Oh, right. Just thinking it would be a good, reliable, safe SUV.

Subie Forrester or Outback. Utilitarian enough for the college student and should be small enough.

Kudos to your daughter and good on ya Sleepy!

I have one of those self sufficient types myself. She actually wanted to buy her first car new rather than have us provide it while she's in college. Aside from us being cosigners on her loan, she's picking up all the costs on her own.

Similar to how I ended up with my Targa.

Great daughter and dad! I'm intrigued with the affordability of the Cayenne. On my very limited budget, I must consider fuel economy. Parts cost is a consideration as well and tires can get pricey. Having a car that I could live writing off certainly saves on insurance and stress.

However, I always crave for something better. Never have I been satisfied when I go up in size and value. The exception have been extremely reliable Porsches. If this carries over to the Cayenne, maybe they would satisfy. I, like many others, have stigmatized the Cayenne as a non sports car. Maybe my closed mind has prevented me from exploring this vehicle. The ground clearance and awd are certainly useful in Northern Michigan in the winter months and even on two tracks in the summer. It would haul the inboard boats and car trailer.

That said, my Silverado dually is far better for the boat and trailer towing than my Range Rovers were and just as good in snow and mud.

This analysis brings to light the purposefulness of the vehicle. What are you daughter's real needs? Seems like the old Volvo ticks a lot of boxes. A four banger for the shorter commute is right on.










However, I alwy

The Cayenne is not a sports car, it's more like a sports sedan with ground clearance and a big trunk. I was very impressed with mine, but for my uses would still prefer a sports sedan.

You can't afford one;)

Ditto, which is why I've invested in refurbishing a nice solid e39 540/6.

The one thing that stood out to me about our Cayenne...it's balance. The thing was no funny business when tossed sideways in the rain or snow, totally predictable and 100% controllable.

Now I just need to grow the huevos to toss my 911 sideways...in the dry.

While it may not be a sports car, if you get a TT, most sports cars will not beat it in handling, stopping, accelerating, and top speed. Contrary to what I have seen posted here, mine seems to be bulletproof. With my @2500 lb '74 911 (on my @800 lb Trailex) behind it, my 2004 TT is still faster than most cars.

It's an incredible SUV, but ultimately it's still an SUV. You can only do so much to hide the mass and higher center of gravity. Again, if you need to tow, have some ground clearance, AWD, big trunk.....it's hard to beat. I had a 2009 Cayenne GTS and a 2009 C63 AMG at the same time, ultimately the AMG got a lot more use because it was more fun.

One whipped: Thanks for that feedback. My V8 maseratis were lots of fun but sucked gas worse than the Cayenne. My 951s are a blast to drive and are fairly thrifty. 911s do well too and need so littlle in the way of repair. If one needs a fast workhorse, the Cayenne makes sense. So my ugly old dually is the best workhorse, while the smallerl more fun and efficient cars get most of my seat time.

I had a f150 that sucked as a daily driver. Hard to park and no reasonably secure, discrete place to put things that I didn't want stolen while I was in a store or hotel. I only used the bed a few times per year and towed a few times per year. The quality was very low as were creature comforts. When the Fird engine prematurely died, I looked for an alternative. My used, low mileage Cayenne TT is more versatile and was not as expensive as a new truck. It does everything better, including towing. The only missing piece is the truck bed. I have a 5x8 trailer that solves that problem (and I don't have to drag it around behind me every day like the bed of my truck). My wife and daughter both can drive the cayenne (couldn't/wouldn't drive the truck). Gas mileage is about the same. The Cayenne is much more reliable and repair costs have been lower. When I travel, I can actually stop and go into a store, restroom/rest area or restaurant because my suitcases are locked inside an alarmed vehicle. It comfortably seats 5.

Some sort of Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee with an inline 6? Comfortable, reliable, and pretty much any shop will work on it. Not too big either. Also, Saab 9-7x SUV. Basically a Chevy Trailblazer but nicer.

That big Saab sucks gas about the same rate as the Cayenne. The big Volvo not quite so bad. It just seems that big 4x4 SUVs suck lots of gas whether or not they have lots of grunt. Perhaps its the free wheeling aspect of the Haldex on the Volvo that saves gas at the cost of immediate 4x4 action. Unless you need the bulk and traction of the big SUVs it seems like its not practical.