Someone On Cars & Bids Just Bought A V6 Porsche Cayenne For An Unbelievable Amount

Base Cayennes are not special cars. Sure, they have a Porsche badge, but they’re still just big, luxurious SUVs made in the tens of thousands. Go to any shopping mall, and you’re bound to see a few. Your average 10-year-old, V6-powered Cayenne with 60,000 miles on the clock is worth around $12,000 to $16,000, according to Kelly Blue Book. But one example just sold on Cars & Bids for eight times that.

The fairly pedestrian-looking Porsche Cayenne you see here sold on Cars & Bids Friday afternoon for a frankly unbelievable $125,500 at auction. On its surface, it looks like any other 11-year-old luxury SUV, albeit with a nice dark green paint job. The reason it sold for so much? It has three pedals. But even for manual Cayennes, this is an eye-popping result.

Manual second-generation Cayennes are rare things, but they come up for sale relatively often. Bring a Trailer has sold two in the past nine months, one with accident history for $24,250, and another, cleaner example for $40,350. Last year, Cars & Bids sold one with near identical miles to this green example for just $33,500. So why the hell did this particular Cayenne pop off?

I can think of a few reasons why this manual Cayenne might’ve sold for more than your average used, three-pedal Porsche SUV. The Jet Green Metallic stands out, and it has a neat, pinstriped wood trim I haven’t seen in many other Cayennes of this vintage (though it is aftermarket, according to the listing). Above all, though, these Cayennes are incredibly rare.

There’s not a lot of data on how many manual second-gen Cayennes left the factory (I’ve reached out to Porsche for an official number). After a quick nationwide search, I could only find one other second-gen Cayenne with a stick for sale. It’s a 2011 model with over 100,000 miles on the clock, and the seller is asking $39,900. Before, I would’ve scoffed at that price. Now, I’m eyeing my savings account.

Doug DeMuro, founder of Cars & Bids, echoed my sentiments on how rarity and spec likely drove the bidders into a frenzy. Here’s what he had to say in the comments shortly after the auction ended:

I’m surprised, but not THAT surprised. These manual Cayenne models are exceptionally rare, especially in nice shape, especially with relatively low miles, especially in a cool color. We always see strong results on cars where it’s basically impossible to find another, and this is certainly one of those!

For the right kind of Porsche fiend who absolutely needs something quirky like a manual Cayenne in their collection, this is a great example. In this case, two of those fiends—Cars & Bids users winw561 and AAMLA2142—got into a bidding war with little regard for price history or actual rarity. I sorta get it—while it’s likely not anything special to drive, this Cayenne is an incredibly special, rare thing from a brand that a lot of people adore. The more I think about it, the more I wonder why a result like this didn’t happen sooner.

I’m sure the hundreds (dozens?) of manual Cayenne owners out there are celebrating their car’s newly discovered value—I sure would be. The seller is probably also thrilled. Just four years ago, they paid $51,000 for this exact Cayenne on Bring a Trailer. All they did was perform some extremely subtle mods (clear reflector lights, new OEM wheels, that wood trim) and drove it for 7,000 miles. And they more than doubled their money. For a four-year investment, that’s pretty good.

Where does this leave the rest of the manual SUV market? The Ford Bronco and the Jeep Wrangler remain the only two manual SUVs you can buy from a dealership in America—Porsche hasn’t sold one since the Cayenne you see here left production over a decade ago. If you’re a badge snob, there’s the equally quirky first-generation BMW X5, which offered five- and six-speed manuals throughout its lifecycle, but only paired with the base straight-six. Go a little bit older, and first-generation Cayennes can be found with a stick, too—though they’re about as rare as the green unit above, going by my nationwide search (I could only find one, and the seller wants 25 grand!).

You could also go even weirder and buy a Hummer H3. Hilariously, GM sold them with a stick paired to the base Atlas 3.7-liter inline-five. And after a quick search online, it seems there are a handful for sale right now, making them a far more attainable (and in my opinion, silly) buy versus the Cayenne.

Having recently purchased a late 2000s SUV myself, I now regret my choice not to more strongly consider a manual Cayenne. Because if I don’t own one already, I’m certainly never going to own one now.

Top photo: Cars & Bids