Home » Help Me Talk My Friend Into (Or Out Of) Buying A First-Gen Cayenne

Help Me Talk My Friend Into (Or Out Of) Buying A First-Gen Cayenne

Buy A Cayenne Ts
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On a long enough timeline, many of your heroes will become villains, and vice versa. The second-gen Toyota Prius comes to mind. As does the original Porsche Cayenne, which was Porsche’s attempt to save itself by building vehicles that would appeal to a wider base of consumers than its sports cars. At the time, Porsche’s only fans were sports car people, so many of them rejected the idea of a VW-based, Porsche-badged SUV.

The existence of the Cayenne helped, more than probably anything, secure the future of Porsche as a brand, and therefore is responsible in no small part for the continued existence of all those two-door 911s and Boxsters we all love. We owe the 955/957 Cayenne respect if only for that reason.

Vidframe Min Top
Vidframe Min Bottom

Here’s a better reason: They rule. Aesthetically, the original Cayenne just works. The brightwork on the DLO (daylight opening) and the rockers is iconic. The massive, oxygen-sucking vents give the Cayenne an attitude missing from many of the anonymous SUVs of the present. This is also the best use case of Porsche’s weird turn towards broken-omelet headlights.

They could also handle quite well for a big, tall thing, weighing in at under 5,000 pounds dry with a not-terrible 55/45 weight distribution front/rear. Today, enthusiasts are starting to notice that these are alluringly inexpensive to buy. Is there a reason for that? I drive a BMW with almost 240,000 miles on the odometer, so my tolerance for dysfunction is a little higher than average. Plus, if something goes wrong I can just blog the misery.

What about civilians? Is it dangerous to suggest such a car to them?

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I mention this because, as Thomas recently pointed out, these Cayennes are not without some quirks:

As you can probably expect, depreciated luxury SUVs in general aren’t the most reliable things on the road, so let’s address the big elephant in the room first: bore scoring, an issue known to affect 4.5-liter and 4.8-liter V8 Cayenne models. The only way to fix it is to rebuild the entire engine, but it’s easy to check for and prevent. A pre-purchase inspection with a borescope can determine whether or not a Cayenne has bore scoring. So long as you change the oil every 5,000 miles, use a good filter, don’t over-do short drives where the engine oil can’t warm up, and keep an eye on your fuel trims to ensure the engine isn’t over-fuelling due to clogged or bad injectors, an engine that hasn’t already started to suffer bore scoring will almost certainly last the life of the vehicle.

A more prevalent issue on V8 models made before January 2007 is coolant leaking from crossover pipes in the valley of the engine. See, Porsche made these pipes out of plastic, and now that early models are more than 20 years old, that plastic can sometimes crack. Replacing these pipes is labor-intensive but definitely DIY-able.

So, yeah, not perfect. Especially the V8s.

Meet My Buddy Ron, Who Has $15,000 To Buy Something

Cayenne Rear
Source: Cars & Bids

Ron isn’t his name. I’m withholding his name to protect him from whatever bad decisions I convince him to make. Ron is awesome. He’s a lawyer who likes the same kind of indie rock I do and, other than being a big Bills fan, he seems to make wise decisions. We met because we both play ultimate frisbee and, being around the same age, hit it off almost immediately. Not long ago he asked me if he should buy a Model Y at a price close to its historical bottom and listened to me when I told him he probably couldn’t find as much EV for so little dough.

He loves his Model Y but wants another car. His Honda CR-V lease is up soon and he’s got about $15,000 to spend, in total. He asked me if he should just buy a used RAV4 Hybrid or similar and I said that would be logical. Not fun. But logical. Ron wants something to work as a secondary car that can absorb a few ski trips and eventually be handed down to the kids.

After talking about older Kias and Toyotas I suggested some other things. In particular, I suggested he bid on this clean 2008 Porsche Cayenne S. I suggested no more than $7,500 for a top-end price. After some heated bidding, the Cayenne went for more than that, so he didn’t end up with this one.

