Porsche Cayenne

highender

I bought the turbo model, so it came with the air suspension. By the way thanks for all your info. You seem very knowledgeable in Porsche and in common sense.

tcams76

Wow you're the top dog................!

highender

thanks, you're not bad yourself, you've driven in Germany, so thats the top place to drive!!!

damormino

You've got to be kidding. Do you really have to remove the music CD to use the Navigation system. It that a joke? The Acura Navigation systems are the best on the market. They are made by Alpine. Lexus and Infiniti are next - I think there made by Pioneer and Panasonic (not sure on this). The German units tend to be very cryptic. Most people that buy them never use them. Most people that buy Acura units will never buy another car without one (even if they did really think they wanted it at first). I think user interfaces on the German navigation units are based loosely on Enigma - the secret operational code used by the German U-boats during World War II. You're not really supposed to be able to figure it out.

whopper11

I am interested in purchasing a Cayanne S, but cannot find a dealer with a good price. Where did you purchase your car, and how much below the MSRP did you receive?

highender

I got a good deal from my local dealer in Oakland. I compared prices with 4 dealers, and some dealers were adding a $10,000 markup to the Turbo, $5000 to the "S". Please email me at the above address (post#207) and I can give you details . I just don't want to antagonize any other Cayenne buyers or dealers, since pricing is a sensitive issue. Let me know what city you are in too. Anyways, I think the NAV is not too hard, but not intuitive. Extra step of ejecting music and inputing nav cd is to be done only when stopped. Hey, it does save some weight in this heavy vehicle. I agree Alpine NAV is very intuitive-I did not even read the instruction booklet.

paulchiu

In the New York tristate area; you can get up to 2K off the S and up to 6K off a base Turbo. I started shopping about a month ago.

scbryan

Anyone got any residual and money factor rates for the Cayenne S?

paulchiu

In my area, the S is about 59%, the Turbo as high as 62% for 3/30K.

mudman2

Its not as bad as it sounds, you basically only have to put the cd in when you enter a new destination. Once the location is in memory no disc is required. The PCM II has such a large NV buffer it can handle it without the disc, this results in a very fast response time which you can see.

The MMI is also well thought through and its integration with the stereo works very well.

I thought the same as you until I started using it.

highender

Which model do you have? Did the PCMS come standard or optional? So are you saying that I only need to put in the disc once, then the whole disc is memorized by the nav, and I never need to use it again, even if I change destination? Sorry, but I found the NAV book too thick and hard to understand. Hope you can help me on this.

mudman2

Sorry for the delay.. Not quite, I keep the CD handy in case I have to go somewhere new, then it needs it to make sure it has all the right details. Once its in, its in memory for use. I am not sure of capacity, but there must be one.

I can recall any stored destination for re-use without the CD.

I have an S with factory fitted PCMII. ( and air ! believe it or not)

highender

Congrats on your SUV/sedan/sports car! The info you gave me will help me in using it .

mudman2

FYI
pics are on the Rennlist gallery

chile96

I went out to the Porsche delaer today to look at USED '03 Boxsters but they only had automatics. I did find a NEW '03 with minimal options that retailed at 49250 and he said he could give it away for 45000. I see the invoice is 42900 incl. destination. He of course said he was losing $$ on this deal but he'd do it because he has 50 boxsters sitting on their lot and needs to move them. Good deal? Wait for any incentives? I thought of offering POLITELY 43500 take it or leave it. How does this deal compare with the ones out in your neck of the woods?

take care
fo

svinaik

I am in the process of buyinmg the Cayenne S and have a question.

What is the impression about the Air suspension. Most of my driving is going to be onroad.Will it do anything or is it truly more useful in the offroad situations (Raise height). Also anyone sees any potential issues with the Air suspension.

Also, what are the impressions about the Cayenne S steel suspension. Please advise...

jeffreybehr

...is MUCH less 'jiggly' and harsh than from the S's steel suspension. The difference is large IMO and well worth the money. Besides that, you get the variable ride height AND self leveling.

highender

I agree with jeffreybehr. The air susp. will give you a softer ride if you want it. About 90%+ of SUVs are used on road. Even those offroad enthusiasts log a majority of their miles on road. That said, then you must determine if you want to spend the extra $ on Air susp. , though you may use it only once a year. You can adjust the firmness or softness of the ride also.
By the way, I feel stupid asking this, but what does "IMO" mean?? I see it a lot.

stever

In my opinion.

