Goodbye 4S. Total Loss

[f1eng]

I think Porsche thinks everyone who buys a Taycan is a die hard Porsche fan.

The Taycan is my first Porsche.

I am not a brand fan, I think that is bonkers though a well cultivated marketing success.

I have considered one several times over the years but the Taycan is the first to make it to the top of my shortlist.
The 993 version of the 911 was the first I looked at but the normally aspirated one was slower than the TVR Griffith I already had and the turbo was laggy and only really spectacular at illegal speeds, so I kept the TVR.
Others I found the options list and price offensive, or too big and heavy.

I did actually find the Taycan options list offensive, and it is too big and heavy, but for the first time there was no other car which had anything which made it a better choice for me than the Porsche.

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[DoctorLife]

My first Porsche too, and such a different beast to my previous S class, no regrets at all, had to be electric and the EQS is too big. The Taycan oozes style.

As for the repair vs new debate, I am firmly on the side of the "get a new one" fence. Major repairs don't necessarily always translate to the car being perfect again.

During a big storm in the UK, a number of roofing ridge tiles fell onto a Merc I had, damaging the A pillar, bonnet and sides. repaired to a very high standard by Mercedes, but small but annoying rattle from the dash never went away and the source was never found. Totally ruined my experience of what had been a superb car.

 

[BigBob]

Good to hear nobody was injured but does question why it would be a total loss for what appears to be so little damage. Years ago, I had a Bentley Arnage worth £40k that was claimed to be a total loss for a small amount of damage. I insisted on it being repaired at a Bentley approved dealer and the cost was less than £7k. Perhaps that's why insurance is so expensive ?

I imagine the loss adjustor was valuing the car much lower than you/the market did, so they therefore see more value in writing it off for scrap value. And you end up with a much smaller cheque than you think the car is worth (or your car).

When you do have a 'bump' its a good idea to get the car taken to the garage you know/trust rather than insurance company taking it to their recovery centre. Once it's there you've got much less chance to get the repair values accurate and more importantly the pre-crash value of the car established.

When a Deer decided to get in my panamera, the insurer was very keen to send it to their yard as 'it sounds like you probably won't get it back'. Glad i said no, as local specialist fixed it upwell within write-off zone. Sold shortly after to a friend, who wrote it off in 3 months i might add!

 

[tchavei]

So glad I have the "3 years as new" option in my insurance. No devaluation for the first 3 years. Full MRSP if totalled.

 

[detansinn]

You don't often hear of people cross-shopping a Taycan and F150. This is an excellent example of how Taycan customers are very different from legacy Porsche customers. I don't think this has sunk in with Porsche very much yet. I think Porsche thinks everyone who buys a Taycan is a die hard Porsche fan. They ought to keep track of what cars people are switching out of. At one of my local dealers, the SA told me half or more of his Taycan customers came from a Tesla, or still have a Tesla, and it's their first Porsche.

To be clear, I am a serious Porsche enthusiast. I have 991.2 Targa in the garage. Before my Taycan, I had a 992 Carrera 4S. I am a legacy Porsche customer with absurd fanboy knowledge down to paint codes.

The Lightning was ordered as an EV in addition the Taycan. If my Taycan 4S didn’t meet it’s fate, I’d probably have both.

With regards to cross-shopping, while the form factor is totally different, a well equipped F150 Lightning is actually more expensive than a lightly optioned Taycan RWD. Pickup trucks have been expensive for a long time. Even with all of the price increases, the Lightning is only $8-10k more expensive, depending upon the trim, than an ICE version of the truck with the same options.

For me an interesting dynamic is that the driving experience isn’t all that different going from EV to EV. Until the pedal is to the floor, all of the powertrains basically feel the same. While my wife and I each have our own EVs, I am not sure that I need another EV to drive around, because the experiences aren’t that distinct.

When I hop in my 911, rowing my own gears and making noise, that’s a distinct driving experience compared to the EVs. ICE vehicles have a lot more variety in terms of the noises and ways that the vehicles make power.

I am a huge EV enthusiast (even have a Livewire), but it’s going to be challenging for automakers to distinguish themselves from one other when every EV basically feels the same, whether it’s a pick-up or a 4 door sports car.

 

[f1eng]

when every EV basically feels the same, whether it’s a pick-up or a 4 door sports car.

I find it difficult to believe, nay impossible, that a Taycan and any pickup truck would feel the same on any road I drive on around here

There is a pickup truck here I see from time to time belonging to a builder, by the look of it. Other than that not common, unlike SUVs and crossovers - which also won’t feel like a Taycan on any road with corners and braking requirement!.

 

[Hanny]

I find it difficult to believe, nay impossible, that a Taycan and any pickup truck would feel the same on any road I drive on around here

There is a pickup truck here I see from time to time belonging to a builder, by the look of it. Other than that not common, unlike SUVs and crossovers - which also won’t feel like a Taycan on any road with corners and braking requirement!.