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The idea was still rolling around in his head and we turned to Craigslist. There are a lot of 2003-2010 Cayennes on Craigslist if you’re willing to look. I found one Cayenne S in Rye, New York for just $5,000 and only 170,000 miles on it. Because I would like Ron to remain my friend, I did suggest that he get any car we’re looking at inspected. The small amount of money is worth the peace of mind, especially with the risk of bore scoring.

Here’s the response of his mechanic at a shop I sometimes also use and generally like:

Ron Mexico 2

I disagree. Well, I disagree on the “no matter what you’re paying” part. The “masochists” part is likely true. Did I mention Ron is a Bills fan?

Please Give Ron Better Advice Than I Can

Here’s my theory on all of this. Ron has a completely reliable car. He has $15,000. If he spends under $7,500 on a Cayenne he has a margin of $7,500 to do all sorts of important things to make a real runner of a car that’s going to be more fun to own and more fun to drive than any $15,000 RAV4 or equivalent.

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All that being said, Thomas has made some good points about these cars. He thinks a Turbo or a VR6-powered model is unlikely to be a bore score victim and, therefore, probably a better starting point than an NA V8-powered car. Thomas suggested this one in a fetching green:

Coil Sprung Porsche Cayenne
Photo: Craigslist

It’s just $6,000, leaving a lot of room for improvements (slight lift, bigger wheels, unnecessary foglights). As Thomas put it “a coil sprung 3.6 model is Cayenne life on easy mode.”

So, what do you think? Am I correct in that, with enough due diligence, any V8 is fine? Or, do you agree with Thomas, that V6er without the complicated suspension is the way to go? Or, maybe, should Ron just go with the RAV4?

Top Photo: Cars & Bids

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Dan Parker
Dan Parker
3 days ago

My brother bought an early v6 because he was sick of his Xterra’s shit and couldn’t afford a 4runner at the time. It was a surprisingly ok car, nice on road and legitimately decent off. Got some amusing reactions on-trail, but went pretty much anywhere my old stock 4th gen 4runner would. If he’s not really into the offroad thing then the locking tcase and such are kinda pointless and the interiors aren’t all that great.

Discontinuuity
Discontinuuity
3 days ago

SUVs are silly, get a wagon instead. Like a nice reliable W8 Passat, for example.

ClutchAbuse
ClutchAbuse
3 days ago

That mechanic is a keeper.

Bill Garcia
Bill Garcia
14 hours ago
Reply to  ClutchAbuse

A keeper and a masochist himself – he could’ve turned this Cayenne into his golden goose!

Santiago Iglesias
Santiago Iglesias
3 days ago

Seriously, avoid the V8! Way too many issues and the MPG is abysmal. I picked up a 2010 957 v6 last year and have been using it to tow my rally car and it’s been great so far. The v6 has plenty of power with much better reliability. Same thing as normal just make sure it has a good service history

Banana Stand Money
Banana Stand Money
3 days ago

Do it! Make it a V8 with the proper checks and stick to the steel suspension if possible. You should find a great one for well under 15K and keep the rest in a maintenance/repair fund.

Rippstik
Rippstik
3 days ago

The true beauty about the first gen Cayenne is that Porsche didn’t know which SUV-owner to sell these to, so they made a car that worked for just about anything.

Want speed? Done!
Want offroad capability? Add all the lockers…and a rear tire carrier.
Want a tow rig? Look no further!

Would I want to keep maintaining one of these long term? Probably not, but I guess 2nd gens are getting cheap now.

Ronan McGrath
Ronan McGrath
4 days ago

I bought a new Cayenne S in 2007 and kept it till 2022. When I sold it and bought a new one it had over 200,000 miles and ran perfectly. I had about 50,000 miles towing a car on a trailer.

The this was fairly bulletproof and always dealer serviced .

What went wrong?

Camshaft lifters at about 150k. Expensive .

AC compressor

The car was a stripper so no air suspension or even a nav system. Big V8, heated seats and steering wheel, base interior.

It is still in my nabe and has 270k on it with original engine and tranny. Overall bulletproof but needs full service history.

