detailjohn

My wife and I recently had our first baby girl. It looks like the 996 Turbo may have to leave the garage, and be replaced with a Cayenne, or similar. I have heard really mixed reviews about the reliability of the Cayenne. I'm looking at Cayenne Turbos and Cayenne S's only. I'm looking for something with 45K miles or less only from 2004-2006. The Turbos are a little harder to find, but does the increased price also reduce the reliability. This car will be mostly driven by my wife, and will not very often be hot rodded. I will only buy black/black also. How have these cars treated you?


Thanks,



John

cab&coupe

My experience has been Great...

OCNYPORSCHE

Go for it! Too bad you can't keep he 996 Turbo for the summer! I almost ready to take my 996 out for the spring. It is covered right now for the winter. Since you have a 996 Turbo, I would go for the C Turbo.

Carrera GT

Keep in mind the mpg difference, insurance and operating costs, especially in terms of the difference between the Turbo and the S. While the purchase price has collapsed, the operating costs are the same.

I have the Turbo and I'm used to the throttle lag. I drive it conservatively and it's been entirely reliable with acceptable mpg. It's mostly used for longer trips and some "soft roading" (light, off-road touring, snow skiing.)

Think about PASM if you'll tow or want better ride comfort and the convenience of having the car lower itself for easy reach when doing things like tightening baby car seat belts.

Look for a one-owner, no stories car and get the CPO. Shoot for '05 or '06 -- the '03 and '04 cars tend to have more complaints and they're out of factory warranty while you can find '05 cars still under warranty.

Of course, drive several examples and get a feel for the car so you know when you're in a good one and when you're in a tired one.

msh26

What about a GTS?

Cpa4S

just make sure the S has full leather and PASM, otherwise the 05 Turbo's are a great deal and come really loaded.

detailjohn

The GTS's are sweet, but a bit too much money, and the wife doesn't want to drive a manual. I think we will look for a Turbo. Thanks for the insight everyone. As soon as we find the right one I will post up some pictures.


John

Dennis C

I agree with the comments above. Get a turbo, and get a 2005 or newer. PASM is a nice thing to have.

Scott Lenger

Tell us about the 996TT that's going to be for sale!

russo

You will probably regret letting go of the 996TT. Reliability on my Cayenne turbo has been unremarkable except for replacement of the coils. The vehicle now has 30k miles. I had the S and I changed for the Turbo, it's much more fun.

bbcobby

Will your new baby girl also be receiving the Porsche baby seat? Friends of ours with a baby girl reportedly purchased one from the dealership where we have our p cars serviced. That might be turning them on to the Porsche brand too early though.

f4 plt

I got a GTS for my wife with the six speed tiptronic. She loves the car and unlike the tip in the earlier carreras and Caymans the tip in the Cayenne can be bump shifted with the shift lever and or the paddles whichever you like. Of course like all tiptonic transmissions it can be left in the auto mode. Great road car, outstanding seating front and back and good hauling capability. The short length makes it easy to park and work through traffic and the wide stance is very stable on the highway and in crosswinds

mdrobc1213

Just picked up an 09 Cayenne S on lease black on black and it is so far an great vehicle. Gave up an 05 Carrera base 997 for it so am still feeling a little regret and remiss there but not much as the Cayenne S has more than enough power for my needs and gets up and goes to the same velocities with the same easy manner I am used to with my 997 just not as quickly or fun sounding getting there!

Only grip...OEM Goodyear tires that the car came with are crap. Hit the edge of a curb and already have a nice fat sidewall bubble and that was within 10 days of ownership and at <20mph! Any tire recs please as I am going to change up to 20" soon and am seeking a more reliable brand of rubber?

Drove the V6 and it was nice...price was great with the economy and current incentives from PCNA but in the end the extra $100 or so a month for the extra power and options and the V8 sound did it for me.

Look at the 09's too...the PCM 3.0 makes it worth the upgrade in my opinion...it is that much better than the old PCM 2.0 believe me. The touchscreen is that good! Good luck!

medtech

I love my 06 S!

ltc

When did the Cayenne get paddles? AFAIK, no road going Porsche has ever had paddles, even the newly released PDK gearbox cars....they all have steering wheel mounted 'thumb switches'.

Also, AFAIK, the Tiptronic transmissions in the earlier Carreras can be 'bump shifted', again using the steering wheel mounted Tiptronic buttons.

Exactly which Tiptronic in an earlier Carrera did you drive where you could not shift gears manually with the steering wheel buttons and/or shift lever?