Tell me why I shouldn't buy.
05-14-2021, 10:50 AM
#19
Sport Chrono is fairly high on my list. It's not a deal breaker, but a big plus. Some of the more exotic stuff like PDCC, PCCB, PTV, PDLS -- these would be nice to have, obviously, but not really necessary. I'm not planning to use it as a track car (obviously), and I see so few for sale that have those options that it could add months or years to the hunt if I get too picky. I thought soft close doors were part of Premium Plus, but maybe not... it's not a deal breaker, they're just nice to have.
I will say that sound deadening glass, if it's done right, can be a huge advantage. I never knew how nice a long road trip could be until doing it in the Rocket Sled, with its IR and UV shielding laminated glass all around. It's SO quiet and smooth. It cruises perfectly fine at "we're in the boonies with no other cars within 50 miles of us" speeds, and the adaptive cruise makes congested areas basically effortless. You can drive all day and get out of the car still feeling fresh and not worn out. But, the good glass and adaptive cruise control seem to be extremely uncommon on the cars I see listed for sale.
Of course the down side of the Merc is that it's showing its age, and owning a 14 year old V12 twin turbo can become a bit of a chore, even with low mileage. You just never know what's going to break next, but something is definitely going to break. What I am really wondering is if a Panamera will be significantly better in that respect. My impression of M-B engineering after a couple years of maintaining the Sled is that they really did not design the car for longevity.
I will say that sound deadening glass, if it's done right, can be a huge advantage. I never knew how nice a long road trip could be until doing it in the Rocket Sled, with its IR and UV shielding laminated glass all around. It's SO quiet and smooth. It cruises perfectly fine at "we're in the boonies with no other cars within 50 miles of us" speeds, and the adaptive cruise makes congested areas basically effortless. You can drive all day and get out of the car still feeling fresh and not worn out. But, the good glass and adaptive cruise control seem to be extremely uncommon on the cars I see listed for sale.
Of course the down side of the Merc is that it's showing its age, and owning a 14 year old V12 twin turbo can become a bit of a chore, even with low mileage. You just never know what's going to break next, but something is definitely going to break. What I am really wondering is if a Panamera will be significantly better in that respect. My impression of M-B engineering after a couple years of maintaining the Sled is that they really did not design the car for longevity.
05-14-2021, 12:03 PM
#20
Three Wheelin'
Understand your view, recommend driving one with and without the suspension options and see what you think. Be interesting to hear your experience! Like you, don’t track but car rides/handles incredibly well. When I got first car with adaptive headlights I made PDLS a requirement.
05-14-2021, 12:24 PM
#21
Purchased 2 months ago and no regrets
I was in your seat a few months ago and pulled the trigger on a 2010 turbo with 47k on the clock for a tick under $40k. I did a ton of research and budgeted out on paper $ associated with the gremlins that typically come to light: struts, fuel pump, coils, alternator, etc. etc. I was shopping in the mid 30k range and then ended up finding the car I'd end up purchasing halfway across the country. One owner, meticulously maintained, stack of service records an inch high, and every single one of the problem issues already addressed and all within the last 8k miles. I'm not so foolish as to believe the car will be flawless as I'm familiar with the upkeep requirements associated with 'premium' brands and models. But the car has been looked over in detail by a local indy specialist and his take on the car was that with all the work that had been done before I bought it, that it was about as close as you can get to a quasi supercar equivalent of a Toyota camry in terms of its anticipated reliability going forward.
The 970 turbo is an extremely well built machine. The motor, pretty bulletproof. The tranny... its pdk. The rest... just typical porsche quality.
As to the aesthetics... I hated the car when it came out over a decade ago but have to say that its aged well. I'm an enthusiast and have a few cars that I've held onto over the years for investment purposes or for some particular point of significance that a model represented. I've grown to see the 970 in that light. It's hump backed profile was strange and to many still is. But what the car represented for porsche and the industry is often overlooked. It was a first in terms of how flawlessly it embodied the performance of a world-class sports car and the comfort of a luxury cruiser. Sure, other companies have brought high performance sedans to market, but the panemara was and I think still is in a class of its own.
Just find one with a solid history and records and enjoy.
The 970 turbo is an extremely well built machine. The motor, pretty bulletproof. The tranny... its pdk. The rest... just typical porsche quality.
As to the aesthetics... I hated the car when it came out over a decade ago but have to say that its aged well. I'm an enthusiast and have a few cars that I've held onto over the years for investment purposes or for some particular point of significance that a model represented. I've grown to see the 970 in that light. It's hump backed profile was strange and to many still is. But what the car represented for porsche and the industry is often overlooked. It was a first in terms of how flawlessly it embodied the performance of a world-class sports car and the comfort of a luxury cruiser. Sure, other companies have brought high performance sedans to market, but the panemara was and I think still is in a class of its own.
Just find one with a solid history and records and enjoy.
05-14-2021, 12:43 PM
#22
Understand your view, recommend driving one with and without the suspension options and see what you think. Be interesting to hear your experience! Like you, don’t track but car rides/handles incredibly well. When I got first car with adaptive headlights I made PDLS a requirement.
