aututto

Hey guys!

I'm new here but not new to forums at all. I am active on a ton of other forums, so no worries I'm not a noob I use the search function

Anyways just sold my beloved jaguar xj8 to get an SUV (will suit my needs much better especially here in the midwest.) After a debate between lexus rx's, the audi q7, and the cayenne, I've decided I want to drive something with character

So here are the two prospective cayennes I have found.

The first is a 2004 turbo. Carfax shows coolant tubes and I believe cardan (sorry if I misspelled) shaft being done, it says internal transmission repaired and it was done the same date as coolant tubes. All seems well but I am wondering if the price might be a tad high?

http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/de...8350/overview/

The second is a 2008 GTS. The price on this one seemed a little too good to be true. However the dealer sent me a carfax and all checks out, 3 owners with the 3rd only owning it for 6 months raised an eyebrow but still. I haven't done much research on these but I'd assume they encounter less issues than an older turbo.

http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/de...0771/overview/

Now, they both have their benefits, I'm slightly biased towards the turbo because I just think it would be much more fun to drive. But the GTS is newer and would have some kinks worked out. My main concern is if I should be weary of the pricing with GTS or if it really is just a good deal!

Thanks all in advance!

957Turbo

The GTS is likely a scam or has a hidden issue....

aututto

I was thinking the same thing. Carfax shows no accidents. Leaves me to think it has some weird issue. Seller kept telling me it has new tires. Just seemed low in comparison to others

Dennis C

There are a few warning flags on the 2004 CTT in my opinion. First of all, it has a wooden steering wheel but none of the other wood package items. This is not normal - typically you would see a wooden shifter **** and wooden inserts in the doors. This leads me to believe that the steering wheel has been replaced. My question would be: Why was it replaced? Was this car in an accident that deployed the driver's side airbag, or did the owner just want a wood wheel and add it later? Maybe the shifter **** was replaced and the owner didn't want to spring for the wooden ****. I'm not sure, but it makes me ask the question.

Secondly, there was transmission work done when the coolant pipes were done. This leads me to believe that the original pipes burst (as opposed to being changed as preventative maintenance) and there was damage to the torque converter seal. When this happens, there can be starter problems and other transmission issues. I don't like the way that sounds.

I know these sound like nitpicking things. However, they would turn me away if I were a prospective buyer.

gnat

Dennis' comment on the wheel seems to stick on me. Didn't some else post in the last 6 months or so about looking at an old CTT that had a wood wheel with no other accents? Maybe the same one?

As I recall similar comments were made about it. I think the consensus was that it wouldn't be a deal killer, but certainly an indication to have someone really familiar with the Cayenne look it over very closely.

aututto

Good eye there mate! Didn't even notice. I did wonder about the fact that all service was done at the same time. The mechanics number was on the carfax. I think I'll call and see if they can give me any info. Thanks again for your help!

aututto

On a note. I found a 2006 cayenne s with an identical interior. Light grey with wood only on the steering wheel which leads me to believe some people maybe order that way? Still plan on calling the mechanic soon

Thanks for the help all!

KMCTT

The wood steering wheel is a standalone factory option. So it's normal. But for the life of me I can't understand why someone would get the wood wheel and not the rest of the wood package

KMCTT

Here are my options:



Inside:

PCA1983

not sure what you mean by low price on the GTS but I bought my 09 GTS w 71k miles for $32k from a used car dealer. It was probably the most expensive car on his lot. My guess is someone at the dealership drive it for a while. It had a clean CarFax and good options for me with original sticker near $93k. It's had no problems and I'm very happy with it

Dennis C

Good to know. I didn't realize you could order the wood wheel separately.

aututto

Right but $26k with 53k miles and the last owner only had it 6 months? Makes me a bit concerned

wrinkledpants

Common to see a wood wheel like that.

Having said that - I would steer clear of the turbo for a couple of reasons. 1 - the 04's had a lot of issues that were basically 1-time fixes. Nothing major, but lots of little things that were a pain in the ***. I'm not saying don't get an 04, just don't one with low miles like that. The other thing is that these cars age really well if taken care of. So, there isn't really any good reason to look for a low-mileage turbo unless you like to pay more money for something than is necessary. 3rd reason is the gray interior. It's completely subjective, but gray just doesn't look good on these cars, to me at least. Black, or 2-tone tan with wood trim look really nice. The wood trim part is easy to replace if you buy one with silver. The gray seems to show dirt so much more than black, and it'll bring the resale down. I've seen a lot of nice CTT's that should have sold for more, but didn't because they had gray interiors.

The GTS is a fun car to drive, but it isn't the flagship model, and that means a lot of things that are standard on the Turbo are options on the GTS. Take the center display on the cluster, for example. The 04 has a nice color unit, while the GTS you're looking at have a square orange display. That GTS also has a plastic dash instead of the all leather unit in the CTT. It's a fine handling car for sure, but it certainly doesn't get up and go like a Turbo. I'm guessing that car is priced low because it's a bottom dollar GTS with very few options. The 955 and 957 have almost identical interiors sans a newer PSM in the 957. So, aside from looks and the availability of PDCC, there isn't much reason to go with a 957 over a 955. The few issues you'll run into with the 04 years are still relatively small compared to the price gap between an 04 and 08. Some models of cars it's worth it to get one year over another, but the general consensus here is that the 957 wasn't a big upgrade over the 955 - both in capability and in the maintenance department.

My suggestion is to look for a CTT with at least 100K miles that has had the cardan shaft, control arms, and coolant pipes done, as well as a solid maintenance history. Be very *very* wary of any car that has a carfax showing it was traded in somewhere and then went to auction. Expect to pay somewhere in the range of 2 grand or more fixing things as that's typically why cars go to auction, at least with cayennes. And, 100% of the cars I've looked at from used car lots that previously went to auction before arrived there always had issues in some form or another. And, the managers were never willing to negotiate over them, mostly because they didn't know they existed and the price paid for the car, and the selling price are no longer favorable to them. I've seen cayennes with 200K miles in better condition than ones with 90K miles. Mileage means almost nothing to you as a buyer except that the value will be lower. Condition is everything. You should be able to find a turn-key CTT with at least 100K miles and little to no work needing to be done for 17-22k for an 04 year. 05 or 06 in the mid 20s, and 08 CTT's in the low 30s.

aututto

Okay I can definitely poke around at some with higher miles. I was just pleased with the fact that this mentioned coolant pipes and other work on the carfax. The issue is when I ask other dealers they have no clue and no proof. I wasn't looking at this 04 specifically because of miles. Care to mention the nitty things I would need to look out for that need replacing?

As to the grey interior, I love it reminds me very much of 90's cars interiors. I also think it compliments the silver exterior way better than black would. I find silver cars with black interiors to be slightly hideous haha

aututto

Bumping this up again. Noticed some 996 c4s p-cars in my price range as well. From what I understand they can handle cold and snow as well.

Anyone know if they tend to be more reliable and cheaper to own than a CTT? I'm just a single college guy so an SUV isn't necessary. I'm looking for a porsche I can enjoy and maneuver in the snow when necessary