If anybody’s interested...thinning herd. New thermostat, water pump, intake manifold (I set my 500w shop light on it....$700 mistake). Needs headlight ballast and to be reprogrammed. 105k miles. 18k obo

Seems to be a desirable interior/exterior combo. Has tow package, too.

I love that combo

Cayenne for towing - specific model recommendation
 

I'm thinking seriously of thinning my herd and going with a Cayenne. I need something that can tow which my Titan XD currently does very well. I also have a 996 C4S for weekend duty and road trips (just did Spokane to Seattle and back) and a 2008 Outback as a DD. I would get rid of at least the Subaru and Truck and probably the 996 as well. I'm paying too much in insurance and have vehicles gathering dust. I tow a vintage tandem axle travel trailer that weights about 4,400 lbs loaded and my 914 race car and open trailer that probably also weighs in about that much.

Assuming you think a Cayenne could act as my DD and tow vehicle. Tell me if I'm being crazy. Which years and models of Cayenne would you look at given a budget of say $35k ish? Is the Diesel worth considering as I'm seeing a few of those pop up?

I drive the Mercedes daily, but I let my girlfriend drive the Cayenne (above your post) as her DD. I just used it to tow a car back from 2 hours away, last week. I contemplated selling it earlier in the year, but man, it just fits for everything I need. I ended up replacing both headlight ballasts (control units) which was right around 1k for the parts. But besides that, it's been a perfect vehicle.

You could probably get into a pretty clean/low-mileage 2013-2014 GTS or Turbo for under $35k.

The following year (2015) had another "facelift" and some nice available-options added.
You should be able to find a 2015-2016 S under $35k, but it might be lacking in a few niceties, and in 2015 they ditched the NA V8 in the S in favor of a TT V6.

The big change (complete re-design) came in 2011, and was a step towards being a bit more "crossover-ish". I'd avoid the early ones though (2011 & 2012) as they had a few issues, including a recall for aluminum cam tensioner bolts.

The 2008-2010 models are more brute-ish, and great bang for the buck, but are slightly more thirsty. Though, you could probably find a nice 2009 Turbo S (550hp) and still have $10k left in your wallet.

If you opt for an S, I'd try to find one with air suspension. PASM would be high on the options wish-list as well. YMMV...

That GTS is beautiful, I was going to PM you but glad you kept it!