What options should I choose

[ayoussef]

My freeze date keeps moving which is terrible for someone as indecisive as me. I've posted a few times about my build but I think I'm finally down to the wire. I have a few options I could swap in and out and wondering what people think. For reference, I will be using the car as a daily driver, I don't track or race, I live in a hot climate (Florida), I have a gas SUV as a second car, and most of my driving is short distances on normal city roads with long distance trips maybe 2-3 times a year at most.

Option 1: air suspension, RAS, sport chrono, advanced 4 climate zone OR massage seats (or neither, open to that too)
Option 2: replace the above with performance battery plus

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[Loltheinternet]

Based on your description of your usage, option 1 probably makes more sense. I would definitely prioritize the massage seats over the 4 zone climate though. I'd also just drop sport chrono.

 

[B61]

My vote goes to RAS/RWS, air suspension…maybe even 4way zone ac; afterall, you are in Florida.
Massage seats in short drives are probably nonsense as well.

 

[masmole]

I'd say option 1. You'll easily realize the benefits of those options every day, while the benefits of the performance battery will hardly be realized in your case, based on the driving needs you described.

 

[TXAG]

Be sure to get your windows tinted in accordance with your state's guidelines - a must in warmer climates like Florida, even if you specified the insulated glass. (My dealer installed mine before I took delivery.)

 

[whan]

I’m torn, because from what I recall, your build was a pretty high option build. I’d still say PB+ despite your use case, because in my mind it makes it a better balanced build. It just feels weird to me to have a $125K+ RWD without the large battery.

Now if your build is around $100k, I’d say go for option 1, where it makes more sense that you picked and chose key crucial options you wanted

FYI it’s not advertised that much, but the larger battery does make the car faster than the smaller battery. Some of the specs have now been deleted from Porsche’s website, but the large battery is noticeably faster in acceleration, particularly in passing scenarios

 

[mystermykee]

At the very minimum, PB+ AND air suspension...given that premium package is the BARE minimum.

 

[ayoussef]

I’m torn, because from what I recall, your build was a pretty high option build. I’d still say PB+ despite your use case, because in my mind it makes it a better balanced build. It just feels weird to me to have a $125K+ RWD without the large battery.

Now if your build is around $100k, I’d say go for option 1, where it makes more sense that you picked and chose key crucial options you wanted

FYI it’s not advertised that much, but the larger battery does make the car faster than the smaller battery. Some of the specs have now been deleted from Porsche’s website, but the large battery is noticeably faster in acceleration, particularly in passing scenarios

You remember well, I have a ridiculously overpriced RWD build and it was nearly impossible to cut it down. I ended up losing Burmester by default (which really disappointed me) because of the stop sale so that was an easy decision made for me.

I have read that the PB+ makes the car faster but I've also read that you can feel its added weight, plus doesn't it take up extra space? Or am I thinking of something else?

 

[whan]

You remember well, I have a ridiculously overpriced RWD build and it was nearly impossible to cut it down. I ended up losing Burmester by default (which really disappointed me) because of the stop sale so that was an easy decision made for me.

I have read that the PB+ makes the car faster but I've also read that you can feel its added weight, plus doesn't it take up extra space? Or am I thinking of something else?

Doesn’t take up any extra interior space from what I know - the Bose and Burmester add a subwoofer in the trunk, so those do take up space

I suppose you might be able to feel the weight at the very limit, but I doubt most people will. PB+ adds about 200lbs to 4750, but the RWD started as the lightest Taycan variant (4550 with small battery). For reference, the 4S small batt weighs about 4750 and close to 5k with big batt. Turbo S is closer to 5.1k. The Taycan is not a light car in any spec really

Particularly for you living in Tampa where there’s probably not many super tight mountain roads, it’ll matter even less, as the slower speed stuff is really where weight becomes noticeable and truly light cars like Miatas and Lotuses shine

From my perspective If you’re looking at the long-term cost of ownership, not choosing the large battery is going to be increasing that because of the worse residuals. While not factored into the upfront, you might be recovering $5k or $10k less down the line. It’s kind of like choosing a weird PTS interior/exterior combo that most don’t like.

At the end of the day, if you truly don’t think you’ll use the larger battery, and want the other options, go for it. Really my response is just a warning that you’ll probably end up suffering more depreciation than others, but if it’s worth that hit to you, you should get what you really want.

 

[Kayone73]

For your situation, Option 1, I would never sacrifice air suspension and RAS just to have larger battery, especially if you mostly drive local.

