We've all seen Ferris Beuller!

 

Yes, I talked to my insurance guy about isolating him, but in some emergency I'd want him to be able to drive any car we have, which of course he could not.

On the Panamera, are there any known issues that I should absolutely look out for? (Like the transfer case in the Cayenne, coolant pipes in the cayenne, RMS in the 996, etc)

I am looking at Panameras in the 50k-80k mile range, only either certified from Porsche or fully sorted and maintenance recorded, so just wondering if these cars (4 and 4s) had any fairly common failures.

 

you'll need to be more specific about the years you're looking at, the early cars '10-~14 have different issues than the later ones - the early cars (which I have) the water thermostat housing has glued in pipe which can fail, they had some issues with the cylinder coating failing and they all seem to have issues with the suspension bushings going bad rather prematurely ( in my opinion anyway) almost all of the issue only really affect a small percentage of the cars

 

Hi
Looking at almost exclusively:
2010-2014 4S
2012-2015 4
I believe the body style changed slightly for the 2014 models... but more to the point, I am still hoping to end up with a 2011-2014 4s if I can find one in my price range.

 

last 2 questions
1. any opinions on the 2013-2014 body style tweaks.... they seem subtle but I tend to like the new style more... better resale value? thoughts?

2. any final thoughts on buying a 2012-2014 65-70k mile Panamera 4 (clean bill of health from porsche dealer PPI) WITHOUT a CPO or warranty? It's a gamble, but its so hard for me to spend 4k or a lot more on a warranty on a mostly depreciated car........

 

Loaded question. First of all a 2012-2014 Panamera is not quite mostly depreciated. Reminds me of that line in The Princess Bride - "he's mostly dead"
All depends how you look at it. I suppose a $30-40K price point on a car that was originally $120K just to use round numbers is pretty far down the curve - no doubt. Sitting between 1/4 and 1/3 of the MSRP.
But that said - the car is still going to lose $10K+ over the next few years. Granted that isn't much to worry about on a car this nice that was so expensive new and is just the cost of admission - table stakes.

Now that we have that out of the way - I don't think there is much of a value kicker on a 2013-2014 vs. a 2010-2012. I do think the first two years are generally lower in value just because of the early issues that were fixed in subsequent years - but there is nothing fatal there, and a 2010-2011 could be a real bargain if the fixes have been done. But if I were buying I would get the best 2012-2014 you can find within your option and color combo wish list factoring in miles, condition and service records. Warranty is going to be $4K ish for 3 years. You can also just self fund that - which is what I tend to do on expensive cars outside of warranty. It's a gamble but keep in mind the insurance companies are in business to make money and odds are in their favor for not spending more than $4K. Of course anything could happen - 1 car might cost them $8K, and the next 3 cost them $2K each which averages out to $4K. Actually the math isn't quite right because they probably on average make at least a 30% margin - but you get the idea. Do you have the $8K car or the $2K car? You don't know.

I am moving to that point with mine - bought as CPO almost 2 years ago with 24K miles. Car now has 35K. 2013 S. It has been fairly trouble free - control arm bushings, one broken suspension part in the rear and an engine solenoid. In my case at dealer prices it had a good $4K worth of work done. If I had done the work - probably less than half that. I would guess you have pretty good chance of beating a $4K warranty cost over 3 years if you don't drive a ton of miles, and you can do most repair work yourself. If you have to rely on a dealer or indy for the labor - I think a warranty is likely money well spent. I'll probably be taking the risk on my car, but I had the benefit of a warranty during my first two years with the car to see how it was going.

Not sure if that helps, but those are my thoughts.

 

Very helpful.... Thank you!
I have a deal on a 70k 2014 Pano 4. They added Porsche CPO(which is 2 years bump to bump)... cost is 37k for all. The options i really really wanted are on this one, including the rare Sport chrono package (not on many 4's)
The car has brand new tires and everything is sorted and ready to go... and it's the newer bumper style which is subtle, but I think they do look a little sharper.

I was ready to go, then I looked around for what I could get for 37k (no warranty) and started the agonizing all over again.
Argh!

Thanks!!!

 

jump on it, you won't be disappointed

 

Seems fair for a CPO 2014. Miles higher than I like. But cpo means the big 60K service has been done.

 

2010-2013 models cost less because they are older than the 2014-2016. There are some minor interior and exterior changes, and some minor chassis / motor updates, but nothing that amounts to tested performance differences.

I like the 2014 tail lights, but I don't like the fact that half the rear bumper is then exposed plastic with the lic plate down low. The front changes I like, but they don't make the car look better, just difference. My favorite front end is the sport design front for the 2010-2013 models which is a must on any color but black.

My opinion is the sweet spot is a lower mileage 2012-2013 because most of the issues have been worked out and already performed on the car, and they are typically a few thousand less than a 2014 with similar builds (because they are older).

Adaptive cruise is an option.
Lane assist is an option to check for.
I think the 2014 model get the brake stop assist stuff
I think the 2014 get a true 360 parking camera
You want the Burmeister stereo
You want heated and cooled seats
You want the rear sun shades
If you aren't in a GTS or Turbo, the Sport Chrono is kind of pointless, but its not going to make the cost more if it has it
The PDCC, PVT, and PASM make the car drive like a dream - I'm not sure how these options appear on the 4/4S models - they are a must in my opinion.

I still say save and get a Turbo, then thank me later.

For $30,000, a 2012-2014 CTSV is a much better buy than a 2WD Panamera non performance model.