Section101etseq

Hi All:

Am new to this forum in connection with my chase for an 18 Panamera 4S. I have a few questions I’m hoping you can weigh in upon in order to clear up some purchasing and preference choices in order to finalize a decision.

After driving the 4S I fell in love. My questions relate to 1) the must have options; 2) the fairness or quality of the deal; and 3) the value in pulling the trigger on a lease for for 2018 standard panamera 4 or panamera hybrid 4?

1: Must Have? So far I’ve got the below (see 2), I’m not very concerned about the ionizer or the massage seats, but want to make sure I’m not missing something important (for instance I’ve seen the air suspension and I’ve heard the lure of sport chrono and frankly at these prices it’s incredible to me that all leather is an option and not standard)

2: Deal? MY18 4S, Premium Package Plus, Massage Seats, 21’ Turbo Wheels, Ionizer, 4 zone climate, ambient light, lane change assist, PDLS, and Power Steering plus. MSRP + 120k. Sale price is $110k plus tax tag and title. I believe the MY19’s are now being produced or about to be, should that translate into more aggressive discount and if so, what’s realistic?

3. I’ve focused on buying it as the money factor seems to be pushing the lease in a way I just can’t justify. Is there such a deal to be had in leasing the standard panamera 4 or 4 hybrid that justifies overlooking the bigger engine? I have not driven the new standard panamera or hybrid (I’m sure it’s not slow but at the same time do tend to “drive” my cars).

Thanks in advance for your thoughts, located in S. Fla.

SaratogaLefty

I have the 2018 E-Hybrid. It comes standard with the air suspension and the sport chrono and is priced below the 4S plus you get a $6670 Federal tax credit. The E-Hybrid according to the Porsche Manual is 2/10ths of a second slower to 60mph. It is heavier but has more horsepower and it has almost a perfect 50/50 weight distribution. The handling I experienced at the LA PEC was outstanding, especially when driven by my instructor, Zach Anderson. It is my understanding the MY19 cars will not be produced until much later this year so not sure how good a deal you can actually get on a current model. Most likely you will get a much better deal if you can buy off the lot vs. ordering custom. If you are able to put in a custom order then that also supports the theory that the MY19 cars won't be available this year. I paid cash for my car because the lease made absolutely no sense to me since I can't write it off to a business. As you indicate, the money factor is ridiculous. In my opinion, the air suspension is a "must have" especially if you are getting the 21" wheels (which I have). Massage seats and ambient lighting are nice to have options but it they make you happy, go for it. I have the ionizer which I really like and the 4 Zone Climate really is quite useful and makes the rear compartment look much more complete and finished. I also went for custom paint (Chalk) and the full leather interior.

German_Saint

Forget what the back looks like unless you care about those in the back. Just to jump in on the last post (IMO)... I have 4 zone climate control in my cayenne.. easily a leave option IMO.

Drove a 4S today looking to replace my cayenne. I think a sports exhaust is needed along with the ability for sports mapping setting (in sports chrono). Premium PKG plus- I do like ambient light packages but it's all personal. Also, although I'd like to skip full leather I find that not so easy having had full leather in all my Porsche so far.

Welcome to Porsche & a la carte specs! As far as money factor yeah well it is what it is and that is not aggressive although it just depends for your situation etc.

Discount: ? Thats a good deal.

gtr

1. soft close door if no kids. comes with premium + which has Lca which is needed on this big car.
2. rear wheel steering. Makes parking a breeze. Without it you'll be parking like a SUV.
3. 4 zone. ( I normally don't recommended but you cannot adjust fan power nor cold/hot in the back if you don't get it.
4. 20" wheels. I like this size due to tire selection and better all season tires offered such as continental extreme contacts which are one of the best all season wand more aggressive than oem's.
5. vented seats
6. heated steering for $250
6. maybe burmester audio

I had the ionizer. you have to manually turn it on/off which I find useless. Maybe in large city it would be more useful?

Section101etseq

Thanks for the input, any other comments or thoughts? My lingering fear on the hybrid is long term ownership cost and reliability.

BIG THANKS!

Andial

Sport Chrono is unneccesary. The hybrid should have lower long term ownership cost and be equally reliable.

Will Tell

Welcome!! You are entering a world in which we've all been. Bottom line, it's ultimately very personal but there's so much involved and it's all clouded by emotion. Try and remember not to be rash. I use that word purposefully. It's what dealers rely on; indeed, the more nefarious steer you towards being, in order to get you to buy the car they want you to as opposed to the one you want. Here's the kicker: you don't actually know what you want--not completely--and that's why you're here. We know that. We've all been there. Some of us, myself included, are only just finished with what was months of decision-making.

So my advice: figure out why you're buying a panny and where you sit on the "looks vs. performance" scale and what type of stuff is important to you. To some it's purely visual (rims, sills, window trim, exhaust tips, etc., etc., etc., ad Porsche nauseum). To others, it's the driving experience (sport package, assistance package, premium package, cooling seats, massage function, etc.). And then get to know the configurator (Build Your Porsche) and make sure you get it to work with the 3-D (360 view) so you can see the details of your build.

Take a deep breath. And remember, we're here to help. The 4S, btw, is kicka$$!

-WT

Section101etseq

All super helpful comments here, very much appreciate the input from all. Decision making in the works.....