I am in the market for an SUV and I have narrowed it down to either Cayenne Turbo/Turbo S or BMW X5M. I am an owner of BMW e90 M3 and car has been most reliable BMW I have ever owned. It might not means X5M as reliable but still. I am currently looking at 09-10 Turbo or Turbo S as they are getting cheaper to own (which might indicate potential problems they have)

Anyone who owned this platform for long time still recommends getting one with high mileage and no warranty? I have tried to search online to see what problems I could face and I cannot get much information. Maybe because they are not as common as BMW X5M are?
Other than maintenance items, any potential problems with engine or transmission? I did see couple of threads on PDCC failures as well as coolant pipe and bore scoring cylinder (which might not be applied to 958 platform)

Would I put myself in trouble owning this car knowing that I am a budget person and if something costs $$$ to fix would put me in trouble? I am also a DIYer but on BMW (sensor replacement, oil change..etc but not engine or transmission related). Also no experience on Porsche brand in general.

Thanks in advance.

 

I am a budget person and if something costs $$$ to fix would put me in trouble?

Based on this statement alone may I suggest that you cross 2004 thru 2010 Cayenne off your list.

With the high MSRP and extreme depreciation a single dealer repair could exceed the value of the vehicle.

 

Agreed completely. With these cars, you can buy them cheap, you can own them cheap if you're capable, but even with all that, you need to be able to handle the risk that their value may just vanish (down to scrap value) at any moment.

I own an X5 and a 2004 Cayenne S, and maintain / repair both of them. I'll say that they're both great cars. Surprisingly though, their designs are very different and there is hardly any overlap in maintenance knowledge from one to the other. So if you're liking your M3, you may find similarities with the X5M that make ownership easier.

 

What are the reasons for them to get value vanished? Any known problems with engine, turbos or transmission that could lead to that?

 

Bore scoring is the biggest concern. Tough to quantify how common it is, but there is a sticky survey thread on that which you may find useful.

There are many common issues that are all manageable. Transmission seems typically solid. Read the forum here for a while and you'll get an idea.

And the values of these used cars can be pretty low, so that when a major dealer-only repair issue comes along, it could total the car. I don't have experience with turbos, only from my own 2004 S (which had bore scoring and a new crate engine from Porsche 50k+ miles ago), and from reading this forum. As someone who can fix almost anything myself, I still worry about the bore scoring or some weird coded electronic failure that is ridiculously expensive only because it requires dealer service. I think as an example there is a steering column sensor that fails and costs $4k. You do get free coffee with that though.

If my car gets bore scoring or other things giving a $10k repair estimate tomorrow, I'll just let it go and be OK. I would not want to be in a situation where I'd have to worry about something happening.

 

The bore scoring issue will basically reduce the car to scrap value. If the car has a pano roof, and it breaks, that can easily go five figures (USD) to replace. Nobody seems to know how to fix them, no parts seem to be available, so total replacement is the only 'fix',

The transmission, transfer case, suspension, ect are actually pretty robust.

That doesn't mean that there aren't 'trouble areas'. Most are covered in the 'Thinking About Buying?' sticky at the top of the forum. Read that.

DIYing the car is reasonably practical. Tons of info and 'how to' writeups. A scan tool is essential. Durametric & iCar Scan are the two that seem to work best.

However, owning one of these is NOT cheap. No matter how low the purchase price, parts & qualified labor are still on par with a car that had a six figure sticker price when new. They go through tires & brakes fairly quickly. Gas extremely quickly. And it takes premium.

Skim through the forum, common problems get discussed. Fixes and, in some cases, costs.

 

Re: What are the reasons for them to get value vanished?

For starters the Cayenne is the most profitable SUV in the industry. Way overpriced is one way to interpret this.

Its a Touraeg wrapped in P sheet metal, with a P driveline. However P parts command a premium over VW parts.

Add to this the cylinder scoring mentioned above its not the best choice. Maybe OK as a second vehicle for weekend drives.

 

How often should I expect to fill gas if it will be my daily driver?

 

Sheeze... horse - water : https://rennlist.com/forums/cayenne-...his-first.html

 

You'll get about 600km-800km on the highway per tank driving economically. In the city I'd probably guess about 400km/tank maybe less depending on how aggressively you drive.

I'm spending about $140/week in gas with the prices hovering about $1.20/premium liter where I am.

 

I hate to say it, but it sounds like your budget is pretty tight, and the Cayenne might not be for you. My GTS has been remarkably maintenance free, but still costs me plenty. They go through tires, and those are not cheap. I get 15mpg, when I try to get good mileage. If I say f-k it, I am closer to 10-12. All that considered, I know if something larger goes wrong, it will cost me a not-insignificant amount, and I do all of my own work.

 

How far do you drive in a day?

I see roughly 13-14 mpg overall. Edit to add: That translates to about 18l/100km (you sound like you may not be in the US)

You won't see 'great' mileage in a 5000+ lb car with a 450-500 hp V8.

One thing I've found is that the price for premium varies quite a lot. While regular goes for about the same price all around my area, premium goes for somewhere between $0.50 and $0.90 above regular. The annoying part is that the Shell stations can be $0.50-$0.80 above. They aren't consistent. Other places are always the same amount. So Shell can be a bargain, or it can be high priced. And they don't have street signs that show premium price, just regular (Ok, rant over).

 

I am in US not Canada. I drive about 10miles 1 way (20 miles round trip) per day.
My concern is not just gas mileage but also reliability of the car

 

Ok, so figure on 1 - 2 gallons per day for that commute, plus whatever other driving you do. At whatever you are paying for premium.

If I run the tank all the way down, I can spend $60 or more to fill it.

They can be reliable. But it's going to be an older car, with a lot of miles on it.
It can break down at any given moment.

And those breakdowns have the potential of being somewhat 'spendy.'

 

Well done cost of ownership for a Turbo.


Since your commute is basically nothing gas and tires should be minimal.