Lipigol

Hi guys,

I need some help in making some decisions but first I want to say thanks to all who have contributed on this forum as I have been lurking for year and reading up a lot since I have always dreamed about Panamera.

Now I'm in a place where I need to replace my Macan for something else and that something I hope can be a Panamera 2017 or newer. Reading on this forum I'm getting a little bit scared of buying one as some are saying that maintenance costs could be astronomical. I'm looking for '19 GTS model or if I find '18 4s model thats a lot cheaper then GTS but as it is right now in Sweden there is almost no difference in price between the two models. Now to my questions. Is it a big risk buying 4 year old Panamera, my insurance here would cover (beside normal stuff):
engine
fuel system
generator
manifold
ignition system
steering gear
power transmission
airbag
cruise control
consequential damage caused by misfuelling

These parts are covered until the car is 10 years old or 100k miles whichever comes first. Would this be enough to be covered for most expensive stuff that can go wrong? I'm ok with service costs as I dont drive that much and service would be something like every second year. I know some repairs are going to happen eventually I just dont want to be paying 6k in repairs.

Another thing I would like to ask is about rear wheel steering. I keep seeing on this forum that this is a must but in my price range availability of these cars is not great. I've found one car that has all the options I want minus RWS with 35k miles on it and just had its service before it was put up for sale and another one that has almost 50k miles but has RWS. Which car would you recommend out of these two? They are both optioned the same otherwise (50k car has soft close as a one more thing). Both cars are also serviced as they should only at Porsches service centers.

So all in all I just dont want to get into something that I will spend too much money on. Are these cars low mileage enough that any issues would be exceptions and not something that will most likely happen . I know there is no telling for sure but I just want to ask the real owners what their experiences are. I plan to keep the car for at least 5 years.

Should I just keep looking for low mileage with RWS?

Thanks for any reply!

NickF

I had a ‘19 Turbo without RWS and swapped it for a ‘23 Turbo S with RWS. I honestly can’t tell the difference. I know this is contrary to most people’s opinions on here but it’s my experience.

Andy Liu

Most problem comes after 100k jfyi. My advice don't bother getting the warranty it is a waste of money. Just save your money when thing happen you pay for it, if you do regular maintence you should be fine, but if you are a type of person that don't do that then sure things will happen, but i won't be over thinking it. the 971 is pretty reliable to most owner on here and should last 5 years + even if you gotten a 2017 with 50k. i have a 2018 e hybrid and planning to keep it for another 2-3 years before I sell it, but so far it reliable beside other crap like rodent getting into it

Lipigol

Thanks, thats great since I could go for lower mileage car then.

Lipigol

Well that is really reassuring, cars I'm looking at are both GTS so both are 2019 and actually first registration was in December of 2019.

H2Owon

Keep in mind that those who post are asking for help with issues, so most posts will be repair or maintenance related. It gives the impression of lots of issues given those are the only posts. There are many more of us that basically enjoy the cars without issues. Hybrids have more complexity and require battery renewal at some point, and Porsche's charge for replacements is crazy high in cost. Most Panameras have air suspension, and the seals tend to leak after 10 years. Again Porsche replacements are expensive. Otherwise, keep up on recommended maintenance and these cars just last. I have had zero repairs on my 2018 4S except for the steering wheel tilt which died during an annual service, and under warranty.

chassis

If "engine" in your insurance includes failed cam roller followers, you might be OK.

Regardless of the insurance question, I wouldn't buy a 2017 or 2018 2.9TT V6 Panamera. 2018 or 2019 was the first year that VAG installed larger rollers in the cam followers. Prior years had small rollers and quite a few engine failures resulted.

Andy Liu

I havent' seen people with these failure yet. otherwise it would of been document a bunch on this forum. Porsche end up using the same 2.9tt on the base, hybrid and S model now..

chassis

Agree, I haven't seen the cam roller failure on Porsche installations. There are several reported on Audiworld. A guy on youtube has detailed videos on what happens.

Having said that I would not own an early build 2.9TT. I have this engine and it's great, but MY20 so beyond the suspect early build years.

Andy Liu

ya but they were tested in the Audi world before they put it into the porsche. So any tech or anything is tested in the Audi world first before they bring them over. I noticed this with a lot of the tech that goes into the porsche, where Audi get it first and same with the motor. So i don't think we need to worry about this, cause Audi have sort it out before it get into the Porsche.

Lipigol

Yeah I'm mostly looking at the GTS anyway since for some reason prices in Sweden are the same as 4s so V8 it is.

I just wonder what would be my best bet, both GTS one with 35k mileage and no RWS and no softclose doors and other one same specs plus those two and about 50k miles?

chaos2984

If the GTS is the same price as the 4s, I would go with the GTS. I would go with the one that has the options that you want. List them out, the ones you have to have and the ones you can do without. See where that takes you. The V8 engine in any model of the panamera is practically bullet proof. There really isn't any issues with it. I would check to make sure all the maintenance was completed up until the miles it has on the car. I recently bought a turbo with 50K on it but it has all the maintenance completed on it and its been fine for me.
I saw the Audi issue with the V6 TT engine and I stayed away from the 2018's with that enigne and couldn't find a 2019 at a decent price point. While I was looking my 2018 turbo popped up in the same price range I wanted to spend and I bought that.

chassis

I would go with the 35k mille car. RWS and softclose doors are nice, but lower mileage is more important in my decision-making.

Lipigol

Yeah all the maintenance has been done in Porsche centers on all cars I'm looking at. In Sweden there is almost no Panameras that are not serviced at Porsche center if they are 2017 model or younger.

Lipigol

Yeah thats what I'm leaning to, its just reading these forums 90% of people are saying RWS is a must and 10% are saying it doesnt make a real difference. I'll mostly use the car in my small town and in summer for road trips to Italy, its there that I might regret my decision as driving in city centers there is a nightmare. Probably best is to park it and use public transportation.