Sometimes IMHO, for humble :-)

Steve, Host

highender

I'll check with my dealer, since I'm going in on Wed to have the brake pads changed on the Cayenne. I'll get back to you. Oakland should have very good prices, since it is in a depressed area.

highender

now I know.

mudman2

http://motorvision.sport1.de/coremedia/generator/www.motorvision.- de/Rubriken/Videos/Motorvision/Videos/Vergleichstest/Paare/mv43_2- 03er_20Vergleich.html

Ccexxp1

When the sunroof is completely opened, and the windows are up, does anyone else experience a pressure around 40-45 mph? It goes away if I close the sunroof 1/2 way, or if I crack a window. Is there a fix for this?

stever

Nope, no fix (other than cracking a window, etc.). Not unless you can repeal a few laws of physics. Aren't you getting some thumping with the pressure? See:

tidester "Volvo XC90 SUV" Jan 4, 2003 1:19am

Steve, Host

Ccexxp1

Why is this not designed to compensate for the well established laws of physics? (which I understand I can't change). And, why, then, is this NOT a problem on most cars? Does the size of the pop-up wind deflector have anything to do with this? Can I get a custom intaller to adjust/enlarge the wind deflector? Thanks, cc

tidester

Why is this not designed to compensate for the well established laws of physics?

That is an excellent question! I do not know the answer to it.

And, why, then, is this NOT a problem on most cars?

I think it's geometry. Some shapes are more susceptible than others.

tidester, host

svinaik

I finally bought one yesterday. Feels great and what a change from my 2002 ML 320. World apart.

I did lots of reading / reaseach an Cayenne vs. Touareg etc.. and found it very amusing that there is a lot of negative press (Is VW funding it ?) about the Cayenne looks vs. Touareg. Frankly I find touareg absolutely boring from outside as compared to Cayenne. TReg front is plain joe look and it seems that they were not sure at the back if they wanted to go for a bit more aggressive look or tame. They left it half way through vs. cayenne has gone through the whole length (Again just my opinion). In the interior also, though you can not find much fault with Touareg but I am surprised how people have been saying that Treg is better than Cayenne (May be Wood has a role to play in this?) and I have not found one place where anybody has actually said that Treg drives better than Cayenne.

For me the difference in the money ($48-50K vs. $60K) was well worth buying the cayenne (Deal with Porsche dealer vs. VW, great engine & brakes and some money for a very colorful badge on the front) but if money were a concern to me, I would have no problem buying the TReg.

mudman2

It does happen to all cars, but with a well "sealed" car its noticable. A bit like blowing over the top of a bottle of soda (works with beer to)

mudman2

Good luck with it.. I have found that every week that goes by it just gets better.

highender

Don't forget that once you want to sell your used SUV, the Porsche will command more money on the secondary market than a VW. This sounds elitist, snobby or arrogant, but it is the truth, IMHO.( Steve, I'm learning to use this abbreviation!) This means that it may be a better overall investment, in terms of rate of return. Plus higher fun factor, good opening topic when meeting strangers, and higher recognition when valet parking. You already know the fun factor, so good luck and continue to enjoy.

tidester

I'm learning to use this abbreviation!

WTG!!

tidester, host

highender

Okay, you piqued my curiosity. What does WTG mean? Can I use it in this discussion ?

kkessler2

I own a Cayenne S and have driven 3 other Cayennes. All have varying degrees of throttle hesitation in which the engine transiently doesn't respond to throttle input and the RPMs go to idle. The problem clears in 2-3 seconds, but is dangerous if you are pulling out in front of oncoming traffic. The problem occurs pulling away from a stop or on curves or other movements creating lateral force and only at low RPMs. The dealer installed 2 PNA microchip reprogramm ing 'fixes': one to the throttle control unit and another to the Tiptronic. The problem is 75% better but still recurs. The dealer insists the problem is fixed and that no other owners still have the problem. Has anyone experienced a similar problem?

tidester

WTG = Way to go!

tidester, host

svinaik

Any one else having any problem in closing the tailgate. I do not have the electrical convinience package so I do not have the power closing but manually, I litrelly have to smack it down to close. Even after so closing, as soon as the vehicle hits any road bump / rough track, the warning sign in the front dash lights up and the multi function display shows as if the tail gate is open and the rear roof light comes on. Now I do not even know if the tail gate is really open or it is a case of bad sensor.

