Taycan Options Advice

[Sidicks]

worrying about depreciation on an unnecessary new-vehicle purchase -

There’s a difference between ‘worrying’ about depreciation and planning your strategy to try and minimise the potential impact of depreciation!

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[TDinDC]

worrying about depreciation on an unnecessary new-vehicle purchase -

No worrying here. Just optimizing financial choices regarding something I will be driving in any event.

And as I have said in every post, I'm not a lease evangelist by any means and I don't think there is a "wrong" choice. I buy 911s and lease EVs. That's all.

 

[TDinDC]

There’s a difference between ‘worrying’ about depreciation and planning your strategy to try and minimise the potential impact of depreciation!

Precisely!

 

[TDinDC]

Hasn't it been the GTS models that have typically been the lowest depreciators (ignoring Porsche GT models)?

Also, normally the residual values are set for the basic model and little, if any, benefit is given for options. If you’ve loaded up your car with options, by leasing you will be paying full value for those options and not getting any benefit from a higher residual value.

Not sure. I ordered my Taycan 9 months ago before GTS was introduced, so the research I did at the time of placing my order may indeed no longer be accurate.

You are also right that options have nothing to do with the depreciation rates, but the models do!

When I did my research, the depreciation rates for Taycan Cross Turismos were as follows (from least depreciation to most depreciation):

1. 4S
2. Base
3. Turbo
4. Turbo S.

I'm not sure where GTS would fall in that mix now.

 

[Sidicks]

Not sure. I ordered my Taycan 9 months ago before GTS was introduced, so the research I did at the time of placing my order may indeed no longer be accurate.

You are also right that options have nothing to do with the depreciation rates, but the models do!

When I did my research, the depreciation rates for Taycan Cross Turismos were as follows (from least depreciation to most depreciation):

1. 4S
2. Base
3. Turbo
4. Turbo S.

I'm not sure where GTS would fall in that mix now.

Yes, definitely agree with that scale, pre-GTS. I think GTS would now be #1!

 

[TDinDC]

Yes, definitely agree with that scale, pre-GTS. I think GTS would now be #1!

Could be. My numbers came straight from Porsche Financial. I'm sure someone could find this out and update.

 

[daveo4EV]

And the price is down to 159k. Thanks a lot for your advice!

Updated configuration: http://www.porsche-code.com/PPDNAQP2

this is a good build- the _ONLY_ change I would make are different cosmetic changes which is 100% a personal taste/appearance issue vs. functional - so that feedback is pointless as it's all personal taste.

as a functional build it's great - and it's hard to go wrong with the GTS…

good job!

 

[daveo4EV]

this is a good build- the _ONLY_ change I would make are different cosmetic changes which is 100% a personal taste/appearance issue vs. functional - so that feedback is pointless as it's all personal taste.

as a functional build it's great - and it's hard to go wrong with the GTS…

good job!

consider the delivery experience - either Atlanta or Los Angeles - it's a fantastic day and well worth it - and super special experience that can not be beat.

 

[daveo4EV]

And the price is down to 159k. Thanks a lot for your advice!

Updated configuration: http://www.porsche-code.com/PPDNAQP2

14-way seats have massage options - wife loves these - loves them so much made them "required" for her 2021 Cayenne

now 18 ways are great and an excellent choice, but because of massage 14-ways "win" for me personally on all future orders of any Porsche that offers massage seats as an option.

but that's a personal taste issue - but a lot of people that try out my massage seats are instant fans once they experience them - so much so that friends of our changed their Audi eTron SUV order to massage seats after sitting in my Taycan.

so it's worth considering.

 

[whan]

I probably wouldn't do tech package and instead just get ACC by itself. Most people feel the second screen isn't that useful, and HUD is a personal one, but given the gauge cluster has a lot of info, not sure if that helpful either. Otherwise pretty good spec

 

[Square[]]

14-way seats have massage options - wife loves these - loves them so much made them "required" for her 2021 Cayenne

now 18 ways are great and an excellent choice, but because of massage 14-ways "win" for me personally on all future orders of any Porsche that offers massage seats as an option.

but that's a personal taste issue - but a lot of people that try out my massage seats are instant fans once they experience them - so much so that friends of our changed their Audi eTron SUV order to massage seats after sitting in my Taycan.

so it's worth considering.

Interesting. Will consider!

 

[TDinDC]

Another way to approach options is according to the "concept" behind your build.

Now, keep in mind that I don't think anyone should give a whit about anyone else's build, and there really are no right or wrong answers, so do whatever you want and nobody should take the following opinion as a criticism of anyone.

I think that you can view each Porsche based on the "idea" behind the model (and make sure you are getting the right model for your intended use).

For example, getting a GT3 RS for use on the public streets (i.e., never taking it to the track) is, no matter how cool that car is, inexplicable to me, because it would be miserable. For that kind of car, I would focus on minimizing weight, so I would get Weissach, and, most likely, radio and ac delete. Loading that kind of a car up with heavy options seems crazy to me.

If you wanted a car that was fast but luxurious for the streets, I would go for a Turbo S, and load it up with as many lux options as you can afford. Minimizing weight on that kind of a car for that use similarly seems silly, because it's the wrong car for the track and you will not notice the weight on the streets so much that foregoing the luxury would be worth it.

As far as the Taycan goes, how will you use it? Sporty driving on the weekends? Daily commute? Long road trips? I would base the model I pick and the corresponding options on the intended use you will have. The right options for sporty driving on the weekends will not be the same as for a long road trip car. Also, do you have a significant other and/or kids? That also impacts which options are important (e.g., 2+1 seating, independent ac in rear, passenger screen . . .etc.).

