Fastandcurious

Long time admirer of a Porsche Panamera. I’ve owned a Macan S and loved it but found it to be on the small side. I’m currently in the market for an extended weekend driver/airport trip vehicle and continue to go back and forth on a higher end/newer model or a used lower generation model.

Currently in an analysis paralysis state and thoughts of try the forum route.

A 2013 S model recently showed up at a dealer near me with 70.000 miles for just under 30K. Well within my budget and can pay cash, my concern is the reliability of this generation.​​​​​​ it’s a two owner vehicle with a short maintenance record.

The other option would be continuing to hold out in search of a 2017/2018 S model in the 60K range which would be the max end of my budget.

My question is this…
in terms of vehicle reliability how does the 4.8L V8 hold up (are there questions to ask the dealer) or am I better doubling the budget and looking for the 2.9L V6 S model in the newer generation?

thanks for reading my dissertation and appreciate any feedback!

best

Atlas_Shrugz

I have a 2010 Panamera Turbo with the 4.8L V8 with 78k miles. The engine runs perfectly and has had no issues. As for the 2.9L V6, I don't have any personal experience but have read others state the performance isn't even close or as fun as the V8. The Panamera is a big, heavy car. I'd be concerned that a V6 would be underpowered. That's all just speculation on my part so hopefully someone with experience with the V6 Panny will chime in. I, personally, wouldn't change my V8 and wouldn't want anything smaller in a heavy Panamera. That's just my two cents. YMMV.

earlyapex

I try to go with the newest generation that fits in my budget. My 2022 Panama 4ST has a M-engineering tune with secondary cat delete and it sounds and drives beautifully. It is my favorite daily driver.

chassis

I would stay away from the 2017/2018 2.9TT V6. Early builds had some rocker arm failures on Audi installations. Maybe a few Porsche installations had reported rocker arm failures on this site, not sure. Search for this.

I would wait until your budget can handle a 2020 or later Panamera S CPO.

chassis

The 971 2.9TT V6 S has 10% more power than the 970 4.8 S and the 971 V6 S is nearly a full second faster to 60 than the 970 V8 S. Plus the lighter V6 compared with the heavier V8 means sharper turn-in if that matters to anyone.

Two fewer spark plugs and ~1 liter smaller oil fill capacity means less expensive maintenance for the V6.

Then comes the 971 vs 970 tech/PCM upgrades.

Fastandcurious

are the older generation of the 2.9TT V6 immune to the rocker arm failures? Say the 2015 model year?

chassis

Different engine. The 2017+ is the hot vee EA839 2.9TT/3.0T 90 degree V6.

Any earlier V6 regardless of displacement is either 60 degree or v-reihe with cold vee/outside turbos.

Shuga

Control arms are one of the biggest things on the 970. The V8 in that gen was almost built proof. I also think it's one of the most stunning cars ever made. As they got newer they started to get more A7ish.

Fastandcurious

then interns of over all reliability and performance what generation (model years) should a guy be on the lookout for. I’m new to the Panamera world but love the lines and cabin of the vehicle. Unfortunately the newest models are outside of my budget but am hoping to find something in the used department that I can enjoy on the weekends and trips to the airport. Greatly appreciate it

Ericson38

We bought the 4100 lbs Base 2019 2wd Panamera configuration partly based on this test which reports a 4.7 sec 0-60 time and 13.3 second 1/4 mile at 107 mph-

Tested: 2018 Porsche Panamera V-6 RWD (caranddriver.com)

Shuga

14-16 GTS, Turbo or Turbo S. That's your best bet. I have a 14 GTS and Not once have I put my foot down and said "I need more power". The thing is a monster, from the sound to the styling. I love my car. I use mine as a weekend car, which turned into a once a month car :/. But The car looks like art work to me. Could the tech be better? Yes, But that's not what Porsche is know for. It's about the driving experience.

Don't get me wrong, a new Chalk GTS would get my blood flowing, but it's a different car. I'd still pick my 14 over it.

PandaSPUR

As a new owner of a '23 GTS, I gotta admit I'm jealous of the sound from the naturally aspirated 4.8L in the previous gen GTS.

chaos2984

If you don't care about performance you can get the base 971 Panamera with the options you want. That has the 3.0T single turbo issue. I haven't heard any issues with those engines in the Audi S4. The rocker thing scared me a bit in the 2.9T when i was looking but sometime in 2018 the issue was corrected with the 2.9T engine.

Nickshu

This is just my opinion, others (and you) may disagree. Buying a very expensive car which is older and has depreciated to get into the price range you are looking for can be a difficult proposition. Due to age and/or mileage they are more likely to break, regardless of how reliable they were to begin with. In the case of a Panamera (or any high end used car), while they can be reliable, when they do break it's very expensive to fix. You can save money if you are able to DIY things, but even parts are costly. Some jobs require the Porsche computer (PIWIS) to be able to fix, so you are tied to the dealer. You can buy a hacked version if PIWIS to run on a laptop but my take is you have to be somewhat "techy" to make it work and it can't do everything b/c some functions are locked out for dealers such as programming keys. I guess my point is if you can afford large repair bills, or the initial lower cost buy-in of an older car leaves you extra money in your account for possible large repair bills, then you are good to go. These cars don't break often, but when they do it's expensive b/c they were very well built to begin with and service is complex.

Many years ago I worked for 3 years as a mechanic in an indy shop that serviced European cars. We saw all the time that people bought a $60K (in those days money, probably let's say $120K today) used car b/c they were able to get it for $18K, then could not afford to fix it when it broke due to high repair costs.
I don't know your situation and I am not judging. I just think this is something to think about if it applies to you. Good luck!!

Fastandcurious

Repair work is something I’ve budgeted for and am mindful of. I recognize the possibilities of problems and general maintenance. What I don’t want is a laundry list of problems that are a continual headache. Research helps mitigate this and understanding which years are less problematic than others is a big help. I’m going in eyes wide open and forums are a great place for due diligence. Big ticket maintenance is definitely out of my wheelhouse, but gathering intel and due diligence is. Owner history, service records and the aforementioned model years are all great pieces of knowledge to have