doc993

Looking for some help. I'm in the market for a used Cayenne and came across a 2015 Cayenne Turbo for sale at a Merc-Benz dealership in Denver (click here). Big problem is there is absolutely no history on the car. They don't even have the owner's manual! The dealership says they have no info on the car, just that they acquired it from another dealership in the area.

A few other concerns are that the car has been for sale for almost 2 years (since 6/25/2016 per the carfax). Looks like the original owner bought in Tuscon, AZ. I spoke with the dealership there and they are going to get back to me later and let me know what history they can provide. But per the carfax, looks like routine maintenance. It was also serviced once in Los Angeles and I spoke with them and they reported a routine oil change and open recall (replace clip for front brake pedal). After that the history is vague. It was at some dealer (unknown where) offered for sale for a year. Later sold at auction through Manheim Riverside (per VinWiki) in April 2017. Looks like it was bought by a dealer in Denver, but I can't find out which one and later was sold/transferred to the current dealership where it has sat for almost a year and dropped almost $10K in price.

What is going on? I test drove the car and it seemed solid enough. Looked to be in decent shape mechanically and cosmetically Only red flag I could gather was 2 different sets of tires (Pirelli's on the front and Goodyears in the back, however, both new with good tred). I sent it for a pre-purchase inspection to a reputable independent mechanic in the area, and I will hopefully hear back from him later today. I think with the history I could negotiate at a pretty good price, but it's risky without documentation. Of note, it still has about a year left on manufactures warranty.

Looking for some advice (other than run away!) and pointers on tracking down further history. Maybe one of you can find out something up I couldn't...

Thanks!

https://www.mercedesoflittleton.com/...AC2A23FLA80651

deilenberger

I would check the VIN# with Porsche to find out if the warranty is still in effect and for how long. The mismatched tires are a BIG red flag to me.. it isn't a good thing at all, and can cause damage to the transfer case if the rolling diameter is much different on them. Carfax tells you where it was originally sold and the dealer that sold it. Call them with the VIN#. They may refuse to tell you anything, or they can be cooperative and send you records with the former owner's name blacked out. It looks like it was then traded in at a Porsche dealer in LA - who may have decided he had too many late model turbos to sell - so they put it up at auction. It then looks like the Merc dealer thought he could move it - and bought it at auction. It's been at that dealership since 08/17 - meaning about 9 months. It also got something over 150 miles put on it during that time.

Was the owner of the dealership using it for some personal use? It's entirely possible the dealer principle is a car enthusiast - who bought it for "stock" because he wanted to try one out. I have a friend who once purchased a used car lot just for that purpose. He liked driving high-end cars - for a short time each - so he'd buy one, drive it for a month or two - then put it in stock and sell it. He finally got bored with it and sold the dealership at a profit. Go figure..

Looks like a decent turbo to me. If it passes the PPI, I'd also have a body shop eyeball it - make sure there wasn't a collision hidden in there somewhere that Carfax didn't pick up on. And plan on putting all new tires on it - figure $2000 for tires.

BTW - it does look nicely equipped - besides the usual turbo stuff of 4-zone heat/AC, air-suspension, it also has Burmeiser audio - which is about a $5,000 option new. It's pretty decent audio actually. Figure the car cost about $130-135,000 new. Half price for a 20,000 mile car is a deal. See if you can get them to throw an extended warranty from Zurich in the deal.

BTW - welcome to the forum!

doc993

Thanks for the detailed response!

It passed the PPI, which is great to know. A few more cosmetic issues were picked up, but nothing major. I spoke with him for a while and he said there is nothing to indicate the car was abused in any way or used for anything other than daily driving. I'm still waiting to hear from the original dealership in AZ. I spoke with the Merc dealership again and they confirmed that it was bought by a dealership in Denver at auction. I guess they traded some cars and the Merc dealership took the Cayenne b/c they had experience selling them. They also did say that the owner/manager was a Porsche enthusiast and may have used it for a period of time, which would explain some of the added mileage. Beyond that they have no other info, or are being purposefully vague.

I'm going to test drive it again tomorrow and make a decision. I have a friend who is a mechanic and will see if I can bring him along and/or borrow his paint meter. I will look into the Zurich warranty, an extended warranty would certainly add some peace of mind. And I will definitely be adding a new set of tires if I purchase the car!

If anyone else wants to weigh in, I'd appreciate any input. Thanks!

RAudi Driver

Ok, does it have:

PDCC
PTV

I see it has the Burmester, which is great. I also see that it doesn't have PAS. Porsche active Safety, which I actually love. Saved me a few times when I was being stupid. Great color but black interior is a negative hit especially when the brown Porsche interiors are so amazing.

Price is high for the car.

mafpolo

Looks really good. If a good PPI comes back , I'd still low ball them pretty well and put new tires on (or let them do that, since they buy them cheaper). Car has been for sale for too long, and an MB dealer should know that most people buying a high end car want some knowledge that it has been taken care of. I am surprised that they didn't just buy an owners manual for it.

garrett376

Transfer cases die with properly matched tires. Mismatched might help?

EpiKAC

They may not go for all 4 tires, but they might get you 2 to match the better of the two sets on the car already. I am sure they can find you a manual, and I would definitely push for the Zurich warranty.

Otherwise, from what you are saying, it looks great. (Minus the black interior. Living in the south, I will never make that mistake again. But that's just my oven baked two cents! :P )

Eskimo1

The cooled seats do help..

EpiKAC

I love the cooled seats! This is my first car to have them too. #NeverGoingBack

It was my last car that had the black leather and without remote start to pre-cool, getting into it after a day of work parked outside my office in the sun was worse than entering a sauna.

sclemmons

Potentially a great car at a good buy. It is still under warranty, right? Can you have it CPOed? That would answer any questions I had and they would change out the tires as a requirement.