Cheapo911

Hey everyone,

I was looking to pick up an "cheap" (I know, no such thing) Cayenne to use a practical vehicle and mountain/camping car. It is going to be street parked and maybe driven 3-4k miles a year. With these cars maintenance seems to be key, and this one seems to be very well maintained. Based on the miles and condition, any thoughts? A buddy mentioned the Cardan bearing is not mentioned in the ad so thats something I'll look into. Thanks.

https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/d/...767390825.html

deilenberger

Homework: https://rennlist.com/forums/cayenne-...his-first.html

Then come back and ask specific questions that might be unanswered..

Cheapo911

Have read. I realize this falls into the luck category. Coolant pipes have been done. Driveshaft "inspected" at dealer, but again no mention of the Cardan bearing. No specific questions, just curious how the curb appeal is from the ad.

deilenberger

Looks nice from the ad - but a borescope of the cylinders would certainly be a wise thing before spending any money on it.

Cheapo911

Great I'll wrap that into the PPI. Thanks.

19psi

Looks nice and cheap enough that's it's worth the gamble imo.
Cardan shaft is nothing...you can DIY for next to free. Cylinder scoring is the big issue but it seems once they make it to 100,000 miles the chances of it happening go down.
I think that's the first S that I've seen with air suspension which is unique.

Cheapo911

Hmmm I didnt notice it had air suspension! How did you notice that if you dont mind me asking?

Wisconsin Joe

You ask 'any thoughts?'

You've read the 'buyer's guide', so you have at least some idea of what you are getting into.

From the ad, I'd say this is definitely worth a closer look.

Lots of miles, but that's not that big of a deal.
Well maintained. That is a big deal.

Pipe, starter, hatch strut, windshield* and a lot of other stuff done. That counts for a lot.

You wonder about the cardan shaft. Not a bad 'wondering'. They don't last forever. At 140k miles, it should have gone and been replaced at least once. Maybe more if the crappy factory part was used as the replacement.

I would guess (and it's just a guess) that one of the POs replaced it with a better something (Vertex support or one piece shaft).

Even if it's somehow the original shaft (it's really the rubber bearing support that goes bad), that would NOT make me pass on this car. There's a wide range of fix options, most are DIY-able. The Jimi fix is quite simple, cheap and effective.

If you want an 'entry level' Cayenne as a 'camping car', this looks like it's a great candidate. Standard caveats apply - Get a PPI done, ask lots of questions, go through the records. I wouldn't worry about bore scoring much. AFAIK, if it doesn't happen by 100k or so, you should be safe.

* - I would ask why the windshield was replaced. It could have been cracked/broken, or it could have just been pitted bad enough that the glare was unsafe. In any case, a new windshield is a pretty big bonus.

19psi

There's a switch on the right side of the center console for suspension settings (17th photo). To the left of that is the 4X4 settings.
For all the options it has, it's odd they didn't get heated seats. That's the one option I wish mine had.

jwicker

The price seems pretty good, but I'd be a little cautious of the '03 & '04 model years. Those were the first 2 years and had the most issues.
I budget $1000 - $1500 a year for maintenance, and do a fair share of it myself.

dr914

Probably could not be beat for the price.

jeff spahn

I'd offer them $4750 and see if they'd take it. Got mine with 30,000 more miles on it for 1/2 of what they are asking. I did have to do the valve body so add back $1000 plus a bit for the miles and you are at $4750.

Joel928s4

This car has been on CL (in Denver) for many months, the pictures keep changing and the price keeps dropping. It looks like a great deal at this point but noting what others have said, get a PPI including a bore scope if possible. Good luck!

davis391

Echoing what others have said. For sure, of course, get a PPI and check for cylinder scoring (I've read that one must look "up" from the oil pan as opposed to looking "down" from the top of the engine, because looking down from "up" will only show very advanced scoring on the cylinder walls). Because the car seems to have lived its life in a cold climate, I'd want to be extra supremely certain about lack of scoring. If the service records match the description in the ad and the PPI, etc., check out, it looks like a decent deal.

For context, I bought my 04 CS from one of my best friends for $6500. At the time, it had 120K miles. It also has air suspension/PASM, heated front and rear seats as well as heated steering wheel, tow package, moonroof, bi-xenon w/ washers, PCM 2 and Bose stereo with a bunch o' speakers and subwoofer.

Also, as others have noted, finding a 955 CS with air suspension is a bit of a rarity. While the air suspension is great, it does seem to come with a few gremlins and poltergeists installed as standard, so be on the lookout for that. Good luck!

OYM

The wheels look like skateboard wheels when the car is set at the terrain mode!

Looks a nice car overall though.

As mentioned; if it's taken root at the dealers then there must be a reason - I'd make sure a thorough inspection is carried out before buying. We all know these cars can quickly become a real wallet opener.