OT considering a used Cayenne, share your input Options

[iamchappy]

In my searches on Cayenne forums it dosent appear there are any DIY's that work on these cars, all the problems are hauled off to the dealer.

[Marv's3.6six]

Marv, are there any negetives about your car your willing to share or all positives at this point.

The positives are that its a great vehicle, IMO it does not have a bad angle when looking at it. It drives like a luxury car, my prior daily driver was a hot rodded F150 lightning, fast, loud, rattly, and nervous handling when you push it on a twisty road. The Cayenne at 7/10s is unnerved and is confidence inspiring, roads that I drove with the lightning that caused it to dance all around were like like ho, hum for the Cayenne, it deals very well with uneven pavement at speed. Yeah it may be smaller than some SUV's but I have not found it limiting in my useage at all.

The negatives, right now there are two minor things that need to be looked at. Number one the early cars (my included) have a design flaw in the pencil coils for the spark plugs, they crack where thay attach to the plug, this causes a rough idle, sometimes, mine comes and goes. This is a known problem and there is a Service bulletin to repair, which is a warranty item.
Number two is that the key fob has a mind of its own, and only unlocks the drivers door in my case. This is a known dealer service issue and is also a warranty item.

If I were you I would be looking at 2005 and later, as the earlier Nav used CD and 05 and later uses DVD.
I would also recommend a CPO vehicle.

Also IMO you are in the right region to get a good deal. I ended up purchasing from Luxury Motors, near Chicago because the same vehicle same mileage was 6 to 8 thousand dollars less expensive there than west coast pricing.

[Johny Blackstain]

I don't own an SUV. Quite honestly I think of them as station wagons on steroids. If I were in your shoes & aquiring an SUV there would be a battle in my head between associating the word Utility w/ Porsche & the pure snobbish joy of saying my SUV is a Porsche (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif). If she's in good shape & you can afford her I say go for it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumb3d.gif) !!


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[iamchappy]

My Jeep will serve as a beater for hunting and my trips around town, the Cayenne would be my wifes bad weather car up here in Minnesota, her Lexus is fine for her daily driver. I would use the car for towing the 914 to events, and the wifes winter driving to and from work and shopping.
She wants to drive one and I think the uncomfortable seats i read about may be the main reason this wont be the car for her.

Can aftermarket coil pack systems be used instead of the factory ones say a MSD?

[sww914]

Is anyone able to compare the Cayenne's seats to WRX seats?
They're not the most comfortable, but they're bearable, and that's what I'll be replacing, maybe with a Cayenne.

[Marv's3.6six]

My Jeep will serve as a beater for hunting and my trips around town, the Cayenne would be my wifes bad weather car up here in Minnesota, her Lexus is fine for her daily driver. I would use the car for towing the 914 to events, and the wifes winter driving to and from work and shopping.
She wants to drive one and I think the uncomfortable seats i read about may be the main reason this wont be the car for her.

Can aftermarket coil pack systems be used instead of the factory ones say a MSD?

Aftermarket coil pack, I don't know. This is a well known service issue and there is a PCNA TSB (Porsche Cars North America Technical Service Bulletin) The newer next generation coil pack does not crack and simply replaces the earlier ones, this is taken care of at the dealer as a no charge warranty fix.
I will get mine taken care of at my 40k service when they also change the spark plugs. It's not a big deal.

[horizontally-opposed]

FWIW, I don't own a Cayenne but have spent several thousand miles in them as a result of my occupation, andhave driven all versions, inluding all 2008 models.

I'll keep my thoughts to the eariler cars, as that is what you are looking for.

Upsides:
-Phenomenal on-road performance for what it is (just drive a Cayenne, then an X5, then an Explorer and you'll see that the jumps are equal between all three)

-Good interior space

-Perfectly acceptable ride quality (FAR better than X5 4.4i or higher)

-Comfortable seats for long drives (at least this is my opinion)

-Excellent off-road ability (so long as you swap the tires)

-A certain "Porsche" feel to the proceedings (having to do more with engineering than soul, however)

-Superb ABS and braking

-Fantastic PSM

-Cayenne S V8 is a particularly sweet-sounding engine.

