Potential buyer advicde please

[4wheeldriver]

HI all

just joined up as Im thinking about a Cayenne and wondered if there were any problems or things to look out for when looking at them. What would be the best model to go for as its going to be used for towing as well as day to say normal use. Should have about 30k to spend so want something reasonably well specced. Any advice that you can give me would be gratefully received.

Cheers

4WD

 

[Mr.P]

hiya 4WD ..

oh dear, oh dear ..

dont buy one, the cayenne is so unreliable and has the ability to 'gain' peculiar faults that cost a fortune to repair ..
ive got a late 2005 plate cayenne s from new .. its the worst car i have ever owed, wished i never bought it [see previous 'cayenne problem' threads, theres lots of them] ..
i got so fed up with mine that i put it in my garage for 6 months and used my mercedes instead ..
took it out today for an mot and it passed, but its developed several faults [boot opening & locking + computer faults] sat doing nothing ! ..

seriously, it aint all that .. first porsche i have owned and the last for sure ..

 

[Delbox]

Just to balance the comments of the previous poster, I've just bought a new Cayenne and it is both trouble free and one of the finest cars I've owned! Amongst other cars, I've owned a 5 Porsches previously: Boxster 986S, Boxster 987S, 997 Carrera 4S, Boxster 3.4S and a 996 Turbo. Noting that Porsche sold more Cayenne's last year than 911 models should tell you something:

"The iconic 911 sports car was the group's second best-selling model, at 13,543 units, down from 16,261 a year earlier, while customers bought 16,773 Cayenne sports utility vehicles, compared with 20,638 in the previous year."

and

http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/03/04/porsche-profit-jumps-44-on-strong-cayenne-sales/

So whilst I'm sure Mr P has suffered problems with his car, you have to ask whether his experience is representative of the model? Bear in mind that forums tend to focus on the downside of car ownership - and, sadly, not record the views of satisfied owners!

Del

 

[gdavison]

Rear Washer jet design .. the jet gets clogged, the hose pops off and can be either (a) at best a pain filling th erear brake light or (b) at worst a cause of a lot of damage see this thread
http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=432281

Others have reported the "handbrake" return gets sticky/weak leading to the handbrake not fully releasing .. at my 3year service OPC mentioned it was starting to "get weak" .... I never ever use the handbrake so didn't replace - so cant really comment
http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=438900

Folks report tyre wear on 20 inch Rims is a bitch .. the shoulders wear during spirited cornering .. the smaller Rims dont suffer as much .. My 19inch rims with Piralli Rosso's seem to always do 20K miles on my V6.. All 4 wearing evenly and together

As to Model ... IMHO depends upon how much you want to spend on Fuel [] ..

Spec .. I'd say I'd always look for Air Supsension, BOSE, Park Assist, Heated Front Seats, Litronics (no one ever gets bored watching the lights "go around corners"), Comfort pack (lights on/off when opening close, interior illumination and Heated Steering Wheel [])

 

[NIL98]

Buy one with towbar already fitted - its damned expensive having one fitted afterwards!

Tyre wear - I only get 8K on all 4 corners. Even wear.

Rear wash wipe - rediculous fault.

Then you have the dilemma around warranty. It is an expensive car to maintain.

But a lovely car to drive.

Regards
Neil

 

[Delbox]

Tyre wear is similar to other heavy 4x4 vehicles with large wheels - and accelerated by spirited driving! Look on RR etc forums.

Rear washer leaks do not affect every vehicle; I agree that there is a design fault but it didn't stop me buying one. Other cars have design faults too!

Warranty and servicing costs are similar to other Porsche vehicles; Cayenne is a Porsche!

Buy one with a tow bar - as you have use for one; I don't!

The pre-2007 facelift cars have many more problems recorded - because they're older, there are more of them around, they haven't benefitted from a further 4 years of product development etc.

£30k will get you into a Porsche Approved Used 2007 Cayenne - and possibly a few 2007 Cayenne S models; have a look at the website:

http://www.porsche.com/uk/approvedused/pre-ownedsearch/

By the way, and to the other contributors, I don't want to become embroiled in an argument over the reliability, design, running costs etc of the Cayenne; all I seek to do is record my opinion and experiences and offer a balanced view. Clearly, other views are equally valid and welcome.

Del

 

[4wheeldriver]

Hi

Thanks for all the views expressed. I bought a new Volvo xc90 D5 last October and its been SOOOO bad Im presently without it as it was taken to the local dealer over a week ago and heard nothing from them since so I know there can be bad ones in every batch. Hence my asking if there were any things I should be looking at. Regarding the fuel economy most of the diesel 4x4s that Ive looked at for replacing the XC with are in the low 20s for economy (XC does 21 with the caravan on the back and combined for a 3.0tdi Touareg is 25) so I reckon that any increase in the fuel consumption would more than likely be ofset by the cheaper fuel by changing to petrol. What do most of you find to be a "normal" consumption for day to day running? Tyre wear on the XC running the standard Continentals seem to be anything from 9k to 19k BUT they seem to need 4 wheel lazer alignment about every 5000 miles to keep wear even.

Cheers

4WD

 

[Delbox]

The Diesel Cayenne has only just been released - and is out of your budget; therefore, your choice is limited to the petrol models. With the 2007 facelift came Direct Fuel Injection (DFI) engines which not only increased the power and torque of each engine but also improved fuel economy. My Model Year 2008 Cayenne, with the 3.6 V6 DFI engine has provided just over 23 mpg in the 1000 miles that I've driven it from new over the past 3 weeks.

