Hello Porschephiles,

newbie here. I am not a car enthusiast (driving a 96 Windstar) but me and my wife have agreed that for once (and only once), we will buy a nice toy vehicle. We both liked the Cayenne, and this is where we are focusing our search. I currently have a certified pre-owned 2006 Cayenne Turbo S with 29,900 kms on hold in one of the dealerships here in Canada. The vehicle was traded in by an executive of a big company for a Panamera Turbo, this and the low kms. tells me that the previous owner took good care of it and had a good ownership experience.

Now here's the kicker. I also previously looked at a privately advertised 04 Turbo. I mentioned to the guy that I intend to keep the Cayenne for a long time... He responded "while I have a good experience with this Cayenne Turbo, I would recommend to you to seriously look at non-turbo model and has no adjustable air suspension as I am not very sure that they will be trouble free for a long time". I think it was an honest opinion by a guy who seems to know stuff about high performance vehicles. I really like the Turbo S that was on hold for me, it will come with Porsche warranty until May 2012 or 160,000 kms.

Me and wifey both like the more mascular look of the turbo models over the S models. And of course, everybody here knows how much more fun it is to drive. But his comment made me think, that's why here I am - asking for suggestion.

Since the GTS does not fit within what I budgeted, I was seriously considering to chase similarly priced (mid Cdn $50's) pre-owned 2008-2010 Cayenne S.. I've read that the 08's and newer are much better than the 03-06. I have no objection to theappearance/styling of both.

I guess my questions are

1. should I be concerned about longevity of Turbo S with adjustable air suspension

2. will I be missing much in terms of performance if I settle down with newer model Cayenne S?

3. are there other worthy choices, X5 35D?

I hope to hear lot's of opinions (to confuse myself further )

I have to make final decision by Monday morning.

cheers..

 

I have 93k miles on my 04 Turbo and the suspension has held up fine. Sure, if you pound on it (offroad as an example) you might run into an issue with the air system wearing out but if it is just street driving I see no real issues. The ride quality is much better with the air suspension by the way!

 

Modern air suspensions are pretty durable. Sure something could go wrong. Then you simply fix it and have nice new parts to last you a long time. The adjustablilty of the air ride would be worth any extra effort over time.


Have you driven both? The turbo is an entirely different animal. Both in standard options and power. Don't settle.

Of course there are other nice cars out there. Just depends on what you want. Personally I prefer the Porsche.

 

06' turbo S definitely, mine is running better with 85k than when I bought it.

 

thanks for the replies.

I've driven an 04 Turbo and liked it very much.

 

I meant a Turbo and an "S" (non-turbo). TOTALLY different feel to the cars interior and drive.

 

I got an 05 Cayenne Turbo, and I'm really enjoying it . The air suspension is definately worth it imo (the comfort option comes in very handy with a pregnant wife ). If I could've chosen between a Turbo and a Turbo S, I would have probably went with the Turbo S. I've also heard you should avoid 03 and 04 models.

 

Cole is right. WAY better feel overall with Turbo instead of S plus all the extras are worth it. (full leather, alcantara, suspension, brakes) 100k on 04 turbo with no issues. I personally like the exterior styling of the 04-06 more than newer design. Go for it.

 

Go for the turbo s. it's not even a discussion assuming the funds are there. I bought pretty much the same vehicle you have on hold 06 ts cpo through 2012. My buddy took one drive and went out an bought an S. They are very very different vehicles. Get the TS, use the heck out of the warranty and go from there. I can be having a bad day and will jump in the TS, turn PSM off and in 15 minutes i'm feeling good (silly but true). Don't give it another thought, go for it and enjoy the ride!

 

The worst thing is how fast the value is drained out of this vehicle thru depreciation. They just don't hold their value at all. Otherwise, I love mine.

 

Only a bad thing for those that were impatient and bought them new

I have patiently waited for the price to fall to where I think the real value is. (Finacial guy).

I will enjoy a CTT just long enough for the price to value of the Panamera to fall to within my specs.

 

Only a bad thing for those that were impatient and bought them new


Yeah, Yeah..........guilty

 

I have patiently waited for the price to fall to where I think the real value is. (Finacial guy).

I will enjoy a CTT just long enough for the price to value of the Panamera to fall to within my specs. [/quote]

Same, could but NEVER would, let somebody else take the hit. The big saving helps when adding Mods and i'm not even a financial guy...

 

[QUOTE=Cole;2812825]Only a bad thing for those that were impatient and bought them new

Never the less, the hit is eyewatering

 

Agreed on the depreciation but after a few years they really seem to stabilize. I'm thinking in 3yrs or so when the cpo runs out on my TTS I'll be ready for a panamera or an ''11 cayenne (assuming the new look grows on me over time). On the other hand, I could easily hang on to this one for a bunch of years and be very content.