aroberthumes

I'm thinking about buying a 04, 05, 06 Porsche Cayenne. The ones that fall in my price range have at least 90k miles. Should I stay away from these or is there any major issues I should look out for?
Also not sure about model probably a base or an S.

James1911

Search button will be your friend.... (just a bit of advice before the OG's get to you) lots of info out there regarding your questions. As a newbie, that's how I am learning about my recent purchase. Good luck!

nodoors

If you don't have a solid set of wrenches and motivation turn away quickly.

Shawn Stanford

Read the FAQs. There are things to look expect, some of which are isolated to particular motors.

The thing is to understand that you're getting a world class vehicle with 90% of its original capabilities at 10% of its original price. Someone else paid for the depreciation, you're going to have to invest a little patience with an aging but very capable truck, understand its quirks, and not get pissed off because your 'Porsche' is making a noise or the cardan shaft or fuel pumps went after 110k miles. Porsche is one of the finest engineering companies in the world, and the Cayenne reflects that. But P!gs seldom lead pampered lives.

Repair work isn't beyond a garage mechanic and this forum is chock full of how-tos. I was able to diagnose every problem my truck had on this forum in a few minutes, and most of the problems I've fixed myself. I'm not a great wrench, by any means, but I can follow instructions.

Don't be scared. There are a LOT of 1st gen Cayennes still on the road, including my '05 with over 145k on the clock. It's my daily driver. It's been one of the most reliable vehicles I've ever owned, and it's certainly the most comfortable.

Good luck with your search!

skylinrcr01

Similar boat, thanks for the info Shawn!

Starbo

I just bought my '06 a couple weeks ago and did the same thing you did before my purchase, I asked on here.

The search button is great, when you know what to search for. When you're first researching the vehicle the reality is you have to wade through 10's-100's of pages of thread titles and try to parse out which ones are applicable to you.

Honestly Google is your friend, as it'll search not only this forum but Youtube videos, etc. It seems you really want to look for coolant pipes and the drive shaft, and in my case the rack and pinion seals (though you can't see or test those)

I'd avoid the first two years of production on any car if I were you, and in this case I'd recommend only looking for 2005 or newer.

Sid86

OP, where are you located?

Sid86

Do you plan on doing you own maintenance, or will you be taking it somewhere to have work done? The reason I ask, is if you don't do your own work, ownership can get a little expensive having someone else do the work. Not that they need a ton of work, but you do have to keep up with the normal maint.

skylinrcr01

Is there a huge difference in MPG in the V8 vs the V6? I'd prefer the power of the V8 but EPA estimates don't really line up with real world economy.

Sid86

True, My '04 CTT gets about 13-14 mpg in the city and 18ish on the highway.

skylinrcr01

Ok cool, that's not too bad for how much car there is to move around. I'm looking for one for commuting/off road shenanigans.

In fact, it's about as efficient as my current car.

Sid86

As long as you remember that your right foot is directly connected to your gas gauge.....

Shawn Stanford

I get about the same in my V6 with Tiptronic. There's no MPG advantage to the V6.

Wisconsin Joe

Not really. As Shawn noted, the V-6 doesn't do all that much better. No matter what's under the hood, you are still having to drag around 2 1/2-3 tons of car.

What to look for?

Standard stuff. On a 955, pipes (& T on turbo), cardan shaft, water pump, coolant tank, hatch struts, and on and on.

Don't 'search', just look back. Go back through the forum, page by page. There are a lot of threads just like yours. "Looking at a Cayenne, what to look for" is a typical title.

As you look, you will see a lot of "problem" questions posted too.

Pay attention to what those are as well as what they aren't. Common problems show up a lot, stuff that doesn't show up isn't a common problem.

As always, remember that this is a high-end, high-priced (originally) luxury SUV. The fact that you can get one for pennies on the dollar doesn't change that fact. Parts prices aren't cheap. Qualified labor isn't either.
If you don't turn your own wrenches it won't be a cheap car to own.

If you do turn your own wrenches, it still won't be a cheap car to own, just not as bad.

morrisdl

depreciation! If you take out a loan, you will be upside down quickly.