I'm looking at an '06 Turbo S now, but it does not have a receiver hitch that I see in the photos. Is it hard to add the hitch and wiring now? (Or is it possibly hidden, such as in newer Ford Explorers that hide it behind a removable plastic piece?)

Not hidden.

Physical hitch is a few hundred bucks. Wiring, install and programming is the expensive part. $750_1000? (guessing based on posts I've seen about the cost)

Do you know how much of the wiring is already there? If it's doable at home I am comfortable with electrical stuff (I've wired several trailers and a couple of my own guitar amplifiers over the years) but the programming part would intimidate me if it requires a dealership's services.

Trying to factor this (and the sale of my Silverado) into the price - no sense having all that towing capacity if there's no way to hook on! :)

Porsche is pretty well known for not putting in any extra wiring. Unlike many other manufacturers.

I think that's why it costs so much to retrofit.

I've done some reading and it appears you replace the rear bumper bolt-on piece with one that includes a receiver hitch, then add a trailer control module to the CAN-bus near the CD changer's home in the rear interior of the vehicle, then use a PIWIS (any clue if a Durametric can do it?) to tell the transmission and suspension computer that there is now the possibility they will hear about a trailer being hooked up and should adjust their lives accordingly. Part # 955.044.002.74 appears to include the control module and everything else (although this listing for it says "trailer plug mount is not included," whichever part the plug mount is) you need for the $900-1,200 range depending on source.

Tedious labor appears to be the expensive part of the install, so assuming I can use a Durametric or get the dealership to quickly and cheaply use their PIWIS to program it, I can do the rest and save a bunch.

I think I have the turbo s you want. :-) My cayenne has every accessory that you mentioned. It has heated seats front and rear, tow hitch, air suspension, coolant hose update, and two sets of rims. It has 150k and is running perfectly. The previous owner did the timing chain replacement. I was looking for $24k for my 06. I have the receipts from the previous owner. If you aren't interested because of the mileage, feel free to ask any questions you have in your search. I would be happy to share my experiences

I have a 30k mile 2004 black/black turbo with 4 sets of tires and a 5k stereo upgrade/backup camera/sat/blue tooth. I just typed up a whole detailed write up that got deleted so this one is going to be short. Pipes/coils done. Thorough inspection inc compression being done by indi porsche racing facility on 7/30.

Just passed 100K on my well optioned '04 Turbo. HAve done a lot of towing. Great vehicle! Most maintenance has been from an independent except for a battery change and a brake switch replacement.

How often do they need maintenance? I'm looking at the '06 Turbo S and also at an '04 Turbo (which is in an easier color to keep clean). Very tempted to buy very soon. But my crippling "What if?" syndrome strikes again. Anyone wish they had an '06 instead of '04 or vice versa? :)

For that matter, does anyone wish they had a naturally aspirated Cayenne S instead of a Turbo or vice versa?

Never crossed my mind! ;)

I wouldn't buy a normally aspirated one from what I hear because they are very slow and get similar gas mileage to the turbos.

Check out mine for sale.

I love the turbo

I would buy turbo if I could...
More hp and better brakes. More aggressive styling and bigger wheels/tires.

Newer have better electronic...nav, satellite radio, DVD, and a bit more hp...Otherwise, no much difference.

How hard is the nav system to keep updated? Something tells me that most of the roads I'd need it for weren't there in 2006.

One more question (I am a man of many of those...): Is there a visual way to tell, without a lift, whether the problematic coolant pipes and/or cardan shaft retrofits have been done? My understanding is that those are the two main mechanical weak points in this era of V8 Cayenne and I'd like to have my remote test-drivers be able to take a photo that will help us determine if that work has been deferred. Thanks!

Do a search on the non turbo engine and you wont buy one...you cant buy one. The stock nav system is terrible. Quite a few of them don't even work. The coolant pipes are on top of the "V" and under the intake. You need a dental type mirror and a flashlight to check behind the intake. All of this info is readily available on most cayenne forums.

I went with a 2004 Turbo. Pictures to follow when I personally meet my new car. It was shipped to my sister's house until I can get that far to pick it up at the end of next week.

The situation report is that there is no spare key and the existing key remote is sketchy at best. I've read a bit but I want to make sure I understand my options before I pick one. Some say that the remotes are all crap so don't expect any improvement. Others say dielectric grease and/or tweaking the contacts in the remote will help. Still others have no problems at all.

I see that autotransponder.com has a non-remote key for $24 and a remote key for $163. Apparently it's usually a 1-hour shop time charge at the dealership to program a key. Anyone have suggestions on the most efficient route to get two working remote keys and a spare key for emergencies? Has anyone found a way to program a key to the vehicle without a full-blown PIWIS? (A friend has a Durametric Pro, for instance.)

I bought a new key from the dealer and they programmed it for free along with the one I had that did not work well (I think that they have to reset all of them when they do one). Of course I was having other service done there and the key was pretty pricey to start with. Guess you got to pay to play with Porsches.