curveraider

Hello Pepper drivers,

I am coming across from the 993 board. I am considering a Cayenne as a second car/tow vehicle. I have very little knowledge of the Cayenne. From what I have read, it appears that I should be looking for a V8 with air suspension. Is there a list of items that could or known to go wrong with the truck? I assume that the '03 have more bugs then the '04 or '05's, is that the case? Any advise would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Michael S.

Arlen,

Welcome! I too am a 993 owner and very recently purchased a slightly used Cayenne S (only 8k miles). So far, so good (already over 12k)... no major problems & I love driving my pepper!

I shopped for a couple of years and drove several Cayennes and Touregs (including both V6 and V8's) before deciding to buy... What I ended up shopping for was Cayenne S with air suspension and the nav system. It took a while, but I found exactly what I wanted and couldn't be happier! Well, maybe a turbo would make me happier, but I just couldn't swing the extra $20k.

The newer the model, the fewer problems you will have with it... in theory at least. Also, these beasts are expensive to maintain, so a vehicle with factory warranty remaining should be a big consideration.

Good luck with your serach!

ltc

A few random thoughts/comments (all of which can be further researched via the Search function in this forum):

1. I don't think you want to purchase a Cayenne with a date of manufacture on/prior to September 2003.
2. The general concensus (from those of us inmates here in the Cayenne forum who tow a LOT with the Cayenne) is that PASM is recommended. I tow 2-3 times/week (Cup car and my son's kart....20' enclosed aluminum V nose Cargopro trailer)
3. You may find that 6th gear is fairly useless when towing and that manual shifting mode is recommended.
4. Your mileage will be around 11mpg, so your range before refueling light comes on will be a bit over 200 miles.
5. Installation of an electronic brake controller has been discussed/documented and is straight forward; EXCEPT if you have a Prodigy controller, in which case you need to connect DIRECTLY to the brake switch, rather than the 4 pin connector). Minor point.

Best of luck,

MadFox

Agree with Michael. would have a few minor differences. I don't have air and don't see a huge need for it except that my wife complains that it is too "jarring". NAV is a must.. have taken several long trips and it is awesome for planning "pit stops" etc. I wouldn't be too concerned about the build date etc. as a properly warrantied and maintained Cayenne should have most if not all of the "glitches" fixed. I am now at 52K and have a 4/03 build that I bought in 5/03... I bought a fairly loaded S and got a big discount off the lot.. the only thing I really don't have is the PASM and really love the vehicle.

Now, there is one forum devotee who is a veritable expert on the Cayenne etc. however he currently is in a straight jacket in a Porsche ** vacation villa **. The warning indicator appears to permanently burn in the dash when you have larger trailers with lots of running lights and a brake controller is needed. Currently the forum rules do not allow me to type the character.. it however is a capitalized 1 and is left of the @ on your keyboard

Come on in.. you'll love it the water is warm in the Cayenne pool and the Kool-Aid is delicious.

ltc

The doctors, nurses and staff prefer to call it a "vacation villa", as opposed to mental facility.

MadFox

You should know better than to believe those *_ as-turds*.. those are the same people who say things like:
1. this will only hurt a little
2. squeeze your jewels and tell you to "cough" when they know you can barely breathe much less cough.
3. jab you 3 times in the elbow (vs. the one time they tell you) and "dig" to find a "bleeder"
4. say "he's gonna make it" and the guy croaks 10 minutes into surgery.

but, hey --- I changed thread to * villa *.. don't want your meds to be withdrawn.. you've been doing very well lately on the forum... Good Lewis.. that's a good boy <@*

* new symbol for the character to the left of @ when it is appropriate to use it in a thread<@ <@ <@ (this is multiple characters to the left of @)

curveraider

Thanks for the friendly advice. Prices seem to be coming south and inventory looks good, but finding a S with PASM is a little challenging. I had not thought of needing the NAV, but at a 200 mile range, I may need it to find fuel... If the truck comes with a tow package, is there an actual transmission cooler etc or just the tow receptical?

Thanks,