Right now I have a BMW 330i sedan and a fairly well modified Jeep Wrangler as my daily drivers. I've been thinking about getting ride of both of those and getting a Cayenne because it seems to do the best job of splitting the difference between those two vehicles.

I like driving my 330i but it hasn't left the garage much because my P Zero Nero's + RWD don't seem to work very well in snow. It also sets to low to get out when theres more than 4" or 5" of snow. It is an 02 but only has about 40k miles on it.

My Jeep has front and rear lockers, 4.88 gears and all kinds of other things so it will get out no matter what. The problem is that its hard to get the kids in and out of the back and there's really no room for anything once they are in there. The Jeep is an 01 and has about 80k miles on it.

If we get a Cayenne It would have to be a manual and the GTS is probably going to be more than we want to spend so that would leave the base 6-speed. From what I have read here it would be best to go with an 08 or newer. Any other advice on Cayennes?

Any known problem areas? most of the ones in my price range have around 40k miles on them. What does the 40k service include?

 

You can find some excellent pre-2008 Cayennes. You can also find some nightmares. Be selective and you'll find a good one. Unfortunately, your choices will be extremely limited for a 6MT Cayenne. They are out there, but they are few and far between.

 

From what I've read I should be looking for an 08 or up shouldn't I? Isn't 08 when the engine got overhauled and they added more power?

Is there anything in particular to look for?

 

I looked long and hard for a 6mt Cayenne v6. I ended up finding a low-mile 06 in impeccable condition for an incredible price. I loved everything about SUV. I had a change is circumstance and had to sell it a year and a half later and almost broke even.

Drive a few. If the 6mt v6 is what you're looking for, it won't disappoint.

 

Honestly, an automatic V8 Cayenne is MUCH sportier and fun to drive than the V6 Manual will ever be. You may want to drive a few and be willing to put aside any old school "must be a manual" thoughts. Also consider that the manual box itself is RARE, so if anything goes wrong with it it may be hard to fix. There is a reason Porsche put a big HD auto in the V8and turbo modles.

Then consider that the V8s get a host of upgrades over the V6 just by their very nature. Bigger brakes, etc etc etc.

For the difference in prices on used Cayennes I'd shop for an older turbo or S before getting a V6 just because of the gear box.

One last thought. I have a VR6 (which is what the Cayenne V6 is) in a 5k lb Eurovan and it is a MAJOR PIG and much more maintenance intensive than the V8 of the Cayenne.

I can't imagine enjoying a Cayenne with the V6, it would seem like "Just an SUV" instead of the marvel the V8 and turbo Cayennes are.


V6 21 lbs per 1 HP.
S 14 lbs per 1 HP
CTT Is a minimum of 11 lbs per HP and insanely easy to get it down to 8-9 lbs per 1 HP !!

 

I will have to drive them both before deciding. If I would decide to keep my car the V8 would be an easier decision but i do love driving a standard. I guess it goes back to the is it better to drive a slow car fast or a fast car slow debate

 

It's not so much about "driving fast" as it is about the whole feeling of it being a luxury sports SUV vs "just being an SUV"

Real features, real brakes, real towing capacity, real power, real handling all stuff that is MUCH better on an S or Turbo.

 

+++1. I bought my cayenne V8 new from Dubai and had it shipped over, and I was one of the first people to own a cayenne. The V6 was pretty much unseen, jut S' and Turbos. When one of the first V6s Arrived at the dealership in Belgrade, and I was in for the first service on my V8, so Whilst waiting I "test drove" the V6, and I hated it! you cannot compare it to the V8 models! I also test drove the Turbo, and there is not a noticible difference between the Turbo and my lightly modified S, and if I was to buy a 955 again, I honestly would not mind which one I find, as long as it has the V8. And as you can see, I have had mine for 10 years now . And don't get the manual transmission, as Cole said, there is a reason why the more powerful models didn't get one.

