Hey guys. I am looking to buy a used panamera and have been reading a lot in the forums. I have a budget of about 50k-55k and I am not sure if I should be looking for a later year or lower mileage. In my research I like the 2013 S/4S v8, or the gts or lastly the s/4s twin turbo (prefer sound of v8) and at least with entry and drive and sport chrono package. The ideal car would be a cpo GTS (great resale value) between 40-50k miles , might have to pay a bit more to find ideal one. A lot of them that I find online are within the salt belt states and about 50-70k miles. I live down in FL so i was thinking about corrosion, also i read 60k service and up (possible pads/rotors replacement) can get more pricey. Should i not worry about buying a car with over 50k miles ? I guess worst case scenario I can get an s/4s twin turbo do a catalyst removal for the sound and move on. Last, would you ever buy a car with Damage not accident reported on carfax ? Thinking the only way to do something like that if i get the upfront discount from the dealer and do the paint meter / ppi inspection etc, since it will hurt my resale value. Again, ideally I want a car with no story.

Any input/thoughts are appreciated. Thanks

 

Last month I bought a 2013 Panamera S N.A. V-8. with just over 100K on the odo from an independent dealer and I don't regret it one bit. I didn't pay very much for it (less than half your budget) and it has been great. It was a Florida car all it's life but not registered in coastal cities, so that was nice.

It had been serviced regularly, but the service history was a bit vague saying things like "40,000 mile service completed" without listing what things were replaced. For instance, I was unable to determine the age of the battery but it showed below 12 volts after sitting overnight, so I replaced that. The passengers side mirror didn't behave properly when I selected reverse so I spend half a day with my nose in the owners manual trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. Turns out, the motor was bad. I replaced it in about 5 minutes; the part cost $110. I also changed the differential oil, put in new plugs/coils, and replaced the engine oil filter. So far, that's all it's required and I did the work myself without spending much money. It was pretty easy too thanks to the Internet.

The car is very complicated and some system failures can be quite expensive to repair even if you do the work yourself. If you take it to a dealer, you might end up with a shocking bill. It's a VERY nice luxury car and if you're like most Porsche owners, you'll want everything to work. So I would say spend a LOT of time learning how the car is supposed to function. You should try to get a digital version of the owners manual and study it carefully. Then make yourself a detailed checklist so that you can examine EVERY feature to make sure it works. Chances are you will want to select a car first and then make a proposal followed by a detailed inspection. I found a car I liked and did a test drive and a preliminary inspection and then went home to do some price checking, etc. The car had an AutoCheck report but I bought my own CarFax report. That was well worth it with some duplication, but enough differences to flesh out the full history of the car.

I went back the next day with a written proposal which was more like a letter of understanding. It listed what I expected the dealer to do including putting the car on the lift so I could inspect the underside. The price I proposed to pay included a note that it was negotiable depending on the results of my detailed inspection. The dealer came back with a very slightly higher counter, a couple of hundred bucks, so we settled on a sale pending my inspection. I spent quite a bit of time checking things out and I couldn't identify and failed components. I missed the malfunctioning mirror because I didn't fully understand how it was supposed to work when selecting reverse gear. But I did find a couple of little things and was able to get the dealer back down to my price. Like I say, the car is complicated. You do not want to discover, for example, that the spoiler doesn't deploy and retract properly. That could be a simple fix, or it could be a nightmare, so do your homework.

I gave some serious thought to increasing the exhaust noise, but this vehicle is NOT sports car. It's a luxury sedan which just happens to have eye-watering performance both in acceleration and handling. In my opinion, some cars should not be loud. Full disclosure: I have a 2021 Cayman on order and I plan to go full gonzo on an loud after-market exhaust system.

You won't see a Panamera on the road very often and that's part of the appeal; however, there are enough of them around so that you should be able to find a good one. I would say not to hold out for your dream external/internal colors. They all look great. The same for year and mileage as long as the price reflects the age and mileage. That will give you a wider choice of cars. But I'm very happy that the underside of my car is corrosion free because when you look under the car, all you see is lots of very complicated and very expensive components, linkages, switches, wires, connectors, and so-on. Therefore, if you can find a car which has not been subject to winter road salt, I think you'll be happier in the long run. Owning a car in your dream color isn't fun when it spends most of the time at the dealership.

So that's my two cents. You, of course, will adjust your approach to finding a nice Panamera based on your personal situation; i.e. do you like to turn wrenches, etc. Good luck finding what you want. No matter which Panamera you buy, you're gonna' like it and I think you'll be impressed both with how nice the car is and how well it performs.

