Hello all, while I'm not new to 6speedonline, I'm new to the Panamera world and hoping for a little bit of help from the experts here.

Like my heading suggests, after much consideration, I've made up my mind to buy a Panamera. I've been doing quite a bit of research and have narrowed it down to a couple of different options. It's definitely going to be used and I was looking to spend no more than 65k (ish). I absolutely need awd so it's going to be a 4s or perhaps a Turbo if I can find the right one. I considered a 4 but after learning the considerable horsepower difference between the 4 and 4s it became clear I need it to be the 4s. Or am I being silly here? Is the difference between the two really as big a deal as I'm thinking? Seems to be about a 10k difference (all things being equal).

I'll be using the car for an every day driver so I need to consider this as well. Is the Turbo well suited for every day driving in the Midwest with snow etc?

Another concern I'm having is the plethora of options and which are the "must haves"?? Perhaps you guys can outline some of these. Based on my budget, I'm thinking I'll be looking at the pre 2014 cars so what are the major differences between the 2 generations of Panamera? Is it worth trying to get into a 2014 (or newer) because of better standard equipment etc? From a styling perspective, I could go either way if I'm honest. I love both of them.

Thanks in advance for any help.. I'm ready to pull the trigger should the perfect car show up but I'd sure like to get a bit more educated as to what "perfect" should be.

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I had my eye on a V8 Turbo with virtually all the options and found a low mileage (18k) 2012, little old lady owned, and I could not be more happy and satisfied with my purchase. Came with the window sticker indicating $183K msrp. I think you could find one like it for your $65K budget. The Turbo can be driven anyway you prefer, from standard ***** cat to saber tooth tiger at the push of a button.

 

Well, I may be of limited help to you. We just bought a 2018 4 for my wife. We ordered it in July and took delivery in December. The price difference between the 4 and 4S was $14K at MSRP. We didn't even test drive the 4S because my wife does not need that kind of HP (330 vs. 440). However, guessing from your username, you may need/want that much more HP! I can tell you the plain old 4 is quick though.


As far as "must haves", that is really up to you. I know my wife had her "must haves" and that is why we had to special order the car. Aside from color combinations, she had to have the InnoDrive option which is really a nanny type option that you probably would not want. She did not want the air suspension (thankfully), but I suspect it is something you would want. Buying a used car you are going to be limited. If you are really lucky you may come upon a car that ticks most of your boxes.


One last bit of advice, if you can swing a CPO in your budget, that would be desirable.

 

As you probably know that owning a Porsche is a joy and $ maintenance. DIY on maintenance is a big saving. But you do not want trouble car with a problem to fix. Having said that, CPO 2014 is an ideal, that would extend you to 2020 warranty, a piece of mind. I agree that PAN 4S, and Turbo are ideal to have with performance. I like GTS, and Turbo. I am very sure you can find the Turbo with your budget 65K (ish). I was looking for the GTS and Turbo a few months ago and noticed the $65K or less for 2014. I am looking at 2014/15 911 C4S. The options
You must have are PDLS+ and Burmester sound system. The Turbo is very slow moving according to my local Porsche in the bay area California. My SA said 2014 is much better year than the previous years, Porsche has already corrected many issues with the 2014-2016 model year.
We currently have 2016 PAN4 and 14 CayS and are happy with Porsche. We have to say the newer year is much better due to bug fix and better reliable car. Porsche has better products than BMW. I have 2008 BMW X5 4.8. It is a money pit after warranty. I Still have it ... SAD !!!

I just wanted to share my knowledge with you. You must decide the year/model you like based on your research and criteria. But you are in better position with your $budget to get the best PAN Turbo you can find.

Good luck in your hunting. You have time and money no rush … deals always come … LOL …

 

Pdls+ ??

 

LOL .. I am not young anymore, 60 soon. Have you ever checked out PDLS and PDLS+? I believe someone from forum posting the light intensity of the PDLS and PDLS+. That is a huge difference. Please check it out if you have a chance to see PDLS+ lighting output. Amazing ...

