NEAL WRIGHT

Thinking about a mid 2000's for my wife.

Any input for good years, maintenance issues, features, common problem's, drivetrain etc., would really be appreciated.

Dennis C

Buy the newest you can afford. Get a PPI. Look for maintenance records to ensure that the common issues have been addressed, such as coolant pipes, coils, fuel pumps, water pump, etc.

Personally, I'd go for a 2005 or newer. Perhaps you can find the ever elusive 2007 model...

Shawn Stanford

Depends on the model.

The most expensive 'common' problems are the coolant tubes (V8s only) and the cardan shaft (all models). Either of those will set you back somewhere in the neighborhood of $2k if you have a mechanic do it for you. Half that (or less) if you DIY. All early V8s will eventually go through the coolant tubes, so if I was buying a V8 (I have a '05 V6), then I'd definitely look for that.

Don't kill yourself over a CPO: it's going to be tough to find a mid-Oughts P!g with a CPO at this point and if you get a warranty it will cost you more than the likely repairs (which makes sense!). Just budget $5k for repairs and you'll probably be fine.

Don't automatically dismiss the V6 as underpowered; I'm quite happy with mine. The V6s tend to be significantly less expensive. YMMV...

Get a non-BOSE with a base (CDR-23) radio if possible. These can be easily (EASILY!! Like: by you, in your driveway, in an hour, for a couple hundred $$!!) upgraded to a modern electronics suite. There are too many horror stories about the recalcitrance and expense of working with early nav systems, MOST audio and BOSE speakers.

If you're going to be towing, life will be easier if you get one with a tow package, but it's not in any way a deal-breaker. There are very complete instructions here for retrofitting a Curt hitch and trailer light controller, and those will only set you back about $200 if you DIY.

I've had my Cayenne for about a year. It's neither my first SUV (an Isuzu Rodeo, a Subaru Forester) nor my first Porsche (I also have a 951, and I had a 928 at one point.), and I absolutely love the thing.

touareg

And have the torque converter seal checked very carefully on any V8. Especially if the coolant pipes have burst at some point.

3-4k to replace the seal as the whole engine and tranny have to be dropped.

If the starter makes any noises, same deal part alone is around $700 and you have to remove a lot to get to it.

Dennis C

I'm a big fan of the air suspension on Cayennes also. It's not a deal breaker, but something to consider if you can find a nice one with this feature. It's standard on turbos, and it was optional on the S and the V6.

Slow Guy

We really need a sticky thread on this topic.

nkhalidi

In addition to everything already mentioned here, the rear hatch struts begin weaken with age, not necessarily mileage/use. There is a great knowledge base in this forum about nearly problem that will eventually plague every Cayenne.

I think the first-gen V6 Cayennes are truly thermostat slow, nearly dangerously so. They turn and stop ok though.

Uneven tire wear and vibrations can sometimes be dialed out with proper alignment and tire balancing. I write sometimes because although this worked for me, it hasn't worked for many here. Fuel economy is not great but that's just a fact to accept.

medtech

Wow, this is the most efficient thread I've ever read. Everything has already been covered in only 5 posts.

FWIW, Shawn puts the "Utility" back in SUV, and has really used that thing as a workhorse. Good advice.

Shawn Stanford

I can't understand comments like this, especially since I've been living with a V6 for nearly a year. The only time I found it to be slow was when I had three adults and half-a-ton of building materials loaded into it...

cordsig79

Watch maligning my V6, its served its purpose quite well for 5 years of ownership. The only regret I have is it's not diesel.

Barring a complete failure of the engine, I romanticizing having this car until I pass.

NEAL WRIGHT

Thanks for the input. It's appreciated!

pranqster

My 05 had coils replaced and I had a few problems with the turn signal connections. I changed the oil every 10k and had no other problems. I sold it with almost 80k on it. Never had to do a cardan or radiator cooling pipes.

Our 06 has 30k miles and has had the coils change and a passenger airbag sensor go out a couple of times. We have not changed the cardan nor radiator cooling pipes.

We now have our 06 for sale. PM me if interested.

lml999

What kind of real world mileage are people getting from the V6 models? I'm currently driving an older Audi A6, getting 18/22, and am looking for something in the same ballpark mileage wise. I just test drove an '09 Touareg TDI and just didn't like it. Motor okay, but not seductive. Suspension fair. Felt like a BIG truck. I've owned trucks, a '95 and '99 Range Rovers, so I'm used to big...but the Touareg just felt BIG. Didn't feel like I was really driving it...just sitting in it.

Thanks!

ltc

There isn't enough disk space to list all of the warts on the P!g.

The P!g has the distinction of amassing the highest number of TSB's in the shortest amount of time of any Porsche vehicle.

If you feel compelled, I would highly recommend joining Loren's site (Renntech.org) and getting access to the TSBs, along with other information.

Shawn Stanford

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

The best I've ever seen is 18. Admittedly, I drive about 10-12 over on the highway, and I often have crap on top, but I've never seen the north side of 19mpg. My standard mix of daily surfrace street driving gets me about 15.