2015 Macan S possible purchase - thoughts ?

[rfuerst911sc]

Came across a 2015 Macan S locally that caught my eye . It has 92k miles and looks clean . Owner confirmed the transfer case has been replaced . He says he never had the plastic coolant pipes leak . And he is unaware of any timing cover issues . Price is 14k . This morning I asked if he has maintenance records waiting on a reply .

I think the price is reasonable but would like to hear from you guys . Any other known issues for that model year ? The standard S came with a 340hp twin turbo V6 , are they considered a solid engine ? This would potentially be a daily driver . But we are retired so not a lot of miles per week .

[KFC911]

I paid 10ish more for a minty 2017 with less miles not too long ago. Sounds worth pursuing to me ... good luck!

[rfuerst911sc]

The maintenance on newer vehicles scares me a bit . I haven't run this by the wife yet so this could get shut down quick 😄

[GH85Carrera]

My wife ordered a 2017 base model new, with the options she wanted. It has been a great car.

The only issue we have had with the car is the driver's window channel was misaligned, and had to be removed and replaced. That cost a few hundred bucks, not too bad for a 8 year old car.

Oil changes at a shop are expensive, but not too hard to do yourself. I have done several.

Even the base model is as fast as my 911, and it will cruise easily at any highway speed or above, and she get over 24 MPG in average around town gas mileage. She loves it and there is no plan to replace it anytime soon.

I have heard that the GTS models have an oil leak issue with the timing chain covers, and to fix that is an engine out repair. Not an issue on the 4 cylinder models.

[stealthn]

If the seller is willing take off the under tray and look for stains/leaks. Not sure it’s possible but I would want to check the cylinders for bore scoring.

[jhynesrockmtn]

We have a 2015 S we bought CPO at roughly 55k miles. At close to 90k it has been a bit of a nightmare. Timing cover started leaking after 85k, water pump, coolant pipes, crankcase breather system. Those things are when, not if. Just the drive belt at an independent that is way cheaper than the dealer was $1,000. Something that took 15 minutes on my 996. The whole front end has to come apart. I would sell it and get an Acura but it isn't worth much. The driving experience is great. The interior wears like iron. In many ways it still looks new. But, the packaging makes maintenance and repairs under the hood a nightmare. We also had a PDK failure under warranty on a unit that had all of the scheduled maintenance done at the dealership by the original owner. My wife loves it. It's hers. But she has brought up dumping it after the last go round at the mechanic.

[WPOZZZ]

I had a 2015 S. Leaking timing cover and a sheared tc bolt at 62k.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Seems like a fair price. At 90k if the PDK hasn’t been regularly serviced I would walk, I think every 40k is recommended. Seems semi-common and pricey to fix. Timing cover is just a seeping oil leak, pretty common for any older German car. Transfer case cracking is common but that’s addressed. Otherwise I’ve read about electrical gremlins and various plastic bits cracking as they age. Remember this is more VAG than Porsche, it’s a parts bin car in many ways. I looked into one for my daughter, not my first choice.

[edgemar]

Isn't bore scoring an issue? I'd scope the cylinders.

[rattlsnak]

This is a great Macan buyers guide by PCA.. Second generation models are much better.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I don’t recall reading about bore scoring issues with the Macan.

[rfuerst911sc]

Seems like the Macan and Cayenne are " generally " more reliable with their base engines . Our Volvo XC90 is much larger than we need so thinking about something smaller . Toyota Rav4 and Mazda cx5 come to mind as possibilities . Maybe a smaller XC is still in the cards . I wanted to buy next year but this Macan popped up and that's why I asked .

[onewhippedpuppy]

I drove a Macan base and was very unimpressed. Typical SUV with a turbo four, it’s all lag and then whiplash. It’s not refined or smooth, though the power is adequate.

[KFC911]

If I had seen this thread I would have been looking for a 2 gen GTS .... but the 2017 Macan S is bueno.

No 4 cyls for me .... my new, no frills '79 Corolla was an awesome college car tho

No carpet...

[GothingNC]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I don’t recall reading about bore scoring issues with the Macan.

Bore Scoring is an issue with the V6 and V8 with the Lokasil and Alusil blocks in the Macan's and Cayenne, especially when the oil is changed every 10,000 miles and/or colder climates.

2.0L Turbo 4 Cylinder with the cast iron block does not have the issue and the models 2017 through 2019 are less suscepitble to have bore scoring but it can happen.

https://www.macanforum.com/search/914440/?q=bore+scoring&c[showFilter]=visibleOnly&o=relevance

[fastfredracing]

I actually like the 4 in my macan . It is more or less the devil I know ... Common platform, common problems, and common solutions . Basically a q5 all dolled up for Saturday night
I got mine dirt cheap bent up , and put it back together. Ive got 111000 miles, so far, no major problems that were not caused by the accident . My drivers window switch went out , and it is not very roomy inside
. Super nice driving vehicle , plenty quick, and I honestly do not feel it to be " laggy " at all . It gets right on with the program when I ask it to .
Im road tripping it to the beach next week , 3 adults , a 100 pound lab and an tough talking 8 year old . Have mercy on me

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I drove a Macan base and was very unimpressed. Typical SUV with a turbo four, it’s all lag and then whiplash. It’s not refined or smooth, though the power is adequate.

Yea, in "normal" mode it is a bit slow at first, then whoosh. I put my wife's 2017 base model Macan in Sport mode as soon as I start it. The regular mode is set up to get the best gas mileage. It will shift into 6th at 35 MPH on level ground on a road with a 35 MPH speed limit.

The sport mode pretty much fixes that, at the cost of some fuel mileage.

My wife loves her 2017 base mode. It will get on the interstate with ease on a short on ramp. The other advantage of the base mode is the water pump is on the back of the engine, so no major project to replace it.

We went to Arkansas and Missouri in it and on the back roads of Arkansas it is a blast. I could not push it too hard as the ice chest and luggage was not strapped down.

[edgemar]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I don’t recall reading about bore scoring issues with the Macan.

I imagine lack of regular maintenance was part of it...

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Yea, in "normal" mode it is a bit slow at first, then whoosh. I put my wife's 2017 base model Macan in Sport mode as soon as I start it. The regular mode is set up to get the best gas mileage. It will shift into 6th at 35 MPH on level ground on a road with a 35 MPH speed limit.

The sport mode pretty much fixes that, at the cost of some fuel mileage.

My wife loves her 2017 base mode. It will get on the interstate with ease on a short on ramp. The other advantage of the base mode is the water pump is on the back of the engine, so no major project to replace it.

We went to Arkansas and Missouri in it and on the back roads of Arkansas it is a blast. I could not push it too hard as the ice chest and luggage was not strapped down.

Did you mean to say the base model has the water pump on the front ? Back of the engine doesn't sound fun at all .

[KFC911]

My 2017 Macan S gets switched into "sport" mode every time I start it (wish I could make it default) ... only way to disable the shutting off at stop lights ... and I'm good with that too!