Any current 997 owners have experience with the Cayenne GTS or Turbo?
 

I know at least of few of you also own Cayennes, and I'm expecting a few more have owned them in the past or have had extensive driving experience with them, so I'm soliciting your advice and opinions.

I currently have a '09 C2 as my 2nd car that I drive maybe 500mi a month. I absolutely love the car. Almost all the miles I put on the car come from spirited drives to nowhere, when I have an hour or two to just drive and enjoy the car. I rarely use it for commuting, and never use it for utility purposes (obviously). I have 3 kids as well, so we never use it for family duties either. I lease another vehicle through my business for my daily driving and work-related duties, so that is the vehicle I am in most of the time.

I am contemplating a career change of sorts. If I do it, I won't be making as much income as I currently do, but my stress level, travel responsibilities, and overall job satisfaction will improve. If I do this, I obviously won't have a "company car" anymore, so whatever car situation I have will be on me. As a result of the above, I'm thinking I might consolidate in to one vehicle instead of having two... especially since I won't be driving all that much. While I could keep the 997, given the fact that I'm considering making less income, plus my kids will become more expensive as they get older and approach college age, I'm not sure keeping a 2nd vehicle in the garage for those fun runs all while paying for a 2nd car makes a heck of a lot of financial sense.

I was thinking that perhaps a Cayenne would be a nice compromise vehicle. I'm definitely not trying to suggest it would be anywhere near as fun as my 911. But it would be a vehicle to keep me in the Porsche brand while providing me with the utility I'd need out of having one vehicle. I think maybe a 2-year old GTS hits the sweet spot in price, though a little older and higher mileage Turbo could be had for the same price if the difference was worth it. I'm also loosely considering the X5M (though I'm a bit sour on BMW quality), and the Cherokee SRT8 (same quality concerns).

Again, this is all theoretical. I haven't committed to anything... just sort of thinking ahead. I figured nobody would give me a better opinion of the Cayenne than a current 911 owner that has experience with one. Thanks for reading this long post.

I owned a Cayenne S for ten years. It was a great vehicle. The newer 958 series cars are very nice. You should definitely consider one.

I own a 997.1tt and 958.1tt. Two different cars. 958 is a lot more luxurious and would be more comfortable on a long trips. It is fun to shock people how quick the 958 is. 997tt is doable for long trips it just very noisy from tire noise but a blast to drive in the twisties. 958tt is not a sports car by any means but it is probably more capable then some sports cars on the road too. As to just a weekend fun car?? 997tt. Everyday drive rain or shine. plus throwing some guest in for a ride that have legs?? The 958tt.

We have a Cayenne Turbo as well. It is our second Cayenne and we love and it has been reliable. Our previous was an S, and its mainly my wife's vehicle. I do like driving it but it will no way/no how replace a 911 for fun. It also terrible as far as mpg.

If you need a "do both" car I would suggest an M3, M5, or AMG sedan. Cayennes are great additions to 911s, but a lousy substitute.

I have a 2012 911 C2S and recently purchased a 2013 Cayenne S. Love them both, have had no issues with either. The Cayenne is the daily driver and family car. It is great to drive and for me it is the most comfortable SUV that I have been in, which is about all of them. I have the 14-way seats which fit me perfectly. The 400 HP makes it surprisingly quick. I took it through Montana over Christmas and it handled the snow and slick roads well, even without winter tires. For me, the only thing better would be the CTT.

Warrantied Cayenne Turbo until about January. Loved every minute of it.

I would recommend looking at a Macan, it's a closer experience to a 997 than a Cayenne is.

My Cayenne is reliable, at 95K original miles, it is still running strong. Even with all the house power, it is still a very heavy vehicle.

My Wrangler, 997.1 and Cayenne are more or less fun vehicles. A Lexus takes family duty around town. For out of town 4-5 hrs trip, I usually rent a mini van.

The Macan is just too small. If I'm going to ditch my 997.2 for a more "family oriented" vehicle, then I have to have something at least as large as the Cayenne. The more I read about it though, the more convinced I am that although a blast to drive, the Cayenne is still going to be just another SUV, which I guess I sort of expected. Like I said in the original post, this is very much a thinking ahead project, but maybe what I ought to do is figure out a way to just hang on to the 911. There is no substitute, right?

I had a Cayenne as a loaner when my 911C2S was in the shop for an extended period waiting on a part....(another story). The Cayenne was a 2016 with a diesel. I thought it a great, comfortable car. It did not have as much room as my 2013 Tahoe, but I thought seriously about getting one. In the end, I decided that I like the Tahoe better for my use. Also I have a local Chevvy dealer.
I have since begun to think about the Macan as I also have two Subaru Outbacks in the family and the smaller size doesn't bother me for the way we would use it and because I have the other vehicles in the stable for other uses.

What about keeping the 911 and buying a beater toyota?

We have owned our 2004 CTT for close to 6 years. Mainly wife and weekend family vehicle. Great, reliable but expensive to maintain (specially with no warranty). I test drove a 2014 CTTS and that thing is insane! Super fast and fun. If you have a family and kids this might be good compromise but you will miss your 997.2. I understand the financial dilemma but if you can swing it keep 997.2 and guy a Cayenne S vs a GTS?

Good luck in the career move. Yeah, sometimes qualify of life is better balance

Only my third Cayenne (13 GTS) all DD's. If I could only have one car I would keep the Cayenne ( I have been told to get rid of the 11 others..lol).

2006 Cayenne Turbo owner for last 3 years. Has CTTS tune. Silly fast, and very capable/quiet/luxurious. Handles/stops great for what it is, but admittedly feels lumbering after a week in the 997. It's the perfect daily driver/do-all car, unless you 1) need a rock crawler, 2) need a 3rd row seat, or 3) freak out about bad fuel mileage -- the turbo is addictive, so I get only 11 in town, 17 freeway. But I smile when I stomp the gas, which is often. Maintenance profile for the 2004-2010 models is well trodden, with a few issues that plague most of them, but can be fixed DIY if you're handy. The cars last a really long time if well cared for, which makes used examples a potentially good buy.

Have you considered a Panamera GTS or turbo?

2013 Cayenne S here. Fantastic car. All the power, great sound fantastic ride. Air suspension is a must have. I would not consider it without the air suspension