I just signed the deposit paperwork on an incoming 2014 Panamera S eHybrid.

It should be on a truck at the port within a day or two and arrive at dealer by next week. The plan is to fly out and pick it up in two weeks.

Obviously no pics, but here's the (very wonky) build:

Carbon Gray over Natural leather in Cognac/Cedar
Soft Close Doors
6 Disc changer
Sirius/HD Radio
Premium Plus - Park Assist Reverse Cam only
14 Ways
20" Panamera Sport with optional All Seasons mounted
Online Services
Heated Steering wheel
25 foot cord

To that build, we are having the dealer swap the black interior trim for Tineo. Should look just like this:




The options are definitely not how I would have built it, but it'll be fresh. And not ordering, meant that aggressive pricing was easy to find.

I look forward to getting familiarized with it on the 500 mile drive back home.

Since you're flying out, you must have purchased out of state. Which sounds like you did a lot of price comparisons between dealers. I hope you got a good deal.

I've done a certain amount of second-guessing on the options I didn't get. Mostly the 14-way seats, since the base 8-way seats don't have memory, and my wife does adjust seats differently than I do.

I tried to shop locally, but nothing in-stock was even remotely aligned with the colors the boss would accept. The stockpile of white and black units is staggering.

I only contacted four out of town dealers. Three had Blue over Beige and then this unit. Everyone immediately came back with very similar initial discount offers. The other units were all in the $110K MSRP range. I did not pursue any of the others aggressively, as I really liked this color combo. And it was going to be a no demo mile unit.

My final price wasn't as low as I thought I could possibly get, but I'm not going to sweat a deal in order to then sweat another deal against the first. Not worth my time. And not really my style.


As for 14 versus 8 ways... I cannot recall seeing a single unit (in the 100-150 I've got logged in my notes) having 8 ways. I'd say it's close to an even split between Premium and Premium Plus packages.

Until just now, I didn't even have a good understanding of Premium versus Plus...

Premium Package
Includes:
Seat Heating (Front and Rear)
ParkAssist (Front and Rear)
Reversing Camera
Power Seats (14-way) with Memory Package

Premium Package Plus
Includes:
Premium Package
Porsche Entry & Drive
Lane Change Assist (LCA)
Seat Ventilation (Front)
4-zone Climate Control


So, I guess I'm very happy that LCA is included. And seat ventilation. But Keyless go is not important, nor is 4 zone A/C.

And now that I understand the audio situation a bit better, *if* I was offered a choice between BOSE and satellite radio, I'd take sat radio due to the availability of traffic data. CD changer is still just painfully stupid. As is soft close doors.

So now I get to wait for thirteen days.

I understand focusing more on the car you want than the best deal. I was curious to hear how much better someone else did than the 3.3% I managed. I had a New Jersey dealer contact me saying he could do 9% on an ordered Cayman, vs. the 6.3% I managed, but I'd already agreed to purchase at that point.

Dealers do seem to go for very bland colors. I guess they figure that will appeal to more people, but personally I'm unwilling to accept bland if I'm paying $100k for a car.

Playing with Porsche's configuration web page is helpful I think even if you're going to buy a car that's in stock, because it makes clear what options are out there, and what they include. It's also one of the few places that lays out the standard features in detail. The PSeH has a fair number of things standard that are optional on the base Panamera, like Active Suspension Management, and adaptive power steering.

Satellite radio, nav traffic, front and rear audible park assist, and online services are all standard features. Seat heating in the front is standard, too.

Which means the way they describe the Premium Package is a little misleading, since it only adds rear heat seating, and the reversing camera to the parking sensors, and of course the 14 way seats.

Oddly, it doesn't discount the Surround View park assist at all, so you're effectively paying $600 more for that if you get both, and I definitely wanted that overhead camera effect. I tend to scratch my wheels when parallel parking, and it's my hope that this system will prevent that.

I saw a white e-hybrid loaner on the freeway today for the first time. It was nice looking but not sure if one can charge the car at night.
How will it be charged each day if not at the dealer?

The dealer would need to furnish the three charging system components (two cords and the charger) in order for the customer to juice up the car off 110V. That's $2K in parts that car easily walk off, or get left behind, or whatever, so perhaps they just don't bother.

The dealers do a poor job of charging the cars when they're sitting at the lot, anyway.

Yeah, the car I test drove wasn't charged. The dealer said he'd charge it before I came back with my wife, and he didn't.

It really handicaps the car when they do that. Not only can you not see what pure electric is like, you're limited to the gasoline engine's 333 HP, since there's no battery power to provide extra boost. Which is particularly important for the first few moments of acceleration, when the electric motor normally would give you instant torque you can't get from gas.

Are you certain of that?
I have option codes and prices next to those lines on my Build Sheet.

690 Sirius XM Satellite Radio and HD Radio Receivers $1,120.00 USD
UN1 Online Services $210.00 USD

The model brochure says this on Page 91:

"SiriusXM Satellite Radio Receiver*
Standard on the Panamera Turbo and available as an option on all other Panamera models..."

The option code for just the Sirius receiver (sans HD radio) is 686

And on Page 93:

"Online Services
With the Optional Online Services..."

That's what it says in the online configuration web site.
Further, there's no option under "audio" or "interior" for either one. CD changer, Bose system, telephone module, but no mention of any of the things listed as standard (Sirius, HD radio, online services.)

It may of course be that the online configuration system has errors.

Yeah, wow, that's a pretty big discrepancy.

Sirius seems like such a common feature in automobiles. Hard to comprehend why it would have such a significant cost for the tuner.


Edit:

From the Porsche website, which *should* have the most-correct info...

http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/pa...anagement-pcm/

"...The navigation module also features dynamic route guidance, in conjection with the optional Sirus XM satellite radio."

"Standard in the Panamera Turbo models, optional for the other Panamera models.
...Online services"

Speaking of optional equipment... this will be the first P-car purchase for us... so excuse this perhaps new question: Are floormats standard equipment?

Not only does the web site say so, quite a few dealership listings mention them. Normally such exhaustive listings of standard features is annoying, but in this case it clearly answers the question.

Porsche also sells floor mats as accessories, but I think they're "improved" in some way. "Nuback edging" or rubber mats. Presumably the standard ones are carpet.

Car was supposed to be at dealer by the 20th, but it's a no-show.

*THIS* is why I normally buy cars that are sitting in inventory.

Looks like I'm going to have to tear up the air ticket I have for Tuesday. Sucks.

Oh man, that sucks. I didn't think about the implications of transport vagaries on the fact you are flying to get it. I probably would have put off getting the ticket until the car was at the dealer, but hindsight is 20/20. I might have done what you did in eagerness.

Meanwhile, my PSeH isn't built yet. The Cayman is done, but still in Germany.

I really want to get this transaction completed. I figured that three business days after latest arrival date would have been safe.

I cannot apply for the "Clean Special Fuels" plate until the car is titled. And this obviously and out-of-state transaction, so I've got delays in going from paper plate to regular plate, too. Obtaining the "HOV" plate is a paper process... fill out a form, then fax to a special group within the DMV. Then wait. I could see this dragging out for quite some time.

Air tickets are cheap, but I still loathe wasting money.

Another dealer I pinged who had a PSeH coming in on the same boat hasn't received theirs, either. So at least it's not something specific to my unit.