My service advisor told me the the tailgate closing is an issue with other cayennes as well and it is okay to really close it hard to lock. I don't buy this. Will be back to dealer on Monday but any other experiences / comments are welcome.

highender

I spoke to my dealer today. They have a black on black 2003 Boxster, new with only a few add ons , for only $42,000. They say that is the lowest they will go.

highender

I remember my rep showing me how to close the tailgate: pull down and slam hard !! I was surprised, but did as I was told. However, 2 weeks ago I bought a pair of nice lamps, and i put them in the trunk.and slam, with the latch hitting the lamp plug...Now I can't even open my tailgate. I brought it in, and the service tech ordered the parts( all the way from Germany). He saw how I closed the gate and said I did it too hard. Should be gentle but firm pressure. Anyways, my car has been in the shop for 4 days now, because evidently they needed some more parts. Plus they upgraded my brakes with a non-squealing pads. I didn't want the rental car, so they gave me one of their used for sale cars. Its been fun driving the Audi S4 twin turbo V6, but I miss my Cayenne. No, I don't have a gate that triggers warning lights. I also do not have any problems with the throttle. I step on it, the car lunges forward, then flies.

chile96

Thanks for the pricing over on the West Coast. I already pulled the trigger on an '03 "S". Figured I would always be "wondering" about the extra horsies if I got the base model so I said what the heck. On a base model I had them negotiated down to $45K from a sticker of 49250. Your deal out there probably was a bit better but I've heard some real horror stories in having to deal with shipping companies. The "S" that I picked out is black with graphite gray interior - a true beauty in my eyes! They took $4500 off sticker($2000 over invoice). Probably could've negotiated another $500-750 but this way everybody is happy. What's your opinion on the 18" carrera wheels? I have the 17" boxster s II wheels which are fine but my kid side of me wants those 18" - my adult side (and girlfriend)says I've already spent enough $$$.

To keep on the topic, when I got my car poroperly detailed and prepped on Friday, my salesman gave me an '04 Cayenne S to drive around in for a couple of hours. Put on a about 50 miles and was quite impressed. Earlier in the year I was looking at 4.4 X5's and this thing blows away the BMW, not only with performance but interior styling as well, especially the back seat. I've already boldly stated the next addition to the garage will be an '06-'07 Cayenne. Sorry to hear about all the initial troubles but fortunately they sound mostly cosmetic rather than performance wise. Interestingly, my dealer said they can't keep the $100K turbos on the lot, but they're saturated with the "S" model. Is that really true?

take care all
fo

joanmk

I've been reading the discussions on this board for a long time. I picked up my new '04 Cayenne S on thursday. (ordered it in April) I just love it - Crystal Silver and Black interior. Only problem so far is in stop and go driving it feels like walking a large dog and it wants to pull me along to go faster and farther. It loves the open road!! I enjoy reading all your comments.

mudman2

socal5

I recently picked up the front license plate bracket for my Cayenne S from the dealer. I was shocked because it appears it is designed to mount in the middle of the front grill. This not only would block air flow but would be terrible on the front end looks. The parts man at the dealer did not have any info on this - I guess too new??? Does anyone else have this issue?

highender

You are going to meet a lot of strangers and get a lot of looks on the streets. What a great car !
On the subject of license plate bracket, I had a 2000 Boxster that never had the front plate installed. I then got a ticket for this offense ( its required in CA) , but when I drove the car up to the Police Station and approached an officer with the ticket, he just signed off the ticket as "fixed". He even said "Porsches are not meant to have front plates." Anyways, when you park on city streets where there are meter maids giving out tickets, then beware, she may give you one. I had the Cayenne for 3 months now and still have not placed the front plate. I agree with the officer: Porsches look and perform better without the front plates.

