HELP! Should I buy a Cayenne?

[SKM911]

Hello all.
I need anyones help!
I am considering buying a 2005 Cayenne S w/18,000mi. under warranty till Dec.'08 or 50,000mi. Any opinions on these cars? Are they reliable? Just concerned about maintenance costs down the road.
Any help or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Aloha,
Scott

[adscab]

Go for it! The Cayenne S is really a great vehicle.

[Brillo]

Go over to the Rennlist Cayenne forum and spend some time reading the various threads. Lots more activity there and for the most part they tell it like it is. There are some issues with the Cayenne. You are probably okay with an '05. Safest route is certified from a dealer with a warranty.

I was seriously considering one as a tow vehicle, after some home work, I decided to get a proper tow vehicle (diesel pick up). Still considering one for the wife however.

Good luck.

[SKM911]

Thanks! I got some great info from some great people on Rennlist.

Aloha,
Scott

[VZ935]

I had a 2004 turbo. 2003 was a short run so I got the 04 in May of 03 and just got ride of it at 62k miles. I towed an enclosed trailer with my 935 in it with absolutely no problems. I was actually surprised at how well it towed , though I had a good trailer too. Lots of little issues though. For the most part everything worked but I was hampered with a sound in the heating system that they tried to fix 4 times and then when the car was out of warranty still charged me to attempt yet another fix to the tune of 750 bucks and when I picked it up... same noise. All in all I really enjoyed the Cayenne.. it handled great , though the Mich tires only would last about 8-10,000 miles (after the 5th set I switched to Toyo's) , and ran great . Mechanically the car was sound . I had a drive shaft go bad but other than that it ran flawlessly, though I will say the transmission could have been better . I think the sound advice here is to buy one 2005 or up.. and I would not buy a new one. I have seen used turbo's for under 60k ! And I think I just saw a used S for under 40K .. though not 100% sure on that . like most cars right now it is a buyer used car market and some real fair deals are to be had. Plenty of cars out there so take your time and look for the right car/deal.

[Brillo]

So Scott, did you buy it?

[SKM911]

Not yet. Within the next couple of weeks I think I'm gonna pick it up.

[Brillo]

Post a picture when you get it.

[Want to be]

Stay AWAY from all Cayenne's.

A master mechanic for VW, said all Touregs are JUNK.. , for Porsche the apple does not fall to far away from the tree.

All 2004 VW version are good enough to be a BRICK or anchor.

The mechanic told me the 04 version engine were blowing up right off the tractor trailor, brand NEW.

The recalls on the trucks is horrible and the V8's were worse.

Electrical nightmares on both the Porsche and VW. All the dealer know these trucks have issues and when you do a trade. You will know as-well.

I wanted a Cayenne as-well, but he said WAIT! He had heard Porsche had figured out most the problems on th e 2006 and 07 models, but VW Touregs are still horrible.....JUNK.

You don't have to believe me, but VW is close to leaving the states.

They are in huge finical problems, and dealerships are dropping like flies in the mid-west.

Good luck!

jpc

[cairns]

See debate on Panameraugly in Off Topic below. I wouldn't but if dealers are discounting by the tens of thousands (which they apparently are) they are certainly worth a look. IMO these are some of the worst things Porsche ever produced- ugly, catastrophic resale value, unreliable and audio/electronics (and other basic features) that are years behind Mercedes/BMW or Japanese. Not a great SUV and certainly not a great Porsche.

But they are powerful (not six of course) do handle and stop well and make fair tow vehicles. I have one friend who loves his- and one other who doesn't.

My nephew (a junior VW mechanic) has said the very same thing to me about Toureags. Warranty repair costs are driving VW crazy. Porsche would never admit that but suspect they aren't happy about them either.

[cuongnet]

May I have a back view of youcar...?...thanks,
Serge

[Cobalt]

Originally Posted by Want to be

Stay AWAY from all Cayenne's.

A master mechanic for VW, said all Touregs are JUNK.. , for Porsche the apple does not fall to far away from the tree.

All 2004 VW version are good enough to be a BRICK or anchor.

The mechanic told me the 04 version engine were blowing up right off the tractor trailor, brand NEW.

The recalls on the trucks is horrible and the V8's were worse.

Electrical nightmares on both the Porsche and VW. All the dealer know these trucks have issues and when you do a trade. You will know as-well.

I wanted a Cayenne as-well, but he said WAIT! He had heard Porsche had figured out most the problems on th e 2006 and 07 models, but VW Touregs are still horrible.....JUNK.

You don't have to believe me, but VW is close to leaving the states.

They are in huge finical problems, and dealerships are dropping like flies in the mid-west.

