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I just joined the 958 club this weekend. I found the one I wanted, flew down to Houston, and drove it back home to Denver. I'll be working with a local independent shop to turn this into a trailhead and off-road monster! If you haven't spent much time in the Four Corners states, this off-road obsession may seem strange. But there are so many trailheads that require much more than your typical Subaru to reach. I also wanted a vehicle that drives well after my experience with the Jeep and the Subaru. So, I'm essentially building a "Porsche 4Runner" -- LOL. Stay tuned for updates!
-James
Denver, CO
Current: 2024 Porsche Macan S
2017 Porsche Cayenne S -- NEW! 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness (going away)
Former: 2020 Porsche Macan base -- loved it but wanted more power. 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon (manual) -- massive reliability issues 2019 Audi Q5 (lemon) -- the A/C never actually worked 2014 BMW X1 xDrive35i -- loved it, but too small 2006 BMW X3 3.0i (manual) -- had it for 10+ years 2006 BMW 330Cic (manual) -- loved it, but didn't quite fit my lifestyle 1998 Audi A4 2.8 QTip -- loved it
Relatively clean example with 49K miles on the odometer and the factory off-road package. Lots of work to be done to make this a real trail car.
Your typical Colorado day hike -- up to 13,400ft at South Arapaho Peak
From Mt. Columbia at 14,000+ ft. You get the idea...
Stock it has the following:
* Air suspension
* Skid plates
* Locking differentials
Modifications (much of this is still TBD):
* 2" lift keeping the air suspension. At max height it would have more clearance than a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.
* Proper off-road tires on beadlock rims
* Brush guard with a light bar
* Transmission cooler. Since this doesn't have a low-range transfer case like the first-gen Cayenne, the torque converter takes some abuse if you're working your way over obstacles at slow speeds. This one is TBD as I'm not sure how much "rock crawling" I'm doing vs. "overlanding", camping, and getting to trailheads.
* Upgrade the stock speakers (no Bose or Burmeister here). Not going crazy, but definitely needs improvement.
Right now, the team is going over it top to bottom to see what issues might be lingering. I bought the 2017 Cayenne S with 49K miles on it -- sight unseen with no pre-purchase inspection. I decided to roll the dice! Overall it looks good, and it drove very well for 1,000+ miles back to Denver. But there's always something! Depending how much I have to spend fixing issues, I may do more mods or skip things like the transmission cooler. My budget is <$50K all in, essentially the price of a new Subaru Outback "Wilderness" (including sales tax).
Does it have the full off-road package with the more protection bits (metal under engine cover, beefier gas tank covers, aluminum inner seals, etc)?
I didn't realize there was more than one off-road package for the 2017 Cayenne. That would be ironic given how few people actually take these off road. I'm working with a reputable shop who does many Cayenne off-road builds. They'll know, and I'll follow their guidance. I have a long-standing relationship with them.
There's no such thing as a 'cheap' used Cayenne, LOL. But none of the required maintenance was truly shocking to me. Before the off-road modifications, we're addressing all of the outstanding items. Given I'm going to be taking this to very remote places, I don't want to be left stranded. So:
Transmission fluid,
Transfer case fluid,
Differential fluid front/rear,
Brake flush,
Spark plugs,
Filters cabin/engine,
Oil change,
Clean/grease sunroof
Valve cover gasket
Engine mounts
Transmission mounts
Alignment
New battery
Transfer case was already replaced
etc.
The off-road mods include:
Fox forged wheels
Falken Rubitrek tires
2" lift -- keeping the air suspension
Transmission cooler kit
Brush guard
Light bar
Upper control arms
Aluminum skid plates
The total bill for maintenance plus the off-road upgrades is essentially the same as the purchase price of the vehicle! But I'm on board with that. I should get it back from the shop mid/late January. That's plenty of time before Moab Season and Colorado Fourteener Season. I'll post pics!
Well, it's a work in progress. The exterior is done -- paint correction, PPF, and side decal. But the engine has several oil leaks, as is typical for these vehicles.
I'm really excited for the finished product, but make no mistake. Addressing the deferred maintenance plus the off-road mods will cost more than I paid for the vehicle itself. I knew that going in, and I'm totally fine with it.
These photos will give you a sense of what's possible with off-road build Cayenne. This owner drove his Cayenne up from Mexico to have it serviced here in Denver. That should tell you something about their reputation.
They are ripping out some previous mods that simply didn't hold up, and replacing them with their own product.
[QUOTE=JDailey;20322275]I just joined the 958 club this weekend. I found the one I wanted, flew down to Houston, and drove it back home to Denver. I'll be working with a local independent shop to turn this into a trailhead and off-road monster! If you haven't spent much time in the Four Corners states, this off-road obsession may seem strange. But there are so many trailheads that require much more than your typical Subaru to reach. I also wanted a vehicle that drives well after my experience with the Jeep and the Subaru. So, I'm essentially building a "Porsche 4Runner" -- LOL. Stay tuned for updates!
-James
Denver, CO
Current: 2024 Porsche Macan S
2017 Porsche Cayenne S -- NEW! 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness (going away)
Former: 2020 Porsche Macan base -- loved it but wanted more power. 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon (manual) -- massive reliability issues 2019 Audi Q5 (lemon) -- the A/C never actually worked 2014 BMW X1 xDrive35i -- loved it, but too small 2006 BMW X3 3.0i (manual) -- had it for 10+ years 2006 BMW 330Cic (manual) -- loved it, but didn't quite fit my lifestyle 1998 Audi A4 2.8 QTip -- loved
Your PCM is different from mine (a '16). Is it aftermarket?
I posted this in another thread, I'll add it here too. Looking for a used Porsche? Well, caveat emptor (buyer beware)!
The transfer case was replaced by Porsche of North Huston in June of 2022 at 32,000 miles, but they did a ^%*# job of it. Looks like they over tightened the plug and cracked the transfer case housing. So, it's getting replaced *again* at 50,000 miles. Even when you have the service records and it's been serviced at a dealership, there's no guarantee... My shop reached out to the dealership, and they refused to do anything about it. They said "out of warranty" (which it is), but they did poor work and wouldn't stand behind it.
New 958.2 owner -- off-road build coming!
