Mark Brillo

I have test driven about 5 Porsche Cayenne in my search.. had been close in getting this - twice (but things have happened that I have to pull out of the deal) - 04 Cayenne S, and an 06 Cayenne Turbo.. all of which were Certified Pre-Owned..

Today I test drove the Cayenne Turbo S, priced at 44,995 with 47,000 miles on it from a private seller.. nice car.. pushed it a bit and I loved how it sped up.. owner will throw in a 36 months extended warranty on it (or 75,000 miles).

Now, I have 2 kids and my wife suggested that we take a look at the 07 or 08 BMW X5... I have no specific car yet by looking at the internet, some have a 3rd row option which comes in handy since I can have the kids sit there, while accommodating 3 more adults on the 2nd row.. 07 models are priced about $38,000 to $40,000...

anyone here owned any of these? I like the 3rd row option of the BMW plus it's $5k less than the Cayenne - most of these are from the dealership and I have a trade-in and - depending on how they will price this, I may be over or under $1k (06 Nissan Armada LE with 52,200 miles).. I still owe $17k (2 more years to pay).. I think the dealership would give me a better pricing on the trade-in (is that always the case? or do they just show they priced it over, but get you back on the price of the vehicle your are buying?)

I love the 06 cayenne.. I don't like how the 08-10 models, and the new models are just too expensive (it looks like the panamera)..

How's the cost of ownership on any of these? my wife seems to like the BMW more than the cayenne

Thanks in advance

Mark Brillo

and how can you tell if it's a turbo or turbo S without having them side-by-side?

Loutorious

I would get the 06 Turbo S for sure. Its an awesome car for the price of $44,999. Just make sure you know its service history and maybe get a PPI from Porsche dealer.

I don't get the part where you said the owner will throw in extended warranty. Will the owner buy some kind of useless 3rd party warranty or is it from Porsche?

The only con I see is that an X5 may have 3rd row seat. I would just stuff all willing passengers in the back seat (2 average size adults and 2 kids is possible) and tell them to hold on to their potatoes.

The maintenance cost of an Turbo S isn't cheap especially the oil change at dealer which will run you anywhere from $250 - $450 every 10,000 miles or so, but X5 will not be too far off. Oil change at indy shop will be cheaper. I do the easy stuff on my CTT myself such as oil, air, cabin filter change. That will save you a lot. I may try doing the spark plugs and brakes but thats not for everyone.

Cayenne Turbo S - Only better by the new Cayenne Turbo

Mark Brillo

it's a 3rd party warranty that he showed me.. this will be our first Porsche.. I drive a 06 c230 MB and never had any problems with it.. i do the oil change once every year as per the computer (service A, B), so my comparison/expectation - as far as maintenance go - would be close to that MB. owner mentioned about the regular maintenance and the coils have been replaced.. i don't like the aftermarket rims he had on it but with that price, it seems decent for a Turbo S.

jr1966

'06 CTTS would be my choice. You love the '06 Cayenne, get the '06 Cayenne. The 3rd row seats of a X5 are too small anyway that I don't think you would want to stuff your own children in there. The CTTS is also a rare beast. You won't see yourself coming and going.

Mark Brillo

also, the owner is a known Ferrari enthusiast here so in a way I trust him. this is his daily driver that he got a year ago from california.

and for any dealers here.. can i ask this private seller not charge for the "dealership" fees that regular dealership charges when selling cars? (i understand the tax, title, license) but the other things, not sure if it applies to buying from a private seller - even if the guy have a dealer license

Mark Brillo

got to convince the wife on this.. we'll be signing our names for the loan so she needs to be convinced.. she's urging me to take a look at the X5's. She don't go for the fun factor.. but the year and the mileage - insisting that a 07-08 X5 costs less with lesser mileage - and from a dealership... it's all german cars as far as she's concerned.