For me, the Taycan is a high tech car so I lean towards all of the tech.

If you have a target budget, build to that budget and start paring off options that are less of an impact on your intended use until you hit your budget.

That's why it's really hard for me to say to you this option is a must or this one is not: it is really difficult without considering all of those issues, particularly when two people will emphasize different things for the same type of build.

So, hopefully this hint on approach to thinking is helpful even though I'm not giving you specific go/no go option recommendations.

I do like 18-way seats, but I have never tried the others.

 

[TaycanHero]

There's another reason why there won't be huge advances in EV tech next 3-4 years:

It would tank values of older EV models.

That's financial suicide for manufacturers as it would spook consumers and seize up the market.

People would be hesitant to buy.

And that just as manufacturers (and government) are trying to convince consumers to go EV.

So far more likely second hand EV values will be artificially inflated to show consumers that EV is the more sensible purchase over an ICE car that will depreciate horribly as we approach 2030.

That's my gamble and based on how difficult it was to source my interim company car (BMW I4), I don't see the supply issue letting up - or the demand.

 

[TDinDC]

There's another reason why there won't be huge advances in EV tech next 3-4 years:

It would tank values of older EV models.

That's financial suicide for manufacturers as it would spook consumers and seize up the market.

People would be hesitant to buy.

And that just as manufacturers (and government) are trying to convince consumers to go EV.

So far more likely second hand EV values will be artificially inflated to show consumers that EV is the more sensible purchase over an ICE car that will depreciate horribly as we approach 2030.

That's my gamble and based on how difficult it was to source my interim company car (BMW I4), I don't see the supply issue letting up - or the demand.

I think that supply chain issues, demand (and lack of supply of new EVs), and inflation may well keep the value of used EVs elevated.

It is also open as to the timing of improvements (e.g., in the next 5 years versus 10 years), and that would certainly have an impact as well.

If either or both of these occur and the price of used EVs remains elevated, you haven't lost by leasing because you simply buy the car at the end of the lease period (or at any time) and then sell to recoup that elevated value.

But, used car pricing is not regulated, and I seriously do not think that any manufacturer would intentionally hold back innovation for the purpose of keeping used prices for EVs elevated. For example, the first manufacturer that can come out with a range, weight, or charge time breakthrough will do so in a split second. And I also don't think the value would ever go to zero. We are talking percentages here: Will the car be worth 5-10% less than the estimated value in 4 years, or will it be worth the same or maybe even 5-10% more? I don't know. I just know that I personally will likely not hang on to my Taycan after 4 years simply because it is not limited edition and I do presume that big strides will be made between now and then that will make me yearn for a new Taycan or something else, so I like the option of protecting the downside by being able to just hand the keys back while not sacrificing the upside because I can buy at the estimated amount and sell at the actual value.

The cost of this "insurance" is the interest rate times the estimated depreciation over the four years.

If you instead buy with a loan, you of course are paying interest times the entire financed amount of the car (up to the new purchase price of the car), although you likely can get a lower interest rate for a purchase than you can for a lease, so it's not fully an apples to apples comparison (and you will not know whether the higher lease rate is worth it until the end of the lease and you can see the value of the car in comparison with the estimated value).

If you buy with cash, you have foregone the opportunity to leverage the entire amount of the price of the new car over the four years to earn a profit (or, of course, a loss).

Fun to consider and place your bets!

 

[Levee]

One of the things that is really quite special to this car and Porsche is that you can customise to make it "your" car and different to all the other Taycans out there - for this reason I went with a highly spec'd 4S (I did strongly consider the Turbo).

I don't know, this is going to be a controversial view but the step between the 4S and GTS isn't huge in outright performance unlike to the Turbo.

I probably went overboard on my spec but every time I look at the car or get inside it my doubts disappear! I am keeping the car for a while as I intend to fully enjoy it.

I love the Mission E wheels they are distinct and almost a brand mark on the Taycan (play Forza 5 and the Taycan on there has Mission Es). I'm not so bothered by the HUD as this does mess around with the appearance of the dash (I love the minimalistic but aesthetical interior unlike Tesla... Musk sort out your interiors!!). Full club leather for me (puts leather on the back of the seats too - looks fantastic), I also put leather on the B pillars (a rarer choice, they look so much better than plastic and after 7000 miles they are undamaged btw, I know some ppl have this concern - you can use race tex b pillars too which will work really well in a GTS). I like the panoramic roof but can understand why others don't. I have a race tex steering wheel, again after 7000 miles it's fine you just need to give it a gentle clean every once so often. I have the Bose, it's a decent sound system for a car, I have avoided listening to the Burmeister as I'm worried I'd fall in love with it . I also have Adaptive Cruise, Matrix LEDs, black window trim and the indoor light package - again all choices I enjoy and have no regrets over.

That's my 2 cents on options... it's finding all your myst haves, so what do you think you will enjoy - you don't want to spend this kind of money and have regrets. I did so much reading in these forums when thinking over my spec and there is so much fantastic info here - so you're doing 100% the right thing!

As for value it's a car and it's also a porsche. You don't buy these as investments and besides you can always earn more money ultimately. A bit like going to the bar, you're spending your money to enjoy it, what's going to give you most bang for your buck?

I still sometimes wonder if I should have got a Turbo, but I don't have any buyer's remorse. 4S, GTS or Turbo, it's a fantastic car.

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