jeff spahn

Oh I get you. I'll compare more after I put a front end kit in the Turbo S. Then I'll drive them back to back.

thorissr

When I purchased my 2006 CTTS back in November 2018, my seller had multiple 955s Base/S/Turbo and of course the CTTS. He said he used them for off-roading and hauling things around whenever he visited his ranch that he owned in Arizona. During phone and email communications regarding prior to the sale of the CTTS, I wasn't aware at that time that he owned several Porsches. Low and behold, when I arrived at his private residence to finalize the purchase for the CTTS I thought I pulling up to a used Porsche dealership! There were Porsches parked in front of his house, the driveway was a double lane driveway and it was fully occupied with various models of Porsches. Also, he had a 3 carport garage which were all occupied wth vintage Porsches. I will put it this way, when I first pulled up I honestly couldn't spot the Cayenne I was there to purchase.

The guy was very nice and knew Porsches through and through (this was my first Porsche ever/die hard GM guy prior to my CTTS). When he came out to greet me we talked a solid 45 minutes about the Porsche brand before the topic even came up about closing the deal on vehicle I was there to purchase..lol! Anyway, he talked me into driving 3 other Cayennes which were a Base, S, and a Turbo model that he said was his daughter's knock about car. After testing driving them he offered to sell either one to me if I changed my mind on the CTTS, but my mind was already set on the CTTS. I had mentioned that I may turn it into my DD when he firmly warned me that if great gas mileage was a requirement, I'd be better served with one of the other models he offered to sell. At first it came off to me that he was trying to back out on the CTTS agreement. Thinking to myself he's allowing me to test drive other vehicles, and now he mentions it's bad on gas and consumes oil at a higher rate than a typical vehicle (182,000 on the ODO). Maybe he was trying to steer me away from it because he may've received a higher offer from someone else, but he felt committed to sell to me on principle alone so he's was trying to talk it down. IDK.

In retrospect, it was beneficial to me that I had the chance to test drive these vehicles. Why? When I finally jumped into the driver's seat of the CTTS, I was babying it when he finally told me to drive her like I stole it! Having just drove the other models I was very impressed that a large and heavy(I previously owned a very light 2 seater) vehicle could get up the way she did. In hindsight, Â I would've been very disappointed if I had purchased any of the other models just to save a few grand. I can speak to the differences in the S versus CTTS(subjective or not) only because I was afforded the opportunity to test drive them back to back in the same day. Once you dig into the CTTS all other 955 models are quickly forgotten, paling in comparison. Now if the S or Base would have offered a similar experience, falling just short of there CTTS where the difference would've been negligible, I would've gladly bought either one and came back home with money I was expecting to spend in pocket.

Now each person's needs/wants are different so coil springs vs air ride, stitched vs non-stitched headrests yada yada may be of value to some. However, the pure exhilaration that the CTTS offers in it's pure form/weight is simply astonishing! I'll take raw power on tap over any creature comforts any day of the week. When I want a great riding car with all the creature comforts, I'll just jump into my wife's Cadillac CTS. Better yet, if I really need a comfortable ride I can readjust my lowering links (30 minutes to change all 4 corners), place the ride height to normal and suspension to comfort and It actually rides better than her Cadillac! Even she admits that the CTTS rides so much better than her car. Early on when the CTTS was lowered and my wife jumped into the CTTS with me she'll immediately give me that look after riding on rough roads. I always wondered why my wife and daughter crossed their arms tightly around their chest when riding in the CTTS only when it's lowered....t's called the no bra effect. Since I've decided to keep it at the lowest height tolerable for ME, they now equip themselves with support bras before jumping in the CTTS.

Full Disclosure: When I purchased my CTTS I was coming out of recovery from a bad accident where my 2017 C7 Z06 was totaled out. Therefore, I was looking for something that would make the wifey feel comfortable that another accident wouldn't be on the horizon. After months of researching different cars I set my sights on the 2006 CTTS. After owning just about every high end performance car from America's Big 3, I decided to give the Porsche brand a spin. Also wife likes it because it carries more than 2 people at a time , and it looks more family friendly for a man just coming off of a bad accident. When she first saw the CTTS her eyes lit up with joy, but when I cranked her up and she heard the growl she just shook her head.

