How Bad Do You Want A New Porsche? Buyers Pay Mgr Thousands In Bribes

How much would you pay to get the Porsche sports car you want? According to a new lawsuit, many buyers forked over a lot of money to get the high-demand Porsche sports car they wanted.

A Money Making Scheme

A report from Automotive News (by subscription) says, "The sales manager of a Porsche dealership in South Carolina took hundreds of thousands of dollars in "under-the-table" payments from customers hungry for high-demand vehicles."

According to a recent lawsuit filed alleging fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, breach of contract, and related claims, the sales manager of a luxury Porsche dealer in South Carolina is in hot water over the scam he was running for the past two years. 

The report says a lawsuit filed by Porsche Center in Charleston, South Carolina, accuses James Marino of running the "disloyal scheme" from at least 2022 until it was discovered earlier this year.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Marino has been the Porsche dealer's sales manager since March 2018. The lawsuit said he was fired in March for the illegal activity.

How Bad Do You Want A New Porsche?

The complaint said the store's cars "are in high demand, and numerous potential buyers often compete for the top models." Automotive News reported that Marino, as the sales manager, had the final say in determining "which potential buyer would be allowed to purchase these high-demand automobiles." He required secret payments to choose those customers.

The complaint described Marino's alleged misconduct as "intentional, willful, wanton, reckless, and malicious." The lawsuit said if the Porsche dealership had known about Marino's disloyal conduct, it would have terminated him immediately. 

The complaint was filed on April 17 in the 9th Judicial District Court of Common Pleas. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, repayment "of all monies received through his scheme," and repayment of all wages and benefits Porsche Center Charleston SC paid Marino while the scheme was ongoing.

Dealership lawyer Allan Holmes of Charleston said he could not answer questions about the case. Marino's defense lawyer was not listed on the online docket.

Which Porsche Models Are In High Demand?

I wanted to find out which Porsche models are selling for more than the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price. So, I checked recent data from iSeeCars and was surprised to find out what I found. 

It's not just in South Carolina that Porsche models are selling way over MSRP.  iSeeCars says, "The vehicle with the highest markup across all states is the Porsche Taycan, priced 34.4 percent above MSRP in Massachusetts.

Buyers Are Paying Tens Of Thousands Over MSRP

Here are other new Porsche models and the states where they sell the highest over MSRP of any car: Porsche is the top model selling over MSRP in 14 states. Check out the list and where you should avoid buying. 

• Alabama: Porsche Cayenne - 30.5% or $25,580 above MSRP
• Arizona: Porsche Taycan - 25.5% or $27,292 above MSRP
• Florida: Porsche 718 Boxster - 26.1% or $22,220 above MSRP 
• Indiana: Porsche Macan - 25.2% or $16,431 above MSRP
• Louisiana: Porsche Taycan - 30.0% or $30,102 above MSRP
• Massachusetts: Porsche Taycan - 34.4% or $32,595 above MSRP
• New Mexico: Porsche Cayenne - 27.7% or $22,821 above MSRP
• New York: Porsche 718 Boxster - 24.3% or $21,420 above MSRP
• Oklahoma: Porsche Cayenne - 30.6% or $25,502 above MSRP
• Pennsylvania: Porsche Taycan - 28.4% or $28,598 above MSRP
• South Carolina: Porsche Macan - 28.6% or $17,689 above MSRP
• Tennessee: Porsche Taycan - 28.6% or $27,256 above MSRP 
• Texas: Porsche Taycan - 28.1% or $31,755 above MSRP
• Utah: Porsche Macan - 25.6% or $17,134 above MSRP 

The average Porsche's price over MSRP in the 14 states is $24,748.

The Taycan is by far the most in-demand Porsche model and is getting absorbent markups from dealers. It's the highest-markedup vehicle in six states, and the average markup is just under $30,000. 

My question is, are Porsche managers in those states also taking bribes? Or does it all go back to the Porsche dealer? We'll only know if there's another lawsuit. 

Porsche Taycan Is The Most Recalled Vehicle

I did more research and was surprised to find out that the electric sports car is projected to be the most recalled vehicle among all cars and brands. The Taycan is expected to have 70.7 recalls over a 30-year span. That's 21.9 times greater than the median recall rate for all cars, which is 3.2 over a 30-year lifetime. 

What is the second most recalled vehicle? Yep, another Porsche: the Porsche Panamera, with 43.1 expected recalls, 13.7 times greater than the average. The Porsche 911 is number 14 overall, and the Porsche Macan is 19th on the top twenty-five most recalls list. 

How badly do you want to buy that Taycan or other Porsche sports car? Click the red Add New Comment link below and let us know.

I am Denis Flierl, a top Torque News reporter since 2012. I’ve invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role, working with every major car brand. I am an experienced Rocky Mountain Automotive Press member. You'll find my expert Subaru analysis here. Follow me on my X SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram.

Photo credit: Porsche