Hey everybody,

Just joined after using the forum to figure out many items in the last two weeks while hunting for a GTS. What amazes me is the spec on some of these cars I find online. You think you find the right car, and then realize that the person who checked the boxes didn't select Sports Chrono or Sports seats . I'm in the Austin area, so Porsche Austin is my home dealership. We have a few independent shops in our area for service/maintenance too. We don't mind waiting or searching for the right vehicle to fit out needs.

Spec we're looking for is:

1. Sports Chrono - Sports Plus is lovely, and I love proper launch control coming from owning several DSG/S-Tronic equipped VW/Audis
2. Sports Seats (Alcantara is a bonus). We have several vehicles with Alcantara (B5 S4 with Sports interior, 05 WRX with STI interior), so we're no strangers to maintenance of this lovely material.
3. Roof bars - We need to be able to strap stuff to the roof of the car since the interior is a bit cramped. We have a few roof accessories at home which work with OEM Thule racks which we tested over on several road trips.
4. Some sort of driver focused package like PTV+ would be a nice to have.
5. A park assist or two is very cool, the 360 camera is the same Audi has in the 2021 E-Tron we drove a few weeks ago.
6. Nothing too gawdy in the spec sheet like a full Carmine Red interior including seat belts, gauges, and matching Yeti mug. Just not a fan of red interiors, but red stitching is cool IMO.

I've been reading thoughts on higher mileage vehicles, higher mileage CPO's etc. since what we are finding in the market is heavily varied. I've also been reading up on aftermarket warranties like Fidelity, since some of y'all make me nervous with the repair needs of your Macan S, GTS or Turbos.

Wish me luck on my hunt!

Cheers.

As an expert Googler, try and find some links to PDF versions of the owners manuals. You will win some points here.

 

I'm on it! They might be in Spanish, but we can work on that translation lol.

 

Sounds like you're looking for a specifically optioned Macan GTS. I might suggest you try this... Look on the For Sale link here as well as Rennlist. If you find something you like, look up all threads by the previous/current owner on that board. This will give you an idea as to how it was cared for, or not. Next, read, read, read as much as you can on any issues we are having with our version of Macan (GTS, S, Turbo). Once you know these, you can look yourself or relay your concerns to the mechanic of your choice to check for any gotcha's prior to purchase. IMO...

 

As they say in the biz, you can't order a 4 year old car so if you find close to what you're seeking, don't hesitate. Porsche's own CPO finder is pretty useful, but you might have to be willing to have the car shipped sight unseen.

 

But DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

Get a Carfax and an Autocheck and study both. Look for any issues it’s been back in the shop on multiple occasions.
Based on mileage ensure all proper maintenance was done: oil/filter changes, fluid flushes, plugs... Based on mileage check if brake pads were repaired.

How many miles left on the warranty? This is based on when it was titled. If there were a few hundred miles when titled, it was placed into service before that date and might affect the warranty by months.

 

Here is my former car . Its impeccable but does have 40K miles . Non smoker , mature driver , recent tires and brakes (listed in car fax) , no kids . pets only go to veterinarian in carriers 1 block or so . It was the last build slot of 2018 so any first gen issues had years to be addressed .I am biased but its a perfect used far .
The sales contact is a forum member who presented me with a Turbo they had in inventory which I bought . In fact it even played out right here on the forum where he posted the car and the discount which I purchased and really love.

Thet are not asking much above what I got in trade . They did the 40K service and Cpo'd it.

His name is Robert Dorsey if you call them but his forum name is @R5Dorsey

2018 Porsche Macan GTS in Fort Myers, FL | Naples Porsche Macan | Porsche Fort Myers

Research the 2018 Porsche Macan GTS in Fort Myers, FL at Porsche Fort Myers. View pictures, specs, and pricing & schedule a test drive today.

www.porschefortmyers.com

 

This is the way you do it! Thanks Robert.