Good luck!

jpc

SAY WHAT??? What are you smoking?

Your mechanic doesn't know what he is talking about. The Cayenne engines are one of the most sound parts in the car. The Treg had its own set of issues and it was more tranny related than anything. The Cayenne engines other than the V6's have nothing in common with the VW's. I would not buy the V6 under any conditions but the S and turbo are pronominal vehicles capable of amazing things. Also I have not heard of a single engine failure in an S or turbo.

BTW there are no 07 Cayenne's so if this is the kind of info you are getting I would think twice about what he is feeding you and passing it on.

I have an 04 turbo and it has been flawless. Some consider these the Beta years and had minor electrical issues. In fact anything built in 04 is fine. If you want one buy a used late model 04 and up let someone else take the depreciation. The new models are nice but not that much better than the 1st generation. Go for the turbo if you can afford it.

good Luck.

[Cobalt]

Originally Posted by cairns

See debate on Panameraugly in Off Topic below. I wouldn't but if dealers are discounting by the tens of thousands (which they apparently are) they are certainly worth a look. IMO these are some of the worst things Porsche ever produced- ugly, catastrophic resale value, unreliable and audio/electronics (and other basic features) that are years behind Mercedes/BMW or Japanese. Not a great SUV and certainly not a great Porsche.

But they are powerful (not six of course) do handle and stop well and make fair tow vehicles. I have one friend who loves his- and one other who doesn't.

My nephew (a junior VW mechanic) has said the very same thing to me about Toureags. Warranty repair costs are driving VW crazy. Porsche would never admit that but suspect they aren't happy about them either.

Again you don't have clue. Have you driven one? MY CTT is faster than a 997S from 60-130 incredibly stable, handles 100 times better than any vehicle of this type. Is incredibly comfortable for long distance drives. It also tows better than my 08 Avalanche with 6.0 liter motor. Resale is not great but far better than any other Porsche of its vintage. Look at any 996 variant and compare.

BTW looks are purely subjective and i find the CT to be great for what it is.

[Want to be]

I guess you know more than a Master Mechanic who has worked on VW's for over 20 years.

Regarding the 07 models, he had heard Porsche might have figured out their issues. He said the 06 model were doing better, but VW was not improving!

The transmission issue, i guess they fixed the problem by selling Front wheel drive cars instead of 4 wheel drive.

I like the Cayenne, but i am concerned about if it will break down.

Recently a gentleman told us @ the shop, he traded his Porsche Cayenne on a Ford 150, because his Cayenne had too many problems.

Many of the newer Porsches are not holding there values, because of their reliabilities problems.

Porsche from 993 down are holding their values, but 996 and up $$ values are dropping like flies.

I wish you good luck on your Twin Turbo!

Oh yeah, Porsche invited me to drive a new Cayenne from the Cellular Movie promo. I drove a V8 model S, and later seen the Cellular movie as-well. Loved the Cayenne, the movie was so so!

jpc

[Cobalt]

Originally Posted by Want to be

I guess you know more than a Master Mechanic who has worked on VW's for over 20 years.

Regarding the 07 models, he had heard Porsche might have figured out their issues. He said the 06 model were doing better, but VW was not improving!

The transmission issue, i guess they fixed the problem by selling Front wheel drive cars instead of 4 wheel drive.

I like the Cayenne, but i am concerned about if it will break down.

Recently a gentleman told us @ the shop, he traded his Porsche Cayenne on a Ford 150, because his Cayenne had too many problems.

Many of the newer Porsches are not holding there values, because of their reliabilities problems.

Porsche from 993 down are holding their values, but 996 and up $$ values are dropping like flies.

I wish you good luck on your Twin Turbo!

Oh yeah, Porsche invited me to drive a new Cayenne from the Cellular Movie promo. I drove a V8 model S, and later seen the Cellular movie as-well. Loved the Cayenne, the movie was so so!

jpc

Sorry for coming on so strong however, I am tired of people cutting the Cayenne off at the knees because they don't agree with the concept or don't like the looks or associate it with the VW variant. The VW is a good vehicle for the money and I know many who have had good luck and others that are on their second thanks to VW replacing the first.

I know a hell of a lot about Porsche's and the Cayenne too. To group VW's issues with the Cayenne is wrong. Yes it is a joint effort but other than the body the resemblance ends there unless you include the V6 which I understand why they built it but cannot condone. Just like the 924 another mistake in Porsche's history. Although the 944 is a different story.

Yes the 03 and early 04 MY cars had gremlins but this ended slightly before the beginning of 04 calender year build cars. I have had my 04 since Aug of 05 purchased new. Other than some minor recalls no issues what so ever. She has performed flawlessly. I know of other 04 owners with well over 100K miles and no major issues. Engine issues are associated with the 996 N/A variants with serious rear main seal failures and Boxster engines that are only replaceable and not rebuildable, not cayenne engines.

