Hello! I am very close to purchasing a gently used Panamera with less than 24k miles on it. However, I just noticed that the wheels on the car don't seem like regular Porsche wheels. I have never owned a Porsche before (had 2 BMWs) and hence don't know what to make of the wheels. Could you guys please take a look at the photos attached for me and provide me your opinion in terms of:

1. Are these original Porsche wheels?
2. If not, what do you think of these wheels?
3. Should this affect my purchasing decision of this Porsche?

Thank you so much for your help in advance! Mike

 

Those are not Porsche wheels

 

Thanks for the quick message. Could you please tell me what kind of wheels are these? Should it be a deterrent for me to buy the car? Thanks!

 

I've never seen wheels like those on a Porsche. Ugly as sin if you ask me.

 

I don't really know what kind of wheels are those but it's pretty ugly to me. You can get a set of wheels and tires of Ebay around $1500 for 19' and $2500 for 20' turbo wheels. If the price is right, i think wheels don't really matters =)

 

The issue is the car is in California. Trying to figure out if should get it shipped to me so can't see in person. Everything checks out. But just trying to understand why would anyone replace original Porsche wheels with one of these? Any thoughts?

 

If I were in your shoes, I would lower the price by $2500 because you will be buying new wheels and tires. Those are horrible. I don't think it should deter you from buying the car, the previous owner just had really bad taste and poor decisions were made, that's all. You can always keep these horrible wheels and mount a set of snow tires if you live somewhere with harsh winters.
If you like my advise, feel free to send a check to...

 

Horrible wheels and do not buy a car sight unseen. Wait until one pops up near you.

 

I bought my last two cars sight unseen. But the first was brand new.. And my Panamera was a CPO.. Those are the only two times where one can feel reasonably safe buying site unseen.. IMO

 

Those look like a Forgiato (the caps are different they could be cheap copies) wheel I saw on some ones Ferrari, interesting might be my old eyes but it looks like they stayed with 20"s. Normally when people change to aftermarket they tend to go bigger. If they are what I think they are, they probably were not cheap, but it all comes down to what you like. I'd ask the owner what they are and if they have the receipt. good luck

 

Do you have other pictures? Looks like the logo has an "FX" in the middle of it, but I can't read the rest.

 

Do not buy a porsche without being present. That 400 airline ticket may save you thousands of dollars and a headache

 

First, as the others have said, those wheels are butt ugly. Wow..can't believe someone would put those on this car. We are all different with different tastes...

I agree with the others about not buying one of these cars sight unseen. If you are a perfectionist, you may find that the car may have many scratches, dings, interior defects, etc that you cannot see in pictures, let alone not to mention what kind of shape the engine, tires, wheels, etc are in.

I would only trust a CPO'd car by a Porsche dealer if I were to go sight unseen.

What is it about this car in particular that appeals to you so much that you would risk buying it sight unseen? A good deal? Your desire to seal a deal quickly?

I would take my time, and find a nice one that you can look at and see. You will not be sorry that you did in the long run.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. I have decided not to move ahead with the car. So I'm back searching for another car. I have a dilemma at this point in terms deciding between Panamera 4S and Turbo (both 2012 models; less than 30k miles). What do you guys think? This is because I know that price difference between a brand new 4S and Turbo could be as high as $40k. However since I'm looking to buy used the difference shrinks to about $10k. But I'm just trying to figure out if Turbo feels that much different with 100HP difference to justify the $10k. Please advise, and thanks again for everyone's counsel.

 

At the time when I was in the market for my car, I went with a 4S because that was what I could afford and it was my dream to be a Porsche owner. I don't regret the decision but if I was making the same decision today and I had the choice between a 4S and a Turbo for 10K more, both with the right options I'm looking for, I'd go for the Turbo. Either car though is a great vehicle and a lot of fun to drive.