What to consider when buying a second hand Turbo S?

[viktorm]

Hell y'all,
I am very excited to swap my M5 LCI for a Turbo S (pre-facelift) The second hand prices are too tempting and the new M5 is absolute trash, I was quick to cancel my pre-order slot as soon as they revealed it. Anyway, I am facing a dilemma regarding what Turbo S to get:
1) Does the year of production really matter? Some say the 2020 models are problematic and that the 2021 are better? (heat pump issues and etc)
2) What milage should I go for? I am looking at cars ranging between 10 and 25 000 miles - Is this a lot for a car I plan to drive for one year, maybe one and a half (I put around 30k miles on my M5 for about 2y, I daily-ed the hell out of it) If I consider buying something around 20 000 miles, will there be any noticeably battery issues over the next 10-15k I put on it?
3) What is the realistic range I can expect if I mainly drive it in the city, once or twice on a highway per month? (I assume this gets asked all the time, sorry in advance)
4) Is it worth extending the Porsche warranty/what is the annual maintenance cost? (dealership visits)
I got to test drive a Turbo S and the acceleration was noticeably stronger than the one of my M5 + the ride quality was levels above, so I am super excited to go from full petrol maniac bro to electric for the time being. Thanks!

P.S. If there are any other important considerations , Ill be thankful if you could share them with me

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[SergeyIndy]

Welcome to the forum. All good questions. My quick answers below.

First, the best thing is to post full spec of the examples you are considering for forum feedback. Since you are looking at a Turbo S variant, a lot of things are standard on that spec, but if you have a few to choose from, we can tell you what options may be better than others. Please note that a Turbo and a Turbo S are the same in normal daily use performance with Turbo S only faster with Launch Control. Therefore, I would look at the Turbo examples as well.

1) Model Year: 2020 models had older battery chemistry and had some features missing such as plug and charge, so general recommendation is to go with the newest model possible that fits your spec needs and budget. Other recommendation is to ideally have it to be a CPO example and have assurance that all recalls have been completed.

2) Mileage: My perception that there are very few high mileage examples, so your target mileage of up to 25k miles should have plenty of choices. Batteries by all accounts will outlast the cars, but ideally you have to monitor SoH (State of Health) using the OBD reader to detect any potential battery issues (out of line cell voltages, etc.) and then compare SoH to the battery warranty milestones. We can help you with all that after you get the car but at least get official SoH certified level from the dealer if you can.

3) Range: This is highly variable depending on many factors but if you do not drive more than 250 miles a day and charge at home, there is no issue with range. I follow the most battery friendly charging habits, but if you are only looking to keep the car for 15k miles, then you can charge however you want.

4) Warranty: I would not buy or drive one without a warranty. Maintenance: The costs vary from dealer to dealer and region but there is plenty of data on the forum to compare to what is reasonable. The first maintenance interval is 2 years or 20k miles and involves very few things.

 

[Tooney]

You need to have a plan for what equipment and electric wiring modifications are needed to charge your Taycan at your residence. This can vary by country.

At many dealers availability of techs trained to repair Taycans is limited. This can result in long waits for service and repair. Some parts have long delivery times. Frequently local techs have to wait for answers from Porsche Germany before repair work is authorized. If your Taycan needs service and is not available for a long time, you will need alternate transportation.

 

[amelen]

Hell y'all,
I am very excited to swap my M5 LCI for a Turbo S (pre-facelift) The second hand prices are too tempting and the new M5 is absolute trash, I was quick to cancel my pre-order slot as soon as they revealed it. Anyway, I am facing a dilemma regarding what Turbo S to get:
1) Does the year of production really matter? Some say the 2020 models are problematic and that the 2021 are better? (heat pump issues and etc)
2) What milage should I go for? I am looking at cars ranging between 10 and 25 000 miles - Is this a lot for a car I plan to drive for one year, maybe one and a half (I put around 30k miles on my M5 for about 2y, I daily-ed the hell out of it) If I consider buying something around 20 000 miles, will there be any noticeably battery issues over the next 10-15k I put on it?
3) What is the realistic range I can expect if I mainly drive it in the city, once or twice on a highway per month? (I assume this gets asked all the time, sorry in advance)
4) Is it worth extending the Porsche warranty/what is the annual maintenance cost? (dealership visits)
I got to test drive a Turbo S and the acceleration was noticeably stronger than the one of my M5 + the ride quality was levels above, so I am super excited to go from full petrol maniac bro to electric for the time being. Thanks!

P.S. If there are any other important considerations , Ill be thankful if you could share them with me

I'd stay away from 2020's, otherwise I think you're good. P.S. It's not a S, but I have Turbo for sale if you're good with a bright green

 

[DerekS]

I would suggest 2021+, and get a pre-purchase inspection especially the underside of the battery to ensure no dents. 2020 did indeed have a ton of recalls and issues, including battery issues.

I personally wouldn't sweat the mileage though. I drove my base Taycan for something like 28K miles and it still drove like new. EV powertrains are great.

 

[RAHRCR]

I would take whatever money you were going to spend on a Turbo S and buy a newer/nicer 4S or GTS.

 

[BjörnfromHamburg]

Mileage on an electric car is no problem. Don't worry too much about that.
I would always go for Porsche approved warranty as any repairs on the Taycan are potentially high-cost.
I agree to the other postings regarding your questions.

The GTS is a very nice version of the Taycan, with an even stiffer chassis set-up though.

Turbo S is definitely best bang for the buck: they are usually very well specced and msrp to second hand gap is wider than with a cheaper GTS.

They also often come with carbon exterior parts, which just looks awesome and elegant.

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