raclaims

Those guys at the dealership know what they are doing. While getting service on my 996 C2 Cab I was given a Cayenne S as a loaner. Man oh man did I love it. My wife has a Volvo XC90 which is very uninspiring. She drove the Cayenne and fell in love...this is from a woman who is completely ambivalent towards cars and can't understand my fascination.

So, with another 24 payments on the Volvo lease, I am considering selling my 2000 BMW 528i and buying a Cayenne S. I love the bimmer, have 105K miles on it but it's a manual trans. and my 55 mile each way traffic filled NJ Turnpike commute is starting to aggravate my back and knee (yes I must be getting old). I swore I would never drive an automatic as long as I lived but the Cayenne was so great it did not even feel like an automatic.

So...my question to the experts:

1. If you were me would you do it? (Tough question...I know)
2. What options do you recommend or not recommend?
3. I heard the '05 comes with Sat radio but I can't find any info on it...is it Sirius (I hope...love Howard Stern)?
4. Are there any great mods that I should consider?
5. Any other advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!!!

mudman2

Of course here we are mostly going to say go ahead and do it, we love our Cayenne's and even tho there have been teething troubles, most of us would do it again in a heartbeat, it is like no other.

I think the 05 Sat option on PCM can be XM or Sirius but that would need to be confirmed.

If you can get the air, on the TP its nice to smooth out the ride on the 6 lane stretch, but great to sport it up off the highways. Its still good without the Air but it makes the car so much more flexible.

Get the electric comfort options and a tow hitch from the factory (much cheaper than later)

Some like the full leather, to me its way to much to pay for a daily ride. Also the lights if you can find a unit with both air and lights get it.

Park assist is nice to have so is the Servotronic steering.

Get 20inch wheels and try to negotiate a free set of 18's for the winter.

Good luck

ben in lj

You have nothing to lose trying out the Lexus GX470 first. (fwiw, we have a Cayenne Turbo).

Truble10

Forget the Lexus. Ben has been bashing his Cayenne on here for a while. He seem to be the only one who does not like the Cayenne. If you fell in love with the Cayenne like I did you will not regret the decision to get one. Yes, they did have some early problems but they are all taken care of by recalls. The 05 model has a couple of options not available for 04. I like how they paint the lower section for 05. It was black on the 04 models. Go for it. The Cayenne is by far the best driving SUV available. I got an "S" loved it so much I upgraded to a turbo. I get a silly smile every time I drive it. See the other posts - Happy Cayenne owner.
A lexus will be very reliable but I never get a smile on my face after driving one.

PogueMoHone

Irregardless of whether you buy a Cayenne, I would keep the 528i, it's such a classic car in the making. BMW's zenith.

I own a Cayenne Turbo and its great!

pdxjim

Might want to try the turbo version. It comes with a lot of extras. You can get XM or Serius on the radio. I have the park assist and love it. Have to remind myself to be careful when driving other car.

Ben, how is that GT ride??

raclaims

Thanks for the help. I would definitely go for the turbo if I did not have the 996...I just can't justify two $90K plus cars...actually I can-but I do have to keep a happy household! Also, I would like to keep the bimmer but again...I can't possibly justify four cars for two adults and a baby-actually again...I can but the household thing again...

I appreciate the recommendation for the Lexus but it's just not my style.

I'll let you know what happens...I can't stop thinking about the Cayenne!! If anyone wants to kick in the extra $35K for me to get a turbo it would be a very thoughtful holiday present!!!!

Jaybounds

I'm a proud owner of a 2000 528i. Bought new in 2000 and immediately had Dinan throw in the performance software because that's all that was really available at the time. If you're a BMW owner then you start by driving it like you want. I'd owned several performance muscle cars previous and kinda expected the same so started driving it hard from DAY ONE.
I was not disappointed given my change in increased family size yet wanted to be somewhat sporty. Long story short, increased performance by 15%, increased mileage by 3 MPG.
I now have 350000(yes, 350k). No major repairs - no motor, transmission or drivetrain issues. Yes there are the usual window regulators, and fuel pumps and replaced suspension at 200k - but nothing else. Perhaps I'm lucky but I've never been more impressed or satisfied with my 528i. I keep telling myself that I can't wait to get another car but I love my 528i and will drive it into the ground. My driving is all highway - 85 mph plus and hard exceleration throughout.
We also have other vehicles - Hemi Jeep, etc but despite varying reviews, my next car will be an M5.. Whether I choose to invest time and work in maintaining an older model
(2003). You cannot do better than own, operate and push a BMW.



every time.

mjr24

Way to resurrect that 9 year old thread

mudman2

Only problem I see with that is that your seen as a BMW driver

blackland

I just read an article in the Daily Mail that BMW drivers are the worst road rage people out there. Especially if their vehicle is painted blue. Porsche drivers didn't crack the top 5.

mudman2

Not just over there, here also and down under from what I have witnessed personally. Don't think the colour makes that much difference lol