The CT is an amazing vehicle. I appreciate it more and more each year. When I can't be driving my other cars I enjoy the feel the drive, the handling and power of a Porsche and still have the benefits of an urban assault vehicle that can tow my track car and handle the shopping load or take it skiing and drive through 18" of fresh powder with complete comfort and ease or power down some country roads or if I could get it on the Autobahn do 155+ mph all day long.

Are there things I would change or improve? Yes. Do they draw away from the vehicle so much that it is worth griping about? I personally don't think so. Is the Cayenne consistent with Porsche's past performance and efforts? Most definitely.

I would recommend the Cayenne to anyone. For a safety margin I would recommend late 04 build and newer some would say 05's and up. There were no 07 MY Cayenne's. Porsche skipped the 07 and made changes to the 08 MY. Although the any 05, 06 is a safe bet.

I highly recommend going for a test drive. Not a dog it around town drive but a nice 45 min put it through its passes drive. You will be very amazed at how capable it is.

Regarding your mechanic friend, as I re-read your thread I see it mislead me to think your comments were as much about the Cayenne as they were the VW. I won't argue with your friends experiences with VW's but you cannot group VW's problems with the Porsche and vice a versa.

Regarding resale, a simple cause. Too many Porsche's built and leased. My 94 turbo has been going up in value. Why? Because it is one of the finest street Porsche's made to date and two because they only made 410 stock US model 94 turbo 3.6's. More and more people are starting to appreciate the raw sports car feel of the older cars. Performance wise are not far behind the newer models with much more sports car feel for a heck of a lot less money than a new GT2. This goes for all of the air cooled and some early water cooled cars. The 996TT is a lost cause. Why? Not because it isn't anything less than great, but because it is too easy to drive not as challenging or IMO thrilling like the older cars and too many made and leased. The now off leased cars are flooding the market and people that can afford these want new. The same with the Cayenne TT.

If you want a lot of vehicle for the money a slightly used Cayenne TT or 996TT are some serious cars for a fraction of the cost new and if you have the means are worth buying and using.

Take a CT for a test drive and let me know what you think. I am sure your opinion will change.

[Macroni]

I used my sister's for a week.
My impressions are that it has a sweet sounding motor that is powerful and quick. It handles like my wife's 5 series which is excellent IMO. Its looks are where I turn off. It reminds me of a loaf of bread.
I have a Discovery which cost 1/2 as much and is much more practical.
Luke

[Want to be]

I wonder how the JEEP , with a HEMI or 6.1 liter model, compares to the Twin turbo and S models?

[Cobalt]

Originally Posted by Luke Marano Jr

I used my sister's for a week.
My impressions are that it has a sweet sounding motor that is powerful and quick. It handles like my wife's 5 series which is excellent IMO. Its looks are where I turn off. It reminds me of a loaf of bread.
I have a Discovery which cost 1/2 as much and is much more practical.
Luke

Who buys a Porsche for practicality? Looks are subjective, I prefer the Cayenne to a box myself, but thats me.

[Cobalt]

Originally Posted by Want to be

I wonder how the JEEP , with a HEMI or 6.1 liter model, compares to the Twin turbo and S models?

My CTT is faster than the Jeep with the big motor although not by much and the Jeep seems to have a slight advantage from 0-30 mph the CTT starts to pull on the jeep up to 70 and then the CTT just starts to walk away once you pass 80 mph. The Jeep would be faster than the CS. I actually found one Dodge Durango with a Hemi to be quite fast but I think it was heavily modified.

The Jeep is like a wallowing pig in the turns compared to either the CS or CTT. In manual mode the CTT can keep up with most sports cars and blow away most sedans in the turns.

[cairns]

"You don't have clue."

Cobalt while I'm glad you're happy with your car and I wish you the best of luck of with it it is plainly not a vehicle for me and many others.

Attempting to justify it with claims of "100 times" better handling or "60 to 130"
acceleration times leads me to believe you're reading way too much Motor Trend. I'll just skim the towing capabilities- I tow regularly and would not attempt to tow my Porsche in an enclosed trailer in any Cayenne: One, it would exceed the tow weight limitations Porsche places on the vehicle and two, it would be dangerous as hell.

BTW I'm a nationally certified DE instructor for PCA and have driven Cayennes more than a few times- on skid pads and race tracks. As I indicated above they're great handling, powerful SUVs.

But in my, and many others, opinions there are much better values for the money. And as for looks I agree they are subjective. I think the thing is hideous.