SouthernMNSurfer

I've been on the quest to downsize my stable of vehicles into one that satisfies why I have all 3.

Sport Sedan: Acura TL Type-S - 6 Speed Manual
Hiway/Luxury cruiser: Chrysler 300s
Towing a boat: GMC Yukon

That's led me to a 958 Cayenne. I've spent some time learning as much as I can about the different trim levels , various things to watch out and researching local independent shops that I can trust for service. Nothing is for sure yet but I lean towards an "S" optioned out with some of the options more common on GTS or Turbo trims, like the bigger, nicer wheels, fender extensions, etc. Based solely on looks and options, I really like the GTS and of course my 13 year old is rallying hard for the GTS. One of the options that I'd really like to consider is the Bermester Audio but that is MUCH more common on the GTS or Turbo than the "S". So I've begun looking at all those trims. That's where some of the questions come in. It sure seems like you can get a Turbo for for less than a GTS. Not always, but there are several more Turbo possibilities than GTS. Even though the GTS was less expensive than the Turbo new correct? Am I missing something? Does the maintenance on a Turbo warrant the lower cost as compared to a GTS or is it just a matter of supply and demand since it seems there are more Turbos than GTSs.

And to tack on to my question about what trim to get. As you can tell by my username and current lineup of vehicles, I need to tow a boat. Nothing crazy, it's a 5000 lb boat that we usually use at lakes 20 - 40 minutes from home 1-2 times per week. A few times per year we go 1 1/2 hours away and once or twice per year we take it "up north" for long weekends or a week at the cabin. So it will be used for towing but it's not as as much as some people do. Obviously, the GTS and Turbo are more geared toward the street but is there anything in either of these two that would make it better or worse for that use case or would push me towards the "S"

Finally, when the lakes are frozen here I'm a hockey dad, hauling my son to hockey games and tournaments all over the region. Some of these involve the vehicle sitting outside at a hotel in some pretty nasty cold weather. This is one reason I'd shy away from the earlier Cayenne. I assume the non-turbo versions may be a little better suited to that use?

Thanks for any insight.

deilenberger

I'll just comment on one question - yes - pricing for the GTS is strictly "limited availability" driven vs a Turbo. The GTS is turbo-trimmed out, with seats I'd be afraid to sit on (Alcantara as a seat surface... Nah..) It's a nice enough car, but in general, the Turbo will outperform it almost any way and cost less doing it. There is more value - real seat of your butt value in the turbo, but for the GTS obsessed.. I guess that's the way to go. The only GTS I'd see as desireable over a turbo is the manual transmission ones (but did they even make this in the 958 series?) A turbo is the value here - and as you noted - a lot of them are very well equipped (cost for the extras on them may now exceed the cost of a turbo used..) Burmeiser is very nice. 4-zone HVAC is very nice. Adaptive cruise is very nice. Blind-spot monitoring is very nice. The active headlights are very nice. I was lucky, found mine used - one someone had thrown the accessory book at and what stuck is what it got.

sjt0017

I just purchased my first "starter" boat, it's a 21' surf boat that I plan on using for a season or two and upgrading to a larger & newer boat as my driving and surfing skills progress. Towing was a large consideration for me when shopping for a new Cayenne over the winter, and this is now my 3rd CTT.

Turbo is the better value purely because there are more out there, and the extra hp/tq for towing doesn't hurt either. The CTT is the best tow vehicle I've ever owned and I wouldn't own a non-turbo vehicle to tow a 21-25ft boat that weighs 6000+ lbs with trailer.
The Turbo has about 140 more ft lb torque than the GTS and boost/shift points make it easy to get to speed when entering the highway or overtaking in lanes. Also, the great thing about having a Turbo, you can simply get a tune and have around 600 ft lbs without even making any real effort to upgrade your car.

PS you CAN find a Turbo with the Sport Design kit (GTS skirts, fender flares & bumpers) and have the looks of the GTS and Turbo power, they're not as uncommon as you'd think!

Best of luck in your search!

SouthernMNSurfer

Thanks for clearing that up guys. sjt007, after many years of owning different runabout I/O boats we finally got a V-Drive surf boat last year and my kids have been having a blast learning. I have been too, but I'm to the point where I have just as much fun watching them learn as doing it myself. Speaking of boats, I now kind of wish I had my last boat after I get a Cayenne. It was a 24' Four Winns that dwarfed my Suburban. I just think it would have been funny to see people's reaction. I'm sure some people will look even now with our 22' Wake/Surf boat but its no where near the size of that one.


Based on you guy's answers I opened up to the idea of a Turbo, then started to embrace it. There are a few that I've been talking to dealers about but they were either missing some key options, or had less desireable wheels. Then, Bam! I find an "S" that has all the options I want except the Burmester. Instead, it's got the Sport Design Package, Sport Exhaust, 18 way seats, and many others (original list was 109K). I'm still in the process of checking it out but the Carfax shows it was bought new 20 minutes from where it is now and serviced at that same dealer every few thousand miles. According to the place that has it now, that same dealer did a PPI (and it shows on the CarFax) 3 weeks ago for a potential buyer but their financing or something fell through. And to top it off, I absolutely LOVE the color scheme. I know I'm being a little vague but I'd rather not draw any attention to it until I either go for it or decide against it.

What do you think the odds are that I can just pay that dealer a small fee to get a copy of that PPI? The guy I talked to at the dealer where it's at now was checking to see if they had kept a copy but even if they do, I'd probably feel better getting it from the service department that did it.

Also, since the same Porche dealer sold it new and did all the service, do you think I'll have any luck getting the full records from them? I doubt they'd do that if I just called them out of the blue but if I pay them for a copy of the completed PPI or pay them for a new one I'm hoping they'd be more willing.

I'd spent a few days thinking I was going to get a turbo so I'm a little disappointment now but I guess if this one checks out and I pull the trigger I think I'll be very happy with it. Especially since it's significantly cheaper than the turbos I'd been checking into.

CarGuyNVA

Two items I didn't see mentioned (forgive me if they were and I just missed it) are the factory/OEM tow/hitch setup and air suspension. I'd think you'd want those two with towing in mind.

The factory towing hitch would be preferable than having to add something after the fact.

Air suspension is standard on the GTS and Turbo, optional on the S. With air suspension you get PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management), which basically allows you to alter the suspension dampening characteristics.

Best of luck with your search!

CarGuyNVA

Nope, that was on the 957 GTS only. The only 958s available with manual trannys were base models.