tonga3

Hello all. I've done some searching around and found alot of problem area's with the Cayenne, I'm in the market for a new vehicle for my wife and was looking for some input. I have been looking at '05 Cayenne S with anywhere from 60-100k kilometres on them. I am getting rid of a 1999 Ford Explorer that has been beyond reliable with over 300000 km's and still running strong and next to no maintenance costs other than tires, brakes etc. I kmow this is unusually reliable and don't expect that out of anything I buy but is the '05 era Cayenne samething that I can just expect to have to spend a fair amount of money on or is it just seem to be a select few that seem to have a lot of issues. I also enjoy doing my own work on vehicles, ie brakes, plugs etc. Are these things that are able to be accomplished by someone with decent mechanical skills or are these vehicles only really to be serviced by Porsche. Anyways thanks for any help or advice.

Andy.

tonga3

I also should have mentioned this would be expected to be a daily driver and family vehicle.

wilfred

Although I only have 6000 miles on mine and I used to work on my own cars too. I have come to a conclusion these cars were designed to be serviced by Porsche. I think that's how all modern Porsches are. Parts are very expensive compared to American & Japanese. For comparison, front pads are around $200 parts only and oil filter kit is around $20. Compare to American & Japanese, you would be looking at $50~$100 for pads and $5~$10 for an oil filter. And aftermarket is even less, but I doubt your local auto parts store would carry anything for the Cayenne. There are couple dealers parts dept/online stores that sells Porsche parts for less but prices are still up there. Compare to other European makes like BMW & Mercedes, it might be slightly higher but not much. But again, aftermarket support is much stronger for BMW & Mercedes.

I will leave other members to comment on the reliability part

Dennis C

tonga, if you've researched this then I'm sure you've seen that there are some common problems, and the 2005 models are not immune to them. They are reduced compared to 2003 and 2004 models, but they are still there. If you are handy, you can do some maintenance. I just did brake pads on all four wheels on my 2004 Cayenne 2 weeks ago. It was a simple job, but the parts alone were close to $500. Overall reliability is not the major issue I have seen - it is more nagging things like trim pieces and other PITA items that need repair. Obviously if something electronic goes out, you're not fixing that yourself.

My Cayenne is also a daily driver, and I don't have any worries about that.

ltc

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the majority of forum members (past and present....and even deceased) are reluctant to own a Cayenne 'naked'.
The vehicles tend to be discarded right around when the warranty is about to expire.
Never really stopped and wondered why.....oh, never mind.

tonga3

If I look at one that has 60000+ km's on it would alot of the electronic problems already surfaced or are they life long issues? I am hearing a lot of tire wear issues as well. I think I'm trying to justify one of these over an X5, I see X5's everywhere but rarely see the Porsche. They are great looking vehicles, I just don't want to end up with someone's nightmare.

Thanks
Andy

Dennis C

The do go through tires pretty quickly, but not any faster than any other performance oriented vehicle. If you put soft rubber on a heavy vehicle and then drive it hard, you'll burn through tires pretty fast. I think the same will be true for the X5.

Make sure you buy a CPO car or get a good extended warranty from your dealer and you'll feel much better. I would do the same thing if I were buying the X5.

Slow Guy

Where are you Tonga, that might play a little into the answer. I suspect the Great White North?

While parts prices are higher than for a domestic vehicle it's an apples/oranges comparison as to the vehicle you're putting them in. You can easily get the DIY parts like brake pads, rotors, plugs, filters ect. at much cheaper sources. However don't expect to get them at your local Pep Boys. If you're going to pay the dealer to do the work, yes, open your wallet, wide. But this is a performance vehicle, not a 4Runner.

Just depends on what you're looking for. Personally, from my research before I bought, I think you're smart to start your search at '05 and newer vehicles.

tonga3

I am located just ouside of Toronto. Porsche dealers are not to easy to come by. I don't mind spending the extra money on quality brakes, rotors etc. I like anyone I guess don't want an unreliable vehicle.

EnigmaWmn

Then your best bet is to go for a brand new Cayenne.

CaptPegLeg

causing Larry to roll over

I like mine. I have 2 without any weird problems. Satisfied with them and plan on going for a 100K miles. Most of my miles are easy hwy miles at 60-65 mph.

tonga3

What kind of mileage do you get?

ltc

A 2007 Cayenne without cracked coils gets 35-40mpg.
A typical Cayenne with cracked coils gets 15-20mpg, 9-10 if you're towing.

tonga3

I sense sarcasm.

EnigmaWmn

AND if you do city driving