I'm really on the fence at this point between a 4S and the new M5. I get my jolly's racing so I really don't need a car that encourages me to lose my street license. I also drive into the snow belt a fair amount, so 4wd is a definite positive. I checked out the latest reliability ratings for Porsche, and combined with the fact that BMW covers everything for 50K miles, I'm concerned that I'm going to be disappointed if I go for the Porsche. I do expect everything to be very high quality.

What have the members here experienced in terms of problems - minor and major?

 

Having owned an M3, you actually need the 50k coverage, and a warranty... great car 90% of the time, the rest was spent in the shop. Owned both new and pre owned Porsches and never worried about getting home; got rid of the M because that was not the case. If it's a reliability question; no contest, get the Porsche.

 

My point of of view as far as I got my P4S only since a year and had no real problem (except high oil consumption) and heard only good comments about Porsche reliability. About BMW, I owned a 325i, a 535i,an M3 and an X5 and I'm more and more disapointed about the brand. I heard and had many issues with these cars lately. My feeling is they neglected the quality for the volume.

 

I had horrible reliability issues with my 4.4 x5. That said i do have to say they are good values in the high performance segment. If you can wait til next summer, they said they have something that is a direct competitor of the panamera, and its not the m5 ( this is straight from the sales head of bmw northeast region)

 

My 4S was horrible - in the shop maybe 7 weeks in first three months and then more problems for the following 6 months. My PTT that I got after that has been perfect for 10k miles in 6 months.

 

The Panamera is not up to the 911 standard, not even close, but then again BMW's I think still will have more problems, at least I had with mine.

 

I believe the direct Pan competitor will be the Gran Coupe, a 4 door 6 series. I believe it's coming out next year. I am not sure what I will get next. I currently drive an X5 diesel and like it, but I, too, will not keep it past the warranty. I am on the fence between an M5, a PanS, 6 series coupe, Cayenne and of all things, a MINI! Of course, lease the BMW and purchase the Porsche!!!!

PS. My fav BMW was my M6 cab, triple grey! I loved that car except for the smg.

PPS. to answer the OP's question about reliability, all of my Porsches have been rock solid and I would never hesitate to buy pre-owned. Only complaint I have is tire wear and replacement once a year(for me!).

 

Had my panny for 8 months almost 8000km. No issue at all except some say my mouth is getting bigger cause i cant stop smiling......i have had merc, bmw on my list of german cars and i can say this panny is the best build sedan period...........

 

I have had 4 Porsches and currently drive a Panamera 4S with close to 20k miles. I have never had a significant problem with any of these cars. I have had 3 bmw’s and they have been very reliable too. I suppose I could be just lucky but I would not hesitate to recommend the Panamera.

 

The V8 in the Pana has been running in the Cayenne since 2003. I have seen several above 100,000 miles without any major overhaul. The engines and transmissions seem to be quite reliable.

I would definitely go with the Pana 4S over the M5.

 

In 12,000 miles I have had no significant issues on my Panamera S, except for a problem with XM radio.

However, there are always bound to be some issues in the first year or two of a brand new model, and Porsche is not immune.. Sometimes its software and programming that ends up getting tweaked and updated in the first year or two of production. Some of the biggest complaints on the 2010 early cars were due to PCM programming and updates... This is not an excuse for Porsche, but this seems to be the way things work on computer controls and programming.

Comparing a modern electronics-laden car like the Panamera with the simpler technology of the old-school Porsche 911 series might not be a direct comparison. It will be interesting how the upcoming modernized Porsche 911 model fares in the future.

 

Umwolverine - i recognize your handle from the M5Boards.

I previously had a M5 (2006) and a M6 (2007) and have had a P4S for about 18 months.

My experience w/the P4S has been *much* better than I had w/the BMWs.

1. Reliability - w/both the M5 and M6 I continually got the "red cog of death", transmission, b-pillar distortion, oil pump issues, etc. I have had *no* issues at all w/the P4S.

2. Drive - the P4S c0ckpit is much more fun than the M5/6. Eventhough the car is big the feel is similar to my previous 911.

3. Mileage - with the M5/6, I could barely get 250km per gas tank. Given the P4S tank is bigger but I get more than double the distance per fill.

4. Convenience - the back seats in the P4S are more comfortable and more practical (for example, fold down individually) than the M5. M6 well ..

5. Hatch - yes, ugly and almost impossible to see backwards [probably the only negative of the car], but it comes in handy all the time. For example, I can fold down one seat and put my road bike in the car with ease.)

6. Winter driving - M5/6 were both absolutely useless even w/a dusting of snow. In contrast, the P4S has no problems driving up or down very steep snowy roads.

 

Only problem in over a year I have had with my Panny S is that the right button cluster on the steering wheel started itermittently sticking. The part was ordered under warranty and replaced free of charge. Nothing else. Similar experience to that owning 2 x AMG vehicles prior to the Panny

 

just short of 2 years with my P4S. Has only been to the dealer for sheduled maintainence.

 

This is great input. Let me ask another unrelated question: How is the 'size' of the car? When I sit in it I'm struck by how low and wide the car is. The width is almost too much for me. Is it something you get used to? Does it ever cause any issues? Certainly both width and height add to the singular road presence. What about silly things like parking, maneuvering in tight spaces, etc...