 

Hey, thanks for the detailed post and I am glad you found a nice one. Is it the one in the picture, looks badass. I am not very handy hence i try to get a cpo. I am looking at a CPO car 2015 4s v6 55k miles asking 43k from a porsche dealer. Though its carfax shows stolen/recovered at some point and front damage not accident. If i can get a ppi inspection to verify no accident and say bring them down to 40k plus tag/title/tax would you pull the trigger on something like this? I went over the cpo checklist from the dealer and it doesnt show any painted panels, who knows. Per KBB at 43k is already a good price for mileage/age/cpo status. Thoughts? Thanks

 

Well I can't say much more than I have other than to say if you're not a wrench turner yourself, you are heading the right direction with a cpo and ppi. Nevertheless, it would be wise for you to familiarize yourself with as many features and accessories as you can and test them yourself. Who knows what the ppi guy will actually check. Will he, for example, test to see if the glove compartment air conditioning actually works? That may be a little to ****, but you get my meaning.

Any defect you can identify yourself is another bargaining chip when it comes to final price. If nothing else, it will make the dealer think that you know a lot about the Panamera even if you don't. Remember, the definition of a genius is someone who just read the book.

 

I understand thanks for your input . My understanding if i am buying a cpo is that whatever it doesn't work the dealer will fix it, isn't it? At least the big components engine/transmission I see in the cpo coverage.

So would you buy a cpo with damage note in its carfax for the right price?

Thanks again!

P.S I like your definition of a genius )

 

I would hold out for a GTS,(I have a 4S) the V8 is incredible and with the sport exhaust has a very nice growl, since you don't wrench a CPO is a very good idea, you could either look for a car with low mileage or find one where the 60k service has been already done.

I originally was looking for an Amethyst car, but found a white one with most of the features I wanted and it had the Burmester stereo (which is incredible), it has been a fantastic car for the last 2 years (I do my own wrenching)
it had 58k on it when I got it

 

Gotcha the GTS is an amazing car when i drove it. Sure, I can get a different color and spend 3k or so to wrap it later. Though my current lease is up in early December and time is coming closer , this is going to be my daily drive car 10 miles to work and back.

I guess i can always look at the cpo GTS's within salt belt states and do a good checkup if any rust. I plan to keep the car for 3 years or so and then upgrade again so perhaps it shouldn't be a big deal breaker for me.

P.S Your white GTS looks great!

 

PPI is mandatory. I would never buy a stolen recovery, but that's just me. $43k for a 2015 6-banger is 'clean carfax' money. The car you're looking at does not qualify, so unless you can get it for a lot less - I'd keep looking.

CPO is nice, but you can also get good, comprehensive coverage through a credit union when you secure your loan and its not eye wateringly expensive. My warranty covers all major components to 100k and it was $3500 with a $500 deductible. Does not cover the air suspension, which 100% will fail on all equipped cars. No warranty will cover those components. Be ready to follow the DIY guides, or pay to have it fixed.

 

I understand your post about getting a clear carfax .

I read the porsche cpo warranty and saw some threads here that CPO warranty covers air suspension so I should be good with that. Though, good idea I will call Alliant credit union and see what warranty packages they offer.

Thanks

 

Panamera is a great car. In my opinion I wouldn’t get gts/s unless you can find a really good deal on one. Get the turbo/s it has an incredible amount of power and you should be able to find a nice one for a very good price. The turbo is every bit of a 991 turbo with 4 doors!

mine is for sale btw, very healthy, well sorted ‘12 turbo upgrades and all maintence, 51k miles (with 60k mile service done early at Porsche dealer) and diff fluid change, price drop to $42k. Clean car faxs, new tires, well equipped. Over $15k invested since I bought it 2 years ago

 

I see . Only issue i am in love with the v8 sound and the twin turbo even with a simple muffler or catalytics removal wont get the same sound unless i go with full exhaust system akraponic etc

Feel free to send me a PM with the info. thx

 

humm I can’t remember the sound of the S being that profound. Mine hasFVD catless DP with FVD resonator delete mid pipes.


I will PM you.

 

That is a great deal. GLWS!!

 

Mike's PTT is a great deal, I'm not sure I agree with the sentiment that Panamera is not a sports car...my 4S would beg to differ. The advice about a CPO car is solid...even if you wrench yourself. Also invest in a Durametric for troubleshooting the easier things.

 

sorry if I was confusing with my statement but I very much think that all of the v8 even the v6 Panamera’s are every bit of a sports car! Porsche’s are amazing at every trim level!