2012 Jeep Wrangler vs older Cayenne
 

OK lets say hypothetically I know someone back in Missouri looking to buy an SUV.

This person is pretty dead set on a Jeep product, since previously they have owned a Jeep Liberty (2005) and really liked it and the warranty and service. They are currently looking at a new 2012 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4-door Unlimited. At first I said yea, whatever, the new Jeeps are pretty good and the warranty isn't bad and the new Pentastar motors are pretty nice... so why not.

Then I saw that this thing is like $30K. WTF.

You can get a 2006 Cayenne S for like 25K now. And the ride quality and build quality is on a whole different level. Wranglers ride like Wranglers. Thats not a bad thing if you into that, but I don't think this person is.

Their excuse is that it snows a lot in MO in the winter, and this person has some extreme terrain to traverse in the snow. Lots of hills & bad roads.

But it's snow. Not deep water & mud. As far as snow goes I cannot see a Cayenne (which has some of the best stability control in the world) be worse than a Jeep (which has solid axles front and rear still, if I am correct).

The other excuse is that the Porsche wouldn't have a warranty and the nearest Porsche dealer is 60 miles away. The new Jeep would have a warranty through a good reputable dealer that is 15 miles away.

This car is going to be drive 99% of the time in fair weather for a short commute 15 minutes a day. The ride and comfort of a Cayenne would be 10x better, IMO, than the Jeep. And no, I haven't driven the 2012 Wrangler, but I drive the last version and while I know the new one is better, I still cannot see how this could be a consideration.


So, if you were in this situation with 30K$ to blow, what would you do and why?

I'd go the Jeep. Close by service combined with warranty would seal the deal for me.

I say this as one who used to make 180 mile round trip drives to get a P-car worked on..often in two car convoy mode when the P-car had to be there more than a day.

This became a royal PITA.

As a Cayenne owner, he needs a Jeep. I don't mind walking out of the Porsche dealer with a repair bill north of 1k for most items. But I think that could be a bit of a shock coming from a Liberty where the biggest items are broken valve springs at $7 a spring.

Disclaimer: My wife drives a Rubicon!

I'd go with the Jeep.

First, Cayennes are really ugly, and when I see one, I try not to assume its just somebody who is image-conscience, but I wonder if they are just an image-conscience soccer mom.

Then there is the "Jeep wave"- Jeep drivers are always really friendly with one another, as they scoff at the high-dollar SUVs that never leave the pavement.

Parts, service and maintenance costs have already been mentioned.

The VW Toureg does not have any of the negative stereotypes as the Cayenne, and they look better.

Jeep vs. VW would be a closer decision, but I'd still go with the Jeep. Make mine a 2-door.

I,ve had a 911 off and on since 1972. I,ve had 5 different Wranglers since about 1992. Currently we have a 95 993 and a 4 door 2010 Jeep Rubicon. They have both been very reliable. We traded a 996 and a 2 door stripped 2009 Wrangler in on the loaded Rubi. I was initally hesitant to go 4 door as I used to desribe it to my wife as looking like a weiner wagon. My wife loves it compared to the 2 door I don,t mind it's length any longer.
I also think the Cayenne is ugly but others will say the same about the Jeep.
Our Jeep gets driven all the time ,the 993 only on nice days.
All our Jeeps have gone well over 200K without major work. A clutch in a Porsche can cost as much as an engine in a Jeep. The Wrangler also hold their value well .Lot's of market for a used one. The Cayenne will depreciate a lot more especially with high miles. My vote is for the Wrangler ,which is a truely capable offroad multi surface vehicle not a mall crawler like I think a Cayenne is.

How about a 2-3 year old Cherokee with extended warranty? That should be $25k or less and be a good in-between.

It would be nuts to buy a Cayenne unless you are willing to DIY or pay up.

George

I don't see the reason to buy a new Jeep since they all basically look the same, I'd buy the Jeep over the Cayenne but in reality I'd buy something completely different.[/QUOTE]

I,ve bought several 911's and they all looked the same.

