Lifetime Porsche enthusiast (since I was 12.....now 53) and owner for the last 17 plus years. I've been fortunate enough to enjoy dozens of Porsches over the years and would love to add a 718 Cayman 4.0 or 718 Spyder to go with my current 911. All of my Porsche ownership experience until this point is with 911s. However, I am also considering a car for more daily-driver status. For many years I owned pickups for this purpose as they were great for household needs as well as for towing a boat or similar. As I'm at a stage in life where I don't need a pickup anymore I'm back looking at various BMW and Audi sedans.

Then for some reason while at the Porsche dealer this summer, a Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo really caught my eye. The Taycan has been out for close to 4 years now......I'd seen many of them and though "nice" I stuck to my "I will never own an EV!" BS. Ever since then I've been pouring over magazine reviews, youtube reviews, anything I could get my mits on. And of course the configurator.......that bloody Porsche configurator. Great way to suck hours, days, even weeks from your life and possibly lead to financial ruin ($280K Taycan GTS Sport Turismo? Just a few clicks away sir! Porsche code: PRF56BV5). These cars are stunningly gorgeous.

Again as I'm growing older and "wiser", I've really been thinking about how to approach this. Buying new? I don't think I'm ready to make that jump just yet. What's becoming more and more interesting to me however are the cars coming off 2-3 year leases. I'm seeing Taycan 4S and even some Turbo models (not Turbo S) at price points that make me really begin to crunch the numbers. But with this comes some questions that I'm not sure there are yet answers to:

1. What happens to the value of these cars at the 5-8 year mark?
2. Is battery replacement viable?
3. Does CPO cover battery replacement or might this be a "service item" in time?
4. If CPO does cover battery replacement why not just keep forking out for CPO coverage?
5. Are there other long-term big-ticket items to consider?

I'm sure a lot of this has been discussed in other threads so I hope this isn't one of those threads. But I have become mildly obsessed with the Taycan. Dream: GTS Sport Turismo in PTS Grey Black, RS Spyder wheels, with the GTS interior (Carmine Red stitching) and pretty much everything else. Reality for my first dip in the pool: 4S or maybe Turbo in either Jet Black Metallic, Volcano Grey, or Chalk with say under 35000km (22000miles). All experiences, thoughts, and advice are truly appreciated.

Also of note: I have not yet driven a Taycan. I am great help to my friends when car shopping but lack any matter of self control when shopping for myself.

Thank you.

 

Buy used or lease. That way you get to put a toe in the water, without as big a commitment. A number of good EVs are coming to market over the next 24 months.

As far as Taycan goes, go test drive a 4S and see if you like it. Good baseline, as if you do like it, then you can decide if the power’s right or if you want more (Turbo/Turbo S) or could do with less (RWD).

 

drive it you'll be sold
depreciation on big lux sports sedans is never pretty
the battery is covered it's own separate 8 year/100,000 mile warranty - so honestly that's not the issue
4S/GTS/Turbo is the sweet spot

if you want a big fast stealth missile the Taycan is the car for you…
get a good charging system at home and you'll never go the gas station or public charging again

it will ruin you for all but the best ICE vehicle's but even then when driving the "best" ICE's you'll miss the instant torque…

recommend you drive a 4S or better and then go from there...the rest of your "concerns" won't matter if you really like it.

buying any porsche is not a rational decision.

 

1. What happens to the value of these cars at the 5-8 year mark?
2. Is battery replacement viable?
3. Does CPO cover battery replacement or might this be a "service item" in time?
4. If CPO does cover battery replacement why not just keep forking out for CPO coverage?
5. Are there other long-term big-ticket items to consider?


1. Depending on model they will probably be worth mid 30-60 for a clean one. Just a complete guess

2. Yes but current estimated puts the pack at 40-50k without labor. This will most likely come down over the years. Battery rebuilds may also be a thing.

3. No CPO does not cover the battery. However the battery has an 8 year warranty on it so it will last longer then the cpo.

4. CPO can only be purchased with the vehicle when you buy it second hand at a Porsche facility. You can also continue a cpo contract from the original buyer of it as well. You cannot extend a cpo after the fact but you can potentially get different warrant when it runs out.

5. I am sure there are but we are just at the begging of these evs. There won't be anything bigger than the battery cost.

I would personally never own this vehicle out of warranty. It is an amazing vehicle but not worth the potentially headaches in the future. For instance my car has been in the shop for over three months now. Still not sure when I am going to get it back, hopefully this year. I would whole heartedly purchase this vehicle again but make sure you get one that is a cpo.

I would also not buy new unless loosing a 100k is not a big deal to you. There are so many Taycans currently available and more will only become available.

 

Depreciation has been frightening particularly for '20 and '21 Taycans. Sales advisors at 3 Chicagoland dealers all unequivocally stated to avoid '20s and '21s regardless of mileage or CPO status- and several friends with early Taycan 4S's had issues with cameras, HVAC, sensors, etc- all of which took weeks-to-months to repair, and at enormous cost if out of warranty.

Absolutely love my '23 Taycan RWD- bought it with 6K miles + CPO through March '29. This is the first time in 25 yrs I haven't had at least a touch of buyer's remorse when switching daily drivers. Provided you don't need to transport multiple adults + gear or drive 100 miles/day, the Taycan is truly a great-driving car regardless ICE vs EV and it's hard to see how a 911 / Cayman / Boxster owner can walk away from a test drive and not be impressed.

 

Better yet, lease a used Taycan.

Added bonus, it'll be CPO'd.

 

I love my Taycan GTS for my realtor duties (that's the car I spend most of my time in). The car handles great, quiet, looks good, and has torque for days (really spoils me when I drive my GT cars). I have a Taycan GTS ST that I'm picking up at PEC LA on Thursday as I always wanted an ST more so I'll be selling the GTS in Jan but my MSRP on that car was only $146k. The car that I'm really excited about getting is the Macan EV and hoping that the range will be over 300 miles.

 

Also the new taycan coming this Spring, 12% more range, not a big leab but worth to think about

 

OP, I can't answer many of your questions but will respond that I jumped at a 2021 4S with the performance battery and sport chrono package about two weeks ago. I drove it back-to-back against an Audi GT e tron and the Porsche was just so much more planted with better feedback. The single pane instrument cluster and interior also make the car feel more special.

This was my first foray into an EV after lots of research and to me was worth the risk of unknowns.

 

When do folks think the best time to buy a used one will be? And should one really avoid the 20's and 21's?

 

New Taycan??

 

Facelift

 

I felt comfortable buying a low mileage 2021, but only after the previous owners had already gone through the early recall and TSB update headaches. Buy when you feel the price and options are right for your budget.

 

my 2020 has been rock solid - only issue does seem to be a change in battery composition between 2020's and later models - but battery warranty covers you there…so I'm not honestly sure what the concern is.

 

20 was introduction. 21 most of the bugs ironed out. 22 onwards would be my choice.