I am looking to get an early model Cayenne S. I understand there may be a bit more electrical gremlins; but, I need a tow vehicle that can also be an SUV as well at times. I do not plan on driving it daily, so, it's harder for me to justify buying a brand new or late model one.

I was comparing a LX470 and the Cayenne S. The cayenne is rated to tow 7200 lbs and LX is rated at 6500 lbs. I plan on towing a BMW M3 race car that is about 3K lbs. I also plan on getting an aluminum trailer rather than steel to keep weight down. So, approximately, I think with tools and tires, I am looking at 4.5K-5K max of weight. So, tongue weight would be around 450 lbs.

Has anyone had experience towing with either vehicle? I know a truck would be better such as F350, Dodge Hemi, Nissan Titan, or Tundra; but, I also want the tow vehicle to be an SUV. If I get a truck, I'll still need to get an SUV to use. So, wanted the SUV to have double-duty when needed. I am trying to stay around the $35K price range since that appears realistic. I really do not want to spend more for a vehicle that will tow maybe 5 times during the year and do some SUV work in the interim.

Are the 04's that problematic that I should avoid them?

 

i have towed my jet ski with my cayenne no problem at all....i think there were many many issues with the MY04

 

I use mine almost exactly how you intend to use yours. I have an '05 Cayenne S towing an E30 M3 with an aluminum trailer. I absolutely love it. I towed the first few events without the electric brakes hooked up and while acceleration was no problem at all, I did have to give myself some added room for stopping. Last weekend we finally got the Prodigy electric controller hooked up and its much better.

I know that some of the issues we had with hooking up the controller had to do with the fact that I have a late model 05 and on those and 06 model cars, the brake switch is nowhere to be found. 04 should be no problem and you can read about the details on the connections here...

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...ferrerid=20609

Here's a few pictures of the Cayenne, trailer, and race car.





Good luck in your search...

 

nice e30 hyboost!

 

I pull my JD lawn tractor to my father-in-laws in the warm weather to do his yard (I'm a good son -in-law) and my tractor is faster than his.

 

nice wheels hyboost

are those OZ canyons?

 

Thanks...
Yeah, 22" OZ Canyons with H&R Springs

 

as long as the trailer doesn't have LEDs

 

Hehe, come on !

I tow a jetski with my Carrera !

http://www.findsimon.com/hitch/C2_with_hitch.jpg

Just raggin' on ya.

:-)

 

The OZ Canyons are really nice, especially on Prosecco. That ride must be really firm between the 22's and the H&R's-true?

 

Its honestly not too bad. I went with 285/35 tires hoping that a little more sidewall would help and it seems really comfortable. Car feels a little more balanced with the springs too. Plus I am used to the rough ride in my Supra with coilovers and a 30 series tire, so driving the Cayenne is a step up I guess.

The important thing was for the wife not to get annoyed with a harsh ride, since its technically her car. I was banned from doing anything to it , but even she recognized the need for a drop after we put the 22s on.

(Now if I could just find a way to keep them clean. The Cayenne brake pads are the dustiest I've ever seen. You wash the car, drive down the street, and the wheels are filthy 5 minutes later )

 

Thanks for the thorough response, I always appreciate learning from the experience of other members.
I Use Rejex on mywheels, and the brake dust comes off pretty darn easy.

 

Rejex? never heard of it where can i buy it YES BRAKES AREEE EXTREMLY DUST



thats what you get for having a high performance car

but who can complain

...

Simon

that really looks hooked up to the carrera

PS very hott looking carrera

 

Thanks guys. I am taking a look at a 2002 LX470 this weekend, fairly reasonable price and CPO'd for another 40K/3 years. It can tow 6500 lbs. However, I would prefer the Cayenne S -- and, from my research on '04's -- they appear to have the most problematic issues.

The 05's around me are selling for $48-52K still. A brand new titanium S, from what I saw this past december, should be around $58K-59K, almost a 10-12K discount over MSRP because of the new ones coming.

I have an M3 that I run in IP; but, is really IP-lite, and falls under ITE for SCCA and GTS3 with Nasa. With the proliferation of Spec E36, I actually have been considering selling the M3 and going down that route. My M3 can run mid-pack with a GREAT driver (e.g., Seth Thomas from bimmerworld co-drove); but, with ME driving ... ... I run about mid-pack in the last cars

So, if I go spec E36, I can stop making excuses of people having cams, differential, etc.

What is the total weight you are towing and what type of trailer?

I really would like a Cayenne S ... but, am a little worried about the 04's since they fit my budget (you already know -- racing, although fun, huge money pit). I already have the 996 and racecar to be the money pit I really don't want to pick up another problem one.

 

What's the problem towing with MY04?

I have had zero issues towing for 3 years including a 4000 mile trip.