Advice on spec for a first-time buyer

Will Perrott

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Plenty of good advice above so I'm going to chime in with a different angle. Based on your priorities & situation I'd advise against a Taycan. It's really not a car designed for safety or family comfort and you might find yourself overwhelmed by the torque.

It is low to the ground, has little storage, and child safety is an afterthought as it was never designed as a family car despite the four doors. The driving aids in the Taycan are pretty poor for a modern car and the visibility is fairly low.

If I were you, I'd get a CPO Macan or Panamera (if you're set on Porsche) and drive that for a year or two first.

Just my 2 cents. Otherwise good advice above on spec.
Frank has made a very valid point here.
I've just come from a Panamera and my wife has the Macan. Both are great family cars with big luggage capacity.
You need to check you can fit all the baby stuff in the Taycan. You may be surprised how much space a pram takes up - I suspect it might fill the boot, or with some of the larger ones might not fit in at all. If you've already bought the pram take it to the dealer and try it.
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RG2020

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On privacy glass, in the end my decision to spec it was for when my daughter is in the back, I’d just rather have the privacy.
 

robborover

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Welcome Tom, great blog btw. i would echo the space sentiments (boot) re pushchairs and clobber. There are options for roof boxes of course and will be fine in the back space wise. I think the spec points above cover most of the views, leather for clean up for sure :)
 

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Hi TomC

Welcome to the forum. I take it you are buying this car or your wife to drive as it’s not a car for a learner driver. As mentioned earlier it hasn’t got loads of storage space but it is bigger than your current A class.

May I ask, what made you choose a Taycan over other vehicles? Was it the Porsche branding or the fact that it is an electric car?
 

Mouse House

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My first car had 69hp and I find the idea of learning in a car with 500hp more pretty amusing.

I think it will make a great family car if you don't need tons of space.
 


CJE

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Howdy,

I am after as much advice as possible from the great folk of this forum to spec our Taycan 4S. I know there are a lot of discussions around this, but my situation is probably quite unique, in that this is the first car I will ever have purchased. I don't even have a driving license right now; my wife has been driving over 10 years, but we've only had one car together (Mercedes A Class) which we leased in a hurry last year. Basically, you may rightfully talk to me as someone who truly knows nothing about cars.

Having put the deposit down yesterday, I will be finalising the order next week. Whilst I've no prior interest in cars, I do love my research and have spent far too long during lockdown on the configurator and these forums.

This is being purchased as a family car, with our daughter due any week now. For the spec our main priorities are:
  1. Safety
  2. Comfort
  3. Saleability (we'll replace it in 2-3 years time)
I have started to go through this with the sales executive in Cambridge, but it's always good to get extra opinions. Here's what I think the best configuration is, based on that criteria:


Optional extras:
  • 21” Wheels
  • Better interior - should we go non-leather? It's hard to gauge quality from the pictures
  • Heads-up display
  • Night Vision Assist
  • InnoDrive
  • Ambient Lighting
  • E-Performance - unknown what we require
Considered, but unlikely
  • Passenger Display - I tried this during the test drive and couldn't see enough value in it
  • Seat Ventilation (front) - probably not needed in the UK weather?
  • Acoustically insulated laminated glass - it already seemed quiet, so does this make much difference?
  • Side Window Trims in Black (high-gloss) - I still can't decide whether it's better with or without
Any thoughts/insights? Anything I've missed or should consider?
This is probably not the response you were hop[ling for but it may clarify how you look at optional features and how you can best configure your proposed new car.

First I would suggest that the reasons you list for making these decisions...safety, comfort, salability...are three reasons to select another car rather than trying to turn a Taycan into a "family car". It's not.

The Taycan is a sport car masquerading as a family sedan and that alone sets it apart from all other automobiles. It's a driver's car not a transport for families. Yes, it's as safe as any contemporary heavy car with all the required safety features. Yes, it's reasonably comfortable, but the driving position is designed for piloting, not for a shopping trip or a visit to relatives. Yes, it's probably as salable as any luxury purchase with the immediate drop in value an elevated sales price creates, but configuring it for someone you don't know at a time in the future that is as yet undetermined seems to be a waste of time and energy.