 

[ayoussef]

Doesn’t take up any extra interior space from what I know - the Bose and Burmester add a subwoofer in the trunk, so those do take up space

I suppose you might be able to feel the weight at the very limit, but I doubt most people will. PB+ adds about 200lbs to 4750, but the RWD started as the lightest Taycan variant (4550 with small battery). For reference, the 4S small batt weighs about 4750 and close to 5k with big batt. Turbo S is closer to 5.1k. The Taycan is not a light car in any spec really

Particularly for you living in Tampa where there’s probably not many super tight mountain roads, it’ll matter even less, as the slower speed stuff is really where weight becomes noticeable and truly light cars like Miatas and Lotuses shine

From my perspective If you’re looking at the long-term cost of ownership, not choosing the large battery is going to be increasing that because of the worse residuals. While not factored into the upfront, you might be recovering $5k or $10k less down the line. It’s kind of like choosing a weird PTS interior/exterior combo that most don’t like.

At the end of the day, if you truly don’t think you’ll use the larger battery, and want the other options, go for it. Really my response is just a warning that you’ll probably end up suffering more depreciation than others, but if it’s worth that hit to you, you should get what you really want.

I worry about the resale for sure. Part of me thinks if I sell it in 3-5 years, my PB+ will be dated by then anyway, but part of me says that’s true but you’ll still get more money than without it. I don’t care about range but I do care about resale. It’s the main reason I added sport chrono - I don’t get it per se but apparently it’s good for resale. I did end up going Olea truffle brown….probably not everyone’s cup of tea but oh well, can’t think of resale on everything

 

[whan]

I worry about the resale for sure. Part of me thinks if I sell it in 3-5 years, my PB+ will be dated by then anyway, but part of me says that’s true but you’ll still get more money than without it. I don’t care about range but I do care about resale. It’s the main reason I added sport chrono - I don’t get it per se but apparently it’s good for resale. I did end up going Olea truffle brown….probably not everyone’s cup of tea but oh well, can’t think of resale on everything

I think in 3-5 years, PB+ may be even more important for a used car. Because the battery packs degrade over time, that extra range becomes more important.

I think sport chrono is far less important for resale than PB+. While for some it’s a nice to have, many other don’t really care, especially for an RWD that’s not as performance oriented as a GTS or Turbo/s.

Can you post your most current build code?

If yours is still a high $ build, the big issue isn’t the specific resale value of each option, but the attractiveness of your car in totality in the future, at a certain price point. Say the average % value retained on a Taycan RWD is 50% after 5 years. At $130k MSRP you’d ideally like to get back $65k, and at $100k MSRP you want to get back $50k.

Regardless of your personal use case, for a $65k used Taycan, there are certain options that the majority of people view as positives or even must haves. PB+ is probably at the top of the list, followed by stuff like Air Suspension, Full leather, RAS, etc. Stuff like illuminated door sills, or color matched wheels really don’t matter to someone who is buying a used car, because they’re not speccing their own car. You might be particular about a specific look/combo that adds value to you, but that may not appeal to others or add value at all.

So the used buyer is going to rather pick the $65k used car loaded with functional items like PB+, Air Suspension, RAS, vs. a bunch of cosmetic stuff that they didn’t even care about. So in this case your car may be pushed a lot closer to the $50k mark in resale, with the other cars that don’t have the big battery or key options people really want (but those other cars probably had lower MSRP to begin with)

An analogy would be like if you are building a new house in a neighborhood that can either have 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom floorplans. Your use case may be fine with only 2 bedrooms, but if you put a lot of money into custom detail touches, when you go to sell, a lot of buyers may still value your house with other 2 bedroom houses that don’t have custom details and are a lot cheaper, because ultimately most people want 3 bedrooms and the value of the custom details isn’t very high

 

[ayoussef]

I think in 3-5 years, PB+ may be even more important for a used car. Because the battery packs degrade over time, that extra range becomes more important.

I think sport chrono is far less important for resale than PB+. While for some it’s a nice to have, many other don’t really care, especially for an RWD that’s not as performance oriented as a GTS or Turbo/s.

Can you post your most current build code?

If yours is still a high $ build, the big issue isn’t the specific resale value of each option, but the attractiveness of your car in totality in the future, at a certain price point. Say the average % value retained on a Taycan RWD is 50% after 5 years. At $130k MSRP you’d ideally like to get back $65k, and at $100k MSRP you want to get back $50k.

Regardless of your personal use case, for a $65k used Taycan, there are certain options that the majority of people view as positives or even must haves. PB+ is probably at the top of the list, followed by stuff like Air Suspension, Full leather, RAS, etc. Stuff like illuminated door sills, or color matched wheels really don’t matter to someone who is buying a used car, because they’re not speccing their own car. You might be particular about a specific look/combo that adds value to you, but that may not appeal to others or add value at all.

So the used buyer is going to rather pick the $65k used car loaded with functional items like PB+, Air Suspension, RAS, vs. a bunch of cosmetic stuff that they didn’t even care about. So in this case your car may be pushed a lot closer to the $50k mark in resale, with the other cars that don’t have the big battery or key options people really want (but those other cars probably had lower MSRP to begin with)

An analogy would be like if you are building a new house in a neighborhood that can either have 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom floorplans. Your use case may be fine with only 2 bedrooms, but if you put a lot of money into custom detail touches, when you go to sell, a lot of buyers may still value your house with other 2 bedroom houses that don’t have custom details and are a lot cheaper, because ultimately most people want 3 bedrooms and the value of the custom details isn’t very high

The batteries do degrade and I don’t disagree the bigger battery will always warrant a higher sales price all else equal, but the issue isn’t inherently capacity, it’s a charge accessibility issue. If we had high speed charging stations more available and prevalent, would you care as much about the extra 30 miles the bigger battery gives? If it was 100 extra miles, that’s a different story. The cost of the PB+ given the small increase in range is also an issue (for me). That said, a more educated or sophisticated used car buyer may weigh these factors and not care one way or the other, but the average buyer would say bigger battery = must be better.

As for the overloaded RWD in general, I agree, I’m not making the most rational choices but as others have pointed out, a car at this price point isn’t rational for most, and some would argue thinking about resale is a waste of time. I would love to move up to 4S but when I built the 4S the way I want, it ended up being $20k more which makes perfect sense given the $20k higher price tag at its base level. I preferred to have a souped up RWD (with the added “benefit” of it being the most pure of the bunch) than a 4S for the same price with a lack of options that left me unenthused.

 

[whan]

The batteries do degrade and I don’t disagree the bigger battery will always warrant a higher sales price all else equal, but the issue isn’t inherently capacity, it’s a charge accessibility issue. If we had high speed charging stations more available and prevalent, would you care as much about the extra 30 miles the bigger battery gives? If it was 100 extra miles, that’s a different story. The cost of the PB+ given the small increase in range is also an issue (for me). That said, a more educated or sophisticated used car buyer may weigh these factors and not care one way or the other, but the average buyer would say bigger battery = must be better.

As for the overloaded RWD in general, I agree, I’m not making the most rational choices but as others have pointed out, a car at this price point isn’t rational for most, and some would argue thinking about resale is a waste of time. I would love to move up to 4S but when I built the 4S the way I want, it ended up being $20k more which makes perfect sense given the $20k higher price tag at its base level. I preferred to have a souped up RWD (with the added “benefit” of it being the most pure of the bunch) than a 4S for the same price with a lack of options that left me unenthused.

I get your point re: infrastructure, and do agree that at some point in the future range won't matter as much, but I don't think we're there yet nor will be in 3-5 years. Pretty much we'll need charging rates and availability a lot closer to what ICE and gas stations are. Additionally, the big battery enables a faster charging rate at 270kw peak vs. 225kw peak for small battery, so even on that aspect you're getting more miles per minute of charge.

I also get your point as far as the expense of the larger battery, but that goes back to my point about the best types of builds for the small battery being light option builds. While you can make a point about the cost per extra mile of range being expensive, you'd be hard pressed to convince me that illuminated door sills for $1310, paint matched wheels for $1290, rear zone climate control for $990, or the PSCB brake upgrade for $3,490 (which I think were in your build) are more worth it than an option that adds range, charging speed, and faster acceleration

I do disagree with people who say not to think about depreciation. I agree it shouldn't be the primary consideration, but because most of us have finite budgets, long term cost of ownership is a factor to think about. I've been fortunate that my previous cars actually depreciated very little, and it certainly enabled me to have a bigger budget when switching cars.

At the end, I apologize if I'm coming off as a downer - ultimately you should get what you want in options if it makes you happy. Just trying to make sure you're aware of the likely depreciation consideration to doing so

 

[ayoussef]

I get your point re: infrastructure, and do agree that at some point in the future range won't matter as much, but I don't think we're there yet nor will be in 3-5 years. Pretty much we'll need charging rates and availability a lot closer to what ICE and gas stations are. Additionally, the big battery enables a faster charging rate at 270kw peak vs. 225kw peak for small battery, so even on that aspect you're getting more miles per minute of charge.

I also get your point as far as the expense of the larger battery, but that goes back to my point about the best types of builds for the small battery being light option builds. While you can make a point about the cost per extra mile of range being expensive, you'd be hard pressed to convince me that illuminated door sills for $1310, paint matched wheels for $1290, rear zone climate control for $990, or the PSCB brake upgrade for $3,490 (which I think were in your build) are more worth it than an option that adds range, charging speed, and faster acceleration

I do disagree with people who say not to think about depreciation. I agree it shouldn't be the primary consideration, but because most of us have finite budgets, long term cost of ownership is a factor to think about. I've been fortunate that my previous cars actually depreciated very little, and it certainly enabled me to have a bigger budget when switching cars.

At the end, I apologize if I'm coming off as a downer - ultimately you should get what you want in options if it makes you happy. Just trying to make sure you're aware of the likely depreciation consideration to doing so

Not being a downer at all, although you are discounting the fact that those fluffy frivolous aesthetic extras make me happy jk, in all seriousness though, what if I had the fluffy extras and both options - battery, and also air suspension, RAS, etc - would you say then that the build for a RWD is balanced from a resale perspective, or still an overpriced resale disaster?

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