My sister bought a high-mileage Cayenne for not too much money and has had no issues with it to date. YMMV
that strikes zero fear in my heart. if there are any maintenance records at all, or if the seller doesn't seem completely clueless, i think i'd roll the dice on it. worst case, you part it out and get a good chunk, if not all, of your money back.
Oh my. If this turns your head, please don't click on the C7 corvette re-body build.
FWIW, that's rated to tow 3,500 kg / 7,700 Lbs. For $3,500 that's a pretty comfy, capable, sporting tow pig.
I'd roll the dice for $3500. Too bad it's not a bit closer.
Buy it just to show up at PCA meets towing your Lemons Mustang. 
I just picked up a 05 turbo last month for double that. So far loving it! Milage sucks, 17mpg on premium. Still waiting to see if maintence cost beat me up though. I'm planning to tow with mine as well. We'll see how it goes!
Last year I was selling an '05 like that with a rebuilt title and 110k miles. I kept dropping the price because everyone was scared to buy it. Finally got to $3,500 and when a buyer started 'tire kicking' over minor cosmetics, I realized I was crazy selling it that cheap. I told the buyer to walk and kept it as my 'dog car'/work truck with no regrets.
Just an observation, not sure it really has anything to do with build quality, but the interiors on these always seem to hold up well.
This thing is a siren song to me. I’ll try to resist as hard as I can, but Porsche v8 suv cheap. Ugh
Isn't there a saying about cheap a Porsche?
Toyman01 said:Isn't there a saying about cheap a Porsche?
Chlamydia can be solved with antibiotics?
In reply to The0retical :
This didn't go the way I hoped. What problem areas to they have, what to look listed and feel for on a test drive? Is there any expensive preventative maintenance that I want a record of?
Used X5's scare me, this does not so far.
akylekoz said:This didn't go the way I hoped. What problem areas to they have, what to look listed and feel for on a test drive? Is there any expensive preventative maintenance that I want a record of?
I can't answer your question...but I will bump the thread because my neighbor has one that's been sitting in his driveway for two years, so I am curious also
Drivetrain donor for something else? V8 Seven-esque build?
So, did you buy it yet?
In reply to BlueInGreen - Jon :
I read too many scary and expensive stories about these and chickened out.
I don't blame you here. I see the attraction, but take everything you know about complicated German cars, multiply by 2 or 3 and figure that there is almost no chance of doing any repairs in your driveway if something complex fails that requires the dealer's computer to talk to the multiple car computers...... There is a reason these depreciate down to $3,500, just like $80,000 Audis
In reply to dherr :
Have you worked on a newer U.S built truck? I'd rather have a problem with one of my 1st gen Cayennes. For diagnostics I have an Autel unit that cost under $200. You can also buy a Durametric unit that will handle higher functions on most Porsches. There is no black magic involved which makes these impossible to work on in a driveway, just procedures to follow which are pretty well documented if you know where to look. I think they go to $3,500 because of fear of the unknown, not because of any actual problems. Most US buyers would rather buy a ratty old 'burban.
Yeah, I have that ratty old 'Burban" in the driveway, get to replace the knock sensors this weekend as it threw an emissions code and won't pass inspection. I do not have experience on the Cayennes, but have plenty on Audi, VW. BMW and similar. I do know that a $3,500 Porsche has depreciated down to the point of it being one service from exceeding the cost of the purchase price. I have followed your Boxster builds and know you know much more than I do in regards to these vehicles, so I'll defer to your expertise here.
In reply to dherr :
Just to clarify, I didn't mean to imply any disrespect for a ratty old 'Burban and I'll concede that what I've done in the driveway is more than most owners will do to any car. What I meant was that they are different to work on, but not any harder than more common American cars. You just have to use some different sized wrenches and cuss with a German accent. About a month into ownership of my first Cayenne, the crank position sensor died. Until then I was intimidated, by what I perceived as complexity and expensive hard to get parts. It turned out to be an easy fix and cost about $75 at RA. That 'broke the ice' and I realized it's just another car.
Funny. I just realized on the drive home today that I’d like a truck-ish vehicle as my other DD. I checked clist and it isn’t back up. Oh well, once I sell the ‘04 Accord I’ll have about twice as much to spend as I do on a lawnmower anyway!
AAZCD said:In reply to dherr :
Have you worked on a newer U.S built truck? I'd rather have a problem with one of my 1st gen Cayennes. For diagnostics I have an Autel unit that cost under $200. You can also buy a Durametric unit that will handle higher functions on most Porsches. There is no black magic involved which makes these impossible to work on in a driveway, just procedures to follow which are pretty well documented if you know where to look. I think they go to $3,500 because of fear of the unknown, not because of any actual problems. Most US buyers would rather buy a ratty old 'burban.
WIll the Autels reset the maintenance reminder in the same way that AutoEnginuity and OTC don't?
I'm asking for a friend who wants to buy his own scan tool soonish.
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