Hello all,
I'm a bit of a novice at Porsches (most cars actually) but I've been immensely surprised (and overwhelmed) by the amount of information on here. Everyone is so knowledgeable!
I haven't had a car in about 18 months (mostly bc I live in NYC and I don't need it) but I have felt like I have a huge void in my life since and I think I am ready to jump back in. I have been seriously considering the Turbo S (first question, why is it colloquially called TTS? At first I was thinking people were referring to the Audi) and I have a couple questions (for now):
1. How is the upkeep and warranty? I've had several BMWs (last one was 2013 BMW 640i) and they would cover EVERYTHING (including oil changes) for maybe the first 50,000 miles. I never paid anything. How's it with the Porsche Approved Program? Oil changes are not covered I'm guessing?
2. How has the experience been at The Collection dealership in Coral Gambles? I imagine there are a few South Florida members who have had some dealings with their CPO salespeople? I did read about the guy who had his car wrecked and the owner compared him to his 15 yo daughter but that was some years ago. I ask bc they have a Turbo S I'm interested in.
Thanks!

 

TTS is short for "Twin Turbo S"


Mine is a 2011 TTS. Now has 20,000 miles (weekend car). Maintenance has been oil changes and new tires. Oh, and I replaced the battery myself, as it was five years old. The car is solid and reliable. My Ferrari friends wish they could say that.


Can't comment on Coral Gables.

 

Thank you.
Are you taking it to the dealer for the oil changes?

 

It is not included, but you can negotiate oil changes/maintenance upfront. Regarding other traditional warranty items, this is all included (I believe it is 4 yr/50k).

They just won JD Powers award for reliability, which should add some peace of mind.

I can't help you regarding specific dealership details. You may be able to negotiate some type of swap with them and your local dealer. Never a bad idea to have this relationship. It may help in the negotiation regarding maintenance as well as I am not sure this can be negotiated outside of the dealer you make the actual purchase.

 

Thank you Hawkeye.
I'm not terribly worried about the reliability, thankfully. I kinda want to know how much to budget for out of pocket on an annual basis. To go from not paying anything with a BMW, to paying $5000 is a little daunting.
I didn't think it was possible to negotiate swaps and such. I just thought if there's a car I want at a certain dealership, I have to go to it. It would make sense, and I'd certainly be willing to "pledge" my loyalty to the dealer willing to bring the car. Thank you for the suggestion!

 

I have a '15 TT (i.e., non-S turbo). Annual service has been $303/yr. No problems so far (knock on wood!), but even if there were, likely they would have been covered under warranty. This is Toyota-like, except most Toyotas don't go through a set of high performance tires in 12k miles.

I've owned several BMWs, including M cars. Each had at least one non-trivial issue. One had a bad water pump - impeller blades sheared off and a made sound that the engine interpreted as knock, so dialed back the power on me until it outright failed. BMW was not able to diagnose it until the failure.

Another had a low output fuel pump. The car ran OK, but lost power when driven hard. BMW could not diagnose it, but only discovered it after I insisted I had to be right, and that they should put a pressure gauge up to the fuel line and I'd pay for the work myself if I was wrong. I wasn't. That same car went through a bunch of batteries and couldn't stay charged for more than about a week and a half. Having to constantly keep it on a tender was almost like owning an electric vehicle.

Third car went through 3 "final stage resistors" for the HVAC. Each time they failed, no HVAC until I could get a service appointment. The last time I just picked up the part and replaced it myself, but I had to pay for the part. That car also suffered radiator tanks that separated from the radiator core.

Covered by warranty, all of it except the last resistor, but all those service visits were a pain. Who said warranty repairs are "free"? There is a cost in time and inconvenience. Don't kid yourself, your "free" routine service visits on your BMWs also are not free; they're baked into the price of the car.

 

Need4S,
You're totally right...I have had three BMW's since 2008 and 2 had some issue (I had a custom ordered 2012 550xi with 1000-2000 miles on it when Superstorm/Hurricane Sandy came and it was completely flooded, thus total loss...sad about that one).
The 2013 640 one night wouldn't change gears, it was completely shot...new transmission needed after 10k miles. I think the radiator developed a hole in it soon after as well. I just didn't pay a dime and they were leases so I didn't care as much.
The tire thing scares me a little. I did have tire insurance on the BMWs, and I think I had changed 12 run flats and 6 bent rims in one year. I have at least 3-5 flat tires a year bc of the massive pot holes (and shoddy workmanship of the roads) here in NYC so I know I'm going to go through a few, especially if I get a TT or TTS and whiz through the streets.
Thanks for your feedback.

 

When we got our car, the dealer offered us wheel/tire insurance. We got it because of exactly the issue you identify - very poorly maintained roads. Haven't had to call upon it yet (knock wood again!), but good to know it's there given how expensive these wheels/tires are. Probably Porsche/dealer wins on this one, but I still thought it was a good idea.

 

Oh, Porsche offers it too? Great, that's a no brainer.

 

I've had a couple of issues with my '14 TT that required warranty work. There was an initial problem that turned out to be a divide-by-zero error in the firmware for PDCC (...which appeals to my sense of humor because firmware is what I do for a living, -ish ) the second came up around 33k miles in just recently when the air oil separator started making a weird beeping sound. In both cases the dealership I work with quickly and efficiently took care of the problem, picking up the car and dropping it off again at my home and all without even a mention of paying for any of the work.

For more routine maintenance I do use the same dealer: the pickup/drop-off thing is quite valuable to me in terms of time/convenience plus I'm working on deepening my connection with them since I'm hoping to be in line with them for more difficult to get allocations in future....and it's worth mentioning that they seem to do a great job on the work and keeping me informed about details of work and schedules...nice people to work with which is also worth something to me (...and is not so true of all the dealers in reach of home for me). Maintenance rates aren't too bad on this model; put it this way, since I've tracked the car, I've spent way more in tires than on anything else

 

Thank you all for your help.
I visited a dealership today, and while I didn't get to test drive a turbo S (I was told it was too cold and the car was on summer tires), I did move closer. The dealer had a new 2016 Turbo for sale and it seemed reasonable-ish. The MSRP was about $173k, but on the net they had it listed for $159k. While there, and skimming over the finances, they easily dropped it to $149k and I feel like there was still some room. Is this typical? I like the Turbo, but I feel like if I am going to go up that high, I may as well go for the Turbo S. There seems to be two new 2016's out there. One in San Diego, sticker $194k but asking $169k on the internet and another from $200k sticker to $184k. Is it fair to think there still is a bit more wiggle room on these prices? They have both sat on their lots for about a year so I imagine they are eager to move them, but what do you think is a reasonable amount they are willing to go lower?
Thanks, as always, for your help.

 

I would offer 140k on the 201 Turbo and see if they bite. No one wants a car sitting around, especially now the 17's are here. PM me if you want..

 

Both of my Ferraris - and my friend's Ferraris - have been completely trouble free. Same for my 911s. The difference with the Ferrari is that I get invited to way better parties and events.

 

Lol, I can imagine. The food alone would be lightyears better.

 

honestly the difference between a turbo and turbo S is not significant. Not worth the higher premium if you like the one in front of you. If not find a CPO Turbo S 14-16 - you cannot go wrong.