A potential transplant from the 964 world - looking at something for the wife and found a high mileage CTT.

It has 190K miles, but has had the coolant pipes, reservoir, spark plug coils, serpentine belt, fuel pump, air suspension pump, karden shaft, xenon bulbs, and brake rotors/pads recently replaced.

Doesn't appear to be a garage queen, but wife has a knack for banging into things, so might not be the worst thing.

Anyway, any thoughts friends?

 

You don't mention the price. But as with most cars, the cost delta of buying one with fewer miles with fewer mechanical needs is far lower than higher miles and more mechanical needs simply based on the fact that mechanicals only last so long.

It would have to be a screaming deal to warrant purchasing a 190k mi car this complex. And I am not against high mileage cars at all. But most are at the end of their service life at 200k.

 

The mileage wouldn't scare me as long as the price was right. There are Cayennes on this forum well north of that and still going strong. Even with all the work you've mentioned and the fact that it's a TT, I wouldn't go north of $10k.

 

How much is it?

How long do you plan on keeping it?

How much of your own work can you do?

If the answers are:

"Not much", "not too long", and "most of it", then it might be a good deal.

Especially for a "wife that bumps into things."

200k is pretty high. But there are a few folks on here who have had them that long and are still going strong.

 

In my research prior to purchasing my S I found many CTTs that were around that mileage or higher. I would definitely take some time to look it over well and pay attention to the turbos. If the turbos are wearing out I'd steer clear of it...unless it's a smokin deal. Any vehicle can make it well past that mileage as long as it has had the proper maintenance done.
Don't forget to check electrical items like seats, windows, 4wd switch, or other things that could nickel and dime you to death if you want them fixed.
I'm no expert with Cayenne's (just have done a lot of research) so I don't have many other specific things for you to check.
Texas993 was spot on with his comment. Sometimes if you have to replace things you'll end up spending more than initially putting more money into a newer/less mileage vehicle.
Good luck with your search!

 

Thanks guys; price will be right about $10K, maybe +- $500. The majority of the mileage, according to the PO, was done on trips on I-5 between LA and SF, so I'm guessing there probably wasn't a ton of turbo useage if you're doing 85 on the highway for 6 hours straight.

Having never owned a turbo, if the turbos go does this just turn into a glorified S? This might be the dumbest question ever asked, but I'm slightly curious given that I would figure the biggest maintenance item I'd look at that differentiates a TT vs. an S would be the turbos, and my wife unless she's rushing to pick up the baby, will drive like an 85 y/o grandma.

To address Wisco Joe's questions:

1. $10K, maybe a little higher.
2. Until it dies. Wife wants an SUV for occassional use (we have a hybrid hatchback for everything else)
3. Engine work on a modern car? Ehhhh, prefer not to. Ticky tack stuff, I'm pretty handy (I do own a 25 year old 964, which automatically makes you an expert in diagnosing and fixing little issues).

 

If the turbos go normally you'll see oil consumption and/or smoke/oil out the exhaust.
Others can correct me if I'm wrong, but to replace/rebuild the turbos I believe the engine has to come out which could cost 1/2-3/4 of the asking price for the vehicle. Ouch! Not trying to scare you away, just trying to give you a heads up to potential future maintenance cost.

 

At that age and mileage, you could easily (and likely will) spend 75% of the car's value on maintenance in short order.

My maintenance list (tires, oil, parts, labor, etc) from new until 135K miles has totaled right around 20K. The parts list is extensive. While your "recently replaced" parts list is a good start, you should fully anticipate spending thousands to keep it running well. Bad engine mounts and a leaky input shaft seal will set you back 4-5K right off the bat. If the engine mounts haven't been done, they are worn and will pose problems eventually.

I would look for a lower mileage CTT in the 15K price range. No matter how you look at it, you'll spend it now or you'll spend it later. Price, especially on these cars with 150K miles, is almost irrelevant.

Personally, I would not want to own a car like this with that mileage, and know it's only going to be driven by my wife. Way too complicated and expensive given your budget. You'd be better off with something else.

 

WP, good points, but if I spend 7,500 over the course of the next 3 or so years, I'd still think I came out pretty far ahead (17,500 to drive a CTT for 3 years! I can't even get a 2015 Prius V for that much).

Can definitely do oil changes myself, tires are definitely something I'd need to consider (this particular car has the Turbo S wheels, [5 spokes that look like a propeller spinning if you're on LSD]). Honestly, if I can get 3 years with the engine, transmission, and bluetooth chugging along and then sell to a parts guy for $5K with 200K miles, I'd say I won that bargain.

If that's a low probability outcome, that's kind of why I'm here asking you guys


EDIT: How accurate is KBB trade in value for these? Says it ranges from 8-11K for a car with this many miles, but I find that kind of hard to believe.

 

It could be a good deal. Agree though, if you can do some or all of the maintenance then a CTT with high mileage makes sense.

Things that might be something to address would be control arms, motor mounts and what ever wear and tear items crop up. Were there any signs of accidents, paint repair? The coolant Ts in the back behind the intake are also something to look into. How's the interior?

Good luck with your research. We've been very happy with our high mile '04 CS. Drives well and considering the investment (bought @ $10K) I don't think we could have purchased anything that drives this well at the price point we got in at. Of course, a lot of the repairs were done at home so that saved a ton and made the decision feasible.

 

Personally, I wouldn't touch one with that many miles. Major things need replacing at those miles and a couple of things come to mind : turbos, motor mounts, transmission, gaskets, seals and air struts. However, if you're happy with the deal buy it! These are fun cars but can be some what of an attention ***** at times when things go wrong, so be prepared for anything.

 

Travis, love Belmont. Used to get my BMW fixed at the shop next door to the Dinan shop that gives you bikes to run around town with while they work on your car. Lovely downtown, spent much time at an outdoor wine bar there.

I did browse the "How many miles do you have" thread on this board and it seems like 200k isn't super atypical. That said, unlike a lot of the enthusiasts on this site, I'd basically be buying this car for purely utilitarian purposes, namely to 1. have a safe, larger option than our CT200 for when it's needed and 2. have a cool car for certain occasions like road trips.

This Pig is probably going to be maintained enough to provide a safe comfortable trip, but not anything like my 964, which I am an enthusiast for.

 

Scour the internet for deals because you may find one that's worth shipping or flying out and driving back. I've done this a few times with cars and as long as you do your research it can turn out quite well.

Just for example:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-Caye...m=262430797309

http://boise.craigslist.org/ctd/5588825540.html

But then, in your research you can also look for deals like this to give you an idea as to what some of them may need for repairs:

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ctd/5596000054.html

 

That's more or less exactly what we are using the CS for. Road trips, Home Depot, taking bikes to races, etc. The other cars we have including the 993, all serve different purposes.

It's not a daily, but the OCD in me tends to keep the maintenance up so we can just hop in and go where ever we need to.

We're at 176K now and with the recent refresh of the motor mounts, this thing is like a new car again.

 

Interesting, but it inevitably brings up the condition/year vs. mileage debate. I.e. Would you rather have an '04 vs. '06 if the '06 has 10, 15,25,35K more miles?

Also, makes me feel alright at 10K if a mechanic special is asking 8K!