I was in your seat a few months ago and pulled the trigger on a 2010 turbo with 47k on the clock for a tick under $40k. I did a ton of research and budgeted out on paper $ associated with the gremlins that typically come to light: struts, fuel pump, coils, alternator, etc. etc. I was shopping in the mid 30k range and then ended up finding the car I'd end up purchasing halfway across the country. One owner, meticulously maintained, stack of service records an inch high, and every single one of the problem issues already addressed and all within the last 8k miles. I'm not so foolish as to believe the car will be flawless as I'm familiar with the upkeep requirements associated with 'premium' brands and models. But the car has been looked over in detail by a local indy specialist and his take on the car was that with all the work that had been done before I bought it, that it was about as close as you can get to a quasi supercar equivalent of a Toyota camry in terms of its anticipated reliability going forward.
The 970 turbo is an extremely well built machine. The motor, pretty bulletproof. The tranny... its pdk. The rest... just typical porsche quality.
As to the aesthetics... I hated the car when it came out over a decade ago but have to say that its aged well. I'm an enthusiast and have a few cars that I've held onto over the years for investment purposes or for some particular point of significance that a model represented. I've grown to see the 970 in that light. It's hump backed profile was strange and to many still is. But what the car represented for porsche and the industry is often overlooked. It was a first in terms of how flawlessly it embodied the performance of a world-class sports car and the comfort of a luxury cruiser. Sure, other companies have brought high performance sedans to market, but the panemara was and I think still is in a class of its own.
Just find one with a solid history and records and enjoy.
The 970 turbo is an extremely well built machine. The motor, pretty bulletproof. The tranny... its pdk. The rest... just typical porsche quality.
As to the aesthetics... I hated the car when it came out over a decade ago but have to say that its aged well. I'm an enthusiast and have a few cars that I've held onto over the years for investment purposes or for some particular point of significance that a model represented. I've grown to see the 970 in that light. It's hump backed profile was strange and to many still is. But what the car represented for porsche and the industry is often overlooked. It was a first in terms of how flawlessly it embodied the performance of a world-class sports car and the comfort of a luxury cruiser. Sure, other companies have brought high performance sedans to market, but the panemara was and I think still is in a class of its own.
Just find one with a solid history and records and enjoy.
Good thing I'm not in a hurry...
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ManoTexas (05-14-2021)
05-14-2021, 01:11 PM
#23
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Oh, how I would love to do that. Sadly, Omaha is not exactly the center of the high end German sedan universe. This is mostly a Boxster and Cayenne town, I guess. The Panameras I find are all at least 175 miles away. I'll probably just need to take a long weekend or two and hit the KC and Chicago areas, test drive a few, figure out what's on the must-have list and what isn't. Good thing I have a nice road trip car already...
I can tell this is going to take a while. I've seen a few Turbos within my price range, but most have a long string of owners and no real maintenance history. By that I mean no better than what the Sled had when I bought it, which was a string of dealer visits in the Carfax report showing oil changes and not much more. One is on its third sale in less than four years -- I'll take that as a hint that I should probably NOT be the next owner/victim. Anyway, buying and subsequently owning the Merc has been a real learning experience. I made some mistakes that have caused a lot of aggravation and unhappiness. I have come to the conclusion that whatever money you save when you buy, you'll spend it catching up on PO neglect, or the incompetent or slipshod work of the PO's mechanic. I'd much prefer to buy from a private seller, but I'm not flying across the country to look at each one since they all seem to be at least a thousand miles away -- and all in different directions.
Good thing I'm not in a hurry...
I can tell this is going to take a while. I've seen a few Turbos within my price range, but most have a long string of owners and no real maintenance history. By that I mean no better than what the Sled had when I bought it, which was a string of dealer visits in the Carfax report showing oil changes and not much more. One is on its third sale in less than four years -- I'll take that as a hint that I should probably NOT be the next owner/victim. Anyway, buying and subsequently owning the Merc has been a real learning experience. I made some mistakes that have caused a lot of aggravation and unhappiness. I have come to the conclusion that whatever money you save when you buy, you'll spend it catching up on PO neglect, or the incompetent or slipshod work of the PO's mechanic. I'd much prefer to buy from a private seller, but I'm not flying across the country to look at each one since they all seem to be at least a thousand miles away -- and all in different directions.
Good thing I'm not in a hurry...
05-14-2021, 01:12 PM
#24
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
05-14-2021, 01:18 PM
#25
Oh, how I would love to do that. Sadly, Omaha is not exactly the center of the high end German sedan universe. This is mostly a Boxster and Cayenne town, I guess. The Panameras I find are all at least 175 miles away. I'll probably just need to take a long weekend or two and hit the KC and Chicago areas, test drive a few, figure out what's on the must-have list and what isn't. Good thing I have a nice road trip car already...
