On the fence

[vxb]

I have a nice 2023 BMW I4 ev40 in tanzanite blue, M-Sport with only 19,000 miles on the odometer. I happened to test drive a 2025 base taycan at a neighborhood Porsche dealer and was blown away by its suspension calibration, handling, and steering feel. I considered only leasing it, but that dealer gave me a really high monthly quote. Now I found a much better lease deal and decided to go for it. My car was appraised for $32K (ouch, paid $68K in October of 20222) by Carmax, and the dealer accepted the estimate. I agreed to the deal and yesterday brought my car to trade it in and pick up Taycan. I started with a test drive which, I thought, was just a formality, but this time the car seemed very large although it still drove extremely nice. I told the dealer I needed more time to make a decision and left. Taycan is a demo with less than 4,000 miles, MSRP $124,000. I could lease it for $1,100 a month with 0 down for a 24/7,500. Trading in my car reduces the tax amount by over $2,000, and the dealer will cut me a check for $32,000. Experienced people on leasehackr liked the lease numbers.

I completely undertsand that it's a really bad deal financially: in two years I'll pay $27K to porsche and will be left with $5K (32-27) and no car. However, it's not a rational decision but purely emotional: I really loved the first Taycan test drive, it was fantastic.

I'm not sure why I'm posting this as nobody but myself can make a decision. Every 10 minutes I change my mind whether to keep my I4 or get Taycan.
I wonder if some people on this forum dealt with a similar dilemma and what car they eventually chose.

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[ngkgb]

Question is: how much more depreciation will your i4 take over the next two years. Not as much as your gonna be paying for the Taycan lease as the biggest hit in depreciation has already been realized. Also, ask them to run numbers on a one pay lease. It’ll save you a few grand over 24 months.

 

[MidwestPCar]

You haven't asked a specific question, but I can try to offer up some opinions, having cross shopped the I4 and the Taycan (along with other cars) recently. I used to have several BMWs and also owned a 911, so I've some background with both brands.
I think both your observations are valid. The Taycan felt absolutely great to me on my first test drive (that suspension feels glued to the road, it also helped that I had a twisty country road with the performance package). The I4 felt ... good... but basic.
On subsequent drives, I have since come to realize that the Taycan is a big car. The joke is that Porsche made the largest exterior with the smallest interior - it's true. The car barely fits into my parking spot.
The Taycan is best on fast roads and hopefully some curves, but is big. I needed some extra test drives to really convince myself.
I liked it so much and needed a 4 door, 4 seater, so sold my 911 and got a used Taycan 4S.

Like you said, only you can decide which one is right for you. But hopefully that helps. If you can consider a used car, the depreciation works in your favor.

 

[whitex]

@vxb, any chance the taycan you drove the first time had rear axel steering?

 

[vxb]

Question is: how much more depreciation will your i4 take over the next two years. Not as much as your gonna be paying for the Taycan lease as the biggest hit in depreciation has already been realized. Also, ask them to run numbers on a one pay lease. It’ll save you a few grand over 24 months.

Thank you for your reply. I did ask them to run the numbers for the one pay lease, and it would save me $100 a month. However, Porsche does not return prorated lease payment if car is totaled. It's just too much risk to take to save $2,400.

 

[vxb]

@vxb, any chance the taycan you drove the first time had rear axel steering?

No, it didn't, thank you

 

[vxb]

You haven't asked a specific question, but I can try to offer up some opinions, having cross shopped the I4 and the Taycan (along with other cars) recently. I used to have several BMWs and also owned a 911, so I've some background with both brands.
I think both your observations are valid. The Taycan felt absolutely great to me on my first test drive (that suspension feels glued to the road, it also helped that I had a twisty country road with the performance package). The I4 felt ... good... but basic.
On subsequent drives, I have since come to realize that the Taycan is a big car. The joke is that Porsche made the largest exterior with the smallest interior - it's true. The car barely fits into my parking spot.
The Taycan is best on fast roads and hopefully some curves, but is big. I needed some extra test drives to really convince myself.
I liked it so much and needed a 4 door, 4 seater, so sold my 911 and got a used Taycan 4S.

