Given your target price range I would consider "cost" of ownership, versus price of entry. The GTS is $109k - with some nice options you wlll be around $120k. When you go to sell it, it will trade at a premium of $10k - $20k to a comparably equiipped 4S - so while the price of entry is slightly higher, the total cost will likely be very similar if not in favor of the GTS and the demand for the GTS will be greater.

I believe the depreciation of the E63 or M5 will be higher if you keep your cars 3-4 years. M5 might be a bit better if you trade in a year or 2.

If you get any of the Panny's you won't regret it.

 

You make a valid point and one I will keep in mind. However, I have just located a leftover Panny 4S at a significant discount from MSRP. If I end up buying that car it will make the delta between the 4S and the GTS approximately 20k (dealers are not looking to discount the GTS since they get so few of them). Also, I probably will keep this car until it is well over 100k miles because that is the only way I can justify spending so much money....to get my money out of it so to speak. All in all I I doubt it will be worth much of anything by the time I am ready for a new one. I do agree with you that high mileage M5's and E63's depreciate like crazy, but I am not sure if the Panny's depreciation is any slower.

 

Hey Alpine
it is this item more than anything that prompts me to respond. I have owned E55, CLS55 and Panny S. Have driven the new E63 (love it) previous version of M5 (glad I didnt get it) and have not driven the new M5.

All great cars - IMHO way more performance for the $ with the M and AMG than with the P, but the really big issue is that the costs of ownership in the 4th, 5th and 6th years (150-180,000miles) is going to be WAY more with the P car than with the M and AMG's. A magnitude of scale different.

SOOOOOO thrilled that my current P car is under warranty. 3rd trip to P service for issues (not once with my two previous AMG's) and sitting at the service desk waiting to complete paperwork for my car today, you just had to hear the prices the P dealers charge for service and parts..... Not for the faint of heart

Just my opinion

 

A concern that I had. Can you elaborate a bit as to what type of service/repair bills you are seeing and the mileage on your Panny? This is something that may sway me. I had a concern about this, but everyone I speak to seems to have too few miles on their Panny to be able to give much insight to this. BTW...you are in my neck of the woods. Im in WPB.

 

Alpine, don't get me wrong the M6 was utterly dependable as a daily driver. However, it burned through oil and tires (both normal) rapidly. The oil wasn't so much a problem...I would order it (10W60) from Turner by the case. Tires, though, were $2100 a set and I went through 3 sets in about two and a half years. I saw visions of something along those same lines with the GTS...not necessarily a bad thing, but I wanted to go with a bit more practicality this time.

 

Now I understand. This is to the tune of what I expect if I go the M5 or AMG route. However, having previously owned M3's I know that most of my tire wear will be slower than yours because I do 95% freeway driving. I tend to get 20-25k miles out of rear tires and 40-50k out of front tires even on performance cars. This is acceptable to met and is in line with what I have experienced on my 535 as well. The oil usage is also something that I was prepared for and will do the case purchase thing too. Thanks Leslie.

 

I think you should consider also a second hand PTT or is a new car a must? I test drove the F10 M5 a while back and loved it. I have the PTT with the powerkit. I think the desicion tree for you should be easy. If you need a stealthy car or 5 seats, the M5 and e63 are the only choices. The Pannys are camera magnets. Do you need awd? We have long winters where I live, so awd is a must nowadays for me. So no M5 for me. I am suffering a little from the unwanted attention this car gets, living with my previous e55amg and e39m5 was much easier, only I got stuck in the snow often. For me the current rear bulge of the e63 is too ugly and I like the looks of the M5 more. The amg and m5 are monsters above 100mph, but they suffer from traction problems at lower speeds, so as I read your comments, I would go for the Pannys as they move like the world is ending from the dig. However, it seems you appreciate luxury too. Take the 18 way adaptive sport seats, as there have been complaints about comfort in the standard seats. Also air suspension is a must if you seek luxury. Why I suggest you also consider a PTT is because as you said you drive normally most of the time. The PTT is the best transformer in your list of cars. Press a button and you are in utmost luxury, then press sport+ and you are driving a racecar. For me the pgts is a little too much of sportines for everyday usage, you have to go around with the stiff suspension all the time, in my PTT I drive in comfort mode most of the time and save sport/sport+ for spirited drives. The PTTs only problem is that even with sport exhaust, only people outside your car will enjoy the sound, its totally silent inside. It also only has 4 seats and people hate you as you have an exotic supercar. The M5 has lovely sounds, the stealthy looks I prefer(only bmw and mb drivers recognize it), but no awd and without it its just too much almost out of control for me. Good luck on your search!

