Porsche dealer revs up sales

Gloomy economic indicators might permeate the region, but here's a more gleeful sign of an economic recovery, albeit anecdotal: The largest Porsche sales dealership in the Bradenton-Sarasota region has been on such a sales tear, it's run low on inventory.

“We are fortunate that we get to represent a high-end brand,” Suncoast Porsche Sales Manager Gordon Hunter tells Coffee Talk. “Business has been going very well.”

So well that cars like the Porsche 911 and the recently redesigned Boxster — which command prices from $60,000 through $120,000 — have been top sellers. Sales in June, for example, were up 25% over June 2011, says Hunter. Moreover, Suncoast, which also sells Audis and Volkswagens, had its best sales month since the early 1990s in April.

The sales surge has led to an inventory scarcity at Suncoast Porsche, part of Sarasota-based Sunset Auto Group. Hunter says the dealership was down to 11 Porsches on the lot in May, and 14 in June. The dealership usually begins each month with at least 50 cars on the premises. Hunter has begun to solve the problem by buying Porsches from other dealers, mostly in the Northeast, that aren't doing as well.

It's a long way from two years ago, when Hunter first joined the dealership. Porsches would sit unsold for so long back then, says Hunter, that he would have to replace the tires on the new cars because the rubber melted in the sun.