“Was this contract valid?”
A car dealer says a Porsche sale turned into a headache after the buyer claimed the vehicle was missing a feature he thought he was getting.
Car salesman Ali Talebi (@alitalebiauto) shared the story in a recent video, saying, “A California Porsche deal became a nightmare very fast.”
Talebi, whose online bios say he’s the president and CEO of Hi-Line Auto Group, which operates four dealerships in North Carolina and South Carolina, says he sold a Porsche Cayenne to a client in California. The purchase started remotely, but he adds that the buyer “even flew in” before finalizing everything.
He says there were issues with the buyer’s credit, so the dealership took about two weeks to complete the purchase.
After the customer had the car shipped, Talebi says the buyer reached out days later and claimed the Porsche was “not a Platinum edition,” even though it was advertised as one.
“All the signs were there,” Talebi says.
He says the dealership originally purchased the vehicle, believing it was a Platinum edition because it had features such as 21-inch RS Spider design wheels, a panoramic glass roof, 14-way comfort memory seats, and Bose surround sound.
“That’s what the seller disclosed to us,” he says.
Talebi says he offered the customer a large discount to keep the vehicle, but the buyer said “under no circumstances” would he do so.
He says he later learned the buyer planned to use the Porsche on Turo, a car-sharing platform that allows owners to rent out their vehicles. He says that was not disclosed to the dealership or the bank.
Ultimately, Talebi says he took the car back and reimbursed the customer.
“But I’d like to ask some of the experts,” he says, “could we have held his feet to the fire because he had ample time to research the car?”
“What would you have done?” he asks.
While it might seem like a dealership should immediately know exactly what it is selling, Porsche vehicles can get complicated because buyers can customize models with a long list of packages, features, and individual options.
A VIN can tell buyers a lot about a vehicle, including details like its model year, manufacturer, and certain factory information. But it does not always provide the full picture of every package, feature, or option added to a specific car.
That’s why a buyer looking at a used Porsche may want to dig deeper than the VIN alone. The original window sticker or build information can help confirm how the car was ordered from the factory and whether certain features came standard or were added later.
That matters for brands like Porsche, where buyers can heavily customize vehicles. Two versions of the same model can look similar but have very different options, packages, and values.
In Talebi’s case, he says the dealership bought the Cayenne believing it was a Platinum edition because of its features and the seller’s disclosure.
The situation also became more complicated when he said he learned the buyer planned to put the Porsche on Turo. The car-sharing company allows owners to rent out their personal vehicles to other drivers, but using a financed vehicle for commercial purposes can create issues depending on the lender and the loan terms.
That is why paperwork matters on both sides. Buyers want to make sure they are getting exactly what was advertised, while dealers also want to confirm a vehicle’s details before putting it up for sale.
Commenters who watched Talebi’s video were split over who was responsible for catching the Porsche mix-up, with some arguing that the dealership and the buyer should have verified the details sooner.
“Both you and the buyer are in the automotive business and didn’t know it was not [an] available premium model,” one person said. “Plenty of information available via the VIN.”
Talebi pushed back, responding, “VIN doesn’t decode the specific trim.”
Another viewer suggested the dealership had no choice but to undo the sale.
“DMV would [have] forced you to take it back,” they said. “Listing was a [m]isrepresentation.”
Others focused on the buyer’s alleged plan to rent the Porsche through Turo.
“Most lenders won’t finance cars being used for Turo,” one commenter wrote. “The lender will ask you to pay off. You did the right thing.”
“I agree,” Talebi replied.
Another viewer questioned why that mattered.
“Why would you need to discuss what he’s gonna use the car for? It’s his car, paid for,” they asked.
But Talebi clarified that wasn’t the case.
“Not paid for! We arranged bank financing for ‘personal use’!” he responded.
At least one self-described Porsche employee offered advice for avoiding similar confusion in the future.
“All platinum models are year-end builds. Every platinum model will have platinum door sills,” they said. “If you ever need a build sheet, reach out. I’ve worked for Porsche for 10 years.”
“Thanks for the offer. I’ll certainly reach out,” Talebi replied.
Motor1 has reached out to Talebi via direct message on TikTok and to Hi-Line Auto Group via email. We’ll update this story if we hear back.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motor1.com?
– The Motor1.com Team