Auto blog

Man steals Porsche, brags on video, then crashes into wall

Here's your daily reminder that thieves are morons. This also serves as reminder that not everything you do needs to be committed to video. A man in Gloucester, a city in southwest England, was stupid enough to steal a Porsche Boxster and then take a video in it. Oh, and of course, he crashed it. Now, we'll give this dimwit, 25-year-old Jamie Lee Sharp, some credit – he didn't actually admit that he stole the car on video, at least based on the 45-second clip released by Gloucester police and hosted by The Guardian. According to the story, there was more footage, which included Sharp driving the car and phoning friends, before he crashed it into a wall. It's not clear if the crash was caught on video, though. Following the crash, Sharp's accomplice, 26-year-old James Honeywell, abandoned him at the scene of the wreck. Both thieves were arrested following the January incident, though, and were just recently sentenced by British authorities following guilty pleas. The crown awarded Sharp's actions with a four-year stay in one of Her Majesty's prisons for burglary, aggravated vehicle taking, driving while disqualified, drunk driving, and driving without insurance. Honeywell got 35 months burglary, aggravated vehicle taking, and failure to appear at court. His license was also suspended for nearly two and half years, too, The Guardian reports. Related Video: News Source: The GuardianImage Credit: Gloucester Constabulary Government/Legal Porsche Convertible Videos viral video crime

Buyers resent low inventories, prices over MSRP, study says

Vehicle inventory low, vehicle transaction prices high, customers fretting … welcome, J.D. Power, to the era of supply and demand. In a recently published survey from one of the auto industryÂ’s top analytical firms, findings show that customers' satisfaction with vehicle purchases in the United States this year has dipped for the first time in 10 years. The 2022 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study found that overall sales satisfaction has dropped to 786 (on a 1,000-point scale) from 789 in 2021. In that year, higher than expected trade-in values softened the effect of new vehicle price increases. But in 2022, on top of trade-in prices shrinking, many dealers elected to charge more than the ManufacturerÂ’s Suggested Retail Price, a factor that did not sit well with buyers. “When dealers charge more than MSRP, particularly with long-term loyal customers, they risk a potential long-term negative effect on customer advocacy and service business," said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. Satisfaction among buyers who paid more than sticker price is 757, while satisfaction among those who paid the sticker price or less is 850, the Power report said. The lack of dealership inventory was also a customer irritant, J.D. Power found, a point that automakers and their dealers may want to consider. Many have maintained, or considered maintaining, a smaller inventory in the wake of the pandemic, keeping costs down and driving more customers toward factory orders. Regarding those consumers shopping for electric vehicles, the survey said that more than a third of them “failed to get instruction on EV charging before they left the dealership, which notably affects satisfaction.” Said Sutton, “Salespeople donÂ’t need to show gas-powered vehicle buyers how to fill their tank, but they do need to show EV buyers how to charge their vehicle.” There are positives to the Power conclusions, however, especially for Alfa Romeo dealers. The Italian brand ranked highest in customer satisfaction among premium brands with a score of 833, with Porsche a very close second (831) and Lexus (819) third. Alfa is on something of a roll these days, with its compact Tonale crossover due for release in the spring, and a new sports car in the works. Meanwhile, in PowerÂ’s “mainstream brand”” segment, Buick ranked first with a score of 825, followed by Dodge (816) and Subaru (804), all performing higher than the industry average.

eBay Find of the Day: 1981 Porsche 928 convertible by Carelli

The Porsche 928 was perhaps the consummate European GT of its day. With a powerful front-mounted V8 engine that grew in displacement as the model years went on, it was capable of eating up the miles at triple-digit speeds in great comfort for occupants. It was also an unusual beauty, with its sharp front and curved rear featuring innovative integrated bumpers.
Currently for auction on eBay Motors is one of the rarest 928s you're likely to find, in a handsome combination of Guards Red paint and tan leather interior, though we wouldn't mind a less-showy finish to the factory wheels. According to the seller, this car is one of eight 928 convertibles by Carelli Design, a firm that's still in business.
The auction claims that these cars were made in 1981 as a feasibility study between Carelli and Porsche for a possible production 928 convertible. The seller says he worked at the dealership where the car is said to have been originally sold $103,000. To remove the roof and hide the convertible top, there were significant changes made to the body and interior, including redesigned doors and a completely new trunk. As you can see in the gallery, when down, the top is completely hidden in a very factory-like fashion. When up, it looks slightly awkward, though (and we'd really like to see a rear three-quarter view to check out the blind spots).