 

Helpful sources of info:

‎Porsche Good to know (video links)

monroneylabels.com (best $8 you’ll ever spend)

 

It's not a GTS, but if I were in the market right now I'd give this Turbo PP serious consideration. Pre-Owned Inventory Inquiries | Land Rover South Bay Given that it's been bouncing around dealers for 6 months if there's no accidents or issues you likely can get it for less. It literally checks every one of your boxes, and if I sold my GTS, it would only be for a Turbo PP. Honestly, I've given serious consideration to swapping for this.

 

It's not a GTS, but if I were in the market right now I'd give this Turbo PP serious consideration. Pre-Owned Inventory Inquiries | Land Rover South Bay Given that it's been bouncing around dealers for 6 months if there's no accidents or issues you likely can get it for less. It literally checks every one of your boxes, and if I sold my GTS, it would only be for a Turbo PP. Honestly, I've given serious consideration to swapping for this.

Definitely a lot of car for the money!

 

You may find it easier to find a car without Sport Chrono, and then have it retrofitted afterward. It will cost around $1000, however.

Sport Chrono retrofit thread

 

I want to add one thing . I looked at car fax .on my old car . I always miss my cars after I trade them a little. The "accident" reported was so minor I forgot but I found a picture . My wife yielded to an ambulance and the lady behind her barely nicked the car . The cop didn't even want to write the ticket but my wife insisted . Look at the slight scratch on the driver rear bumper . We brought it to the dealership's authorized Porsche repair shop (called Countach) . The removed the bumper , painted it , and then we took it to our detail person to re apply the ceramic pro as the rest of the care has. (BTW ,. car has only been washed by hand or professionally detailed by my long term local expert . Never. a car wash ) . Here is the original blemish .Now you can see why I forgot . Beyond that not even a ding .

 

That is such a minor ding, but it's a nice new vehicle. I would also want the vehicle repaired. I am seeing several CPO GTS' nationwide with 1-2 accidents on record too. They must all be minor enough to pass that extensive CPO checklist. We would be insuring with USAA which only uses OEM replacement parts.

 

If you want a specific spec, used may not be the way to go. JMHO.

 

The problem is that ordering a car is tricky and takes longer . I still bought a NEW car but it was a car that was in inventory . Now there are a few things on my car I would have never ordered like a tow hitch but I'd rather have more than not enough . The car I bought had everything I wanted plus more . What originally was going to be an 82K GTS order turned into a 100K Turbo immediately . That;'s another plus .. the immediate car !! (whether new or CPO) .

 

Agree with many of the posts above... My short opinion, it is going to be REALLY tough checking all your boxes. The used GTS market is very strong right now. You will most likely have to forego at least two of them... SC can be retro-fitted, so that's a no-brainer IMO. Unless you are carving canyons on a regular basis, I can't see PTV being drastically important (tho others here will argue the opposite). The Roof Bars will HAVE TO BE A MUST... as I don't think they can be retro-fitted (others can correct me if I'm wrong). The rest, take it as they come. Don't put a ton of emphasis on the CPO aspect, plenty here have gotten "burned" in one way or another with the CPO not necessarily working out as hoped; having said that, don't be afraid of a good 3rd Party Warranty instead (if you find the right car). I'm in DFW, so I'll keep an eye out up here. If you find one that meets your needs up here and need me to go look, I can do my best. My work life gets crazy, but this time of year is not too bad. Good Luck.

 

And yes, the Turbo PP listed above is a pretty sweet deal. There was another one listed recently too, I think, over the past few days... so there's two PPs for sale I believe.

 

www.autotempest.com & don't rule out Craigslist. Look everyday, multiple times a day, set up searches, be prepared to travel to buy the right one or have it shipped to you. Found my '17 Macan GTS listed on Craigslist 600 miles from where I live. The seller traded it in before we could finalize the deal, but then I found it again a couple days later at a Mercedes dealer from an autotempest link from a cars.com listing. Paid less for it from the Merc dealer than what I had negotiated with original seller. Some people are just not very smart when trading cars in.

Took me 3 months of using all the internet sources to find the right one.