Ramaswamy Narayanaswamy
Ramaswamy Narayanaswamy
4 days ago

I think a GMT800 Escalade or an LX470 would be a better buy than this Cayenne….
Those are more abuse friendly, and while the GMT800 will NOWHERE be near as comfortable as the Cayenne, maintainence wise it will be much better than the Porcshe is…and parts availability should not be an issue since it is a fancier Yukon Denali….

Last edited 4 days ago by Ramaswamy Narayanaswamy
Ultradrive
Ultradrive
4 days ago

Do it. I’ve owned an ‘04 S for the past 11 years. Bought it from the original owner at 93K. Now have 147K. It has been a genuinely excellent vehicle and is built like a tank. No bore scoring here but it’s lived in pretty much the mildest climates possible between myself and the PO. Rebuilding the V8s isn’t really feasible, and good used engines aren’t easy to find, so bore scoring is pretty much game over. That said, it’s not as common as the internet would have you believe, and affected vehicles from colder climates much more often, so if I was buying one today I’d definitely want one from a warmer area.

For MY 2009 Porsche changed the cylinder honing process which did away with the scoring issue. The ‘08s seem to have the highest instances of bore scoring due to the older cylinder honing process and the addition of DFI. I’d avoid an ‘08 V8.

A 15K budget will easily get “Ron” into an ‘09 – ‘10 V8 car. I’d go for a GTS, preferably with PDCC. Almost as fun as a Turbo with none of the additional Turbo headaches, like the coolant tee that is an engine out fix, or replacing motor mounts which is an engine out fix, or…

Last edited 4 days ago by Ultradrive
Manuel Verissimo
Manuel Verissimo
4 days ago

During my brief stint as a mechanic, there was a Cayenne in the shop. Some coolant fitting broke (not the one Thomas mentions).

The procedure to change this 30$ part includes removing the engine. That turned out to be a 15k$ job. For a fitting.

I agree with the inspector: don’t fucking buy those. Period.

Kurt B
Kurt B
4 days ago

He should do it.

Don’t listen to me I’ve owned two Minis on purpose and there’s a broken truck in my garage that is gonna smell like PB Blaster for the next decade.

Is Travis
Is Travis
4 days ago

Aren’t these things relatively bulletproof ala most modern porsches minus the few IMS bearings here and there? Bore score prevention is simple, these are easy to DIY.
I wouldn’t talk him out of it, just point him to the right resources so he knows what he is getting into both financially and effort wise.

Family Mechanic
Family Mechanic
4 days ago

Do it. There are not very cars like the first gen Cayenne left. They’re just plain cool – and for a car enthusiast, that’s worth so much. I recently bought an ’08 Cayenne Turbo and don’t regret it, despite the work it needed (one major repair, and A BUNCH of little things).

Michael Beranek
Michael Beranek
4 days ago

I keep drooling over old Merc S500s, Volvo S80s, and especially Audi A8s. Then common sense whacks me upside the head and I look at ES’s and Avalons.

Theotherotter
Theotherotter
4 days ago

If you’re into German-car masochism, better to do Masochism Lite and get either a 2010-14 Jetta Sportwagen TDI, or a newer Alltrack. Probably the Alltrack if you want to take it skiiing.

Michael Beranek
Michael Beranek
4 days ago
Reply to  Theotherotter

Don’t forget to get a sunroof on your teens-VW, helps keep your skin moist.

LMCorvairFan
LMCorvairFan
3 days ago
Reply to  Theotherotter

Corgi, matchbox, hotwheels on the german leather, latex, whips and spikes option and spend the 15k on a Miata, crv ski truck or older corvette.

Last edited 3 days ago by LMCorvairFan
Nlpnt
Nlpnt
4 days ago

How few ski trips? Because that’s either going to take him into the section of I-87 in upstate NY that still has motorist call boxes every mile or so because no cell reception, or considerable distance up 2-lane roads in Vermont that aren’t even state highways. Many places where you don’t want to be waiting for a tow with a seething wife and increasingly antsy children.

Get the damn Toyota.

