UNYboater

I'm looking at a 2011 CTT in Wichita but I'm 1400 miles away. I'm not afraid of flying out and driving it home, but to commit to it without an independent check isn't smart.
Any Indi shops or Porsche mechanics that you know that would like to earn a couple hundred?
The dealer is willing; they did a "120 point inspection" but I'm sure that doesn't cover a compression test.

garrett376

Have you seen CTTs with low cylinder compression issues? That'd be the least of my concerns!

UNYboater

Not personally, but I just don't want to wander into expensive territory blindly. What *would* your concerns on an '11 CTT be? Just over 100k miles...

garrett376

Unless you know these cars really well, you're going in blind to some extent. What did the 120 point check look at? That's 120 things less than going in totally blind.

I've seen less than 60k mile 958 Cayennes that are total pieces of crap because they were not cared for: clear coat peeling, never maintained, CELs on, headliners dropping, switches broken... yuck. Personally I would not have any concerns with a 958 with over 100k miles if it was not abused. These are expensive any way you cut it, and things do go wrong out of the blue that cost a lot to fix, especially if you can't do it yourself. This forum is full of stuff that's great fun to read and gives you a good feel for potential issues.

If that doesn't scare you off from the most fun and capable SUVs made... then the big issues are pretty easy to find on these:
With a proper code reader it is possible to see what codes exist after it's been driven around. That's a valuable starting point to find tons of problems, and some fluky problems that are rare and potentially very expensive (a transmission will run you close to $20,000 to replace at the dealer). Aside from errors, proper code readers can easily determine if the transfer case is the newest design that doesn't fail; and can also determine battery aging so you know if you're near needing a new one.
A mechanic can put it up on a lift and look under it with no panel under the engine to identify engine oil, coolant, or steering leaks. They can also measure brake thicknesses to see if you're looking at a brake change expense, which his a big number from the dealer.

While a mechanic is needed for the codes, to save on most surprises and find things a mechanic probably won't find, if you have a young and willing salesperson, have them FaceTime you, and spend an hour "doing things" to the car while you assess if there are any errors, and assess how things hear or smell:
Lock the car: does it have no sound? A muted honk? Two loud chirps? Once locked, with the key 20 feet away, can you pull open any doors?
Suspension: raise it, lower it to all levels and confirm no errors. Raise to max level and listen in the front wheel wells (front right especially) for hissing sounds.
Engage sport mode and accelerate hard. Do the same out of sport mode: it should all sound and feel the same, just slower and softer. (no thunks, jerks, etc.). Get out and pop the hood: does it smell like coolant? Burnt oil? Is there leaking oil visible from the valve covers?
Hit everything with a switch: open all windows, shades, pano roof/sunroof, rear hatch, lights, heater blowers (front and rear), all AC modes, wipers, cruise control, etc. If you can't fix these yourself, the labor to repair will be a lot.
Passenger carpet, under the mat, is it dry?
Regarding the car: does it have 2 keys? I found cars with 2 keys always seem better cared for versus one with chipped and busted buttons. Does it have any records at all? If this is a Porsche dealer, are they willing to pull the warranty repairs report for you (shows in-dealer work from any dealer for reported warranty and recall repairs)?

Fortunately, this is an expensive Porsche Cayenne, meaning it has a good probability that it was cared for at a decent level, and likely properly maintained.

UNYboater

It looks like both previous owners had it serviced at that dealership. Only recently did that change hands and the now-Porsche dealer doesn't have the records from before the ownership change. However, it appears to have been serviced regularly and properly its entire life.
I have read a LOT lately; this is my first Cayenne but I've done most of my own work for 40+ years. I've had several P-cars, BMW's, MINI's, Fiat's, as well as many American & Far Eastern vehicles. The Boxsters were very easy to work on and the VW's seem to have the most expensive parts in general terms, although that may just have been the diesel Jetta that I had. All that said, the Porsche dealer in Wichita will do the inspection for $380 (2 hours labor) but are scheduling out in Feb. The dealership I'm buying from isn't keen on waiting that long with just my $500 deposit.
Thank you for your in-depth insight! I appreciate it.

cozmo kraemer

Looks like you got this one out from underneath me! I was talking to them on that Thursday (morning of the 5th), and asked them to just cycle the air suspension through all of the heights. If they did that, I would pay them and come get it. They told me it was up on a lift for their inspection and they couldn't do it until it was down the next day, seemed odd, but ok. Then that Friday and over the weekend wouldnt reply to my messages and on the Monday, finally got back to me saying someone put a deposit on it and so it was held for them and off to Porsche for a PPI. I was sort of upset because, for the price they wanted, I just wanted them to cycle the suspension (2minutes tops). They had it listed for a smoking deal. I had actually flew out to Houston earlier in the year to pick up a CTT that had all these options and when I got there and took it on a test drive, cycling the air suspension resulted in a height unable to be reached error. The compressor couldn't get it to height. Then later it would finally get there. I ended up passing on the car and having to fly home. I didn't want that to happen twice. My hesitation resulted in losing this one. I wanted to make the purchase last week.

Soooo, I did then pickup a 11 Cayenne S locally with 85k on it for $17k... not the all the options I want, but an AZ car and good service history. Im happy with it and will be making an overland build.