 

www.autotempest.com & don't rule out Craigslist. Look everyday, multiple times a day, set up searches, be prepared to travel to buy the right one or have it shipped to you. Found my '17 Macan GTS listed on Craigslist 600 miles from where I live. The seller traded it in before we could finalize the deal, but then I found it again a couple days later at a Mercedes dealer from an autotempest link from a cars.com listing. Paid less for it from the Merc dealer than what I had negotiated with original seller. Some people are just not very smart when trading cars in.

Took me 3 months of using all the internet sources to find the right one.

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That is so awesome, congrats on scoring the same car at a better price!! I love Autotempest, I found my 1998 C43 using Autotempest back in 2018. We are using Autotempest, Carfax.com, FB Marketplace, this forum, and I am about to look at Rennlist and have friends in certain regions of the US to review cars for us like the PNW. I'm the kind of person who uses Autotempst for fun lol. One thing that is somewhat stopping us on these higher mileage cars (40-50k) is, an uncertainty with maintenance intervals being completed. If I have no evidence that a PDK service was done at 40k, I'm hesitant to purchase. The DSG/S-Tronic flushes I am accustom to were also every 40k, and it helped with the life of the transmission. I assume PDK is the same (our local dealer quoted me 1200 for the service which isn't too bad). I'm used to turbo cars eating oil and needing oil changes in half the recommended service intervals, so I am also looking for regular oil changes or receipts if possible.

 

Great news team: We decided to take a second look at the 2018 GTS that our local dealer had, and we struck a deal!!!

2018, CPO, still under factory warranty, and it's so nice. Checked off all of our "need to have" boxes like Roof rails and Sports seats among other items!!

Here is the Build sheet details

BASE Macan GTS 2H Volcano Grey Metallic 3S5 Roof Rails in Black 5TL Piano Black Interior Package 6FB SportDesign Side Mirrors 6H3 Carbon Fiber Side Blades 7UG Navigation Module for Porsche Communication Management (PCM) FA Leather Package with Alcantara? in Black IV2 Porsche Connect Plus PE6 Adaptive Sport Seats (18-way) with Memory Package PJ8 Premium Package Plus QR5 Sport Chrono Package i.c.w. PCM V95 21" Sport Classic Wheels in Black** ** The car doesn't have the Sport Classic wheels, but does have 21 inch black Turbo wheels

 

Great news team: We decided to take a second look at the 2018 GTS that our local dealer had, and we struck a deal!!!

2018, CPO, still under factory warranty, and it's so nice. Checked off all of our "need to have" boxes like Roof rails and Sports seats among other items!!

Here is the Build sheet details

BASE Macan GTS 2H Volcano Grey Metallic 3S5 Roof Rails in Black 5TL Piano Black Interior Package 6FB SportDesign Side Mirrors 6H3 Carbon Fiber Side Blades 7UG Navigation Module for Porsche Communication Management (PCM) FA Leather Package with Alcantara? in Black IV2 Porsche Connect Plus PE6 Adaptive Sport Seats (18-way) with Memory Package PJ8 Premium Package Plus QR5 Sport Chrono Package i.c.w. PCM V95 21" Sport Classic Wheels in Black** ** The car doesn't have the Sport Classic wheels, but does have 21 inch black Turbo wheels

looks great !! congrats !I actually like the Turbo wheels more . Post pics when you get it.

 

Looks like a great build; would very much like to see a pic or two or three...
And a BIG plus that it's still under warranty with CPO.
Congrats!

 

Well, it sort of snowed 5-6 inches today in Austin. We waited for the snow to melt before taking the car around our neighborhood for some rolling shots. I did some quick Adobe Lightroom editing, so the volcano gray looks different in some of these shots. We'll head to our closest park for some fresh rollers once the weather improves.

My new avatar photo.

 

Love the badge in snow pic. Volcano Grey is in my top 2 for colors, looks awesome. Congrats and enjoy. Just don' start looking at mods unless you are ready to go through the looking glass...

 

Just looked up the cost for the Tech Art lowering module...jeez. We plan to keep this one stock for a while. I just want to get some OEM accessories and goodies like the 21 inch sport classics, maybe some 20 inch spyder wheels to save some money when tire replacement time comes. Just got the OEM roof rails in the mail, so those will go on soon.