 

Spin, I can relate to the difference between a car for man and for a woman. The V8 Turbo is my car. I wanted to buy an RS7 Audi for my wife, but realized she did not need all the HP (nor did I need another high HP turbo car,) so we ended up with an A7 Prestige TDI for her, and she is very happy, and so am I.

 

If the Panamera will be your daily driver in the winter, seriously consider having a second set wheels with snow tires. It will be great in winter weather with the mass of the car, AWD and snow tires. Ground clearance will be the limitation with high snow accumulation. Some vehicles are equipped with summer tires vs all-season tires.

Definitely LCA (Lane Change Assist) as there is a blind spot with the large size of the vehicle. Park-Assist is also useful. Turbo vs 4S will have more options as standard.

4S was a V-8 with 970.1 (pre-2014) and V6-Turbo with 970.2. HP and performance increased slightly with the transition year. Rest of mechanical and interior were the same or similar. See these articles.

Regardless of year, verify that all recalls have been applied.

 

I had a 2010 PTT, 2014 P4S and now 2017 PTT.

I bought all these cars new, and put at least 50K on the older cars. My 2017 has over 10K in 6 months.

If the budget affords it, I would certainly do the 2014 over the 2010. Updated PCM, updated tranny, updated exterior and I bet a whole list of things not known to the public. However, if it came down to do I want a Turbo or P4S...no question the Turbo. Just a car with dual personalities that can be tame and docile when you want it to be, then an absolute monster when you stomp on the throttle. It keeps it exciting. It keeps you engaged and not bored.

To me, other then the obvious bigger motor and brakes...the list of standard equipment was worth it to me. The full leather interior, PASM, heated seats, etc... Since you are buying used, I would imagine the pricing is a lot closer then it was new.

The Turbo is great for daily and so is the P4S. Best of luck in whatever you chose.

 

P4S must haves for me are- LCA, Bose, PASM with air suspension, heated seats, full leather interior, multi function steering wheel heated

Turbo must haves since PASM, heated seats and full leather are std- LCA, Burm, heated multifunction steering wheel, sports chrono (gets your launch control),

 

Thank you all so much for the help!

I think my decision is going to come down to a pre 2014 turbo or a 2014 (or newer 4s). Which would you guys choose?? I don't think the budget will allow for a 2014 turbo unfortunately. So all things being equal.. Which would be a better choice?

 

No brainer for me. I would take the 2014 or newer.

 

You would take a 14' 4s vs a 2013 Turbo (all things being equal)?

Why do you feel that way? Do you like the styling of the newer cars that much better?

 

The 2013 is technically a 970.1. It is the first attempt for Porsche trying to gain access to the 4 door sedan world and it did come with problems. No matter how many TSB's the car has been updated with, that doesn't mean the problem is solved. It could be enough of a fix to keep the car on the road without major catastrophic liability to the manufacturer. Design defects cannot really be saved by a TSB. More likely be a recall. The one known issue that Porsche is aware of is the transmission lunging/surging and weird acts at idle. It went through it's share of software updates. It did get better, I never thought it was actually fixed. The problem was just sedated. One of the reasons why I sold the car.

The 2014's is the 970.2 It is the refresh model. Not all updates get highlighted in your magazines but the glaring ones are the redesigned front and rear fascia, the newer PCM, the updated PASM software and the actual fix for the PDK. I am convinced they did a design update to the PDK on top of a new software. Drive a 2014 PTT and a 2013 PTT back to back. THere will be differences. Maybe very subtle but not all updates have to be major to be significant. All the major issues that the 970.1 had should of been addressed by the 970.2. If I were to keep the car for a little bit, especially being used...I would want use the car that will probably give me the least amount of problems as my baseline. To me, that is the 2014- 2016.

 

youre in same boat I am in. I have one in mind. Contemplating pulling trigger. Very tempting. I figure if I really want it, I will still want it tomorrow.