2004 S w/58,000miles. (2004 S has the engine you cite in your post: 4.5.) Recent purchase (CPO from dealer) in March 2009. MPG overall city/hwy is 15 to 16 but that's mostly city, suburbs. If taken easy and driven within limits then 19 and possibly 20MPG may be attainable on hwy. So far all premium gasoline (Shell).
Love the vehicle. We have a new baby girl and seeing her in the middle of the rear seat in her car seat is a significant comfort. Cayennes are well built, handle well and are solid/safe. Yes they are heavy but you know this already. Google "Cayenne crash" and you can see how well these vehicles do in major collisions.
You may find this amusing, we came close to purchasing a Honda Fit. We also looked at the Subaru Forrester XT and the VW Jetta TDI wagon -- all new. All decent vehicles but none as safe as a used Cayenne. They seemed like tin cans compared to the Cayenne. The CPO is a comfort as it's under warranty for 2 more years or 100,000 miles plus roadside assistance. The vehicle has been well cared for -- it's all stock, was a lease return -- in stunning condition -- and all the service and TSBs have been completed by dealers.
Cayenne handles well -- more high-end sedan than SUV. My S does not have the air suspension -- the spring suspension provides a somewhat harsh ride but we test drove it (it's mainly my wife's vehicle ) and knew what we were getting into. We opted for less complexity and the tighter ride is fine with us. Plus that's what the dealer had in the CPO price range we were looking at. But, it does have PCM, HID lights, amazing interior, tire pressure monitoring, etc, etc.
We are somewhat mellow drivers but we can tell this vehicle, when pushed, totally delivers. You name it, merging, cornering, braking, wet weather, high speeds. And a low speed note -- the turning radius is excellent. Better than my Subaru Outback I sold after we purchased the Cayenne.
Dealer has been amazing. I am stunned with their overall service (Sonnen Marin) and attention to detail. As a CPO it's still under warranty and we've had a few minor issues dealt with quickly and professionally (and more importantly, preemptively. It was at the dealer, when we were driving away, that they noticed the starter sounded odd -- we did not notice -- so they replaced the starter under warranty).
We are treated as if it's a new car. And we are not the typical Porsche demographic. We first drove up in a VW Golf dressed in hiking clothes and dusty (we stopped by the dealer after a hike). We were treated as if we were anyone else in business clothes. The Porsche vibe is more down-to-earth/techno hip than BWM or Merc snooty vibe from what I can tell.
So yes, service costs more than other vehicles, the weight makes tires wear quickly (I have 19" wheels) and MPG is an issue but you know it going into the deal. And you can purchase Cayenne/Porsche approved tires at Costco although the dealer has almost as good deals.
Know that the Cayenne will take some time to "learn" -- so read the manuals, spend time on this site and you are set. I purchased a battery conditioner which I plug in and then can sit for hours in the Cayenne in the garage with the engine off, but electrics on, which allowed me to learn every switch and setting overall, PCM, etc. -- with no battery drain. By learn it I mean know where you battery is, how to jack up the vehicle the event of a flat, how the keys work (and the key is a mini version of the Cayenne -- so very cool, I love the detail), how to set-up Homelink, etc. You'll be surprised how much detail the manuals cover. How to access your battery, pull the headlight/tailight housings and a lot more is covered.
It's a very safe vehicle and I actually look forward to driving it. PCM is straightforward and the sound excellent. I have not taken it off road or in the snow. I'm not an off roader but it will handle fire roads and similar terrain with no problem. I may get all weather tires this fall and trips to Tahoe will be fine.
Upgrades I've made: I purchased the 18" collapsible spare (found one on Craigslist ), front and rear carpets (from an online store) and a Weatherguard cargo liner (from another online store). Also roof rails from Sunset Porsche -- with the Renntech.org discount. And it's this site that has the roof rail installation instructions. I love the rails. They look great (silver) and you can then use Yakima or other cross bars. The rails do not change anything as it reals to wind noise. Cross bars do but you can take them off and on easily from the rails.
I happen to like the older Cayenne front ends without the LED lights more than the new front ends so the '04 is fine with me.
So, would I repeat my purchase, buy this vehicle again? Yes. Without a doubt. We love it. I've never felt this way about a vehicle. I'm pushing for a long road trip this summer -- gas prices be damned.
And this site is absolutely, bar none, the best resource. In fact, knowing this site exists makes me consider someday purchasing another Porsche.
Anyway, I could go on and on. The S was fine for me but if you can swing it go for the Turbo.
This post has been edited by odix: July 09, 2009 - 05:07 PM
Help
)
View Registry