Taargus Taargus
Taargus Taargus
3 days ago
Reply to  Nlpnt

Take it from me who broke down near Killington on a January night many years ago. You want a reliable vehicle for such things up here.

If he’s on that wonderful but very very desolate stretch of the Adirondack Northway though, he’d only be headed to one place, Whiteface. At that point save the extra hour of driving and go to Gore instead.

Nicklab
Nicklab
3 days ago

IDK, I prefer Whiteface over Gore any day. Also that stretch of road is the fastest way for me to get to Jay, Northway all the way up then across Champlain.

Taargus Taargus
Taargus Taargus
2 days ago
Reply to  Nicklab

I’m not much of a skier (XC only) but we have friends that spend a week at Jay every year. It sure is way the hell out there but they say it’s worth it.

And yeah Northway + bridges over Champlain is the way to go if you’re heading to anywhere significantly north of Burlington. VT Rt 22A with an out of state plate is basically a guaranteed speeding ticket regardless of how fast you’re actually driving.

Eggsalad
Eggsalad
4 days ago

LITERALLY any other car you can currently buy for $15k makes more sense than this.

Exception: a 1982 Rolls-Royce with 120k.

Cayde-6
Cayde-6
4 days ago

But since it’s a Cayenne, if he gets it, you will be contractually obligated to say “BAM!” a la Emeril Lagasse every time you see it

Jeffrey Antman
Jeffrey Antman
4 days ago

My brother bought a 928 from his fil for $5K. It was his daily. After about two years he sold it and bought a Lexus sedan. He said the old Porsche would have still been a lousy deal if fil gave him the car and the $5K. If it were me buying this, it would be like my brothers deal.

Boulevard_Yachtsman
Boulevard_Yachtsman
4 days ago

The last three cars I’ve purchased have been a 2000 Jaguar XK8 convertible, an inop 1971 VW Beetle, and a complete bargain-basement 2010 GTI I still need to figure out how to either de-tune or re-tune, but haven’t had time to mess with yet.

A used Cayenne? It’s on my very own to-buy list so of course Ron is getting a big thumbs up and a solidly loud “Hell Yeah, Go for it!” from this guy.

Taargus Taargus
Taargus Taargus
4 days ago

A 6k Cayenne from Brooklyn? You sure “Ron” is your friend? This is the sort of advice I would give to the guy who microwaves fish in the break room, not a friend.

A better example that is less likely to be a scam and I could be convinced after half a dozen DIPAs.

S gerb
S gerb
4 days ago

I was gonna say, if you hate the guy so much might as well try convincing him to buy a W10 Tuareg

Taargus Taargus
Taargus Taargus
4 days ago
Reply to  S gerb

Gotta go big or go home at that point.

James Wallace
James Wallace
4 days ago

I tried to talk my long time techno-boob friend out of buying one. It is futile, or as effective as giving girlfriend advice. In both cases it just gets thrown back at you. So let’s fast forward to a few months ago. Well my lovable but technologically challenged friend got hit in his Porsche. He was hoping the insurance company was going to total it out. It had so many engine faults that would exceed the value remaining in the car to fix. He was nearly in tears when they decided to fix the car.

I have so refrained from doing an “I told you so.” I think I have strained something restraining myself.

PL71 Enthusiast
PL71 Enthusiast
3 days ago
Reply to  James Wallace

I had a similar experience with a Touareg but it ended up getting totaled. I bought another one that ended up having the same issue and figured it out/fixed it in a weekend. Felt like an idiot but now I’ve owned 2 Touaregs for around $0 because insurance gave me double what I paid for the first one.

There really isn’t anything more versatile than a 1st gen Cayenne/Touareg on air. Tows pretty well, can go just about anywhere, handles 10x better than even a Land Rover with IFS/IRS. The best part is that people are terrified of them. My beater V8 with air and the rear locker cost me $2300.

They are also built like a rock. 5500lbs in something with the rear legroom of a Golf is no joke. The PLASTIC fender and headlight on mine totaled the car that pulled out in front of me, and mine was only totaled because of paint damage.

Pretty much everything that can go wrong is well documented online, too.

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