Porsche will begin an app-based subscription service next month
bloomberg.com
bloomberg.com
However, if you are say taking the summer off to do a road trip then I could see spending quite a bit more to avoid a long term obligation.
Although if I were in the position to decide between using this service and purchasing (I can dream, can't I?), I would purchase the vehicle (well actually I would buy a Dodge Demon, still dreaming here).
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Volvo is a 2 year contract, no option to buy and also no option to customise the vehicle. The price is in the same ballpark than a lease. Volvo throws in: insurance and tax all included (less common in personal lease in Europe) and for like 10 days a year, the possibility to loan a different, larger Volvo.
I'll refrain being overly skeptical, Uber is just a taxi app streamlined and rebranded, but that makes all the difference. Buying a car, or worse, leasing one is not exactly streamlined, there is definitively some streamlining value in there somewhere.
Also I guess that is just the beginning - I guess if they could push the commitment down to 1 year (or 2 years with possibility to switch to a different car every year) that could become interesting.
To be fair, the information currently available is more marketing level than practical. Right now it seems they are closer to long term rental than an easy lease. This thread is filled with alternative services that on paper look much better, so we really have to see what Volvo end up to do in practice to compete.
A bit pricy, though. So really only an alternative to buying new.
And for the $2000/mo subscription, it doesn't seem like you even get access to the 911.
Expensive, sure, but we’re talking about consumers that most likely view a $1500/month lease as a semi- or fully reasonable monthly expense.
I think a service that charged $3k/month for any luxury vehicle, all maintenance included, with no contract, including electric vehicles, would be super clutch. It is MUCH more expensive to rent luxury cars on a per day basis, and having an extended test drive really helps when deciding whether to buy a vehicle. If I wanted to buy a car like this, I’d love to have one for a month or two to break it in, no strings attached.
Perhaps in a state with no sales tax?
Rough numbers: 2016 Heavily optioned C4S Manual- MRSP $125K, negotiated down to $105. Residual is like $75K for C4S w/ Manual. 3 years, 10K miles a year. The Money factor is whatever the lowest PFS was at the time (you can look it up on forums and just demand the base rate).
I like driving nice cars and don't mind spending the money so 24 months seems to be the sweet spot personally, but it's hard to justify it when 36 months is a lot cheaper most of the time.
Not sure about that last one. I know about Porsche drivers taking care of their cars as well, but it’s when the cars are owned by them. That wouldn’t apply here so you’ll get people driving them harder than their own vehicles.
The liability to 3rd parties killed by these drivers is pretty enormous. Maybe Clutch is insulating Porsche itself from this, but you have to imagine a trial judge being pretty sympathetic to a claim against Porsche itself if a third party is killed by one of these renters. Under a theory of reckless endangerment of sorts by putting a dangerous instrument in the hands of an unqualified driver.
The program just creates a much stronger tie back to Porsche than a purchase or lease of one of their vehicles.
Edit: I see I wasn't clear enough. It interests me because it may catch on or be available in other areas, should it be a success. Tooling through Europe in varied Porsches, each optimized for different reasons, would be a great vacation. Easily being able to do this would interest me. Thus, this interests me in that I hope it catches on.
You are comparing apples to oranges. Your $1500/month (from the past, different year, packages, car) lease payment is an obligation that requires a 24/36/48 month commitment.
Wouldn't it be possible to lease at least two Porches permanently for that amount from an existing car-lease firm?
Apparently no one told them that these new consumers are broke as a joke also.
You could easily lease two including insurance, registration, and maintenance.
I don't think the added flexibility of being able to swap your 718 for a Cayenne when you need to haul furniture (or have more than two people) is worth it.
Yes, there is a long-term commitment, but you can get a a lot of car for $2000 a month, all-in.
So it would be cheaper to lease a boxster as the primary vehicle, and, when you need one, just rent a truck over a weekend or whatever.
Porsche maintenance is also much more expensive than Toyota maintenance, to say the least. Even stuff you don’t do at the dealer, like tires, most people don’t want cheap tires on those cars.
I can’t say for sure how good of a deal it is or not, it would take some calculation and research, I just know it can’t be dismissed without a closer look. There is value in short term, all inclusive subscription plans, it’s just a question of what the real premium nets out to be, and the market demand to pay that premium.
Tires more expensive? Yes, because they're bigger. ~$1500/set versus $1000/set (shipped, mounted and balanced) for the Miata, and the rears wear out about twice as fast.
Maintenance? If I went to a dealer for service, labor rate is 24% higher compared to a local Mazda dealer. I instead go to one of the best Porsche independents in the US and he's about 12% more than a local Mazda dealership, and he has way cooler stuff in his garage (last time I went, three 959s, a one-of-17 TechArt CTR3, and other craziness). Though still lots I can do myself.
Parts? I did a full brake job recently, and it cost ~10% more than something like a Subaru WRX STi. I actually used uprated brake fluid (which was +$20 over OEM), though everything else was OEM.
The only major long-term expense is engine rebuilds. Figure 25-30% more than rebuilding a mainstream V8 like a Toyota 1UR/3UR, Ford Coyote or Chevy small block. Though that's usually every 15-25 years (depending on engine hours at high RPM), so that's something you just sock money away for well in advance.
Vipers aren’t exactly in the same group. It’s not performance based, just statistics.
The act of stealing them may not be easier, but the enterprise of stealing them is.
Janky Mustang GTs are everywhere
It's pretty ridiculous.
Weird tidbit: I once put a 993 engine into a 996 rwd chassis and fit very well. The old 993 mount fit rather well and only needed some modifications to work. The engine had a 930 tranny bolted on (g50) and it fit perfectly as well. Of onlt that car were finished some day...
As long as the IMS bearing hasn't already gone out, it's just(!) a matter of budgeting for replacement when you price the car.
I've been seriously thinking about getting one but haven't found what I want yet.