here we go..
 

Dear Pelicans,
I am in the market for a 2004-2005 Porsche cayenne S ( no v6 or turbo).
I have a long history with 911`s but 2 kids and a wife ...in a 911? no!
I think that for 17-18K the Cayenne S sounds great.
I know the number one concern are the coolant pipes. I would not consider one without the alloy exchange. I also know that some tires burn fast and that an oil change is a nightmare but I am not at all a lead foot and my local mechanic would be able to suck out the oil for the change.
Gas mileage? I imagine maybe 19 highway as I am a light foot ? I do not believe the dealer that said he gets 22 driving at 65... but I do not expect 11mpg either.
I know some cayennes burn oil and some not... No idea why?

What else besides going over the maintenance records should I look for? The cars I have been looking at have under 80K miles.
Any feedback you greatly be appreciated!!!
Richard

Nobody???

Richard,

I had a 2004 S and sold it and miss it much.

They are great Trucks and do get about 22-26 mpg at 55-65mph. I always cruised mine slow but they do go..

You will get 14.5 mpg city though.

They are great, i would get a 2005, the 04s like mine had loud hvac flaps, but that was worked out.

They have no mechanical issues other than the plastic coolant pipes degrading (world-car manufacturing, there can be issues like these) , ( I replaced mine with aluminum units myself)
Find one that had more frequent oil changes (5-6k miles) the ethanol is really bad for motors and they really shouldn't go 10k btwn changes.
Porsche techs say the ethanol washes out the cylinder walls with infrequent oil changing. Thanks Al Gore.


Changing the oil is tricky the first time but becomes second nature and you get to marvel at the engineering in that Porsche truck from below.

I really miss mine but it had to go for space/use reasons.The guy that bought it still e-mails me once in a while to say hi.

Good luck with your search, take your time there are plenty out there.

Why are you not considering the Turbo? The difference in acceleration and braking is night and day?

Thanks so much for the responses!The turbo would just be overkill for my use

Hey yaya,

Fixer's response is thoughtful and on the mark. A Cayenne S at cruising speed will get better mileage than what the EPA claims. It's an amazing vehicle, and it will haul your family of four with ease.

thanks to all! I will report when i find THE car!

Braking? Red paint on the same calipers?:cool:

ah, the PASM, I'll bet. fwiw, my 955S also has the PASM system. (I looked high and low to find that on an S) ...I haven't tested threshold braking on the non-PASM equipped, but I have been impressed with fast response of (stiffening) the suspension on panic stops.

BTW, I went with the non-turbo because the turbo eats too often (fill ups, brake pads, tires, oil) Sure, the S is no Prius, but better.

But, but, but....I love the red paint.

:D

Come to think of it, I'm not sure that mine doesn't also have optional turbo brakes (in silver) or if they came standard. I know that 18" wheels are the smallest that will fit over the front calipers. ...and yet some Cayennes have 17" wheels a standard. (maybe just for the 6 cyl ?)

Besides HVAC potential noise , is there any difference between an 04 and an 05?

Supposedly the Cayenne Turbo and S have the same caliper except for color (silver vs red) and both have 350 mm rotors. The base model has a smaller black caliper (black) and a 330 mm front rotor. The red Turbo S calipers are still larger and the front rotor is 380 mm.

Supposedly, the rear units are the same size for all.

Thanks fin.

yaya97 Besides HVAC potential noise? --I haven't heard about that.

I found an add of a dealer selling a gold 2004 S with 77K miles for $16K. Perfect on paper

but

The dealer assured me over the phone that the coolant pipes were changed at 45K miles. When I got there, I asked for documents the dealer said oh it was just a verbal confirmation by a Porsche dealer but the invoice ( as well as all the maintenance records) was..lost!

Then I went to look at the car. First thing I noticed was the fog in the headlights... Maybe hit and badly replaced? Or maybe nothing. THEN came in my mind the dealbreaker : In the center of the drivers door were a few 1 inch rust bubbles popping out from under the paint. Is this normal for a Cayenne to have rust bubbles? I declined the test drive and drove back home. Was I right??

My 2004 has no rust nor is there anything wrong with the headlights. I am not sure I could find documents showing coolant pipes were replaced...but most were if the car was serviced by the dealer...as most high-dollar cars are when new.

fog in the headlights: a small crack will let water in, and then it has no where to go.

It is possible to visually inspect for the metal lines, but Rust!? :eek: ...no wonder the price is so low.

thanks to all! I will keep looking

found another 2004 s . Looks greaton photo BUT has no sun roof... not a dealbreaker if the rest is good! finger crossed!

Wow, I assumed all Cayennes came with a sunroof. I hope it turns out to be the one for you, Yaya.

I've had a tough few months with my 05'

1. Rear convenience module replaced (third time, second with the updated part)
2. Wiper arm on drivers side came off
3. Filler tube gasket for the washer tank broke - this turned out to be a MAJOR repair
4. Drivers side turbo to inter-cooler pipe leaking oil on my floor
5. Rear hatch door handle broke off - also a MAJOR repair
6. Instrument cluster failure (failure of the speaker in the cluster)
7. AC - documented here but was an epic journey to repair
8. Radio INOP issue on occasion - fixed with new fiber optic cable, woo hoo!

On the flip side, I have no odd tire wear that a lot of people report, and my brakes are measuring good after each service. I'm also on the original coolant pipes with no issue as well, granted I'm only around 35k though.

I have one outstanding issue that's getting annoying, "suspension fault" :( I need to catch this while it's on and drive it into the shop since it's not logging a code. Dealer suspects the pump might be dying.

Still a fun car.