Car guy buying my first Porsche.
supposed to start small, but Porsches get more expensive when they’re small...
So going for a Macan, corona willing... most places have shut down.

Looking at a 17 S with air suspension or 17 base with every option.
daily driver, plan on keeping it, apparently Porsche owners never go back.

any advice? Any reason I need to stick with Audi and Bimmer? Anything I need to know?

 

Be careful. Porsches- even Macans- are habit forming. But if you don't really feel the difference in ergonomics and handling vice the other brands, then there is no reason not to look elsewhere. Macans are not 911s; they are Porsches none-the-less.

Having had base models as loaners when having my "17 S serviced, I felt it was "adequate" for urban driving with lots of low end torque. But getting back into the S, it was always a relief to find the additional oomph, especially at highway speeds.

I've since moved on to an '18 Turbo and its another thing altogether. It has air suspension and rides notable smoother and seems to have less road noise than the S did, but that could be due to a lot of other differences. One nice thing is driving with the springs in the lowered setting. Feels "sportier" or at least more car like (not 911-like but great).

Cars of that age are nearing 40K services and may need batteries soon, so figure that into your decision all other thens being equal.

 

Welcome to the forum and to the world of Porsche. They’re great vehicles overall, and entertaining for sure. I’m on my 3rd Porsche, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that once you own a Porsche, you’d never go back or move on to something else. I’ve owned MANY enthusiast makes/models in my 40+ years, and can envision possibly owning something other than Porsche in the future.

Anyway, between the two possible choices you mentioned, I’d definitely go for the S model. More enthusiast focused model versus the base in my opinion, of course it depends on what your priorities are for what you want out of the vehicle. It’s just that I always lean toward the performance/enthusiast models in the lineup myself, otherwise why are you looking at Porsches?!

Best of luck in your quest, and let us know if you have other questions as you get deeper into it.

Welcome aboard!

 

Sorry, but as I'm a newbie also, I'm curious why you stated that a "17" model with approx. 40K miles may be in need of a new battery soon. Is that typical? I have a new to me 17 Macan S with 28K miles on it. It's CPO'd, so I 'm good on the warranty for another 3.5 years and I use it as a daily driver. Plan on putting about 15K miles per year. I know the 40K service gets pricey as it requires pdk work, but I haven't heard about the battery thing before. Thanks in advance for your reply.

 

Battery life these days is typically 4 to 5 years, depending on how often the vehicle is driven and hence the number of times the battery is charged. Also, brakes can possible wear out over 40k miles, hence check the pads and rotors as replacing them is big bucks. Going for a CPO is most definitely a smart move, since you can get extended coverage for at least a little while.
As to S vs base, it also depends I would say on how you plan to use the vehicle. For long trips on major highways, the base model will save a lot of fuel. If you don't care so much about operating expenses, the S is a nice upgrade. A sales rep told be at least in the base model that the air suspension doesn't make that much of a difference and if you plan to keep the vehicle a long time, fixing it if it breaks out of warranty will not be cheap. With vehicles, my rule of thumb is the more features you have, the more that can and will likely eventually break.
Good luck in your search and taking extra time may well be worth it. I'm still on a quest for that perfect CPO base Macan!

 

Oops. I got my advice tangled up. Glad you caught it! And sorry OP for my "bad advice".

I have a 2012.5 991.1 and had the battery begin to fail. My 16 Macan had no such problem. It got its 40k mile service - and a transfer case service - both pricy- at the same time as I had to replace the 991 battery.

Just incidentally, The 16 Macan S was just superb. I drove from Maryland to Monterey and back for Rennsport without hiccups or regret - a DD and GT car combined. That's why I grabbed a 3.6 Turbo!.

 

So the pre purchase inspection is $315 at the dealer. 40k service 1100 and complete brakes and rotors, $2900.
Found a 17 S with 38k. Dealer maintained so called today and reviewed the service records. It had the spark plug done but will need the 40k soon.
local euro shop does oil change for 200ish. Brakes for 1300ish and since I’ll be buying the car wholesale through my dealership, factoring all costs, I’d have an as good as CPO car that should be headache free for 30k miles, Porsche gods willing.

the air suspension does scare me. Had to change it on an x5 and it was $5400 but this car is so clean and flawless that I’ll have to trust Porsche engineering until 80k miles.
Still looking for warranty quotes to see if it makes sense. 5/60k powertrain, $4400 so far.

