Porsche Credit Application: Fill & Download for Free

Two stories: In the late 1980’s I worked for a Honda dealership just outside of Boston as a salesman. This was during a time when Hondas sold for a premium, usually going for several hundred OVER MSRP. I had only been at this job for a few months and was still a rookie when an attractive 17 year old girl named Candy came in. None of the “experienced” salespeople wanted to deal with her, instead making comments to each other about her being “jailbait”. I simply did my job, welcoming her, asking what she was interested in, and going through the motions of showing her, at her request, the Prelude S, which was the most expensive car we sold. Lots of jocularity from the seasoned vets about me getting “serviced” while taking her on the test drive. What they did not realize (and honestly, I did not know until the end) was that her father had agreed to buy her whatever car she wanted for her graduation present. He came in the next day and paid for the car in full, which meant he paid MSRP + $1200. As could be imagined, I made a huge commission, and the other salespeople chalked it up to beginner’s luck. Until it happened again.A few weeks later, Frank drove onto our lot in a beat up mostly red Camaro, about mid-20’s, wearing ripped jeans and a ratty t-shirt and had long black shoulder-length hair that flew around as he darted from car to car along the front line. Once again, since no one else would get up and go outside, I did. His appearance was definitely off-putting, but he was clear-minded and well-spoken. He told me he was looking for a car to bring his friends around in, something sporty, and he only had about a half hour. Hondas in the 1980’s were not typically “sporty” cars, but the Accord LXI hatchback attracted his eye. We went for a test drive, and upon returning to the dealership, sat down and started talking money. I followed standard procedure and asked him to fill out a credit application, which he did, but he indicated we probably wouldn’t need it since he probably wouldn’t finance the car. I asked if he was trading in the Camaro, but he told me it was his girlfriend’s car. He said he had to go, that he had an appointment, and that he would contact me later. Off he went, and the salesmen and sales managers started joking about me trying to sell to a “drugged out hippie” and his appointment was probably a drug deal.Until they processed his credit application.The sales manager called me into the finance office where the other manager was looking at his computer screen with disbelief. “Did you know about this guy?!” Apparently, Frank had not only stellar credit, but they were somehow able to ping his bank account to ascertain he was extremely wealthy. Immediately their attitude toward him changed (funny how people react to wealth when they are potentially on the receiving end). When Frank called back, we arranged another meeting where he would come in to sign the papers. He kindly asked me to go to his bank for him before he came in and pick up a check and bring it back to the dealership. When I informed the bank why I was there, the bank manager smiled and handed me a check made out to the dealership for the full amount. It gets better. That evening, Frank shows up in a high-end suit, hair in a pony-tail, huge gold Rolex. We did all the paperwork, and then he and I talked for a while. Turns out his father owned a chain of high-end men’s clothing stores which he managed. He had come in with the Camaro and looking the way he did because he didn’t want someone treating him differently because he was wealthy. He told me he had owned a few other cars, including a Porsche 911, but he found it impractical, he actually hated the Rolex because the stem cut into his wrist, but he wore it at certain times because it made an impression, and he wanted the Accord because it would seat four and would serve as his “going out with friends car”. He was on his way to a concert and would be picking them up shortly. He thanked me for helping him find exactly what he needed.In case anyone thinks that the sales staff finally learned their lesson, think again. It happened one more time before I left car sales for a different profession, this time a young guy wanting a used pickup truck. This one played out pretty much the same as Candy’s & Frank’s stories- they discounted his appearance, I took the customer, I made the sale, and used vehicles had a higher commission than new. Some people refuse to learn, not even the hard way.

It depends on the size of the dealership, the skill of the manager, the type of dealership owner/management staff, but as a general rule, finance managers earn $50-$200k per year, with most earning about $75k a year.Finance Manager Salary | Salary.comSee "Finance and Insurance Manager".The top earners are good at sales, willing to work 70 hours+, and working at a high volume dealership that sells vehicles to the general public. You don't typically see finance managers at small dealers make big bucks, nor finance managers at "premium" dealers (eg Lexus, BMW, Porsche, etc.), but obviously there are exceptions.I worked as a finance manager for a couple years at a small dealership, and I did OK...especially compared to my friends at the time, who were also in their early 20's and earning 1/3-1/2 as much despite working in STEM careers.An anecdote related to finance manager earnings:I met an engineer who graduated from the same college. In an effort to introduce myself and get to know him, I shared that I too had attended the Colorado School of Mines, and that I had an engineering degree (civil specialty). Incredulous, he asked "So why are you working here?" I replied "Well, I like the work, and to be honest it pays pretty good."He replied - somewhat dismissively - "Well, that may be true when you first start out, but after a while engineering is pretty lucrative."It was at that exact moment that his credit application came into view. I was shuffling papers (to verify completion) and making small talk at the same time, he dropped his "I make more than you ever will" comment, and then I saw his self-stated income on the app. Wouldn't you know that the engineer sitting before me earned substantially less than I did a year out of college, despite his 10 years experience in engineering?He saw me looking, he saw me stifle a smile, and he just knew that everything he thought he knew about the auto industry was wrong.The point? A bad finance manager (like I was, back in the day) can make more than a decent engineer. Go figure.

Yes, I was in my late 20s and at a Porsche dealership. The salesman looked at me like I couldn’t afford one. He reluctantly took my credit application and asked me what my annual income was. I told him and his eyes lit up and his demeanor towards me totally changed. Then he ran my credit and it showed it was over 800, with no debt outside of a mortgage. After that, he rolled out the red carpet for me and apologized to me. I did not care. I might have done the same thing. I told him, never judge someone based on how old they look. It took the dealership a couple days to get the car ready. I picked it up and loved the 3 years I had it.