From everything you are describing about your own stage in life and the issues you are thinking about I would suggest buying or leasing a Tesla Model 3. It will be cheaper, simpler to deal with, as safe as a Taycan and significantly less expensive--which in itself solves some of your re-sale worries.

But if, like the rest of us on this forum, you are committed to having a Porsche, I'd suggest some of the following: Skip the heads-up display and the Innodrive and get the sport-chrono because that knob will get used every time you drive. Go with the Bose because it sounds great .Get lane change assist for safety. Pick the leather seats because they feel great and they're easy to keep clean. And add anything else that catches your fancy as you proceed down the ordering path. If you get a
Taycan I'm betting you'll keep it much longer than you anticipate. Get everything you think would enrich your experience.

My Taycan Turbo S is my 10th Porsche starting with a 912 in 1968. It's clearly the best car I've ever driven, but I can't imagine it being my first Porsche, much less my first car. I think you're a very lucky guy to have this opportunity, and frankly this challenge. Why not start at the top if you can. But as you put it together keep reminding yourself that you're buying a sports car despite its four doors, its weight and its size. You buy one of these to drive it and everything else comes along for the ride. Just keep that in mind as you put it together.

Good luck!
 

daveo4EV

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advice: get the way you want it - everything you "skip" to save money will seem trivial and stupid 6 months after taking delivery - and it will eat at you that you didn't "just do it right"…

enjoy! configure it to your liking! don't look back!

if you wanna save money don't buy a porsche - if you want the best car just do it!

no regrets.
 


JacobDK

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Howdy,

I am after as much advice as possible from the great folk of this forum to spec our Taycan 4S. I know there are a lot of discussions around this, but my situation is probably quite unique, in that this is the first car I will ever have purchased. I don't even have a driving license right now; my wife has been driving over 10 years, but we've only had one car together (Mercedes A Class) which we leased in a hurry last year. Basically, you may rightfully talk to me as someone who truly knows nothing about cars.

Having put the deposit down yesterday, I will be finalising the order next week. Whilst I've no prior interest in cars, I do love my research and have spent far too long during lockdown on the configurator and these forums.

This is being purchased as a family car, with our daughter due any week now. For the spec our main priorities are:
  1. Safety
  2. Comfort
  3. Saleability (we'll replace it in 2-3 years time)
I have started to go through this with the sales executive in Cambridge, but it's always good to get extra opinions. Here's what I think the best configuration is, based on that criteria:


Optional extras:
  • 21” Wheels
  • Better interior - should we go non-leather? It's hard to gauge quality from the pictures
  • Heads-up display
  • Night Vision Assist
  • InnoDrive
  • Ambient Lighting
  • E-Performance - unknown what we require
Considered, but unlikely
  • Passenger Display - I tried this during the test drive and couldn't see enough value in it
  • Seat Ventilation (front) - probably not needed in the UK weather?
  • Acoustically insulated laminated glass - it already seemed quiet, so does this make much difference?
  • Side Window Trims in Black (high-gloss) - I still can't decide whether it's better with or without
Any thoughts/insights? Anything I've missed or should consider?
if its your very first car - and it’s a family car you are after (and you want BEV) then go Audi E-Tron. Much better car for this.
The Taycan is a very fast car so if you buy it I would advice you to take a lot of extra high performance driving classes so you can keep you and your family safe.

Regarding your spec -I would advice against innodrive (its on demand anyway if you get the automatic cruise - which I highlysuggest)

Go for 19” or at the most 20”rims - first car you will probably hit the curbs from time to time when parking.

Dolomite is my colour too - but I wen’t for black window surrounds as they make a great addition to the lighter colours.

With kids - go for leather seats.

Consider the keyless go - a nice feature when you go to the car with baby, gear etc in your hands. Can’t really put the child on the pavement while your fetching your Porsche keys from the pockets ;)
Get all security and driver assist options - but don’t let them fool you - forces of nature and physical limits still apply!
 