I think maybe the ref was regarding to silent instant torque drive, handling and space/eniviroment will differ BUT I have to agree that there are some ICE vehicles that simply can’t be replicated with an EV.

Now time for me to sink back in the shadows, as not wanting to attempt to ‘inform’ any opinions as such an experienced automotive person as you sir

 

[f1eng]

I think maybe the ref was regarding to silent instant torque drive, handling and space/eniviroment will differ BUT I have to agree that there are some ICE vehicles that simply can’t be replicated with an EV.

Now time for me to sink back in the shadows, as not wanting to attempt to ‘inform’ any opinions as such an experienced automotive person as you sir

Yes but I was questioning what he wrote, not what he may have meant and teasing.

I found the Audi E-Tron GT felt surprisingly different to the Taycan when I drove them and they have identical hardware.

Yes the silence and instant throttle response of an EV means they are much preferable for busy UK roads for overtaking, but for me fun involves 3 pedals and a 6-speed manual. The engine response is important but only part of the feel of a car on driver’s roads IME.

Quite honestly having a quick car in current traffic conditions is almost as bad as having one in a big town or city, 100% unusable. It was great around here 40 years ago, pretty crap now.

 

[detansinn]

I find it difficult to believe, nay impossible, that a Taycan and any pickup truck would feel the same on any road I drive on around here

There is a pickup truck here I see from time to time belonging to a builder, by the look of it. Other than that not common, unlike SUVs and crossovers - which also won’t feel like a Taycan on any road with corners and braking requirement!.

Independent rear suspension, very low center of gravity. It doesn’t have the Porsche EPAS programming steering feel, but the Lightning earns its badge.

I put 26k miles on my Taycan and over 35k miles on my 992C4S. I have 4K miles on the F150 now.

Of course, if attacking back roads is the order of the day, I have a 911, a Ducati, and the LiveWire

 

[whitex]

The Taycan is my first Porsche.

I am not a brand fan, I think that is bonkers though a well cultivated marketing success.

I have considered one several times over the years but the Taycan is the first to make it to the top of my shortlist.
The 993 version of the 911 was the first I looked at but the normally aspirated one was slower than the TVR Griffith I already had and the turbo was laggy and only really spectacular at illegal speeds, so I kept the TVR.
Others I found the options list and price offensive, or too big and heavy.

I did actually find the Taycan options list offensive, and it is too big and heavy, but for the first time there was no other car which had anything which made it a better choice for me than the Porsche.

Taycan is my second Porsche, however separated by 2 decades of driving other cars. After moving from California to Washington, I sold my 911C4 because the roads around here are just horrible, which made the 911 not comfortable as a daily car (it was a great daily car when I lived in California). I remember thinking to myself, if I ever pick up another 911, it will be because I moved to another state with better roads, or as a track-only car. Either might still happen. 911 also cannot be one's only car, even when I was single living in California, I had a 911C4 and a supercharged Toyota 4Runner, with the 911 being the daily driver, but the SUV needed for shopping, hobbies, hauling more than one friend to dinners or events. Taycan CT on the other hand is very well suited for daily driver, fun car for open roads, shopping or hobbying, taking family/friends out to dinner, and occasional track day - an all in one car, love it.

Side thought; even though my wife and I often drive the same model cars in the past, including Model S'es (2 each over last decade), I don't think she will go for the Taycan this time. Getting too expensive and no electronic steering column would annoy her after each time I drive her car - rarely, but it happens, and while is seems like a small thing, at the price you pay for a Taycan, you expect a little more than from a Toyota Camry. I can almost hear my wife saying "you paid how much for this car and it doesn't even remember the driver's steering column position!?!". I suspect her next car (she's still quite happy with the Model S, it is newer than mine was) will be either some Audi estate/hatchback EV, Merc EQS, or maybe even F150 Lightening - her hobby is gardening, so a pickup truck might actually come handy, though the Model S with a tarp on the back does a great job most of the time. My next car might be another Taycan, or some other car, will evaluate in a few years. I have a high opinion of Porsche, but I've never been a life long brand loyalist to any brand. I always look at the offerings at the time, including my personal experience with the brand.

 

[artdept]

glad no one was hurt. this looks looks a like a great car for parts. where and when will be auctioned off?

 

[Icey4s]

glad no one was hurt. this looks looks a like a great car for parts. where and when will be auctioned off?

I'm not sure when the auction will happen, but it is in Las Vegas, NV.

 

[snstevens]

In March of 2021 a woman pulled in front of me from her left-turn lane and smashed the font left and center fender area (all airbags released), and shoved me into a curb.

As it happens, it was the twisting of the frame that resulted in the car being totaled, not the damage to the fenders and such. I ordered a 2021 Taycan (similar build) and it arrived 3 months later.

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