I look at the CTTS as being a very diverse vehicle, being tamed and subtle for those who just want to mosey along from point A to B and it'll turn into a BEAST for those like me who love high performance vehicles. However, I'm not allowed to do that with a Base or S model because I'll be stuck with the moseying along mode unless I modified it.Â

Final point: As the old saying goes, "different strokes for different folks". Whether One owns a Base/S/GTS/Turbo/Turbo S, the opinion of one being better than the other with the plethora of variations/options these vehicles can be equipped with lies strictly on the end-user and what best serve their purposes. I owned at the same time both a 2015 C7 Stingray w/Z51 manual and a 2017 C7 Z06(3LZ) 8 speed automatic, and for just raw power experience I would jump into the Z06 and it delivered. However, the C7 Stingray w/Z51 drove and handled 10 times better than the Z which was confirmed multiple times by many people who have had the opportunity to drive or ride both of them with me. Go figure!

Thanks

jeff spahn

I guess a question is in order. The Turbo S will not be as reliable as the S? It will be a given that any required maintenance or problem areas known to the Turbo S will be addressed before they break. That being said, is it a good car for 1800 mile round trips?

hatchetf15

I take my CTTS to races all year, every year. Generally, they are up to 1700 mile round trips. If I thought the vehicle wasn’t dependable, I’d drive my XC90 to make sure I got to the start line refreshed and on time. I take my Durametric with me. Complex cars require complex diagnostic support. I don’t take my Porsche to Autozone for code reading and diagnostics. Just like no one takes their Porsche to Jiffy Lube for servicing.

Also, I challenge anyone to provide empirical data comparing reliability between same-series S versus Turbo S. Go ahead. Show me some data.

thorissr

The Duramertic is a life saver, time saver and money saver! When I attempted to have a local Indy to replace my starter(I eventually installed it myself), he pulled out from fixing it because he saw 2 OBD codes the he couldn't clear or understood. I reassured him that the 2 codes he saw were stored and not causing a DTC light were related to my aftermarket headhunt install. I knew from the Durametric that they were "Instrument Panel" codes, where upon initial start the Cayenne performs a diagnostic check and because my aftermarket unit wasn't installed correctly it produced these 2 codes. At that time fixing these codes were the least of my problems.

The Indy informed me that he didn't feel comfortable performing the starter install because of these 2 codes. No matter how I tried to explain that these 2 codes weren't related to mechanical issues, he adamantly went back to "what if something else is going on with the vehicle and it may not be the starter". I have another thread on my starter install, but long story short my starter was bad and after installing it my CTTS cranks immediately on the first twist of the key. Now what if I had approved him to throw time and effort to fix these 2 codes before installing a new starter, costs would've exceeded what I was expected to pay to just have the starter replaced.

Also this week I pulled the aftermarket head-unit and had one wire crossed, so after connecting it correctly both stored codes are gone. So yeah, IMO a Durametric is a must-have especially if you own a 955 model, however, the Durametric is more limited for the 957 and 958 models.

One last point...unless there's a general issue across a particular generation, e.g., 955 coolant pipe issue, the more complicated the vehicle is mechanically Base>>>S>>>Turbo/Turbo S, I would think the potential always exists that something is more prone to go wrong as you go up in the hierarchy, not the other way around. Am I wrong to think this? This is part of the cost that's accompanied with owning higher performing vehicles, with One knowing this prior to purchasing their vehicle. If they made a naturally aspirated Flat 6 955 Cayenne that would've outperformed the 955 Turbo S, I definitely wouldn't be the owner of a 955 TS. This was the biggest ouch for me when they announced the C7 Z06 (1.7L Eaton Supercharger 650HP), where it's predecessor (C6 Z06) was a "reliable" 7.0 naturally aspirated V8 505HP beast of an engine.

jeff spahn

Yes, I love my Durmetric. I am at my three VIN numbers right now with my 928 and two Cayennes. I'll have to upgrade I think. I also have my Vag Com cable so I can use that for coding.

Petza914

I think Quadcammer listed a Durametric Pro in rhe Marketplace within the last week for a couple hundred $s less thsn a new one if it's still there. The Pro does coding and has no vehicle limit.