PupC

What are the differences?

I found a really clean 08 CTT w/ 67k miles near me ...

Is it an upgrade or just different?

bc

AGARubberDuck

I'm going through the exact same thing right now. I'm not convinced the 2008 is upgraded or different enough to justify the purchase. There are only 2 things a 2008tt has that my 2004tt doesn't, and that is PDCC and less miles.
Another thread I started has differing opinions from 'yes, PDCC is awesome' to 'wait until the 2011 makes sense financially'

I'll be watching this one for more opinions.

Brit6

It's just a facelift technically. The interior is pretty much identical. Depending on options that each CTT has, the 2004 could have better options than the 2008.

mhollack

Arent the coolant pipe, coil and cardan shaft issues mostly fixed with the 2008-2010 957s vs the earlier 955s?

endless_corners

Sure but if you net out spending $10-15k on the upgrade it does nullifies the repair costs on a 955. A 957 with lower miles should just be a tighter vehicle. I think the upgrade is worth it IF you already really like the 955 and just dont have the energy or heart to refurb it and want the instant satisfaction of going back in time and having your basically same car fresh again. Or if going flat through corners with PDCC is really tempting (i've heard some say the PDCC pump is loud and annoys them). Also, Mcbit mentioned he enjoyed the feel of his non PDCC cayenne better... so YMMV.

The 2009+ do all have the bigger brakes (280mm), updated touch screen nav, pdcc option, i think some suspension bits like bushings may be using the turbo-s stuff (955), direct injection engine.. although the 2008 has the older nav and slightly smaller (268mm) brakes.

At the end of the day its not going to be THAT different. On the other hand a 958 will definitely be a different creature. The question is whether its worth making the $20-25k jump over a 957 to get there. Keep in mind also that throwing about $5-6k at a slightly worn out 955 will do a lot to bring it back to feeling fresh.

PupC

Thanks for the input...

My 04 CTT has had most all of the issues resolved... Nothing big exists... and it's tight... It just has 116K miles on it and well, it's black... I am not a fan of black vehicles...

The 08 CTT that I considered is white, had 64k miles, was very clean and close to me... Price was great too!

It also sold yesterday ...

So , as long as I can keep myself from looking at others I should be safe... For now.

bc

wrinkledpants

There was a coil recall a *long* time ago, and it's basically null and void at this point. Coils are a maintenance item. You'll be replacing them on a 957 just like you will on a 955.

There is no cardan shaft problem. They last about 100K miles, cost $450 to get a rebuilt unit, and they're an easy DIY job. Poke your head under an Audi, and you'll see the same shaft design that they've been using for years.

Lower control arms $650, uppers $300, alignment $250, and labor is about $1500 for the job. That's $2700 for a complete control arm job, and it'll last about as long as a cardan shaft. That's not a problem either. That's the tradeoff for having a heavy SUV that's stout enough for offroad use, but smooth enough for the track.

There is a difference between "things to be aware of" and "problems." The coolant pipes on the 955 are a problem. An expensive one at that if you let them fail. The 957 have the coolant manifold on the back of the motor. The 955 CS has the scoring issue. In my mind, that's it. You can have a valve body go bad on either 955 or 957. The rest is simply paying you dues for owning such a capable SUV.

I currently have a new Infinit QX56 as a rental while my CTT is in the body shop. It's gigantic. Rides exactly like a truck, which is to say terrible. Yet, it's only 400 lbs heavier than a Cayenne. The Cayenne has more ground clearance, better approach and departure angles, and is *magnitudes* better in the corners. It was scary driving the QX fast on my way to Vail, and this is a brand new luxury SUV that costs 70K, and yet my 12 year old CTT feels so much better in almost every way.

If it was cheap and easy to make an SUV be fast, handle good, and be excellent off road, everyone would be doing it. Alas, it is not. To result for having such a capable vehicle is that the parts have to perform at top levels all the time, or they need to be replaced.

PDCC, marginally better PCM, and slightly faster. That's what you get with the 957. All the chassis and sensor components will be basically the same. Meaning, you'll be doing cardan shafts, control arms, tires, hatch struts, etc just like you do on the 955.

In my mind, if you're flush enough to dump money into a 955, sell it at a loss, acquire a 957, invest a few K getting it baselined, justify the depreciation to yourself, and feel good about this financial move, then you're likely flush enough to afford a 958.

Since 99K miles (currently at 135k), I've invested 7500 into my CTT, and it needs about another $1200 to be fully sorted. Of that, $500 has been related to the motor. The rest is tires, chassis, and other bits not related to the motor. I don't expect that financial spread to change much if I were in a 957.

PupC

All great info...

Thanks

Sniffer

In the interests of accuracy I don't think anyone has mentioned that the 957 has a completely different motor than the 955

A different motor with 50 ish more BHP......

AGARubberDuck

Well, yes there is a bump in HP and marginally larger displacement. But I wouldn't go so far as saying Completely different as they are greatly the same.

wrinkledpants

It's not completely different. It's punched out with direct injection. The general block design is the same. They didn't start from scratch, if that's what you're insinuating.

Agustin AC

I had a 2004 CTT and now have a 2008 CTT.

Are they vastly different? NO.

Do they handle differently? Yes (mine has PDCC).

Can you feel the extra 50hp? Barely.

The "marginal" difference in the PCM is pretty substantial to me (I now use my phone thru the PCM, which allows me to avoid risking an accident on a regular basis - but this is for me, as I speak a lot in the phone due to work).

I do like the face lift a lot, and my newer CTT has a couple of options that the old one didn´t have.

If you find a nice example at the right price, go for it. If you like the 958 more, then save a little, and wait for the right one to come...