[Swoboda]

Is a used Cayenne a good or bad idea?

I have seen comments about coolant leaks and other issues that make it clear that a) a warranty is a very good thing or b) you really have to do a lot of homework/research to find a good one.

Are they that bad? Is there really that much concern about them? Are they that different from other late model used cars (cars with lots of electronics, etc.)?

What's the general Dorki opinion?

Thanks.

LS

[good hands]

We've owned a 6 cylinder model for 7 years and 130k miles with nearly no problems. Drive shaft went last year and heater/AC blower 3 years ago. That's it for 7 years besides maintainence. Wife loved it so much we just bought a new one. The old one will probably be for sale soon. The S models seemed to have had their issues in the earlier years.
That being said it's always nice to have a warranty on a Porsche

[JayJ]

I had a Cayenne Turbo previously and liked it a lot. From my research I found it best to stay away from the early ones, 03's and 04's; they got much better after that.

[CanAm]

Edmunds has reliability ratings for various years, eg: http://www.edmunds.com/porsche/cayen...497978&sub=suv

[87turbolook911]

'06 Cayenne S owner here...love ours.

Get '05 or newer...

Typical things to watch out for:
-coolant tube upgrade
-coil packs
-rear hatch shocks
-driveshaft bearing

Other than that, change oil and put gas in it

[joep]

I used cayenne can be a good buy, but you must do your homework and check out each one before you buy. There are a number of things known to potentially go wrong sure, but its the best SUV I've ever owned too. I'd suggest reading all the sticky's here on the Rennlist forums for good tips. No matter which you buy, make sure you get the PPI and as much of the complete maintenance/repair history you can. In my mind that info is worth $$ when considered a well documented truck vs. the cheaper unknown.

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...enne-forum-77/

[87turbolook911]

Also would stay away from the Panoramic roofs...have heard they can be crazy expensive to repair.

[super90]

I'm on my 3rd, two "S's" and now a GTS. I have put about 300K on them. A fantastic car and am sure to buy a fourth. Very few problems, and those were reasonable to fix. The used ones are such a discount I would not hesitate to recommend one.

[Baywatch]

We have an 06 in the family with 85,000 miles. Only issue ever has been the headlight dip beam. Awesome vehicle on the highway. Best SUV I have ever driven on US 12 in Corolla NC. (4X4 highway only) Picture taken at the VA/NC border.

[Jim Coffman]

Cayenne S is as much fun as you can have in an SUV unless you are totally nuts, in which case buy a Turbo. Yea, the early ones ('03-'04) can have issues, but I have had them all repaired over the years without feeling any regret. Drove ours from DC to Santa Fe, NM and back last year and its the best road vehicle I've ever owned. Later models are less problem-prone, but I know lots of folks with '04s that have been pretty trouble-free.