 

We bought our 08 Cayenne V6 manual about two years ago, and love it. I looked long and hard for the stick shift, and am very happy I bought it. What can I say, I'm a stick shift guy, and I'm glad that Porsche offers that as an option. Ours has heated seats, automatic climate control, nav, and xenon lights, and it's a great winter vehicle. I drive it to work every day in the winter and we drive it to our place in the North Dakota badlands regularly. I also tow a utility trailer from time to time. It rides and drives great on everything from two track roads to 75 mph Interstate. It has about 67,000 miles on it, about 20,000 from us, and we haven't had any problems. Good luck with your search.

 

I looked for a while and got a killer deal on an 08' turbo for 34.5K. It off roads on jeep trails like you can't believe and it puts serious power down on asphalt...the upkeep isn't a big deal especially after turning wrenches on your jeep. Just put the time into preparations/research before you buy. And be prepared for the cost of parts! I've done a lot of upgrades and maintenance that you see...what you don't see is the tires, oil, brakes and gas that these beasts eat up. Pluses for the TT are too numerous to count, but the air suspension is a must for you. My next major buy will be smaller rims with larger profile tires as my 30 series tires take a beating on the rocky jeep trails here in Nevada.

996 turbo ownership is way cheaper IMHO so be prepared to put down the "man purse" before you buy a Cayenne!

 

Thanks guys, I'm pretty much sold on the Cayenne now. I still think I would rather have a 6-speed but I need to go out and find a few to drive

 

I have a 08 Cayenne 6spd and my friend has a 08 v8 auto. Off the line, definitely the v8 pulls stronger with more torque. The gear ratio of the 6spd doesn't help either as 1st and 2nd gear is very short. However, once you get going, the difference becomes smaller. When you corner, the advantage comes to my manual Cayenne as I can control the car better with the 6spd and less push as my car is better balance than the v8 and lighter in the front. So there are trade offs. Depends if you are a stop light drag person or canyon runner.

 

No offense but I have a very hard time believing any of this. Sounds like you just might be more aggressive or a better driver than your buddy.

The auto-manual is also a 6 speed transmission. Which can be manually shifted and holds the gear as long as you want(in a corner). So its not like the manual has more gears or a control advantage. So user error might be more the issue here.

As for the acceleration? There is still a minimim of 90HP difference between the two and just as much torque. That is a HUGE amount over the 6 cyl. (nearly 50% more ballpark?)

As for the balance. I would say that is in favor of the V8 since the chassis was designed primarily around a V8 platform and not the V6. So if anything the V6 is out of balance compared to a V8.

The V8s (all of them) get MUCH larger brakes front and rear than the V6. Plus the V8s and Turbo have much larger sway bars. (at least the Turbo does)

Then of course there are other variables like PASM, etc etc that are not usually found on the V6.

Not saying the V6 is not a decent SUV but somehow thinking it can out perform a vehicle specifically designed to out perform it is just not right

 

Most of what Cole said is very logical especially if you drive the v8 auto and the v6 auto, the power difference is very significant. With the 6spd manual, the differnce is less but still there. However, I myself was very surprised at the handling of the v6 manual after driving my friends v8 auto. Could be that I am a very bad auto driver. I usually do 90 degree corners going from 4th to 2nd with braking and throttle blip and the car responsed very impressively as a 5000lb suv out of the corner. Just can't seem to do the same thing with the car balanced and in control with my friend's v8 auto(probably driver problem as it takes some practice to get the timing right with auto). I like corners and wanted a suv that handles remotely close to my 996 and rs4 and I think the Cayenne(all variants) is quite close. With that, the v8 does have better components all around. I was originally looking at the v8 gts 6spd but happened to come across my v6 6spd at a good price and I jumped on it with no regrets. I think they all handle much better than the competition including my wife's x5 35d.

 

The current issue of Panorama has a great article on the current model V6 manual Cayenne. They like it a lot. I'm glad that Porsche continues to offer a stick shift premium SUV for those of us who choose to drive one.