Thoughts on early Cayenne Turbos
 

I may be moving myself back to the states temporarily, and will be looking for a new daily driver for me and my S/O- my previous daily driver was my 06 Lotus, which I still own, but I need something that can help truck around furnishings for a new apartment and be cheap enough that I don't care to have full collision insurance on (compared to my Lotus, which is eye-wateringly expensive) and that I don't mind when the S/O curbs the wheels or opens the door into a pole which she tends to do...

So I'm thinking Cayenne.... particularly have noticed there is no shortage of dirt cheap 04 / 05 Cayenne Turbos out there... usually between 120k-140k miles.... typical daily cars with door dings, worn seats, bumper marks, etc... and usually going for ~$10k. I have even seen a few in the area I am looking that claim proper recent dealer service and records and strong mechanical but needing cosmetic work for $6k. Others around $10k with claims of life long dealer service and all records to price it.

I have driven base models and S's before, and am aware of the typical failures seen and repairs associated (coolant pipes, PASM, etc)...

I am always a self-wrench kinda guy and can usually perform anything that doesn't require an engine pull on my own. With that in mind, am I crazy for wanting to roll the dice on one of these stupid cheap Turbos? Everything I read seems like, if the mechanicals check out... there aren't tons of problems to worry about and 120k miles is just getting started. Or are aging Turbos not worth it and a simpler standard S V8 a safer bet?

A friend bought one for $10,000, within a year he had two pretty serious problems, the first he muddled through himself, the 2nd was going to cost well into the thousands. He traded it in and got $2500. He also said even though it had two turbos it wasn't even that fast, because it was soooo heavy.
There was one at my local shop that was an original owner, the guy really liked it but once it hit 100,000 miles it starting costing him around $10,000 a year to maintain it.

Basically, they are really cheap for a reason, at this stage in the game they have become very pricey to keep running right, so buy one with your eyes wide open.

---Adam

I’ve had 2. They are stump pullers and very quick for their size, 0-60 5ish sec, 450 hp/torque ... get one that has been sorted with a black interior, still feels modern enough.

For the brief you outlined, I'd get a GM truck or SUV with an LS engine in it. Decent gas mileage, will go forever.

i have been drivin a 09 TTS for 4 yrs now and absolutely love it..
Very fast to fast really and way it turns and parks and drives..
one of the best cars i have ever driven
.
I really wouldn't want to drive anything else has a daily now since so spoiled with it.

Can't argue with that, I have two Silverado's, one retired from long haul duty, the other still pulling long haul duty. They are un-stoppable!

---Adam

Anyone who says a Cayenne turbo is slow hasn't driven one. I've owned a 2008 Cayenne S, a 2006 Cayenne Turbo S and now a 2008 Turbo S. The 2008 has 550HP. It's faster by a wide margin than my 2014 911 50th. The big expense is the brake and rotors which will cost you $4500-$5000. I also just spent $4500 on the 60,000 service for the 2008. Having said that, I think they are the best value of the road. The best of both worlds. Storage and convenience of an SUV with handling of a 911. I was able to buy the 2008 Turbo S with less than 50k miles last year for $25k. $134K sticker. STUPID good deal. Just make sure you get a good PPI and know what you're getting into. I've been told these are tanks and are built for 500,000+ miles if taken care of.

Specifically 05-06 but not discrediting 99-04. I daily drive a 170k mile 2wd 2005 Crew Cab SLT without sunroof. Dead reliable. Worst thing that will ever happen is the transmission losing 3rd & 4th gear. Already happened to me, I drove it home in 2nd gear and had the transmission built up the way I wanted for less than $1700 installed. Being an SLT it has power everything, leather, heated seats, Bose sound etc. I added Bluetooth and new OEM Denali headlights to make it more livable. I love this truck!

On the flip side my wife daily drives a 2008 Cayenne Turbo. Paid $14k for it a couple years ago, and she loves it. Its REALLY nice inside, handles great and is pretty fast. We use it to tow our campers. A touchscreen radio and updated wheels make a huge difference and make it feel way newer.

Outside regular maintenance we had a $2000 coolant leak and are about to address an intermittent check engine light. Fingers crossed. It's also going to need some suspension refreshing at 115k miles.

If you're looking for a usable, reliable and inexpensive Truck or SUV, then get a leather equipped 2wd Sierra, Silverado, Tahoe, Yukon, or Suburban. Personally I'd steer clear of Denali and Escalade. The interiors aren't as usable and kind of gimmicky. 4wd further complicates upkeep and are more expensive to buy. SLT, LT or LTZ are the preferred packages.

I worked in GM service for 9 years and all of us in the know drove 2005 models.

STAY AWAY from 2007+

https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net...95&oe=5EA569D5

https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net...28&oe=5E908DD7

Great intel. Why do you say to stay away from the 2007+

For those who need 4WD, what would you recommend?

I agree with older rather than newer Silverados. My 2006 has well over 200,000 hard miles and it bulletproof. My newer 2013 had the gearbox implode at 70,000 miles, luckily it was under warranty, but not as bulletproof.

---Adam

Everything is done cheaper on 07+. Door locks ALL fail. Exterior door handles ALL break. Interior handles ALL peel and cut your fingers open. Dashboards ALL crack. Cam & Lifters VERY LIKELY to fail. The list goes on

4wd is a myth but if you REALLY need it, get it. I've been up snow covered, washed out trails in my truck. Keep decent (not even A/T tires) on it, drive smart and let the locker (option code G80) do work.

Bulletproof? Not the tailgate latch: https://jalopnik.com/tons-of-chevrolet-silverados-are-missing-their-tailgate-1792788989

And take note Mr. Merk said "without sunroof". If you've ever fought leaky GM sunroofs like I have you will never buy another GM product with a sunroof.

*TAILGATE LATCH BEZEL

$5 fix requiring no tools

Darn right, sans sunroof. Our 04 Yukon Denali had a sunroof and we got a shower once. Easy fix as well but I'd rather not dick with it.

I specifically sought out my exact configuration when I bought it in 2011. I looked all over and then found it about 2 miles from my own dealership. I jumped in and sat in the driver seat until a sales person came out so nobody else would look at it. lol

I appreciate the information, but how dare you besmirch 4WD. My triple locked FZJ80 leaked some oil in sadness.

That's crazy money for rotors. Are they ceramic?

Bought my used '08 Silverado (2WD) from a local guy that was first owner. 2 days after purchase, lifters starting clicking. I've replaced 2 of the 4 door locks also. Haven't had dashboard or interior handle issues yet. I'm nursing the engine with the lifters until the rest of the engine goes. It's my DD, but I work from home so it only gets driven local to the gym, Home Depot, etc.

Find your local LS expert and have them put in a Brian Tooley truck cam and delete the AFM/DOD system. Moar (usable) powah and reliability!

That's the same reaction I have every time I need to replace them. Yes the big ceramic brakes are a ***** to replace.

NOT a myth if you live in snowbelt northern states, outside of a metro area. Common conditions of slight grades (even my driveway) with packed snow or frozen rain/melt makes AWD or 4WD a practical necessity. It gets old fast spinning tires and sliding backwards while trying to get going from a stop. Limited slip on 2wd only means you will slide sideways into the ditch once both rear tires lose traction. FWD is as bad. Every DD in our household is AWD.