Covid 19 – FAQ’s

Are you open?
The showroom is closed following the governments directive on the 23rd March. There has been two further deadlines and the most recent announcement by the Prime Minister on 10th May hasn’t changed this yet. At present it looks like we will re-open 1st June. You can still reach us by phone or email of course.

Can I buy a car from you?
Certainly, you can reserve a car ahead of collection when we re-open.
On the 13th May the Government allowed car dealers to operate ‘click and collect’ this means we can’t invite you into the showroom but we can hand the car over to you on the forecourt; we are making arrangements to put this in place where possible until we re-open.

Can I part exchange still?
Quite possibly. Please understand what was once straightforward and day to day for us has become more complex as many of the cars we value in part exchange have substantial value. If your part exchange is a Porsche that we will retail it should be possible to price the car subject to seeing it. If your car is not one we will retail then there are more variables but please just talk to us.

Why don’t you just deliver the car to me?
Well we can and often have arranged delivery over the years but we don’t have an organised ‘Distance selling’ programme. What this means is that in normal times when we deliver cars people make at least one visit to us during the purchase of their new car so we have never operated under the onerous distance selling regulations; after all for 20 years we have operated out of a modern glass showroom and a mail-order type scheme that may be appropriate for new cars is the polar opposite of what the vast majority of our customers have expected.

Can’t you just adapt?
Absolutely, we have. In the weeks following 23rd March it was widely accepted that the supply of cars for anything other than essential requirements to key workers was totally inappropriate. Then at the end of April the Government did clarify that although showrooms must remain closed it was legal to sell a car ahead of re-opening or to deliver. With an 8th May deadline pending it made sense to sell cars ahead of re-opening which we have done by reserving cars. The 13th May onwards allows ‘click and collect’ forecourt collections so we are expecting to do this until we re-open. We are very accustomed to dealing in car purchases from afar and for many years have operated virtually with photos, video, email and of course the phone being our tools.

What’s the lowest price?
Lets face it when we had to close the showroom we did get some chance offers; odd really since we were shut, the market was on pause and we could not sell cars. Over time, with the market uniquely on pause, its become clear that values will hold up in the face of short supply of good cars. This is great news for everybody; who wants to invest in something unsecure? We haven’t had a ‘SALE’ in 20 years at Harbour Cars but we continue to simply adjust our prices as appropriate at the point of advertising.

Is the workshop open?
If you have a problem or question regarding a car bought from us just call. Autotechnics next door to us shut shortly after the 23rd March but are willing to re-open in line with demand and availability of parts. Along with many manufacturers, Porsche Dealerships and the Porsche Genuine parts supply network shut on the 23rd March so unless the parts required to service or repair a car are available in the independent sector work cannot be completed.

What’s next after the Prime Ministers 10th May ‘Stay Alert’ message for England?
For now car showrooms will not be allowed to re-open earlier than the bulk of other non-essential shops which have been scheduled for re-opening no earlier than 1st June.
However from the 13th May forecourt ‘click and collect’ has become legal so talk to us.

Will it be safe to return to the showroom?
Naturally we will make the necessary changes when the time comes to re-open.
We will operate by appointment only. Maintaining social distancing in the showroom & on the forecourt should be simple enough. Kev always works hard to keep the cars beautifully presented but there will be practical measures in place to keep the cars hygienic too. Both Geoff & Sam have previous health conditions that require them to shield at home until at least mid-June so we will need to operate reduced hours to keep things safe for everyone.