why their Cayenne is not doing too well in the cold -- not even the rain and snow -- the cold. Seems that the compound on the tires on the '05s that Porsche has been selling like hot cakes get really slick when the road surface gets chilly. Cars are not stopping well.

I test drove a Cayenne S yesterday and while decellerating from 80 the ABS kicked in on a dry road. The owner of the dealer, who was in the car with me, said, "Don't worry, I'll give you new tires. I'm giving all my Cayenne customers new tires for the winter." No, Porsche is not paying for it. They claim, customers buy the Cayenne because of the performance aspects and not the inclement weather driving part so the customer should know what they are getting when they buy and be prepared for the repurcussions when seasons change.

Now, I know to put snow tires on a car. In fact, I'll be ordering snows for my M3 ASAP. But to have traction issues in the COLD is just embarrassing and for with no support from the factory... What's a driver to do?