Older Cayenne Suggestions

[1990C4S]

Thinking about a beater Cayenne for the next two years. On my local Craigslist there are 2004/5/6 Turbo cars, V8 cars, and V6 cars in the $5k area, mileage as low as 100, 000 up to 200,000.

Most appear to be in decent shape, no rust, not beat up interiors, just big old vehicles not many people want.

Is the turbo the most reliable engine? (assuming the necessary updates have been done)? I've read the NA engines suffer from scoring.

Or, maybe this is a bad idea and I should go back to looking for a decent Volvo wagon?

[island911]

I like the 2004 S. Although the Turbos are easier to find with all the nice options, than are the S's. (full leather, air suspension...) but are thirstier and don't have as crisp a throttle response.

2005 Porsche manufacturing engineers started showing their work. Many sound insulation pads are gone. Also, they have a bulky DVD player under the passenger seat that is dedicated to nav. The 04 has a nice drawer there.

[sc_rufctr]

I've heard good things about them but there are known issues. But people have developed fixes. One big issue with the early cars was the coolant pipe on top of the motor. The original was plastic and prone to failure. I've heard some stories about catastrophic engine failures but you shouldn't believe everything your read on the internet. And they seem less problematic than modern Mercedes SUVs.

If you really want one... Find a good one and enjoy it.

[brainz01]

They can be great cars, but even the good ones are maintenance intensive. Budget $1-$2k/year if you do your own maintenance - - double that if you use a mechanic.

I have a turbo and it's a good, reliable daily driver, but there's always something that requires a bit of maintenance. Buy the best one you can find. Avoid cars from winter climates - - the bore scoring, while rare, seems linked to cold temps.

Condition and maintenance are everything. Don't buy one with obvious problems, especially electric, unless you really like working on cars and/or shoveling money into a hole.

The Rennlist community is very good. Read all the FAQs and DIYs there to get a sense of the common issues.

[Zeke]

I've spent enough time on Cayenne boards to know I can't afford one. A 5K car that costs 2K a year to maintain. Not my cup of tea. The Boxster we have is bad enough.

[GG Allin]

Old Cayenne Safari builds should be a thing, not 911 Safari builds. Just thought I'd add that.

[bkreigsr]

Don't rule out the Toureg.
I bought my '06 used, with 43,000 miles and put 48,000 miles on it pulling my track car up and down the east coast and out/back to NY & Ohio.
The basic V6 had plenty of power to haul the car and open steel trailer.
(...and I didn't have to deal with ascot-wearing service techs at VW when it came to maintenance)
Bill K

[pavulon]

Avoid the diesel

[island911]

Originally Posted by Zeke

I've spent enough time on Cayenne boards to know I can't afford one. A 5K car that costs 2K a year to maintain. Not my cup of tea. The Boxster we have is bad enough.

I've had my first one for almost 12 years. No way maintenance average has cost me that much per year. Tires are $1k, but last ~3 years. Coolant pipes, that was under 1k easy. I had a hard shift remedied with a used valve body replacement - a couple hundred there. I'm straining to come up with big ticket costs here.

[island911]

Gas? 100k worth of gas... works out to roughly $1500/year, with gas at $3/gallon

[1990C4S]

I was hoping someone would convince me how terrible this idea was.

Milt started. Need more problems.

[pavulon]

https://jalopnik.com/porsche-cayenne-the-ultimate-buyers-guide-1740881527

https://ferdinandmagazine.com/porsche-buyers-guides/porsche-cayenne-buyers-guide

https://www.evo.co.uk/porsche/cayenne/6253/porsche-cayenne-buying-guide

on and on...

[tdw28210]

Originally Posted by pavulon

Avoid the diesel

really? I've been told the exact opposite.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by tdw28210

really? I've been told the exact opposite.

It’s possible that I’m conflating MB’s SUV TD with the Porsche.

[fastfredracing]

My 04 turbo has been a little bit of a maintenance pig. I will be honest though, I did not buy the nicest example, and there was def some shoddy previous work, and lots of deferred maintenance .
It has been pretty tough though. I just pulled back in the driveway from a grocery run to the farm market in it . Hard not to love when it is working
I have had air suspension faults, tail gate closer broke last year, window regulator just failed, , Both of my AIR pumps failed, then shortly after replacing them, a diverter valve failed,and took out another one . the common leaks in the brake booster plumbing , causing brake fault messages . The steering lock went out last summer ,which basically, shuts down the whole vehicle . These were all pretty big pain in the ass problems for what they were .
I initially did not like the car but it has kind of grown on me, and become the devil that I know. I think I am going to hold it and try to run it to 200k.
Most of the issues are well known, some are just a little expensive/time consuming to deal with .
I've done pretty good at keeping repair costs down, but it has been one of the more expensive cars to maintain that I have ever owned .
It is always needing something . Headlight ballasts are a nice little expensive gotcha, and can only be programmed with piwis that I know of .
Personally, I would only consider the Turbo. did someone above say they do not have the throttle response of the S ? Lag my ass... this thing gets it .
They are not that awful to work on once you get familiar with the platform .
I always hated to looks of the early ones, but now, they are my preference


I blacked out most of my trim, but still have to do the pillars, and the rear panel is off getting repainted right now.
I hate all of the sliver trim on black/dark colors, on the early ones, it reminds me of those sunglasses Elvis used to wear .

[fastfredracing]

I may also be needing to do the valve body. I was just starting to get some really hard shifts, and flaring in 4th gear. I just changed fluids and filters yesterday, and reset the adaptation of the trans . The whole day today, it shifted like butter, so I may have staved that one off for a while . Even that is a well known issue with fixes ranging from $200-1000 in parts depending on how crafty and brave you are .

[rfuerst911sc]

I have toyed with the idea of a pepper wagon for a few years , in my opinion for a DD the 3.6 V6 is the way to go . Much more reliable ( if you believe the internet ) with good hp and torque . No it is not a snarling turbo or an S but supposedly enough oomph to be happy with . I don't need air adjustable suspension I need reliable .

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

I don't need air adjustable suspension I need reliable .

For a utility appliance like a SUV, that’s what I would want to. Reliable and low cost per mile to operate.

That’s why I scratch my head on any Cayenne, new and especially a decade old 120,000+ mile one. Some of you are gluttons for punishment!

[RNajarian]

Bought mine new in 2005. 56,000 miles and no major maintenance issues. Only issue was the A/c fan relay, bought a new one here for $120, replaced it in 45 minutes.

It comes in very handy when I need to move stuff or go Camping. It was a toss up in 2005, a new 911 or Cayenne. Since I already had an ‘83 SC and my ‘75 S it seemed odd to add another 911 to the stable. From a practical standpoint I made the right choice.

[dewolf]

Wait another month or so and they'll get even cheaper.