I bought a one owner ptt 2 years ago and drive very little (5000 miles in 2 years) the car is perfect and loaded (169k sticker) i tuned it to about 600hp and it performs really well, honestly its so fast it shocks me overtime im in sport plus and nail it. Lately repairs have been getting much to frequent and pricy. 1st an oil pan leak, 2 months later we did the cam bolt re-call (free) and 150 miles later a coil failed, replaced them all and full tune($2500). The front end rebuild($5000) now we had to do front air strut, i opted to do just one side. I did this last repair with an independent garage with original porsche parts. I was considering selling the car but find to get reliable performance and 4 wheel drive i would have to step into a nissan gtr or audi r8v-10 ( i like stuff more sporty then the panama. To do this requres selling the panny and adding 25k-100k to buy either replacement the independent says "keep the panny". I wanted others to tell me there experience and thoughts on this. Thoughts ?

 

 

I'm with your Indy - keep the Panny. You've just fixed the likely issues to need attention and hopefully some smooth sailing now for you.

 

So far everything you mentioned is a maintenance item. Even the oil pan, after a while gasket will harden and will start seeping oil. Will need replacement.
My advice to everyone on here about owning a 200k car, there are two ways to do these.
One: Pay dealer or indy shop to do repairs for you. Save time but will pay through your anoos.
Two: Get proper diags stuff, FSM, and start doing on your own. Waste more time but save oodles of money. Dealer will charge upwards of $250/hr labor only. Indy, about $160, both will upcharge all parts.


Best thing to do with any car you get, is find out maintenance schedule, and follow strictly. If you do not know if something was done, do it again to KNOW.
Regarding tunes, etc, they are all great and fun to have. One thing - remember - there is no such thing as a free lunch. Tuning cars changes parameters of operation and thus has an effect on parts too. Wear and tear intervals change in some areas. I myself am contemplating tunes and the only thing stopping me is the thought that after the tune, my maintenance and repairs will increase.

Knock on wood, mine has been awesome so far, aside of maintenance items I chose to do. Then had air shocks leak, but after I replaced them, it has been all smooth sailing (knocking on wood 100 X).

Regarding dealer inspections, etc, I have heard way too many stories of 'they missed this' or 'they missed that', that I stopped believing them all together. People are people, regardless where they work. Porsche dealer just as likely to miss items as indy shop or firestone mechanic. All boils down to their approach to fixing cars - fixing to get through the day, or fixing to repair the cars well.
That is my primary reason for doing work on my own, I am the only person I trust to do just the way I want it to be done.

Small example, went to shop get alignment. Simple huh? Well, they, in their mechanic wisdom, chose to not install the three front lower shield bolts as they should be, and used the other large washer bolts.
What happened? Wife driving car, lower shield loses front bolts, and air forces lower shield to separate from body, grinding it down by about 4 inches. New lower shield had to be ordered. All because someone did not want to verify which bolts go to the front of the lower shield. It cost me $500. Someone's laziness.

So to summarize, IMO, take the car you bought, keep maintained as scheduled without cutting corners, and enjoy it the way it was designed to be enjoyed. The more you press it, the more strained it will get.
Enjoy your Panameras.

 

Agreed. Keep it - especially well optioned cars like ours are hard to find these days.

 

i'm in a very similar position as you - '13 ptt with sticker of $160k. i bought a 3 year warranty and crossed my fingers. so far, it's been great, but more time will tell. i'm not suggesting you sell necessarily, but it seems to me that a 997tt would fit the bill quite well, considering the 2 models you mentioned. is the 997 too old for your needs/wants?