Doug H

Is it worth another 10k. That is silly, its a Porsche. Of course it is.

williet1342

Just bought a 2004 Touareg (navy/tan, V8, loaded) and it's very nice. Ride is there, money was not the only issue. I love the P-car 993, but I think we sometimes unfairly expect a vehicle from a totally different class (SUV) to perform like a 993 etc.... Just my 2 cents.

Anyway, lets just agree the Germans build great cars.

Regards from the Low Country of S.C.

skl

The price difference between the V8 T-reg I speced and the S Cayenne speced the way I want it is nearly 20K! And neither is stripped- I'm a Porsche fanatic from way back but also have several VW and Audi products as I don't drive the P-cars in the winter! I don't see the how the Porsche crest (and yes some driving dynamics but we are talking about a truck!) are worth that much! When I want some real fun, I'll take out the GT3! The T-reg or Cayenne is for taking out 4 people for dinner, etc. Leaning towards the Vdub...

Craig

SKL,

Regarding the T-reg vs. the Cayenne: I just traded in a 996 Targa for a new TT, and struggled over this. Needed a 4 wd, and almost went to the A8 (comfort), but seriously considered the T-reg.

My TT is my daily driver, as were my other Porches. Circumstances have changed, and I will use the TT for a lot of snow driving, and several long trips during each month. I was not to keen on bouncing up the mountain in a 996 for 3-4 hours.

I find that the TT is the best of both worlds. I have it set up w/ 20s for dry months, and 18s w/ snow and muds for winter/snow country. I drove the S but was not satisfied w/ performance or ride as I wanted 996 acceleration and control (as it was to be my main car). The TT is simply fantastic. It really hauls, corners and is very comfortable. I do not think that it is comparable to any other car out there, as it is a whole different deal. Take a test drive, and have fun!

Craig

George from MD

Porsche build wonderful cars but I won't pay $10K (or any other amount) more for a car just because it says "Porsche" (or some other manufactureres label) on it. More than other Porsche ever built (IMO) the Cayenne needs to justify its price by providing real value for the $.

My sense is its doing OK at this but no where near as well as Porsche expected or predicted.

Torags

I don't keep track of the stats, but it's normal to over hype a new model. It's to everyones interest in that business. It goes down the food chain to the sales people creating an urgency to buy. Nothing wrong with it; it's just the way it is.

If it didn't do as well as expected; it sure saved their *** for two quarters (and thats worth something=bonuses). It gave them a basis to market the V6, which is a REEALLY a high margin car (no development expenses).

I have to say the carriage is wonderful with the air. Both the P/VW have very little SUV body roll (5000lb low?) on high speed sweeps. I'll say again, the dealer network was a primary reason for the extra $.

You'll be happy with either one GM...

ltc

I have the collapsible spare and PASM.
You can inflate the spare via the air hose stored under the passenger rear seat once connected to the car's air supply/tank. For me, this made the inflatable/collapsible spare a non issue.
Kind of nice to have compressed air available (like when you need to inflate your kid's go-kart wheels at the track and you forgot the air tank!)

rockitman

Skl:

The Cayenne looks much better with your GT3 and it's a better car in both performance and handling. Porsche...there is no substitute!!!!

OldGuy

George from MD wrote: "Toyota even doesn't make anything that
I know of"
George you have to have heard of the LandCuriser and the 4Runner
havent you?? Both capable trucks as well as the Sequoia.
If you want a no brainer no maintenence truck either 3 of those
would be an easy choice. The lexus equivalent of the LandCuriser
and 4Runner (LX470 and GX470) would be a no worry choice also.
I have never been treated better than at any of several Lexus dealers
Not much flash though. I myself am
tyring to figure out a way to get my wife to consider a C and give
up her Lexus GS300! Her sedan for a truck. I dont know how I am
gonna pull this one off.

George from MD

You're right I should not have said I didn't know of anything but I had not considered the Toyota/Lexus because they did not meet the handling criteria IMO. They are huge ugly beasts and my wife hates Japanese. Acura is out too by virture of its heritage, looks and V6 only power although it probably is a fairly decent handling machine.

It will no doubt be a German purchase (that's the only thing we've bought for twenty years) but alas which one.....MB, BMW or Porsche. Or does the new RR even have a chance?? Well one thing for sure we have is plenty of time to decide.

Torags I think you're right but... I don't know about it saving Porsche's derriere part. An updated 911 and/or Boxster or the introduction of a sedan may have produced as much or more revenue/profit than the Cayenne but that's another debate...that has already been rehashed a few times.

If I really had my choice I would get a (Audi/BMW etc.) station wagon with good snow/overall performance and towing capabilities and stay away from SUVs all together. Perfection would be the RS6 with a 5,000 lb towing capacity.... anybody know of one of those????

JeffES

Seems simple enough to me - buy the one you want! If it's a Cayenne, great. If not, that's fine too! Key is to enjoy what you have.
Keep on driving!
J

Renn 951

The current A6 platform has a towing capacity of only 3300 pounds. You aren't limited by power with the 4.2 V8, it's the chassis strength that's the limiter.

I'm just about ready to sell my wife's A6 and buy a Cayenne that we can use to tow the 951 to the track.

eggyacid

I had been looking at the cayenne S vs touareg v8 since october 2003.

Here are some of the observations.

Cayenne S has better handling, more of a sports car handling. Very good on corners and high speed, but wind noise at above 80mph is annoying. Interior looks okay, some area felt cheap for a 70K car.

Touareg V8 feels heavier, doesn't handle as good as the Cayenne but better than any other SUV (Lexus, BMW..etc).... More gadgets for the money, interior looks high class and exterior looks great too.

Price difference, when i was looking at the Cayenne S... they were $69,500 for fully equipped S and only $49,000 for a fully equipped Touareg... That's 20K difference!!!!!

Also, people talked about the poor service you get at VW... I don't have that problem at all. I actually had more problem at the porsche dealer, they won't let me test drive one at first. They won't even talk to me because i'm 25yrs old.

for such minor differece and such a big price difference, i went with the Touareg V8.

Jeff

Vino

Both my VW and Porsche dealers are great people and take care of their customers well.

Being 26, I didn't have a problem going to the Porsche dealer and ask for a test drive. My business was very welcomed and my sales person was awesome.

My local Porsche/Audi dealer is very reputable in my town and others that bought cars from them were very pleased with their service.

I like the Treg and if I were to keep a car for a short time it would be a better investment, otherwise I have had a poor experience with VW's in the past and the service department looks like a flea market. They did seem to find a way to fix my problems.

My P-dealer had a C Turbo and was willing to deal, we got what we wanted and couldn't be happier.
My VW dealer really cared less to deal and I found the V8 to be somewhat weaker than the Cayenne S.
Up here at altitude you either buy the car with the stronger motor or a Forced induction car with almost 20% power loss at this altitude in Colorado.

If the Cayenne feels like $20 or $40K more.... great, if not buy what you like.
$20K for some people is a lot of money and sometimes you need to justify yourself if your making a good decision or not. Porsch makes good money and are willing to deal.

Also to consider may be the new X5 4.8 from BMW, check out www.bimmerforums.com 0-60 in 5.9 Sec and base price around $69K.

Craig

I agree w/ Vino. But....I have a 2K X-5, and it doesn't hold a candle to the TT. Perhaps the '04 is closer, but I the X-5 very heavy and doesn't handle well. All the Cayennes I drove felt lighter, and more manageable.

I find that the TT is just about the best combo of handling, accel., comfort and utility available.

Craig