Downsides:
-Heavy (5,500-5,800 pounds, at the minimum)

-Lack-luster styling (again, my opinion)

-Both the V6 and the V8S are kinda wimpy in a straight line, with both merely "adequate" around town and the V6 getting pretty borderline on any kind of a grade at freeway speeds with just me on board....

-Iffy quality in the 2003 models, probably getting better each year after that and making a noticeable leap for 2005 and 2006.

-Serious complexity. I think there's something like 53-54 computers on board, including one in each door just to regulate the power windows. And those get slammed hard every time a door hits the striker plate... Chevy V8 conversion would probably be a nightmare to integrate with OBD II and PSM. Unless you work for NASA, I wouldn't try it. And probably not even then.



A good friend and Porsche mechanic bought one and now has well over 60,000 miles on the car. I think it's a MY 2004. The only problem he has encountered has been paint chipping along the upper seams of the bumpers (gap was too tight). He loves the thing.

As for all the horrors reported in the Touareg, I'm sad to hear them and would take them as a precautionary tale at some level due to the amount of stampings and systems shared by the VW and Porsche SUVs. Then again, VWs are known for HORRIBLE electronics while Porsches generally seem to escape this fate.

So, given your son's emotional connection to the Cayenne, I think I'd go for it, buying the newest one you can get and making sure to get it CPO'd.

Hope that's helpful...

pete

[rick 918-S]

Post pics of the cigar and beer! Best wishes on the 21st!

[73Phoenix20]

For an SUV, it's tough to beat my 2004 GMC Envoy XUV (not many of them out there tho). 300 hp 5.3 liter V8, LSD, Combo of 2WD, AWD, 4WDL, 4WDH, and tow mode w/ all wheels disconnected, all from a switch on the dash!
Put it in AWD and go embarrass any Vette up to 350HP.. absolutely NO wheelspin, just flat GONE! And still gets 18 mpg around town/ 22 an the 4 lane.

Split Passenger/Luggage compartment so less noise, but a drop window/panel and seats if you need it all... fits a 4 x8 sheet of plywood, drywall lying flat!

Sunroof, AND the rear half roof slides forward to hold the "big ticket" items, like that old french armoire your better half just had to buy at the furniture consignment store. Don't ask.

Hauls a 24' Wellcraft Center Console, or a dual axle 18' car hauler, loaded with an assortment of various Porsches, with absolutely no issues whatsoever, and still delivered 15 mpg under tow.

Seats are super comfortable for a 6'4" driver to go 1,600 miles in two days (MI to the FL Keys, with boat in tow).

40K, and all I have done is change the oil and a new set of front brake pads (yes, I know, should have done the rotors, but they are fine!).

The best part? I was waiting to make a left turn, in a center turn lane. Some nitwit bimbo in a 1997 Nissan Maxima, coming the other way, looked down to find her cigarette lighter, drifted left, and hit me head on at 45 mph. Blew her air bags, buckled her hood in half, crammed her radiator into the engine, busted out all of her lights.

The Envoy? A few scratches on the bumper... honest to God, it never even popped my air bags. After the local constabulary got thru, they said "Do you think it's driveable?" I said "I'll try it", started right up, backed away from the Nissan, and drove off... no mechanical damage! Still running great, five months later!

Look one up on eBay... chances are you can find a very nice one for $20K or less! Peel off the GMC badges, stick on a Porsche Crest, and the kid will be none the wiser! You can alwasy stick on some 20" bling blings if that will help the image issue! ;>))

[iamchappy]

He's autistic believe me he will know the difference, He could tell me your cars an Envoy from a few blocks away coming straight on in the dark.

I am keeping my eye out for the right car.

[machina]

He's autistic believe me he will know the difference, He could tell me your cars an Envoy from a few blocks away coming straight on in the dark.

I am keeping my eye out for the right car.

my wife has had her cayenne for 3 years, not one problem (but she only drives about 5000/year) I think we are going to get a 2008 which has been facelifted.

[914wizard]

I work with three guys that have early model Cayennes, two turbos and one S. The guys with early Turbo Peppers seem to always have problems. The guy with the S hasnt had as many issues.