 

I recently bagged a new '18 Sports Edition leftover for a great price. Take a look at this model which I understand was only avail in "18. Comes with all the sport plus goodies incl air suspension and quad pipes etc and mine has the 21" rims which were my preference. Sports edition reminds me of the 'turbo look" packages of late 80's 911's--base engine with all the 'looks'.

Not the fastest setup, but adequate power for wifey.

 

I will second this post. Our '18 SE is with us for year with zero issues. VERY fun car to drive- believe it or not. It won't bowl you over with excess power, but what it has is very usable and you will be surprised when you can look down at the speedo. The air suspension provides an excellent ride, very composed and devoid of any harshness. It rides better than the steel sprung Cayenne Diesel we traded in. I've looked for posts about issues with the AS on the Macan, but haven't found any. Most SEs come loaded and look great with the Spyder wheels and quad exhaust. It's the wife's ride, she really loves it, and has discovered the sport button. I would not say it's as thrilling as my 911, but for a tall sedan/low SUV, it is engaging to drive and practical. You need to decide if the S is worth the premium, or you would rather have all toys in the base. Good luck- its a fun dilemma.

 

I second PJ's thoughts on his SE. I picked up a CPO SE dealer loaner Macan in November and I love it. I live up in the mountains so top speed is not an issue for me- carrying good speed through corners and having nice power out of turns is what I wanted and the SE does this well. As a bonus, when I go on long trips I can easily get 29-32 mph at 65-75 mph. Glad I picked the SE over the S for the money I had budgeted when I was shopping for a new small sporty SUV.

 

I began looking in mid-2018. Found one towards the end of the year. Around Thanksgiving a year ago, I believe. She had 23 miles on it. ****zam! I had been researching several mini-SUV's. CUV's is the correct term. I settled on a Macan Turbo. But, I wanted it with Air Suspension, Chrono Package, 18-way seats and NO trailer hitch. I found it with a few more goodies. My insurance is through Geico. I signed up for MBI (Major Breakdown Insurance). My '18 was suspect for a few things like timing chain cover leaks and the front transfer case gearing issues. I'm at 26K miles. I have the plugs to install in a few more thousand miles. I'll then take it in for a front transfer case fluid change. Strickly preventative maintenance on my part.

 

Porsches can be addictive. I'm on my second Macan S, both bought new in '15 and '20 respectively, and in between I bought a CPO 981 Boxster GTS. Currently looking at moving into a 718 GTS 4.0 or a 911.

Base vs S, it comes down to money. There's no question the S is a better experience, but it comes at a significant premium. The base Macan is still a great driver's car, and there's a lot to be said about that 2.0L Audi engine that punches far above its weight class- but it is missing that extra dimension that comes with the S. In all honesty if you're considering a base Macan, you might as well take a good look at the Audi SQ5. You won't get the look or the badge, but you'll get the performance of the S, for about the same cost as a base Macan.

I'd also HIGHLY recommend you track down a CPO car. There should be plenty of inventory and especially if you're considering tacking on $4400 for an aftermarket warranty, just go with the factory CPO! Brings a ton of peace of mind. Porsche's CPO program is second to none. It won't guarantee your car will be showroom perfect, but at least you have the factory's backing. I STRONGLY recommend making it a mandatory requirement for purchasing used.

Finally, I custom ordered my '20 and loaded it up to my exact specifications- but I intentionally passed on air suspension. I picked the steel PASM, and haven't looked back. It's spectacular; brings it even closer to bridging that gap between sports car and SUV. Standard suspension is not terrible either, I had it on my '15 and had no complaints. Maybe if you just have to have a cushy ride then opt for the air suspension- but honestly, there are tons of other SUV options out there if ultra comfort is high on your priority list. It does also add to the "what will certainly break and be super expensive to fix at some point" category that is just best left avoided if possible on German luxury vehicles.