scaredstupid

Hey Guys,

New member here! Thanks for all the great info!

I'm considering a used Cayenne S 2004 purchase and I wanted to get your opinion. I can work on most things myself regarding maintanence. However I'm not accustomed to the price on porsche parts and know very little about availability. Anyway these are my questions.

Is 13500 a good price on a 2004 Cayenne S with 86k miles?

The car looks almost perfect and drives great but I want opinions from those with more experience. I will put a link to the craigslist ad below:

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/3951004586.html

Last but not least, do you guys have any recommendations about an inspection that I can purchase that can give me peace of mind about the purchase?

ltc

Please read the "Sticky" threads at the top of this forum.
Please become familiar (there will be a test)!with things like....

Cracked ignition coils (6-7 revisions of them)
Fouled spark plugs ( due to cracked coils)
Horns filling with water
Water under the rear spoiler drowning all the electrical components
Cardan shafts
Cracked coolant tubes
Water pump
Starter (failing due to cracked coolant tubes)
Transmission seal (due to cracked coolant tubes)
Alignment specifications
Battery replacement (under the driver's ***)
Headlight condensation ( 2 TSB's for that ...MaxiPads then ventilation kit)
Loose and cracked headlight mounts and connectors
Rusting stainless steel trim
Stainless steel trim falling off the car
Dripping rear window washer
Rear hatch struts requiring Viagra
Windshield wipers soud like an elephant's *** being dragged across the windshield
Oil consumption ... 1qt every 660 miles is considered "normal"
Fuel pumps
Brake pads and rotors ...often
New tires ... Often
Transmission control unit updates (Grandmother mode throttle response)

I"ll stop there for now.

As for a pre-purchase inspection....Yes, preferably bya Porsche dealer or someone who already knows everything listed above.

Godspeed and Good Luck.

scaredstupid

Wow this sounds pretty bad... will the porsche dealership check for this stuff automatically or will I need to give them a list? I was afraid they would glance over it and just take the inspection money. There really is no recourse for a bad inspection job.

I was thinking an independant shop might be a little better but again I would assume Porsche could give me the best information if they actually did a complete inspection.

DenverSteve

It's really much easier than that. Do a Carfax, have it inspected at a Porsche dealer, look, listen and feel, and to answer your question - it's a good price and low mileage. Check it out, and if it feels right, enjoy. Also, welcome to the group.

scaredstupid

Lol that list ltc posted almost talked me out of considering the purchase. I'm doing my homework reading the stickies at the top. I've done the car fax, one owner no issues at all. I'll call a Porsche dealership in the morning. What does a good dealer inspection normally run?

Dennis C

$300ish. I'd recommend an independent mechanic over a dealer for a PPI.

scaredstupid

Yeah I actually think I like the personal touch of a smaller place as well. I just have a feeling that I'll just be another number at the dealerships. Thanks for the advice.

scaredstupid

I will post what they tell me after the inspection is completed.

endless_corners

ITC is simply giving you a full range top level view of problems that can happen. It shouldn't be assumed they will all happen to you at once. Those are just common things to have to deal with at some point. I have had to do cardan shaft and coolant pipes. My truck has been really reliable otherwise. I replaced my coolant pipes proactively to avoid starter and torque converter seal failure due to coolant dump.

ltc

Dennis C

Let us know how it goes.

One thing to consider that can be lost when buying a used Cayenne is that even though you are getting the vehicle under $14K, you'll still get the repair bills of an $80K+ vehicle. You need to consider cost of ownership vs. cost of acquisition. Brakes and tires are expensive and they need to be replaced often. Seemingly minor repairs or fixes get expensive. As an example, my wife loses her keys on an annual basis. A new Cayenne key, including cutting and programming, runs around $400. Oil changes are expensive.

As long as you're okay with the cost of ownership, then you'll be fine.

Travis

The Porsche dealer inspection was underwhelming and pretty expensive at $350. It amounted to a one page document that looked more like a visual inspection you would get for free when you brought your car in for any reg. maintenance.

The tech did not catch several of the items from above and I questioned them after they gave the truck a clean bill of health (which it did not). They offered me a free oil service. No thanks!

One other thing, the dealer was not able, could not confirm whether or not the coolant tubes were replaced as the previous owner claimed. Weird!?! Good thing there's Rennlist to the rescue. Whew...

I don't know who in the Atlanta area to contact, but the defacto have the dealer do it, may not provide you all that you need in an inspection.

endless_corners

FIFY

scaredstupid

Hahahaah That picture is NOT FUNNY!!

So I called Jim Ellis Porsche in Atlanta and I after an 8 minute hold (thats a conservative estimate) I spoke to someone in the service department that was not very nice and basically said they would glance over the car. If you could've heard the conversation... This guy actually made it sound as though they were doing me a favor by doing a paid inspection!

I will not be going there!

I've narrowed down my prepurchase inspection to these 2 companies:

http://www.autoatlanta.com

and

http://germancarrepair.com

Any experiences? German car repair is only 130 and I get a Rennlist discount

Autoatlanta is 200.

dandelos

I rely on Yelp a lot; none of the shops in your area stand out with more reviews over another, but hopefully this helps.

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc...56f57f937866fc