A Car Guy’s EV
In our First Timer series we speak with people who have purchased their first electric, plug-in electric or hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle. Recently we met up with a “car guy” with a history of owing performance and premium cars to get thoughts on his 2023 Porsche Taycan 4S.
Our Porsche Taycan 4S owner, KB, is a retired software executive, married, with a daughter and two grandsons. He was interested in going electric. After asking around, he settled on the Porsche Taycan, which he took delivery in December 2023.
Clean Fleet Report:Tell us a bit about yourself.
KB: My wife and I live in Central Orange County, California, a few miles from the beach. Being retired, my daily driving totals about seven miles. Going to the gym. Visiting the grandkids. Once a week to a charge station.
CFR: You like cars? Tell us about some you have owned.
KB: I have had many cars, all German and Japanese. Currently we own a 2023 Audi A4. The car prior to the Taycan was a Nissan GT-R. We have leased Audis for a long time as it is nice to get a new car every few years. Previously, I had a Lexus IS 250 and two BMW 325s over a 25-year period as I really liked those cars. Also, a second-generation Mazda RX-7.
CFR: What research did you do, and how was the buying experience?
KB: One day, driving home from the gym, the transmission in my Nissan GT-R wouldn’t shift past 2nd gear. I tried the paddles, but it was stuck so I could only go 20 miles per hour. Boy, are people rude zooming past you and honking! I had it towed to the Nissan dealer, and they told me the transmission needed to be replaced, and it was going to cost an enormous amount of money to fix it. I had already began researching EVs. With the advice of my financial advisor and a push from my wife, we decided to move on from the GT-R. I sold it to the dealer, who must have had it fixed as I saw it driving down the road.
I walked into one of the two Porsche dealers near my house, and told a sales rep I wanted to buy a car. I told them what I wanted, and very quickly it became apparent this person knew very little about the Taycan. That was confirmed when they admitted having only worked there two months. (Long story short) I finally took a test drive in the car I leased.
The Porsche dealer said the longest lease they offered was 36 months, with a maximum of 2,500 miles per year. [Editor Note: Standard leasing terms are up-to 96 months and 10-12,000 miles is the common allowance per year. Clean Fleet Report has never encountered a dealer’s finance department only offering a lease of this length with a 2,500 miles per year cap.]
The car was prepped perfectly, but I wasn’t very happy. I would say I was disappointed.
CFR: Have you had contact with the dealer since you took delivery?
KB: The low tire light came on. Since I had purchased the tire warranty, I went to the other dealer in my area, which are both owned by Auto Nation. They needed the car for a couple days to find the tire and do some software upgrades, so they paid for an Uber to my home. When I returned to pick up the car, the dealer gave me a goodie bag with a lanyard, key FOB and a couple other items with the Porsche logo.
CFR: So a good dealer experience?
KB: So far, until the A/C began blowing ambient temperature air. I called to schedule a service appointment and wanted a loaner car, but was told I would need to wait three weeks before it became available. My history with Lexus dealers is they have a fleet of loaners always available, and there is a car waiting for you. I was thinking I spent all this money on the car, and there isn’t a loaner? The A/C started blowing cold again, so I never took it in for service.
CFR: Has Porsche and/or the dealers sent you a customer satisfaction survey?
KB: Many. Two were by email, and one each by text and a phone call. One was about the sales rep and buying experience, but I didn’t respond, not wanting to say they were terrible. Other surveys were about the dealership and my tire service.
CFR: Did anyone ever say it was important for you to give them high marks?
KB: Yes, they did on both the sales and service surveys.
CFR: Based on your dealer experience would you ever buy another Porsche from these dealers?
KB: People told me “Porsche is Porsche” and you don’t have much leeway in what they do. If you want a Porsche, you need to “play the Porsche game.” But I would go back to Porsche because I like the car so much. I wish the dealer experience was a little better because it should not be the case.
I will keep the car until the lease is done, and would return to these dealers, but with what I know now, it would be different.
CFR: Are you pleased with the car?
KB: The only thing I am not pleased with is the charging—charging stations being broken and the availability of charging stations. Sometimes I have to wait 45 minutes for a 15-minute charge to 80%. I also have noticed people will go into the mall and leave their cars plugged-in even though they are not charging. I have not felt the need to install a home charger for the miles I drive and the availability of free charging.
[Editor’s Note: KB’s Taycan came with three years of complimentary charging at Electrify America stations, so his comments relate to experiences in their network of public chargers.]
CFR: Do you enjoy driving the Taycan?
KB: It is a wonderful car that drives great, even better than I thought it would. My wife loves it and wants to drive it more.
Let me compare the Taycan to my GT-R, which was a lot of fun to drive. To get response you would downshift, then wait for the turbo boost to kick in, and then the car would go. With the Porsche there is instant torque and no waiting. A friend of mine has a Tesla and the Porsche is quicker. (He demonstrated by simulating G-Forces being pushed back in the seat, with eyes wide open.)
CFR: Do you have any closing thoughts on owning the Taycan?
KB: I have noticed most Taycan owners are women, who wave when passing. That’s fun. I find owners of non-electric BMWs and Audis ask about the Taycan. I have also found EV owners are friendly.
Observations
KB’s experience driving the Porsche Taycan 4S is what we hear frequently. It is fast, smooth, powerful and comfortable to drive. It is also a great-looking car.
His dealer experiences are troubling, though, regardless of the brand or cost of the car.
We wish he had completed the purchase and service surveys as Porsche corporate and the dealer need to know how their customers are being treated. Or, maybe they don’t care?
That his initial contact was a person with zero knowledge of the Taycan is a serious issue Porsche needs to correct. Through product training and the dealer having new employees shadow a more experienced sales representative, no customer buying a $130,000+ car should have to experience such a situation.
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Story by John Faulkner, Photos by John Faulkner and KB.
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