Like you said, only you can decide which one is right for you. But hopefully that helps. If you can consider a used car, the depreciation works in your favor.

Thank you for your observations. I started thinking that the difference in my test drives could probably be attributed to the routes I took. The first drive was on an almost empty windy country road whereas the second one was in the vicinity of Washington, DC where I had to drive through traffic before getting to a short drive through a secondary road with less traffic but with lots of roundabouts where I definitely felt the largeness of Taycan.

 

[ngkgb]

Thank you for your reply. I did ask them to run the numbers for the one pay lease, and it would save me $100 a month. However, Porsche does not return prorated lease payment if car is totaled. It's just too much risk to take to save $2,400.

With whom did you confirm this?

 

[vxb]

With whom did you confirm this?

Both sales and general managers told me that. I also called Porsche financial and heard the same. Basically, they told me Porsche would return you the difference, if any, between the insurance payoff and the car's residual.

 

[ngkgb]

Thank you for your reply. I did ask them to run the numbers for the one pay lease, and it would save me $100 a month. However, Porsche does not return prorated lease payment if car is totaled. It's just too much risk to take to save $2,400.

Both sales and general managers told me that. I also called Porsche financial and heard the same. Basically, they told me Porsche would return you the difference, if any, between the insurance payoff and the car's residual.

Yeah. That’s what I was just told too. TBH I didn’t even think about this scenario when I signed, but I still feel ok about the decision. I saved 3400 over the 24 months. Also, I believe it’s the difference between your payoff and market value. The way one pay leases work, your lease pay off is initially very low. My layoff right now is 75xxx. If I totaled it today, I think market value would at least be in the 90s, so I don’t think I’d totally lose my shirt

 

[AceArora]

owning a taycan is an emotional decision. my wife drives mine more than i do but i still love seeing it in the drive and look forward to taking it out. if money isnt an issue go get it and dont over think.

 

[MidwestPCar]

Thank you for your observations. I started thinking that the difference in my test drives could probably be attributed to the routes I took. The first drive was on an almost empty windy country road whereas the second one was in the vicinity of Washington, DC where I had to drive through traffic before getting to a short drive through a secondary road with less traffic but with lots of roundabouts where I definitely felt the largeness of Taycan.

That tracks exactly like my drives. The Taycan is a big car, but very sporty for it's size and very well engineered. Without traffic on a windy country road, it shines (even more so with the rear axle steering and other elements of the performance package). In a city drive (like most of mine are), with lots of slow driving, slow turns, and other vehicles, the size and mass are factors and cannot be hidden.
All that I can add is that I drive mostly in a big city, and I've gotten somewhat (not completely) used to the size, and I like it when I can open it up. It would be what I'd choose again over the I4. But... your situation is unique to you. Good luck.

 

[whitex]

No, it didn't, thank you

Have you considered test driving one with RAS? It can make the car feel smaller.

 

[vxb]

Yeah. That’s what I was just told too. TBH I didn’t even think about this scenario when I signed, but I still feel ok about the decision. I saved 3400 over the 24 months. Also, I believe it’s the difference between your payoff and market value. The way one pay leases work, your lease pay off is initially very low. My layoff right now is 75xxx. If I totaled it today, I think market value would at least be in the 90s, so I don’t think I’d totally lose my shirt

You’re absolutely right. I have to make a decision if I get Taycan: do one pay and save $2,400 or conventional payments

 

[vxb]

That tracks exactly like my drives. The Taycan is a big car, but very sporty for it's size and very well engineered. Without traffic on a windy country road, it shines (even more so with the rear axle steering and other elements of the performance package). In a city drive (like most of mine are), with lots of slow driving, slow turns, and other vehicles, the size and mass are factors and cannot be hidden.
All that I can add is that I drive mostly in a big city, and I've gotten somewhat (not completely) used to the size, and I like it when I can open it up. It would be what I'd choose again over the I4. But... your situation is unique to you. Good luck.

Thank you for sharing your experience

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