'Average ... Experience for a Woman:' Woman Tries to Buy Porsche 944 Off Facebook Marketplace. Then She Sees the Response
For one California woman, a Facebook Marketplace message about a used car encapsulated everything toxic about online interactions. From know-it-all-bro culture, to the “creep” factor that’s a forever red flag.
Maria Okayman (@Mariaokayman) is a car aficionado who works on her own Porsche Cayenne. But that isn’t enough to insulate her from condescending car culture gatekeeping.
Recently, the seller of a 1986 Porsche 944 seems to have mistaken himself for a latter-day Sphinx. Only instead of riddles, he’s posing patronizing questions like he’s got Pharaoh's treasure for sale.
The Porsche 944 was in production from 1982 to 1991. It was one of the German carmaker’s most popular models. A four-cylinder sportscar with pop-up headlamps, it is on a lot of “affordable” project car lists. It is regularly described as a “fun daily driver.” The main drawback seems to be lots of maintenance. Fine if you can do it yourself, slow agony if you’re paying a mechanic.
In response to Maria’s question about the condition of the vehicle and request for more info, he replies, “Do you know anything about these cars first of all?”
She stays calm, “I’m sorry, what do you even mean by that?” she asks.
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“Sorry I mean do you know anything about the Porsche 944,” he says. “This is a Porsche 944.”
She’s just asking about the vehicle's condition. In a more normal interaction he might provide a summary of the car’s highlights. Perhaps explain its condition.
Instead, his tactic is to tell her that the body on the 944 has been modified. “And the only way you would know is if you know the Porsche 944,” he messages. “Does that help?”
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Commenters were appalled, though not particularly surprised.
“As a girl who is also into cars, the amount of misogynistic things I’ve been told while shopping on mp is INSANE. I usually just have my bf message them now and usually get a better deal that way too,” says @nailzcece.
Others talked about their often boyfriend-involved tactics for not getting the runaround. “Deadass I don’t even sell on my acct any more I just use my bf’s and the difference in experience is baffling,” writes @elle.sparks.
Motor1 reached out to Maria via TikTok DM. We’ll update this if she responds.
