I'm looking into a couple of 2005 Cayennes.......an S @ 52k miles and a Turbo @ 71k miles. Which one is more reliable? Electronic issues? Any issues or special procedures with the Turbo engine? Issues with the air suspension? Yes, I've already read about the plastic coolant hoses. Thanks for any help.

 

Tough question,,, can't really tell to tell you the truth, I'm personally NA guy, but Porsche turbo engines have been very reliable.

I've heard the "ghost in the machine" on both turbo or n/a engine cayennes.

I guess if you opt out to go with air suspension, the chance of suspension faulty could be eliminated. (not sure how long the spring suspension is expected to last)

 

Appreciate your response. From what I've read, 2004s seem to be the most problematic year. Haven't heard much problems with 2005s, NA or turbo. There is usually the old school thinking that the less features (turbo & air suspension), the less potential problems. Then there is the newer school of thought that turbos and air suspensions had been improved, developed, and refined to a point that they are very reliable. I am kinda in-between those school of thoughts that makes decision-making more difficult. Heart says go for the turbo, mind says go for the NA. That is why I need the opinions of the Cayenne experts on this board. Thanks again for your response and look forward to others.

 

We have a 2004 Cayenne S. It has been reliable and fun to drive. The only issue we have is a rear main seal leak. Apparently it is a common issue with some of the early generation cayenne's. Other than that it has not let us down. Good luck with the search

 

i have the turbo, could never consider lower mile and/or price CS, friend has an 05 S, drove it, fast and fun. then I let him drive my urbo with the works on it and he was blown away, I have 87K and it runs better every mile

 

To Turbo or not is an often asked question. I also drove an S and was totally impressed - ready to order. But a friend said to test drive the CTT so I did. I picked up my '06 CTT 4 years and 2 months (65,568 miles) ago in Leipzig and never looked back. ZERO problems. Every time I go to the garage I get a good feeling and smile. There is NO SUBSTITUTE !

 

I think it depends on how many miles you want to get out of your Cayenne. Both should be good for 150K miles, but above that, I'm of the camp that believe less complexity leads to better longevity.

I have a Cayenne S without air suspension, without PCM, and without panoramic roof. The latter two options are more likely to give trouble than air suspension, and I wanted to eliminate these points of failure.