urs4

Doing some upfront research for a purchase. Looking at maintenance items for the S or TT models and wanted to ask about the usual suspects that may need attention between 50k - 100k miles and things to look for when buying that should have been serviced already.
I see the coolant hoses under the intake. Question, was this a dealer replaced item or it appears there are still cars running around out there with the plastic tubes?
TIA

kosmo

which model yr?

Plugs are needed: TT at 30k intervals, and 40k for the S.
Also, IMO, i would change the diff oils

urs4

2006 - 2009 model.
More than likely the S model.
I do see the big jump of about $8k-$10k in price for these between the early and later models.
I do most of my own wrenching for timing belts, fluids, etc.....
Just don't want to get stuck with something in the $1k-$3k range after dropping down $25k or so.

Divot

Don't buy it. If $1k is a burden, I'd buy something else just so you can keep peace of mind. There is a sticky at the top of the forum that lists the usual suspects, most will cost around $1k or more, even if you do the work yourself.

ArneeA

He's being realistic, not being a douche. $1k is easy even if you wrench. Divot's point is if the $1k later on is bothering you, then think about it...

You asked for opinions/feedback, you get an honest answer, and you call the guy a douche. If you don't like what you hear, tough.

DWPC

I'd walk away from any car lacking complete maintenance records. There are lots of ill-maintained older Cayennes out there. Divot makes a valid point...DIY or not, repairs are often costly just due to parts costs and complexity. Check out the cost of brake parts for a turbo. If you're patient, you can find cars that have had all the common problems corrected. Other than that, hang around here and become familiar with the issues to look for. FYI, the V8s have timing chains.

Slow Guy

You come in here with just a few days on the forum and only 5 posts and call a long time member a douche when he gives you sound advice? I hope you don't expect a lot of additional advice from this forum.

Your question was legit but so was his response, if you can't take a few $1k repair invoices then a Cayenne isn't for you.

mx22

Here is the link where you can access maintenance schedule:
http://www.porsche.com/usa/accessori...anceintervals/

Try to look for CPO cars, they might cost a bit more, but they usually have all of their maintenance done (in most cases, dealers would CPO only cars that they have sold and serviced from the beginning).

Divot might sound a bit harsh, but reality is - premium brand cars are more expensive to maintain and if you start falling behind on maintenance, be prepared to shell out even more money to get the car back in shape. Dealers and indies will charge you much more for parts and services simply because of the brand name. But if you keep your car maintenance up to date and don't constantly trash it to within an inch of its last breath, these cars hold up fairly well.

urs4

Well, when someone says if I don't want to spend $1k - $3k on maintenance, then don't even bother, that is condescending. I would rather spend that money on other things in my life or have the previous owner already having completed the updates.
I well know the costs of owning German sports cars as my list is long and there is an S4 in my garage at the moment.
I will apologize for my statement if I took the comments out of context. Forums are places people come for information and advice. Not to be talked down to.

mtnrat

I found one with the common issues taken care of so I would not have to do them. I have had it for 13,000 miles, and have done oil change, front brakes and rotors, spark plugs, and am now doing the coolant Ts which were not done when the coolant pipes were done. I have done all of the work myself and with good DIY instructions even getting to the Ts was not difficult if you have some wrenching skills. So thats about $1,000 bucks in parts for that amount of hard driving. I kind of drive it like I stole it much of the time. If the common ills have been addressed these are pretty reliable cars. Parts prices can be minimized by getting them from Sunset Porsche in Oregon or Suncoast Porsche in Florida. I would go for the TT. It has that extra fun factor for little premium. All in all if you can do most of the work yourself these are not much more expensive to maintain than other cars.

MUSSBERGER

CPO says that any scheduled maintenance needed within 2500 miles of whats on the clock has to be performed.

Divot

Hmm. Let me see if I've got this straight.

1) You say you don't want to spend $1k for repairs, you'd rather spend your money elsewhere.
2) I point out the sticky at the top of the forum of common problems that may cost over $1k
3) Ergo, I warn this might not be the car for you, and for peace of mind you might want another car.
4) I am a douche.

While I'll agree I am a douche, it is not because of what I felt was an honest assessment of what you stated were your concerns.

I actually make an (initial) effort not to be a douche in the tech forums, otherwise I'd tell you to part out the fancy broken down 4S in your garage so you could afford some routine repairs on an old Cayenne. Buy a new Turbo, and you can bank all the money you save on oil purchases to finance your other thousand dollar dream.

virkdoc

I agree with Divot....he absolutely was not rude....we come here to the forums for right advice and honest opinions....if you cant handle it then I dont see divots fault in it.

seafeye

I see a lot of the 2003-2005 CS for around $15k. Granted they might not be in the best of shape but that gives you some room to get them right.
I paid $21,000 for my '04S a couple of years ago. Might have had some buyers remorse because of some of the annoying things breaking. But now that i have it my way, i am really falling in love with it.
I only wanted Black on Black so it took a bit to find the right car. Now getting black Alacantara headliner installed.
My only regret right this minutes is that i wish i bought a turbo. I only drive 10,000mls in a years so fuel isn't an issue.
$1,000 for maint is really nothing. I do everything myself but had to take the car to the dealer for a fuel leak. This was just after buying it and driving it from Florida to N.C. I had the seller pay for the repair. $575.
In 2.5 years of ownership:
Fuel Leak: $575
Battery: $75
F&R Brakes: $650
Drive Shaft: $550
Rear trunk shocks: $110
Stepper Motor: $150
Oil changes, differential, tires…. don't count.
$1200 for Alacantara headliners. That doesn't really count either.

What needs to be fixed?
Trip-odometer switch is broken.
Rear cup holders tray doesn't stay shut.


Easily spend that on my wife's BMW every year. I'm still cursing my old VW Jetta. What a POS. Doesn't take a genius to figure out why they aren't selling cars lately.

Orantes

There will always be more to do on these cars. I bought a 2004 S with 85000km a few years ago that had been 100% serviced by Porsche. Coolant tubes, coils, plugs had recently been replaced. However in the 30000km since I have replaced cardan shaft, water pump, hatch struts, coils and plugs (again), serpentine belt, interior blower fan. These had to be replaced because they failed, not as preventative. My latest repair is the lower control arms of which the bushings have completely disintergrated! None of these issues were showing in any way when I bought the car. Having said that, I love driving this car. You really need to expect that expensive stuff will need to be repaired.