 

Just to comment on 2previous posts. Pannys with 4.8 engine burn oil, you have to add between oil changes. Also the 2010 cars were not very reliable, but the recalls have made them more reliable. My Panny has been at the workshop more than any car I have ever owned before. But I hope, the recall fixes will make it better soon. Almost all problems in the car are known to Porsche and they were fixed with parts with a different part number. The newer cars have these problems allready fixed, so they should be more reliable. That said the PTT is the best car Ive owned, wierd isnt it? My e55 and M5 were bullitproof, so this unreliability has eaten away the magic a little, hope I will get the trust back soon. The car is at the shop at the moment with a check engine light and it would have gone there in a week anyway for the turbo ti-al turbine recall. One should allways avoid first year models in any car , they will fix it, but it will take a lot of patience. Remember, there is a facelift coming soon, Id wait for it.

 

I totally agree with this not to mention the gas fill ups twice weekly! Another point, I would have no problem owing a Porsche out of warranty. I can not say that about BMW.

Alpine, if interested, I have found a P4S, 2012 with a lot of options including PSE and full leather with 6000 miles and is CPO! Significant discount from MSRP. If I was buying right now, I would buy that this week! I can PM you the dealer.

 

If you are going to be driving a lot of freeway miles and value passing power over anything, why wouldn't you get either the E63 or M5? Both of those cars are 550+ HP. They both look great on the outside AND the inside and are comfortable to drive. The gas mileage is going to be crappy with a high horsepower car anyway. Why not just get a car that gets good gas mileage to drive daily to work and back and get a fun weekend toy instead of trying to combine the two? If you get decent mileage out of your current car, keep that and invest in a sports car. I think with the amount of money you are going to spend on a new freeway missle and the huge pump charges, it would make sense to just keep what you have and buy what you really want, a sports car.

 

Some excellent insight in this thread. I also think you should decide if your a hp junkie or not. I personally like to upgrade my performance level as I get tired of of stock configuration. The E63 and eventually the M5 will have ecu upgrades that will take them to 680-700hp+. The non turbo Panny would have no such option. Personally I would go with the Panny TT used. It's still has a warranty and someone else has taken the off the lot depreciation.

 

That car won't be around for very long. What color?

 

Black on black with turbo II wheels. I would buy it, but I am not willing to take the hit on the X5 right now. Maybe it will be around in 4 months when I'm ready!

 

Kip...thanks for your comments. In my area there are a couple of CPO turbos and they are very expensive. More than a new 4S and for that kind of money I want a new car. Besides, with sport chrono package the 4S gives very good low end grunt...not M5/E63 fast, but fast.

Appreciate your comments on facelift and looked into it. Looks like it is coming in 2014 or 2015 and I do not want to wait that long. If I buy it will be a 2012 or 2013 as a search of here and rennlist does show a few growing pains with the 2010's and 2011's.

I appreciate the information Jen...I actually have found 3 or 4 CPO's in my area with that mileage or less and low mileage CPO's are pretty easy to find in South Florida where people buy and sell expensive cars on a whim. As for not owning a BMW out of warranty I guess I disagree. I have had many BMW's with 6 figure mileage on them and I have found them all to be generally reliable. I expect that a Porsche is going to be similar in terms of wear and tear and replacement parts. If the Porsche ends up being more reliable as a high mileage car that would be great.

Your logic makes perfect sense except I have tried it and it did not work for me. Basically what happens in my case is the "weekend" car ends up never being driven because all of my driving is done during the week. I have arrived at the part of my life where I want to enjoy my car all the time and I want a car that is a weekend fun car, a luxury cruiser and somewhat fuel efficient all at the same time. Hard to do. The Panny 4S seems to be the one car that delivers on all of these fronts at a price point I can swallow...barely.

That sounds nice Jen, but after moving to South Florida I have sworn off black/black cars. It is too darn hot here for that color combo. I am looking at one here that is white on black (my favorite color combo) and a couple of other new leftover 2012's in various colors. Even if this car is gone in 4 months you should PM me....I can tell you what is available in South Florida and you probably can find what you are looking for down here. This is Porsche/BMW capital of the world (other than So Cali).

 

Good luck with your search! I would have to re-think the black on black here in SC as well. My X5 is white on black, but with the reflective tech on the seats, it is not too hot at the end of day after sitting in the full sun for 9 hours!
So, I might take you up on that offer in 4 months or so and let us know what you bought!