Great evaluation and observations.

Funny because I think as an adult who is looking to make a big purchase such as a vehicle, versus a younger person, that fun element can take a back seat, especially when taking into consideration the purchase of a daily driver. Secondary cars, one can have more leeway in regards to preferences, but you want the car that you drive daily to be dependable, reliable, comfortable and as close to your liking as possible.

 

But, OH ... MY, the Panamera is wonderful to drive! My wife and I both test drove an "inexpensive" (retail $96K including about $20K of options) Panamera 4 last fall. I was stunned at how comfortable it was and how much fun it was to drive. I want one, I want one, I want one! I got on some gravel and the AWD effortlessly clawed its way through it as I zoomed up to speed. I instantly felt comfortable flinging it around corners and curves. My wife liked it although she was nervous driving it. The SWB Panamera has a little over two inches less rear legroom than the SWB LS460 but I could live with that to get the fun as long as we kept our Sienna for when we needed more passenger space.

I thought I had lost most of my enthusiasm for cars but the Panamera completely changed my mind. My wife says I've had enough nice cars for one lifetime but said maybe I could get a Panamera for my 70th birthday if I still want one. I should get that in writing! I got a new 1990 LS400 as an early 40th birthday present so 70 is not that far away.

 

Get it. Life's short.

 

That's for sure. As I like to say, "Life is like a roll of toilet paper....the closer you get to the end of the roll, the faster it spins".

 

You seem to be completely engulfed by the experience of driving the vehicle and it brought you some unforgettable memories, if even for only the short time span of a test drive!
My wife and I marveled at the Panamera recently at the auto show. It's one hell of a vehicle.
​​​​​​​I agree with the others-life's short, do the research and go for it!

 

So a Lexus dealership didn't have any 2013 or 2014 LSes and offered us $18K off on a new 2016 a moment ago. That brings the price to $68K + TTL. They offered that without me even asking so they could probably go a little lower. Alas, that is way more than what we want to spend and I don't see much difference between a 2014 and 2016 to justify the price. Still, that may be a killer deal for someone else.

If our budget was $68K I probably would go with the newer Q7 or Range Rover that Steve recommended.

 

It's interesting how when you started this quest a few weeks ago, your budget was hovering around 20K, and now you are even thinking/dreaming about 2013+ vehicles in the 40-60K range .

There are many good deals to be had on 2013+ LS460s (SWB/LWB, RWD/AWD, even CPO) in the 35-50K range provided you are willing to buy one far away from home. Who knows, when the LS500s appear in the showrooms by year's end, the deals could be even sweeter, but that's almost a year away. The longer you wait, the cars will get cheaper, but you are trading off on not having the "instant gratification" of driving a relatively low mileage 2013+ LS now.

I don't know about the Q7, but the RR does not have a reputation for reliability. And if you consider that 99% of these luxury SUVs will never see any off-road use, the LS460 would beat those SUVs for reliability, refinement, and quietness. Based on all the debates and discussions on this topic in recent weeks, I think you are more than ready for a 2013+ LS460 . Good luck!

 

Thanks, comotiger. I know, I can't believe how my priorities have changed! My list of "must haves" from a few months back is completely rewritten. I was dead set against going beyond $20K. Then was okay with $25K for a 2010. I will say $40K is really the max limit though. I am really glad those previous opportunities to buy were not meant to be. Now that I've had time to settle down and be smarter about choices (thanks to everyone here), I realize that a 2013+ makes most sense because I plan to keep the car 10+ years and I really want something more modern inside and out. I don't want to waste time, money, and energy just a few years from now due to the car feeling dated. After I realized the longterm value of a 2013+ then it became easier for us to justify spending more and being truly happy without compromises.

 

Won't get close to a new Range Rover for that money, and for $68k I would take the LS over a Q7.

 

Wow, still an LS over a Q7? Interesting points Steve/comotiger. I think for that kind of money I would take a 2013 460 SWB and spend the difference on a used Boxster or Cayenne for weekend fun (although that Porsche maintenance may be the deal breaker). Maybe a used NSX instead then.

EDIT: Budget will realistically have to go to $75K though to include that NSX.

 

I think you have to have some perspective as far as category. You can't compare used cars to new cars, if people buy new cars (like me) we're never going to buy used cars. For people that buy used cars (like you), you'll never understand why somebody would buy a new car. Comparing SUVs to Sedans, they're different. The new Q7 is a great SUV, but a sedan has attributes it doesn't have, and it has attributes a sedan doesn't have. Whether those attributes outweigh the drawbacks depends on the buyer.

 

I would be more inclined to consider either an A7 or A8 over a Q7. While RR's have certainly gotten better (honestly could not have gotten much worse), the post Tata ownership RR's have seen vastly better resale value and as SW pointed out, a new RR after all is said and done is gonna be close to 100k new. That said, if considering a full RR, I would seriously look at the RR Sport as it is built on the same platform and is a good bit cheaper.

 

Have you driven the new Q7? I'd rather have one over an A7 for sure. A8..,maybe.

 

Driven a 2015 several times, but not the latest as that was the last year of the first gen I believe. I do get what you are saying about the A7 over the A8 with the A7 ostensibly being a reskinned A6 . However, the current A8 no longer uses the D Platform that was shared with the Bentley Continental and VW Phaeton. Rather, it uses an offshoot of the MLB platform that is used by the A7, A6, and probably more cars than I can list. I think the Porsche Macan also uses it. That said, the A8 does use the Aluminum Space Frame whereas the lesser models do not.

 

2015 is nothing like the all new 2017. I was blown away by the all new Q7.