Taycanturbolondon

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I have a MY 2021 turbo which has the pdls matrix as standard. I can confirm that they are fantastic and work at low speeds, I say even at 15-20mph. A must get in my opinion.

If you take innodrive, then you must have either LCA or 3D parking also to complete the package. I made the mistake of not doing so
 
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TomC

TomC

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Guys, I went to bed and we were a family and woke up to find you've been replaced by my wife having a meltdown. Don't worry, I'm not gonna sue anyone for their advice when I accidentally throttle it off a cliff. I joke...kinda. Thank you for all the advice though, these forums are amazing.

Leather it is; smaller wheels it is. I'm doing more research into the other areas now.

To add some clarity around our situation, I think this helps: https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/taycan-as-a-family-vehicle.3083/page-2#post-44206

So in summary:
  • We've taken along all the baby equipment and it fits fine; the legroom in the front and back is significantly better than our A Class
  • Other people on these forums use it as a family car too, so that gives some comfort
  • We're going to be buying another electric car prior to returning the Merc in August - something that's a lot more family focused
My wife is an excellent driver and after two test drives with the Taycan feels very confident using it. My Dad also had a go and he feels very, very confident - so much so, I'm already working on excuses to make sure he can never, ever borrow it. As for myself, well I guess we'll find out! I think I'm old and ugly enough to be as sensible as possible around it and just stick to the Merc after passing my test.

Why a Porsche/electric vehicle?
  • I have friends that will only buy Porsche's and swear by them
  • Which? magazine ranked Tesla as the joint worst cars for reliability, whilst Porsche was ranked #1 in the luxury vehicles
  • The UK government offers tax incentives so strong for buying an electric vehicle that if I didn't read it on gov.uk I would think Charles Ponzi had risen from the grave to start a new scam.
It then comes down to an emotional point. For electric vehicles, I felt from all my reading that it was between a Tesla Model S, Jaguar I Pace or the Taycan. I think the Jag looks great on the outside, but the interiors feel cheap and during our very brief test drive it tried to murder us when using the parking assist. When you look at the price difference between it and the Tesla S, it seemed a no brainer to get the Tesla.

However, the Tesla is just as big as the Taycan, just as fast and twice as ugly. No one needs a £100k car, but if you're going to buy one you want to have an emotional attachment to it. Add to this, I cannot get finance as I do not have a drivers license, so I've got to buy this car in cash. To me, it feels a very different proposition to chuck £100k on something vs small monthly payments, even if the outcome is the same. There was no way I could justify spending that on a Tesla. I could stomach the Model 3, but it too wouldn't fit a dog, so then we'd need another car at some point anyway and the Porsche would never have happened.

Does it make 100% sense? Probably not to most people, but definitely to a lot of people on these forums.

Lastly, I mentioned selling as I don't like keeping anything tech related for more than 2-3 years. It feels a good time to get another one.
 

RG2020

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Well said.

With the dolomite silver by the way, of the photos I’ve seen online I think it looks really smart.

And if I’d have had to put down the cash for my car, I might not have chosen it. But now having had it for a while, I would pay the cash.
 

feye

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My first car had 69hp and I find the idea of learning in a car with 500hp more pretty amusing.
69hp? Racing driver! I started with 27hp - gave me 0 to 100km/h in ∞ s.

I fondly remember how I drove highway races with big trucks. Downhill, I overtook them, because legally they cannot go above 80km/h, uphill, they overtook me, cause I only manage to get 75 km/h out of my 27hp soap box.

Nevertheless, I find it's quite easy to drive the Taycan very smooth at low speeds.
 

JacobDK

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I learnt to drive in a Peugeot 205 GT (not GTI) with twin carburators and 79 hp. I'm pretty much ready for Formula 1.
Well my first was a 205 1,3 Rallye with 120 hp, no abs, esp, tc etc but fun and engaging. I had a 309 GTI rear suspension mounted on it and on the rigt day in the right conditions it could keep up with an M5..
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