Dealers are not all bad

[theclaw]

Since there are alot of negative stories out there about buying from a dealer I thought I would share my experiences with Midwest Performance Cars in Chicago. It will renew your faith in the benefit of dealing with the right guy.

I had been shopping on and off for about 5 months when I casually walked into Tom Simmons shop on Belmont in Chicago. The building needed some work, the sign was pealing off on the front, and inside it was a bit dark but you could see 20 or so Porsche's parked side by side to each other. A photographer was shooting a very cool black NSX when I walked in.

I went to look at an '84 911 that, honestly, didn't show well on his
website. It had the cheezy gold BBS wheels mounted and the pictures on the net really didn't do it justice. I was interested since it had only 43k miles on it and looked to be in very good shape.

Tom and I talked about the car. He had come across it from a Honda dealer he knows and since the car was not really the dealer's cup of tea, Tom took it off his hands. He didn't have any of the paper work himself and knew only a little about its history. The car drove very well, was a little dusty since Tom was driving it himself now and then. As we talked, Tom mentioned a regular customer of his, Jim Shrager by remarking, "You know that guy who wrote one of the Porsche books and is at the Univ of
Chicago". I then replied, "Wait, that Jim Shrager of 356 fame is the same guy at the UofC....I took his class!" Even though it was 10 years since I was a student of his, I called Jim Shrager to get the rap on Tom Simmons and he spoke very highly of him. If Tom was good enough for Jim Shrager, he was good enough for me.

So I committed the cardinal sin and bought the car without a PPI. Tom had already done a lot of work on the car. The kind of stuff you would have to do if you bought it from a private seller.

60k mi service
Valve adj, caps, plugs, belts, ignition wires, etc.
New Front Struts,
New Tires
new Alpine Cd player and antenna
Invoiced service and small repairs (ie: seatbelt warning switches,
sunroof clips, headlight dipper switch, hatch struts) to the tune of about
$4 large ones.

Now here's the really cool part of this story. Later, before a track day, I got the car tech'd by another shop and they said it had a noisy valve. They asked if I had a recent valve adjustment. I said yeah, the dealer did it before I bought the car. I had another independent mechanic check it out and you could really notice something. Now realize this is 1100 miles and 6 months
after I bought the car.

I called Tom, told him the situation and he said "Bring it in, we'll
take care of it" I about dropped the phone. I was all prepared for
some kind of discussion. I brought the car in a couple of weeks later and not only did he re-adjust the valve that was ticking but he re-did the entire valve job. No paperwork, no debate, he just took care of it.

If you are looking for a low mileage, or vintage Porsche, I would highly recommend Tom Simmons of Midwest Performance Cars in Chicago. http://www.midwestperformancecars.com

He is straightforward about his cars, knowledgeable, and delivers on his promises.

Disclaimer: I've got no economic interest in his business. I'm just relaying my experience.

Regards,
Jeff

[Pat Crellin]

Good one.

Give credit, where credit is due.

[Joe Bob]

Well....if it had that low mileage, Atilla the Hun's dealership woulda shone like a bright star....

Glad ya had a good experience....it's the 100K+ creampuffs that were driven only on Sundays by the little old lady is where ya get the honest sales guys....not.

[Wayne 962]

Sounds good. BUT, no PPI - Tom didn't own that car from new. You don't know what the previous owner might have done to it. Particularly with these expensive 911 engines that people love to beat around...

-Wayne

[theclaw]

Take the story for what it is. This is an internet age when guys can get globally flamed for inocent mistakes that result in serious business implications. This could have easily been a story where I had a real valve problem and ....oh well no PPI, its my problem now, but it wasn't. Bad service gets pasted all over the net, I thought I'd paste a story about good service.

While I'm in a good mood, Wayne, the way you send out those emails tracking your shipments is awesome.

Ok....I'm done. I'm going to go back to my grouchy old self.

Jeff

[KTL]

A guy in our local group (PorscheGuy79) bought a car from Tom. He scored a 79 Euro SC. A few things were noticed on the car that were a little odd- brake lines, alignment. But nothing major.

Seems to me like Tom is a guy who makes sure the cars are up to par as far as service/tune up status, to make them more easily sell-able. As well as being willing to make sure customers are satisfied. Can't ask for much more than that since Tom is not omniscient, and therefore cannot know the history of his cars from day one.

Plus, he always seems to have a selection of cars that are not your ordinary Porsches. Some of 'em are pretty cool and have been hotrodded or "upgraded" by previous owners. The cars he has for sale always seem to be good examples. I don't recall seeing any turds.

I've never met the guy, nor have I even visited his place. I do know that every mention i've heard of MPC, people have had a solid experience.

[930LDR]

Well I happen to stumble across this post and thought that I might add my $.02 (especially seeing as it was MY very cool NSX that was being photographed).

To make a very long story short, I have either purchased or sold 5 or 6 cars thru Tom.

His cars are just as advertised, he has a great mechanic on staff, always has something interesting to drool over (including the Ruf BTR that he has now), and is as honest and dependable as they come.

While I am absolutely infatuated with my current toy (a fairly built, fire breathing 930), I know that it won't be the last car that I buy from Midwest Performance Cars and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone (including my father who has also purchased a car from them).