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Posted by: VegasRacer Nov 18 2020, 11:05 PM

My sister is finally ready to join the family. Her next vehicle will be a Porsche Macan.
It is my job as the older and wiser brother to help her make the right selection. I am asking the brain trust here for advice.

The initial want list: Must be a 'Pretty Blue" color. (Sapphire, Voodoo, Miami, Mexico.) PDK. Newest & Lowest Mileage possible. @ 50 K to spend.

What all should we be looking for / to avoid?


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Posted by: 914_teener Nov 18 2020, 11:16 PM

I liked the S version myself when I test drove these.

Sapphire is one of my favorite Porsche colors as well.

Can.t go wrong with a Macan...hold out for an S if you can.

Edit.

Flipping through the new Pano there is a 17 S in Blue with PDK for 39.5k 42k miles.

Posted by: VegasRacer Nov 19 2020, 12:35 AM

I agree on the S version. With EVERY Porsche model that I have driven both the base and S, I think the S was worth the extra $$.
A GTS would be even better.

3 years old is the sweet spot for CPO Porsches. (lease turn ins) That describes both of my Cayman purchases.
I think she is wanting (and willing to pay for) something newer with fewer miles. (My CPO 987.2's had 8k and 5k miles)

Posted by: 914_teener Nov 19 2020, 11:06 AM

I think you can find a CPO for about that budjet. I'll keep my eyes peeled John.

Posted by: 914forme Nov 19 2020, 02:29 PM

That is my only recommendation is she get an S or better and yes GTS is worth the dollars in my book.

The base handles like pure the GTS is more of what I would expect. But to be honest I bought an X5M instead of a Porsche SUV. That M edition BMW is freaking amazing.

Posted by: 914forme Nov 19 2020, 02:34 PM

Heated seats, I get beat down anytime I buy a car with out them by my wife, her sister, her mother, my mother, any female that gets in, first thing is where is the seat heater.

Anymore I just turn them on before they get it. Then I get the Oh the seat is nice and warm, instead of the after mention crabbing.

Who would have thought 12v running up and down your seat would be such a necessity.

Posted by: Mueller Nov 19 2020, 05:00 PM

.............wrong thread...

Posted by: horizontally-opposed Nov 19 2020, 05:30 PM

Depending on options, seriously capable little SUVs. First drive on track in one, with 265 front tires and 295 rears had me thinking merely average drivers might end up giving pretty good drivers in 987s and 981s a hard time at track days.

Later drove an S along the CA coast that was disconnected enough to make me wish I was driving our old Jetta TDI Sportwagen. Yes, I was surprised too.

Then had a base Macan service loaner, and was shocked by how much I liked it on the standard 18-inch wheels and tires (235/265, iirc). So much so that I sent a note to a friend who was involved in the dynamics of the first Macan, asking if I was crazy for liking the service loaner so much. "75 kilos out of the nose..." he texted. "Very useful."

Friend has one now, and loves it except for acceleration in LA traffic when loaded up with people and stuff.

YMMV, but I also liked the fact that the base Macan looks like a 57 Chevy when you open the hood. There is so much space in there, and it looks like you can have the turbo out in about 5 minutes while eating a burrito with the other hand. I'm told things don't start melting in that engine until about 500 hp, so 350-400 might be just fine. Again, YMMV...

(And yes, GTS will be the sportiest/most fun choice)

Posted by: Cairo94507 Nov 19 2020, 06:26 PM

We love the Macan. Bought a '17 CPO GTS loaded- 18 way seats, full leather, all the bells, Carmine Red with black leather. Had 10K miles, one owner (I actually spoke with the owner before I bought it) and garaged and well cared for in Palm Springs. The GTS looked brand new inside and out.

I think the GTS is the sweet spot in the line-up. Air suspension and all the turbo suspension and goodies but no "turbo" engine. Runs, handles and sounds great. It's the wife's DD and she loves it. I did all of the research and after considering it all landed on the GTS.

Posted by: digit3 Nov 19 2020, 07:23 PM

Yeah I had a '17 GTS also. White over black. Was a really nice car and would highly recommend.

Posted by: SKL1 Nov 19 2020, 10:04 PM

Gotta agree with Cairo. We bought a slightly used '17 GTS a couple years ago as air suspension was a must as we had it on our first gen Cayenne some 15-16 years ago!

My older son also had a S with air suspension etc.

We loved it- replaced a TDI Q5 and couldn't believe they were made off the same basic chassis as it felt like a totally different animal.

Would have kept it until the warranty was out next spring but I had a chance to buy my son's nearly new RS5 sportback recently and love that car. I sold the Macan to a friend here and he loves it.

I'd go for a used CPO'ed GTS- there are a lot of them out there.

Posted by: 914_teener Nov 20 2020, 12:26 PM

Last drive I did with a PCA group back in January (seems like ages ago) a guy with a GTS was following me in the 987. He was on my tail most of the way and I was trying to leave him in the turns and he was right there. That air suspension is really cool and with it lowered he was one handing the turns on the way to Newcombes.

Posted by: Front yard mechanic Nov 20 2020, 08:24 PM

Spent a day driving one while the cayenne was getting serviced couldn't wait to get back into the cayenne these cars are too small for me and the visors remind me of a Kia

Posted by: VegasRacer Nov 20 2020, 10:05 PM

On a recent, local, spirited drive, I was behind a Macan GTS. I was working Elvira to keep pace with the group. Watching the Macan in front of me was like watching a cheap animated video where the vehicle was a stationary photograph and only the background moved. The GTS appeared to be immune to the g-forces I was experiencing.

Posted by: snakemain Nov 21 2020, 06:04 AM

Just celebrated 6 years with my Macan S. It's still awesome. The only issues I've had are the little chrome pieces on the window switches break off, and the 2015 has an issue where something on the exhaust will crack and make noise...currently dealing with that, but they supposedly fixed it after 2015. The air suspension really makes it handle like a beast, and the 18-way heated/cooled seats are very comfortable. The seats and interior still look new, even with 70k miles and kids/car seats in the back. I've flat-towed my 914 all over the country with it.

Posted by: Tdskip Nov 21 2020, 09:50 AM

Anyone else nervous about long term prospect of the air suspension?

Posted by: 914forme Nov 21 2020, 09:52 AM

What your experiencing is what has ruined most sports cars for me.

Mecan has AWD, Air Suspension, traction control, every net in the book to make it a great driver. What that does is makes a great handling car with out all the raw inputs required to make it work.

I just sold a Miata for this very reason. My 7 series was a better handling car. Who would have thought that a BMW 7 series RWD would be a better car to drive than a Miata. Well me, that's who. Now I will go to the next level, take my 7 series and toss it up against my wife's X5M. I have to work hard to keep up. There is no way to do it in a straight line the X5M has too much power and AWD puts it all to the ground. The 7 series and even my Boxster can not keep up. But it is in the corners where the AWD, air suspension, leveling and everything come together. That X5M will out run my entire fleet, I have to work hard to even have the Boxster to hang with it.

This is part of the reason I have almost given up on the 914, my good fortune has placed me in some epic rides. Now that these are my DDs, everything else just seems so boring.

Maybe I need to start driving 80s cars again so that the handling and fit and finish will be back to almost pure crap, and I will appreciate everything I drive again.

And when I add up the dollars I have invested in 914s over the years, I could have afforded more epic cars. When you get seat time in McLaren's you start to realize that even BMW Ms division still has room to grow. BTW, McLarens seem to have odd issues with interior bits. Why would you make a cars seat adjustor out of fragile material. Titanium is more fitting.

She will enjoy about any model you find for here. Drive it, make sure it handles the way she wants it too.

Posted by: Coondog Nov 21 2020, 10:44 AM

So let’s talk about buying CPO. For those who know me I go through a lot of daily drivers
whether it be new or used. Currently driving a 2020 Trail Boss after driving a Ford Edge ST after driving a Mercedes after driving a F150 Lariat after driving a..... you get the picture.

Sometimes I think about opening up a side business to help people through the car buying experience. By doing your homework you might find that you don’t really need to pay the extra 4-5% mark up a CPO car dictates.

So what does a CPO car get you and how can you avoid paying the extra 4-5%

# Extended warranty......Look for a very low mile car no older then 3 years and find a car that was sold late in the model year or even better within the first months into the next year. The cars warranty does not start until the car is first purchased. If you can get a car with 3 years remaining on the factory warranty then you can always renegotiate a extended warranty with the dealer near the time the factory warranty runs out at a much cheaper price then a CPO warranty cost you. Also look to see if the original buyer bought a extended warranty as those are transferable. Really you need to ask yourself how long am I going to have this car.

# Special financing.... Stupid dealer trick. If you have great credit then your going to get a great rate. Never tell the sales person how you are going to finance the car or what payment you can afford. That can wait until you have agreed on a purchase price.

# More thorough inspection....It’s just a longer check list of things a mechanic checks off to make you the buyer feel good. The cars under factory warranty so it along with any recalls would have been taken care of during routine maintenance. That’s how dealers make there money from factory warranty work. If there’s a problem under warranty it’s going to get fixed.
Dealers pick and choose what cars get a CPO. You could have two identical cars, one gets it the other doesn’t. It may be a desirable model so they will make it a CPO car or a used car may have been sitting on the lot to long or they have to many of the same model cars. Not a real science behind it other then to make you feel it’s a better car then the one sitting next to it. Check the car fax history if it’s maintenance was done at Jiffy lube and tune and not the dealer then walk away.

# Roadside assistance.... AAA is still cheaper

# Free Sirius radio......Who give a shit.

# Dealer will take care of you.....Another dealer bullshit trick. I bought my Mercedes in Texas and had the service work done at Ontario Mercedes. They don’t give a rats ass where I bought the car from. It was under warranty so I got every dealer perk.

I guess it really boils down to your peace of mind. 3 years ago I bought a high end Mercedes “already sold it” that was 2 years old. It was first sold 4 months into the following year 2018. I had 4 years remaining on the factory warranty so it did not make sense to find another car that was certified CPO.

Plus remember most buyers of high end cars treat them very good. Your call my friend but with a little homework you can find a great car and a better deal without buying CPO.

Just my 2 cents trying to save you 5% more then you need to.

Posted by: Mueller Nov 21 2020, 11:43 AM

Not a question of if it will fail, just a question of when.


Our '10 Land Rover has had air suspension. Loved it until the car got to the age that components started to need replacing. Luckily the one time the front bags failed completely I was just around the corner and was able to limp it home.

For me I took the easy way out and replaced all 4 air struts with new factory coil over suspension. I don't miss the air suspension and I have a little more piece of mind with a 10 year old vehicle.

Posted by: DRPHIL914 Nov 21 2020, 02:57 PM

we have 2 vehicles with air suspension, a ‘04 Jaguar XJ VDP , on all 4, and a ‘07 Lincoln Navigator that is air in rear. failure of the air compressor on the lincoln resulted in replacing that myself in about a half hour for $250 rather than the stealership for about $1000 2 years ago, then a year ago a leaking bag on one side made me look into the air bag replacement vs strut spring conversion. - well i went with the conversion that was 1/4 the cost BUT the ride quality both towing and not towing pales in comparison to the air ride system and i will pull these and “spring” for the more costly air bags- way better- oh and by the way those bags lates 250k miles and 12 years!!!!! my wife loves the truck and it will stay with us so it’s not a big deal to put $800 into new rear air bags. the system is not that complicated either.
well i learned from that experience whe i had to put new ones on the rear of the jag. it was $800 for both, i upgraded to the Arnott industries Sport version and they are ..... LIFETIME warranty... so the jag only has 150k miles but it’s 17 years old, and it’s still mint and we will keep it- Jag wanted $2200 to do that job, it wasn’t hard... i would not let the air ride system scare me away from buying that vehicle. this thread is timely as i am considering selling the Maserati and getting one of these for the wife as well.
Wife will get the Macan i will drive the jag or 914, we have the truck for well . who doesn’t need a truck now and then and foe towing the 914 to Okteenerfest

Posted by: 914-300Hemi Nov 21 2020, 09:35 PM

Saw this Orange Macan GTS today. It was an 18 and has 23k and he paid 60k. It looked amazing. Supposedly only 2 exist in the US.

Posted by: Mikey914 Nov 21 2020, 09:38 PM

Looked into buying a GTS, that's the way I'd go if you are sold on this model of the platform.
I wound up buying a Q5 TDI as my daily as I'd be racking up lots of hay miles. Had the good fortune of picking one up for 22.5k 40k on it. And 37 might. Have 120k on it in 2 years. I did love the handling of the GTS, but the math convinced me

Posted by: digit3 Nov 22 2020, 06:28 AM

I've had both a Q5 and Macan GTS and IMHO there is no comparison. GTS is laid out so much better, has better seats, more features, is faster (my Q5 was not a TDI), has MUCH better and more intuitive instrumentation, and looks a hell of a lot better. I never drove the GTS in winter but I will say that Quattros have always been great in inclement weather.

Posted by: seanpaulmc Nov 26 2020, 11:12 AM

Does anyone here actually have a base level Macan with the 4-cyl 2.0L Turbo and will offer their opinion on driving and ownership? I'm curious what owner's think since the Macan is Porche's best selling car.

With 250 hp in the 4-cyl it should be fine as a daily driver / commuting car. Expensive choice, but nevertheless fine for a DD. I get that participating in a BBS like 914World means you are probably a car enthusiast and will likely choose the increased performance offered in a higher trim level. The next step up in the S gives a noticeable bump of 90 hp.

Again, curious what owners think about their base level Macans.

Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving.

Posted by: Racer Nov 27 2020, 07:11 AM

Not a Macan owner, but there is inherently nothing wrong with a "base" model, but we've been conditioned to think that the base is not worth it when there are S/GTS/Turbo models to choose from instead.

I know some reviewer remarked that the 90lbs less on the front axle of the base model does impart some additional sharpness when cornering. But I imagine that is easily overcome by the larger wheels/tires of the upper models from a "g force" standpoint.. but sometimes "feel" is preferred over raw numbers.

Also consider that the Original base Cayenne only had a 250hp V6 and it sold pretty well. But since Porsche's are image cars, unless you go for the designation delete option (ie, remove the name off the trunk) most will know you "cheaped out".

Then again, anyone with a stock 4cyl 914 has 100hp or less (sometimes much less).. so I don't see the reason to complain about a 250hp base Macan

Posted by: Cairo94507 Nov 27 2020, 09:28 AM

We had a 2019 base Macan loaner for 3 days and it was OK. I thought it had all right acceleration for the weight of the vehicle. If you are really considering the base model, it gets the job done, I would suggest you not drive the upper models as it will spoil you. Regardless, all of the Macan are great looking and driving SUV's. It is the most sold car Porsche makes.