A cheap Porsche Cayenne. Dear god what have I done?
Discussion
So, a few months ago I had a hankering for a cheap 2 seater, and stumbled upon a Chrysler Crossfire 300 miles from me which the seller was prepared to let go for £600. £254 shipping to Newcastle later it was here, 2 weeks and £180 after that the rear arches had been restored and £30 after that a local mechanic had it up on the ramps to check it over for me. At this point the Crossfire stood me a grand total of £1,064.
Fast forward to yesterday. I'm becoming a bit bored of the Crossfire, it's proven to be a reliable steed, and does the job of being a relatively relaxed GT car well, but, as with every single cheap car I've ever owned, I fancy a change.
Perusing Facebook Marketplace I stumble upon a 2004 Porsche Cayenne 3.2 V6, 45 miles from me, for £3,000. I message the seller asking if he would be interested in a deal with the Chrysler. He replies "I'd want the Chrysler and £1,000". Worth a look then.
I get there and immediately spot it has a gaudy private plate, and not just any private plate, but a *4D Gel* plate, so I'm immediately in "hmm" mode. A deeper perusal shows that the car is a Cat N write off, having reversed into a wall in 2018 damaging the rear bumper. The Cat N didn't really put me off, they're cheap cars and the rear end is straight, who cares? The original owner also specced a baby sick brown interior, which was nice.
Next, the test drive. It's in obvious need of an offside front wheel bearing and the car was complaining that an indicator bulb was out and the brake pads needed changing. But it drove nicely enough, the gearbox was smooth, the engine pleasant enough and it didn't break down and leave us at the side of the road.
I mention to the seller that it was recorded as a write off in 2018, and that because of that I wouldn't really feel too comfortable offering the £1,000 ontop. The seller asks if I'd comporomise at £500 and the Chrysler, which I agree.
And there we have it, a 2004 Porsche Cayenne, with 2 keys (which seem to be in the shape of the car, for some reason), a decent service book and an MOT until September 2022 for what stands me at the princely sum of £1,564.
Now I'm well expecting it to go bang, although the 45 mile drive home was fine (except for the bearing noise).
First stop is to take the private plate off and put a regular set back on with its original 54 plate number, then I'll put it into a local garage through next week and have it checked over, and go from there.
Fast forward to yesterday. I'm becoming a bit bored of the Crossfire, it's proven to be a reliable steed, and does the job of being a relatively relaxed GT car well, but, as with every single cheap car I've ever owned, I fancy a change.
Perusing Facebook Marketplace I stumble upon a 2004 Porsche Cayenne 3.2 V6, 45 miles from me, for £3,000. I message the seller asking if he would be interested in a deal with the Chrysler. He replies "I'd want the Chrysler and £1,000". Worth a look then.
I get there and immediately spot it has a gaudy private plate, and not just any private plate, but a *4D Gel* plate, so I'm immediately in "hmm" mode. A deeper perusal shows that the car is a Cat N write off, having reversed into a wall in 2018 damaging the rear bumper. The Cat N didn't really put me off, they're cheap cars and the rear end is straight, who cares? The original owner also specced a baby sick brown interior, which was nice.
Next, the test drive. It's in obvious need of an offside front wheel bearing and the car was complaining that an indicator bulb was out and the brake pads needed changing. But it drove nicely enough, the gearbox was smooth, the engine pleasant enough and it didn't break down and leave us at the side of the road.
I mention to the seller that it was recorded as a write off in 2018, and that because of that I wouldn't really feel too comfortable offering the £1,000 ontop. The seller asks if I'd comporomise at £500 and the Chrysler, which I agree.
And there we have it, a 2004 Porsche Cayenne, with 2 keys (which seem to be in the shape of the car, for some reason), a decent service book and an MOT until September 2022 for what stands me at the princely sum of £1,564.
Now I'm well expecting it to go bang, although the 45 mile drive home was fine (except for the bearing noise).
First stop is to take the private plate off and put a regular set back on with its original 54 plate number, then I'll put it into a local garage through next week and have it checked over, and go from there.
I’ve had two of the V8 versions. One lasted 6 months (of which it was on my drive for 21 days) and the other was virtually flawless (aside from needing to replace a rear parking sensor -£13 from eBay and 30 mins of bumper removal on my drive).
Don’t get too hung up on the coolant pipes, I didn’t have an issue with either.
Just make sure you clean out the drains (plenty of YouTube videos), this takes 20 mins and can save you hundreds.
Look back on my last one fondly and if I needed another 4x4 they would be top of the list.
Don’t get too hung up on the coolant pipes, I didn’t have an issue with either.
Just make sure you clean out the drains (plenty of YouTube videos), this takes 20 mins and can save you hundreds.
Look back on my last one fondly and if I needed another 4x4 they would be top of the list.
Unlike the V8’s the V6 is a VW engine and generally considered to be fairly robust in the grand scheme of things. No plastic cooling hose issues alluded to above. That’s a V8 only problem (along with bore score).
All in all it should be fairly reliable if looked after.
I was told that buying a V8 957 would result in regular open wallet surgery. So far *touches wood* it’s cost me about a grand on parts and servicing in 3 years.
All in all it should be fairly reliable if looked after.
I was told that buying a V8 957 would result in regular open wallet surgery. So far *touches wood* it’s cost me about a grand on parts and servicing in 3 years.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff