2025 Taycan 4S purchase and problem

[Amelio]

Hey everyone,

Finally found what I thought was the one — a Taycan 4S demo with just 500 km, nicely optioned and heavily discounted. C$144K, no $20K luxury tax either. Normally these are going for C$177K to C$192K.

Spec list:

• PSD
• Soft-close doors
• 2+1 seating
• Bose sound
• Sport Chrono
• Great colour
• New Mission E wheels
• Push-to-pass (actually a lot of fun!)

Went to pick it up… and during a software update, a module failed. They had to order a replacement from Germany. While waiting, they loaned me another 4S — but they needed it back before mine got fixed.


Now, to make things worse, some unexpected financial stuff popped up (partly political mess-related) and it’s got me hesitating. I’m working on getting stable again, but having the car “bricked” right off the bat isn’t helping my confidence.


Another thing: the 4S is down a couple hundred horsepower from what I’m driving now. Always wanted a Turbo (who doesn’t?) but that’s another C$60K+ I can’t really justify at the moment.


For background, I’ve had 4 Teslas so far. My wife keeps telling me if I don’t try Porsche now, I probably never will.

Thinking maybe I should wait a year, pick up a used Turbo for close to what this 4S costs new, and hopefully ride out the storm into a better 2026. Would love the NACS connector too, but realistically won’t find that on a used ‘25 Turbo or this demo 4S either.

Also — getting in and out of the Taycan isn’t super easy for me. Comfort Access would’ve been nice.


What would you guys do?


If I grab the 4S now and switch to a Turbo in a year or two, what kind of hit am I taking — $20K? $40K?

Or just wait and grab a used Turbo next year?

Or say screw it, buy the ‘25 4S deal and enjoy it — it is a beautiful car.


Curious what you all think.

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[whitex]

You can tune the 4S (3rd party tuned ECU) for some more power, but still less than Turbo, especially a tuned one. I personally waited 20 months for a custom Turbo CT because I didn't want a step down from the then current driver (Model S, owned 4 of them). If you want to swap to a used Turbo in a year or two, get a lease, the residual value will tell you up front the financial hit you will take. Or, do as I did, bite the bullet and order a custom order Turbo, exactly the way you want it, with all the options you want and none you don't, then keep it for a while. It might be same price or even cheaper than buying a new 4S today and swapping into a used Turbo in a year (unless you're thinking 2024 or earlier, then just buy the used Turbo today). I don't regret my purchase, glad I waited, as swapping to upgrade would have costed me more, and I know it would have always been on the back of my mid that I want more power. I remember going through this with a Model S, trading it 2 years later to get more power. You might be able to get a small discount even on a custom order today, depends on your negotiation skills, dealer situation with allocations, and some luck. I was buying during the tail end of the pandemic, so saw dealers asking for MSRP+$50K, but ended up negotiating slightly under MSRP despite all that hype. 20 month wait was due to supply chain shortages and a lot of people on wait-lists (some dealers wanted $15K just to get on a wait list, LOL). AFAIK, there were only 256 Turbo CT's build for the US market, total (I know this from issues recalls which listed VIN ranges of affected cars, 2023 Turbo CT only had 256 VINs in range for all recalls that included the entire model year).

 

[prj]

You can tune the 4S (3rd party tuned ECU) for some more power, but still less than Turbo,

From what I can see only the Turbo S and GT are physically different on J1.2.
So this is not true. And actually even the J1.1 with a tune makes 730 PS, which is more than a J1.1 turbo.

As long as it has PB+, it can be tuned to the same potential. Part 4 thread is coming up soon and will give insight on stuff

 

[tophamn]

Also — getting in and out of the Taycan isn’t super easy for me. Comfort Access would’ve been nice.

Comfort Access doesn't make getting in/out any easier - it's to do with unlocking and setting the seat & steering position. I think what you mean is Porsche Active Ride which will raise the car to enable easier access.

 

[lcarron]

You can tune the 4S (3rd party tuned ECU) for some more power, but still less than Turbo, especially a tuned one. I personally waited 20 months for a custom Turbo CT because I didn't want a step down from the then current driver (Model S, owned 4 of them). If you want to swap to a used Turbo in a year or two, get a lease, the residual value will tell you up front the financial hit you will take. Or, do as I did, bite the bullet and order a custom order Turbo, exactly the way you want it, with all the options you want and none you don't, then keep it for a while. It might be same price or even cheaper than buying a new 4S today and swapping into a used Turbo in a year (unless you're thinking 2024 or earlier, then just buy the used Turbo today). I don't regret my purchase, glad I waited, as swapping to upgrade would have costed me more, and I know it would have always been on the back of my mid that I want more power. I remember going through this with a Model S, trading it 2 years later to get more power. You might be able to get a small discount even on a custom order today, depends on your negotiation skills, dealer situation with allocations, and some luck. I was buying during the tail end of the pandemic, so saw dealers asking for MSRP+$50K, but ended up negotiating slightly under MSRP despite all that hype. 20 month wait was due to supply chain shortages and a lot of people on wait-lists (some dealers wanted $15K just to get on a wait list, LOL). AFAIK, there were only 256 Turbo CT's build for the US market, total (I know this from issues recalls which listed VIN ranges of affected cars, 2023 Turbo CT only had 256 VINs in range for all recalls that included the entire model year).

I think the 4s is plenty especially with a tune. Keep the money practice air and back squats. You will be able to stand up on one leg.

 

[whitex]

I think the 4s is plenty especially with a tune.

Everyone has different wants. Once you have a car with more power and are used to utilizing it while driving, you will notice when stepping down. I remember test driving the 4S (untuned of course) and stomping on the accelerator on the highway realizing it has less power than my then current car. So I decided to wait for a Turbo, because I knew if I got the 4S, I would always be thinking I want more power, and upgrade after a year or two, which will net cost me more money - I knew that because I already did the same dance with previous car, got one with less power, then traded early (~1.4yrs) to upgrade.

 

[whitex]

And actually even the J1.1 with a tune makes 730 PS, which is more than a J1.1 turbo.

J1.1 4S has smaller rear motor and inverter than GTS/Turbo, correct? This means you should be able to tune a GTS/Turbo to deliver higher torque and hp than even a tuned 4S.

I had a P85DL+ the OP has listed in his profile. a J1.1 Turbo without a tune felt about on par though sometimes felt a little less responsive on the accelerator at highway speeds. J1.2 Turbo has higher specs, so probably without a tune will match or exceed the P85DL+. Tune will be a treat to add later.

 

[prj]

J1.1 4S has smaller rear motor and inverter than GTS/Turbo, correct? This means you should be able to tune a GTS/Turbo to deliver higher torque and hp than even a tuned 4S.

More torque yes, hp is pretty close.
But on J1.2 the 4S does not have a smaller rear motor. There is no small motor at all on those anymore. There's basically three rear drive combinations: Without PTV, with PTV and Turbo GT.

I can also confirm that on the J1.2 Taycan RWD the rear invcon was showing 585Nm torque without launch control.
As I said, Part 4 coming

 

[Amelio]

Comfort Access doesn't make getting in/out any easier - it's to do with unlocking and setting the seat & steering position. I think what you mean is Porsche Active Ride which will raise the car to enable easier access.

J1.1 4S has smaller rear motor and inverter than GTS/Turbo, correct? This means you should be able to tune a GTS/Turbo to deliver higher torque and hp than even a tuned 4S.

I had a P85DL+ the OP has listed in his profile. a J1.1 Turbo without a tune felt about on par though sometimes felt a little less responsive on the accelerator at highway speeds. J1.2 Turbo has higher specs, so probably without a tune will match or exceed the P85DL+. Tune will be a treat to add later.

I’ve got to update my profile, I’ve had a few cars including a 2022.5 Plaid and a 2016 P90DL+ which was 786HP. Not looking for the plaid power (yet!) but I feel wanting for more with the 2025 4S. Is the Porsche a better weekend car? For sure! Did I lose interest in the plaid’s one trick pony acceleration? Yes I did. I hate compromises!

 

[prj]

I’ve got to update my profile, I’ve had a few cars including a 2022.5 Plaid and a 2016 P90DL+ which was 786HP. Not looking for the plaid power (yet!) but I feel wanting for more with the 2025 4S. Is the Porsche a better weekend car? For sure! Did I lose interest in the plaid’s one trick pony acceleration? Yes I did. I hate compromises!

You can either buy a Turbo GT or you can wait a week, I'll have the numbers of what the 2025 4S can do, it's probably also over 900 hp.

 

[whitex]

I’ve got to update my profile, I’ve had a few cars including a 2022.5 Plaid and a 2016 P90DL+ which was 786HP. Not looking for the plaid power (yet!) but I feel wanting for more with the 2025 4S. Is the Porsche a better weekend car? For sure! Did I lose interest in the plaid’s one trick pony acceleration? Yes I did. I hate compromises!

To get Plaid power (>1000hp) you will need a GT (Taycan is also a little heavier, so might need a bit more power to match Plaid). I stopped my Model S streak before Plaid - couldn't live with the stalkless yoke. The "do I need more power" test for me is how often does my accelerator hit the floor without traction control kicking in.

 

[Amelio]

I think the 4s is plenty especially with a tune. Keep the money practice air and back squats. You will be able to stand up on one leg.

I was wondering how much I could improve ingress and egress by strengthening my quads and hamstrings. Knee pain has been a bit of a limiting factor, though I know there are some good workaround exercises. I try not to make a big deal of it, but I recently had X-rays done and was diagnosed with OA in both knees — not ideal. ?

I don’t have much trouble getting in and out of the Teslas, but the Taycan really seems to aggravate the problem — enough so that I’m now thinking about actually doing something about it instead of continuing to ignore it.

Thanks for the health tips. I appreciate it, I like the way you think.

 

[Amelio]

You can either buy a Turbo GT or you can wait a week, I'll have the numbers of what the 2025 4S can do, it's probably also over 900 hp.

Do you have any updates on your car?

 

[prj]

Do you have any updates on your car?

Yes.

940 PS, 990 Nm. 4.99s 100-200 on Sport Turismo. Sedan will be faster, very similar to the Plaid.
And it can do that time to 75% SoC if not less, unlike the Plaid.

 

[Amelio]

Yes.

940 PS, 990 Nm. 4.99s 100-200 on Sport Turismo. Sedan will be faster, very similar to the Plaid.
And it can do that time to 75% SoC if not less, unlike the Plaid.

Those are some very impressive numbers. What company did you go with?

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