The Wrangler is the real Jeep , other Jeep models are just pretenders.

I would buy a used Cayenne Turbo (which I did). A Cayenne is as much a step above other SUVs as a 911 is over the typical economy car.

Every time my wife sees a Cayenne, her first reaction is: "Gee, that's an ugly Touareg."

Just sayin'.

Jeep. Big time.

Apples to Oranges. It's a Jeep thing. People who consider Wranglers really don't consider anything else. A Wrangler is a Jeep. Everything else is just a SUV.

Jeep.

For Mike's hypothetical situation - Jeep all day long. Not even close - and I don't really like Jeeps.

Unless your hypothetical friend is a DIY enthusiast type, recommending an older used Cayenne means they're not going to talk to you within a year. They aren't known for being particularly reliable, they're very complicated, and much of the service/repair work will require a dealership or specialist independent shop. Remember, most of the population DOESN'T think wrenching on their car is fun. I have the same problem when asked to recommend cars, what I would get doesn't mean it's the best for my non-enthusiast family and friends.

So for me it's the Jeep, all day long. It's simple and reliable, the new V6 is a HUGE improvement, you can take it anywhere without worry but it won't beat you up daily, the top comes off (try that with the Cayenne), and they hold their value insanely well. Plus it will have a full warranty, Jeep dealerships are everywhere, and any shop will work on it. Get the new color matched hard top Rubicon, they look sweet. Given a few years worth of depreciation I'll be shopping for a Rubicon Unlimited with a 6-speed, a friend of mine has a 2011 model and I love it.

If you are going to beat the eff out of an off-road vehicle, then why not get a cheap one?

That's why people in Wyoming routinely buy a 2wd pickup, beat it to hell on trails and back roads and then leave it where it dies. Carry a full pack and hike out.

OTOH, if you want a multi-use vehicle, one that can be an off-roader or a bad-roader and then become a GT, you need the Cayenne.

I was under the impression tha the 2007+ cayennes had most of the problems fixed and have been very reliable vehicles. I am aware of the first gen ones having problems.

I asked what the dealer wanted for this new Jeep- it is a Sahara Unlimited. 33K$.

I found a 2008 Cayenne S in this person's area with 40K miles for $26K.

I don't understand why you wouldn't buy the Cayenne, a far more luxurious vehicle, for less money and take the 7K$ difference and put that into the bank for maintenance. If it breaks, it most likely won't cost 7K to fix. And there is the chance you could go 4 years without doing anything to it but changing the oil (as with my Boxster).

This isn't going to be this person's primary vehicle, either. It will be shared between husband and wife. And if it breaks and has to go into the shop they have... something like 4 other vehicles to drive, all relatively new as well, to get to work and such.


I don't know I thought it was a pretty easy decision. I have driven the v8 cayennes in all sorts of situations- off road, on track, la traffic, etc- and compared to every other SUV I have ever been in, they are better in nearly every way. And I have driven most every other SUV on the market (especially in the 40-60K new range)- its is part of my job.

Bingo! Sorry Schumi, but not everybody on the planet is a P-car loyalist. The above says it well.

Porsches are not as reliable as most mainstream vehicles, particularly a very complicated Cayenne. They have more scheduled maintenance and are very complicated, eventually when something goes wrong it will be expensive to fix. You also are stuck taking it to a specialist shop or dealership, which will be more expensive and more difficult to find.

I loved my Boxster and my 996s, all are great cars that have been very reliable. But would the average person want to pay $1500 for a 60k service at the dealership? A used Porsche for a non-enthusiast buyer is a mistake. You have to get away from your enthusiast DIY perspective and think like a normal person who takes their car in for $25 oil changes at Jiffy Lube and would scoff at any more intensive maintenance.

Bingo again! To the vast majority of this country's populace, a vehicle is just an appliance. One you buy to do the job you wish done as simply and with as little fuss as possible.