highender

I loved the acceleration and grip of the "S". I am sure you made the right decision. I had the 17" wheels also, and would prefer 19 or 20", but the ride quality would suffer with larger wheels, plus you may get more flats. The boxsters are timeless in style, and look better than the Z3 or Z4. Sounds like you got a great price also. Regarding Cayennes, I'm glad you enjoyed it, perhaps when you have kids, then you can get one. That's what happened to me. I think every one out of six cayennes are turbos, so they are less in numbers. At my dealers lot, there are some "S" models left, and 1 turbo. In LA, there is a 3 to4 month wait period for turbos. I think the "S" has ample power, and during most of my driving in the turbo, the boost gauge stays close to 0 bars., meaning the turbos were not needed. Take care you all in your new and safe cars> .

shifty4

I test drove a Cayenne S last week and experienced the throttle hesitation. It was an instant turnoff for me. Otherwise the performance was awesome. The salesman had no explanation and said he had no prior reports of the problem. As a result I pretty much ruled out the Cayenne for now and began investigating the T-Reg and Lexus.

joanmk

My S came with a front bracket. I'm not putting it on but it is shaped to fit flush with the bumper just below the front grill. Same color as the car. I'm in California and have always avoided the front plate. Once was sited by a meter maid!! My Boxter had no front plate and never a problem. Will see how this one goes.

walterchan

I have been comparing the differences between a Volkswagen Touareg and a Porsche Cayenne for nearly a month now, but I am currently undecided. Regarding to the maximum speed that Touareg and Cayenne can go, can anybody know why Touareg offers 320 miles maximum speed in the km/h gauge while the Porsche Cayenne only offers 160 miles maximum speed in the km/h gauge? It sounds rediculous that a Volkswagen can drive faster than a Porsche.

Anybody knows if the Porsche Cayenne offers 320 miles maximum speed as an optional equipement?

Thanks for your help.

walterchan

Never mind, I have found an answer that both the Touareg and Cayenne offers 160 miles maximum speed. Please ignore the message above that I wrote. I must read the brochures wrong. Gosh, I wonder what does it feel like driving 300 miles on a plain desert.

highender

I remember some of the 1960's muscle cars with big block V8s that could zoom above 130 mph but had speedos that only register up to 100 mph max. Then, I had a VW scirroco that could barely break 100 mph, but had a speedo that went up to140 mph. Conclusion: speedometer max readouts do not reflect engine capabilities nor vehicle top speed, though it would be nice if they did. I know that the current Toureg can go up to 136 mph, less than the max speed of Cayenne "S", which is 150 mph.
joanmk: seems you went thru the same growth that we did, from Boxster to Cayenne. Did you know that EVO magazine put the Cayenne on the test track and it turned in the same time as a Boxster ? ! Wow, what a car. The people who complain that it weighs too much or that what is the point of a Porsche SUV are missing the point. What is the point of climbing Mt. Everest? Because it is there and is a challenge. Porsche project manager said: "we wanted to push the limits, to make the best SUV, a sports car that can really go offroad. " Enjoy your do-all batmobile ! WTG

highender

They upgraded the brakes, and now made the alarm beep when you lock or unlock. Previously someone complained that there was no way to know if the car was armed or not. Now I know it can be done. We love the car. I know there maybe some flaws, but which car doesn't?? Ferrari's are prone to breakdown every few thousand miles, and a 30 K miles car is considered old !! 911 rides roughly, cannot go offroad, is dangerous when wet pavement is around, cannot carry family of 4 and luggage !! IMHO this is the best way to go , until they get a 460 hp, light weight, crossover with all safety and entertainment, plus 20 mpg+ fuel economy, plus great looks. I'll be waiting to buy one of those.....

jeffreybehr

...me of the recent article on the Enzo in 'Car and Driver'. The owner complained about the costs of oil changes. Seems Ferrari specifies a synthetic Shell oil (0W-60, if I remember correctly) that costs him $60 per quart. And I complain and look for coupons because Mobil 1 0W-40 costs $4.99 at Autozone and Checker!