I can tell this is going to take a while. I've seen a few Turbos within my price range, but most have a long string of owners and no real maintenance history. By that I mean no better than what the Sled had when I bought it, which was a string of dealer visits in the Carfax report showing oil changes and not much more. One is on its third sale in less than four years -- I'll take that as a hint that I should probably NOT be the next owner/victim. Anyway, buying and subsequently owning the Merc has been a real learning experience. I made some mistakes that have caused a lot of aggravation and unhappiness. I have come to the conclusion that whatever money you save when you buy, you'll spend it catching up on PO neglect, or the incompetent or slipshod work of the PO's mechanic. I'd much prefer to buy from a private seller, but I'm not flying across the country to look at each one since they all seem to be at least a thousand miles away -- and all in different directions.
Good thing I'm not in a hurry...
I can tell this is going to take a while. I've seen a few Turbos within my price range, but most have a long string of owners and no real maintenance history. By that I mean no better than what the Sled had when I bought it, which was a string of dealer visits in the Carfax report showing oil changes and not much more. One is on its third sale in less than four years -- I'll take that as a hint that I should probably NOT be the next owner/victim. Anyway, buying and subsequently owning the Merc has been a real learning experience. I made some mistakes that have caused a lot of aggravation and unhappiness. I have come to the conclusion that whatever money you save when you buy, you'll spend it catching up on PO neglect, or the incompetent or slipshod work of the PO's mechanic. I'd much prefer to buy from a private seller, but I'm not flying across the country to look at each one since they all seem to be at least a thousand miles away -- and all in different directions.
Good thing I'm not in a hurry...
05-14-2021, 01:25 PM
#26
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Patience is your friend for certain. I've purchased most of my cars online and out of state. The way I've always looked at it is that it's hard enough to find a great car. To limit yourself to a few 100 Sq miles makes it even harder. Chances are if you find a good one, it will have a solid history and records and will have been maintained by the same shop for a while. That's certainly been the case fornthe cars I've purchased. To date, have only flown out pre-purchase once. Every other time including the 970 purchase was after several conversations with the owner, review of records, photos and videos,, conversations with the service manager at the shop the car had been serviced at, and a thorough ppi. Haven't been bit yet, but it is a chore to do the upfront work to find the right one. And I passed on countless other options that seemed solid but were lacking in some respect, whether number of previous owners, lack of records, or just not getting a good feeling from the seller.
05-18-2021, 04:08 PM
#27
I bought a 2010 Panamera Turbo a year ago with less than 30K miles. The car had been in a front end accident (no air bag deployment) and had the hood, front bumper and headlight replaced. So, got it for a good price, albeit with a rebuilt title which will obviously affect resale value...but I knew that going in and it was reflected in the price I paid. Can't say the car is perfect because its not, but its the most awesome car I have driven and I've had a few 911's & several BMWs. I also fly an experimental airplane and the Panamera Turbo is faster than my airplane, which is pretty fast itself. My car has had the occasional "chassis system failure" fault but so far it's cleared itself after restarting. And it has a headlight control fault from the previous owner replacing the OEM lamps with cheaper clone headlights (they look perfect but trigger the fault). Other than those issues, plus worn front end swaybar bushings that creak like an old rocking chair going slow over bumps, the car is rock solid and an amazing driver. I used it as a ski car this past winter, with 19" winter wheels plus Michelin Pilot Alpin winter tires, and it was unstoppable in snow. I know that at some point I'll have to put real money into it, but it hasn't happened yet. Even though its going on 12 years old (car was built in 2009), it still turns heads and elicits comments from bystanders. I'd definitely get the car inspected and scanned for faults before you buy, but if you can find a good one, think you'll be pleased.
05-18-2021, 04:31 PM
#28
I bought a 2010 Panamera Turbo a year ago with less than 30K miles. The car had been in a front end accident (no air bag deployment) and had the hood, front bumper and headlight replaced. So, got it for a good price, albeit with a rebuilt title which will obviously affect resale value...but I knew that going in and it was reflected in the price I paid. Can't say the car is perfect because its not, but its the most awesome car I have driven and I've had a few 911's & several BMWs. I also fly an experimental airplane and the Panamera Turbo is faster than my airplane, which is pretty fast itself. My car has had the occasional "chassis system failure" fault but so far it's cleared itself after restarting. And it has a headlight control fault from the previous owner replacing the OEM lamps with cheaper clone headlights (they look perfect but trigger the fault). Other than those issues, plus worn front end swaybar bushings that creak like an old rocking chair going slow over bumps, the car is rock solid and an amazing driver. I used it as a ski car this past winter, with 19" winter wheels plus Michelin Pilot Alpin winter tires, and it was unstoppable in snow. I know that at some point I'll have to put real money into it, but it hasn't happened yet. Even though its going on 12 years old (car was built in 2009), it still turns heads and elicits comments from bystanders. I'd definitely get the car inspected and scanned for faults before you buy, but if you can find a good one, think you'll be pleased.
And even my pickup is faster than the one I'm currently building.I totally get the ownership experience you're describing. Been there, done that. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. The next one I buy is going to have to be a lot less of a "project car" than the last one, for sure.