Del

 

[4wheeldriver]

Del

From what Ive read the diesel in the Cayenne is the same as in the Touareg apart from some Porsche modifications which, by reading up a bit sems to give them a few more horses and a LOAD more torque but as you say they are just out so they will be a bit expensive yet.

What sort of runing are you doing for that mpg??

Cheers

4WD

 

[gdavison]

Dellbox is right the new V6 is around 10 -15% more efficient (fuelwise) than the old V6 .. Mine gives 20 mpg on 50 /50 Motorway Weekend hacking around

 

[Delbox]

40 miles round trip to and from work primarily on rural B-roads; I'm not using the car's full performance because, to be honest, there's no need as it's sprightly enough without foot to the floor acceleration or use of the 'Sport' button - which remaps the throttle potentiomenter and gear change up/down points. I'm sure that it would do less than 20 mpg if I exploited its full capabilities; however, it's a 2.2 metric tonne 4x4 and I did my spirited driving in my previous Porsches!!

I don't know if you can stretch your budget - but there are deals to be had; my car was listed at £49k but I didn't pay anything like that sum. The reason is that the Model Year 2009 cars are on sale and the one I bought last month was a Model Year 2008 car (albeit new and unregistered). The only real difference between the 2 Model Years is that the 2009 PCM (Porsche Communication Management) - satnav to you and me - is now operated by touch screen and offers Bluetooth telephone connectivity;the 2008 unit doesn't. So, there might still be new Model Year 2008 Cayennes out there still to be purchased.

Del

 

[4wheeldriver]

Well thanks for all your replies. Its given me some genuine ideas what Im looking for. Have to admit im between the v6 and the v8 but I suppose I'll need to wait till I get back for the obligatory easter hols before lookin at any test drives. The diesel xc only does about 25 average for mixed driving so I reckon the price difference between petrol and diesel is going to offset the 20+mpg of the Cayenne.

1 last question. What is the average cost for a service. Volvo xc seems to be about 400 quid plus any other bits.

Cheers

4WD

 

[Delbox]

Hi!

For servicing costs, see the PDF download in this link (and note the differences depending upon Model Year):

http://www.porsche.com/uk/accessoriesandservice/porscheservice/servicepricing/

Del

 

[m4ttc]

Ive had 2 Cayennes, both were brand new

The first had electrical gremlins that the dealer just couldn't sort so I rejected the car.

The replacement was fine and I really enjoyed driving it except for the frequent visits to the petrol pump.

I think the original V6 is a little gutless even though visually, there isnt a massive differnce compared to the V8...

Dont buy a Cayenne is you want economical motoring. Running cost are very high. Buy one if you want presence on the road and prestige amongst the 4x4 brigade[]

Must haves? Black or Titanium. Dealers even have problems shifting Silver, PCM Sat Nav is a must as values between cars with and without is more than what the unit was to buy. 19 inch wheels as minimum as 18 look dumpy even if it does improve ride

Highly desirable is PASM and less so Bose depending if you are an audiophile.

Have you considered a Touareg [8D][8D][8D]

 

[tiskev]

I have a V8 and get 20 MPG.
At the risk of being thrown off the forum I would suggest you go for a Diesel Toureg especially with the discounts being offered at present [&o]

 

[m4ttc]

ORIGINAL: tiskev

At the risk of being thrown off the forum I would suggest you go for a Diesel Toureg especially with the discounts being offered at present [&o]

Its a fair point. Basically the same car, with a diesel engine and a whole lot cheaper. Badge aint Porsche Though [X(]

 

[tiskev]

Can't argue with that but last time I saw the Touregs being knocked out i think there was about 15K off on the pre registered models.In these times even the most ardent enthusiast would ,i think, prefer 15K in the Bank plus whatever porsche premium one would have to pay ,rather than the badge on the Boot[8|][8|]

 

[pwebb]

Back to a couple of the original questions, we've had two new KNV8's and had 19mpg from the first and a massive 20mpg from the second over a total of 100k between them. Tyre wear is an issue but found a neat interim solution, bought a set of genuine Porsche 18" rims with winter tyres off ebay for £600 and tha has got us through the last six months and will probably last next winter too. Will fit the (refurbed) 20" jobbies with new tyres in a couple of weeks time.

As you're towing definitely go for the V8 and air suspension. £30k should get you a v. nice motor.

Good luck with the search.

 

[4wheeldriver]

ORIGINAL: tiskev

I have a V8 and get 20 MPG.
At the risk of being thrown off the forum I would suggest you go for a Diesel Toureg especially with the discounts being offered at present [&o]

Hi

im on hols just now so no replies till found net access. The Touareg I looked at before but with the diesel it only does about 25mpg so by the time you allow for the difference in fuel price between petrol and diesel I reckon theyd be about the same overall. Up here theres nearly 10p a litre between the 2 fuels and I barely get much over 30 on a long motorway run solo with the Volvo xc diesel.

Del

Thanks for the service prices. Works out to be LESS than the Volvo. Have seen 500 quid for a YEARLY service for a Volvo!!!!

Cheers all

4WD

 

[Alscoob]

Hi there, having run the 3.2V6 for a while, I would suggest that the V8 would be a far better option for your use. The V6 can struggle with torque and the persistant changing down of gear, especially when towing, and the revving of the engine will become annoying. Plus with the lack of power in comparason to the V8 consumption will be greater with the smaller loaded up engine.