Joseesq

Hello all:

My wife is turning in her 2017 Audi Q7 next week (European delivery). She likes the 2019 Audi Q8 and the 2019 Cayenne S. However, we saw a 2015 Cayenne Turbo with only 28k miles. I've read the "stickies" up top about the transfer case and other misc. issues.

Talk me into the 2015 Cayenne Turbo (658.2) - or talk me out... What's been your experiences? What to look out for?

Please give me candid information to make an informed decision before I shell out $65k. IA.

golftime

One man's opinion but the general rule is to try and avoid ownership of these vehicles out-of-warranty, so for me this would be a no brainer - buy the 2019 S. You get the best of everything - latest technology, engineering, design, and the protection of the warranty.

hotrod2448

Personally I think given those choices I'd lean towards the turbo with the caveat of that depends on equipment, condition and pricing. I like the Q8 but, I would want more power than it currently offers. I don't think the new cayenne is a big enough improvement to take the S unless having a new vehicle with a warranty or it being exactly what you want in regards to colors/options is worth it.

At that point the question becomes, how capable and willing are you to work on it and if not how much are you ok with allocating for maintenance and repairs? You will most likely want to secure an extended warranty for peace of mind if you are not wanting to spin your own wrenches.

I don't think the turbo is inherently problematic but, Porsche parts and labor rates can be a significant adjustment from the more common premium brands like BMW, MB and Audi, especially if you are used to having a new car warranty to cover it.

bgrpph

I'd definitely consider the '15 CTT. i bought jet black '15 CTT few months back with 31kmiles for $58k from owner, - no PDCC or sport + but has prem + package, 20" rims ,18way seats- Very nice driving with the air suspension!!. Really like it. Bought a Fidelity Platinum 6 yr 60k mile warranty also for peace of mind. I changed Transfer fluid, had plugs, oil change, cowl/AC/sunroof drains cleared by dealer after wet passenger floor.

Joseesq

Thank you. I sent you a PM. I have a few follow up questions if you don’t mind since you bought the same car with the near identical mileage we are looking at. Thanks

RAudi Driver

For the wife? I'd get the Q8. New design that is amazing looking. Women normally don't drive like men and most likely she would never use the power of the turbo. Heck, I don't even use that power. The added cost of ownership is tiring.

My wife has a 2015 Audi Q7 w/V12 sport body kit. It's been a flawless vehicle since day 1. 58k on the odd and not one single issue. My Cayenne has 63k on it and I can't even begin to list everything I've fixed. Granted, it's also been a tank and a great car when running. It burns no oil, flies like a bat out of hell, when I do get on it, but it's a lot of car for daily driving. A little bit too much, if you ask me.

Joseesq

My wife has a heavy foot and I drive a 911 4S and a bmw i8 Roadster. So turbo is within her bandwidth. I’m just afraid the Q8 and the lag issues.

DAVfoto

Another thing is how is she with high tech gadgets and the like? The turbo will lack in that regard especially compared to the q7 and q8

CarGuyNVA

Bingo! That new Q8 in the S-Line trim really looks fantastic! And the SQ8 is coming!

Joseesq

Yes, she would get the Audi Q8 Year 1 Edition, but I heard there are lag issues with it.

rich c4s

So need to chime in here. First drive the 15 CTT. Then the decision will be easy. It either knocks your socks off or you didn't drive it hard enough. If you don't want to buy it then and there the Q8 is your choice. The Audi can not compare to driving ability, air suspension and Burmeister. My CTT has 107k miles and drives cross country without issues. It's also very capable off road... my personal best is 10,700ft.

jpru2001

I dont know your wife's personality but the Cayenne looks like a space shuttle with the buttons and the Audi will be all touchscreen. It's going to be a drastically different interior and that may make the decision. The Audi will not accelerate or steer anything like the Porsche.

Mrg02D

Nothing drives like a Porsche. A lot of those neat features from Audi will get old. How well the car drives, won’t.

g8tor20

Just to add my two cents....

I love my CTT (2013). Had an Audi before. I love the cockpit feel...love the buttons...love the power...love everything about this car. It's not too big and not too small and looks very sporty.

As you know with Porsche's, it's very option based. You can have a Turbo that was very vanilla and one that was optioned to death. For the Cayenne, there could be up to about $70k (MSRP) difference between two CTT's. So make sure it has the features you specially want. I had 3-4 features that I needed and took me about 6 months to find the one that met my wish list. Hopefully this one has some goodies in it that you'll like.

Regarding the cost of ownership, I bought mine about 2 years ago used with 24k miles on it and since it was low miles, I was able to get a Fidelity Platinum warranty for 7 years or 70k miles for under $5k. So I just factored that in to the cost and I'm as happy as can be. You should get a similar figure with those miles.

As stated, I've had it two years (and 20k miles driven) and no real issues whatsoever. Had an alarm horn malfunction which ended up costing me like $500.

If I totaled this thing tomorrow, I'd look for another Turbo or Turbo S in a heartbeat