Keith’s Blog: Macan Hunting

A few weeks ago, in my discussion of how I bid online, I mentioned the different models I was watching. I concluded by saying that Chevrolet Corvairs and Porsche Macans were also currently on my watch list.

Looking at online auctions is a lot like no-risk fishing. You bait your hook by putting cars on your “notify me” or “watch list,” then go on about your daily activities. Every now and then, without warning, your electronic bobber disappears under the surface as your list gets a hit.

The no-risk part is that once you have a successful strike, you are not committed to reel in your catch. You can just do some casual browsing and decide how interested you really are.

Because I’m not really in the market, I don’t have to have a logical or defensible reason to watch any particular car. A vague interest is all that is required.

With Macans, I have been entertaining the idea that a more modern Porsche that would hold my mobility scooter might be worth considering. Right now, our 2000 Land Rover Disco II does an admirable job. On the plus side, despite its 240,000 miles (my son Bradley calls it “the moon rover,” as it has traveled far enough to have gone to the moon), it has been reliable. Doug Shipman at Ship’s Mechanicals keeps it well-fettled. I doubt that it is worth much more than $7,500. Sadly, with the upgrades we have done to it we have about $15,000 “invested,” so selling it is not going to put a wad of dough in our pockets.

I recently had an Uber ride in a new Toyota RAV4 and was impressed by the comfort and layout of the cabin. A friend noted that he thought the Macan had a similar feel, so I spent some time in a Macan cockpit. Indeed, it were attractive, purposeful and comfortable.

I put the Macan on my watch list and soon enough they started popping up.

I’ve learned that they are not cheap to buy and if you are unlucky (think: transfer case or PDK problems), not cheap to own. Like so many newer cars, your best bet is to get a used one from a dealer with a CPO warranty that will cover you for your years of ownership.

What can I expect to pay? $40k to $50k should get me a three-year-old car with a clean CARFAX and reasonable miles.

However, this does not compare well to the zero dollars it will cost me to keep our Disco. Just think, I’m already $50k ahead! Reinforcing this is the fact that we seem to be putting about 3,000 miles a year on the Disco, with a couple of mild Rover Club trail runs and weekly drives to the ski slopes in the winters.

So at no cost and with no stress, I was able to go Macan hunting and make a decision that as of today, keeping the Disco is a better choice. Thank you, online auctions, for the lesson.

Next, we’ll discuss Corvairs, Avantis and Corvette C3s.

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