Cayenne 3.2 V6 - what to look for?
Discussion
Hi all,
I'm currently looking at early (04/05) V6 Cayennes. I've noticed that most in my price range are around 50-60,000 miles.
From reading various forums I've learnt that the coil packs can be troublesome with these cars, but are there any other things that I should be looking for besides the usual used car checks?
I presume that at this mileage the 'major' service is due?
Also, how essential is the air suspension on these - is it a must have?
I've not got round to test driving any examples yet, still doing some background research.
Thanks in advance
I'm currently looking at early (04/05) V6 Cayennes. I've noticed that most in my price range are around 50-60,000 miles.
From reading various forums I've learnt that the coil packs can be troublesome with these cars, but are there any other things that I should be looking for besides the usual used car checks?
I presume that at this mileage the 'major' service is due?
Also, how essential is the air suspension on these - is it a must have?
I've not got round to test driving any examples yet, still doing some background research.
Thanks in advance
1. Best to get one thats had the cooling pipes done
2. Yes, get pasm and air (there isnt exactly a shortage of used examples .. Buyers market.
3. Consider an s, economy works out sane as v6 as you have to work the v6 harder and if 2mpg odd is important to you then dont look at cayennes full stop !
4. Haggle hard, not many peopke want these cars and you should easily get a dexent one for under 10k
5. Coil packs are £31 each and easy to fit so not too much to worry about.
6. If there is a propshaft replace in rhe history then thats a bonus as they do wear prematurely
2. Yes, get pasm and air (there isnt exactly a shortage of used examples .. Buyers market.
3. Consider an s, economy works out sane as v6 as you have to work the v6 harder and if 2mpg odd is important to you then dont look at cayennes full stop !
4. Haggle hard, not many peopke want these cars and you should easily get a dexent one for under 10k
5. Coil packs are £31 each and easy to fit so not too much to worry about.
6. If there is a propshaft replace in rhe history then thats a bonus as they do wear prematurely
option click said:
^^ Great tips - thank you.
MPG isn't really a huge concern - I do perhaps a max of 6k a year and I currently have a twin turbo Audi S4 which isn't exactly frugal!
Out of interest though, what kind of mileages to a tank were you getting out of your S?
from a 93 litre ~£125 fill:MPG isn't really a huge concern - I do perhaps a max of 6k a year and I currently have a twin turbo Audi S4 which isn't exactly frugal!
Out of interest though, what kind of mileages to a tank were you getting out of your S?
with all local driving worst was 200 miles
with 60-70% motorway best was 380 miles
most tankns though on average make 300 miles
also bear in mind that if you do motorway but at 80-90mph+ you will still only be getting 17-18mpg-ish if not less
some people report that they get more than this but for me its 16.5mpg overall over the last 3000 miles and i don't give it the large too often IMO
jackal said:
option click said:
^^ Great tips - thank you.
MPG isn't really a huge concern - I do perhaps a max of 6k a year and I currently have a twin turbo Audi S4 which isn't exactly frugal!
Out of interest though, what kind of mileages to a tank were you getting out of your S?
from a 93 litre ~£125 fill:MPG isn't really a huge concern - I do perhaps a max of 6k a year and I currently have a twin turbo Audi S4 which isn't exactly frugal!
Out of interest though, what kind of mileages to a tank were you getting out of your S?
with all local driving worst was 200 miles
with 60-70% motorway best was 380 miles
most tankns though on average make 300 miles
also bear in mind that if you do motorway but at 80-90mph+ you will still only be getting 17-18mpg-ish if not less
some people report that they get more than this but for me its 16.5mpg overall over the last 3000 miles and i don't give it the large too often IMO
My Range Rover, a 4.4 V8 is better on fuel (I once got 480 miles on a 110L tank of super).
Around town I average 14mpg, but on the motorway at 70mph I get 23-25mpg. Anything around 90mph (on a private round of course) and the average mpg can drop to about 18. My average across 3000 miles is 19.8 mpg.
EVOeng said:
That is shocking.
My Range Rover, a 4.4 V8 is better on fuel (I once got 480 miles on a 110L tank of super).
Around town I average 14mpg, but on the motorway at 70mph I get 23-25mpg. Anything around 90mph (on a private round of course) and the average mpg can drop to about 18. My average across 3000 miles is 19.8 mpg.
I'm sure you could get ~480 miles at a steady 70mph but I just don't go that speed so have never tried it. Other threads on here state 23-24mpg though so its probably about right.My Range Rover, a 4.4 V8 is better on fuel (I once got 480 miles on a 110L tank of super).
Around town I average 14mpg, but on the motorway at 70mph I get 23-25mpg. Anything around 90mph (on a private round of course) and the average mpg can drop to about 18. My average across 3000 miles is 19.8 mpg.
To see it in a slightly different way, I don't mind the economy that much because the grunt you get in the porsche and the fun you occasionally have when yu lean on it makes it worth it. If I was in waftomatic mode all the time though in something like a FFRR I would personally want much higher mpg.
So if I understand it correctly, the differences in MPG across the models are so negligible that I may as well consider the S or the Turbo?
This is why I love PH - poverty (in the loosest sense of the word) spec to range-topper recommendation in the space of a couple of posts
This is why I love PH - poverty (in the loosest sense of the word) spec to range-topper recommendation in the space of a couple of posts
Edited by option click on Thursday 1st December 14:28
option click said:
So if I understand it correctly, the differences in MPG across the models are so negligible that I may as well consider the S or the Turbo?
This is why I love PH - poverty (in the loosest sense of the word) spec to range-topper recommendation in the space of a couple of posts
With all due respect to Sparky I would check the forum archves. I looked into this when I was buying but couldn't refute the evidence that if you are doing a lot of city/town driving then the turbo really will bring you to your knees as far as mpg goes. If its a motorway car though then I would definitely go Turbo but all the advice seems to say to avoid the early 2003-2004 cars and get an 06 turbo preferably.This is why I love PH - poverty (in the loosest sense of the word) spec to range-topper recommendation in the space of a couple of posts
Edited by option click on Thursday 1st December 14:28
jackal said:
With all due respect to Sparky I would check the forum archves. I looked into this when I was buying but couldn't refute the evidence that if you are doing a lot of city/town driving then the turbo really will bring you to your knees as far as mpg goes. If its a motorway car though then I would definitely go Turbo but all the advice seems to say to avoid the early 2003-2004 cars and get an 06 turbo preferably.
To be fair I do live in the country and therefore have very little town use, though I estimate then it averages out very similar to your own, maybe 1 mpg less for the turbo.sparkypups said:
To be fair I do live in the country and therefore have very little town use, though I estimate then it averages out very similar to your own, maybe 1 mpg less for the turbo.
ive been using mine way way too much for short trips... literally like tons of 4 miles jobs to the tip, shops, homebase, school, bank etc.. which is just suicide in a car of that sort ..... that will change though when i finally get the freakin 993 up and running and im hoping to do much betteron the plus side though it's good practice getting used to that sort of MPG if the F430 fund ever matures
The Cayenne has just popped up on my radar as a suitable comfy family orientated wagon that might just be able to deal with whatever the winter wants to throw at us.
Seem like good money for the 2003-2005 models - My only concern I suppose is buying something that turns out not to be quite as reliable as it should be and the servicing/fixing costs getting a little scary.
How good are they, most are obviously tip or full auto, is that going to be sufficient in the snow/ice?
If I bought one it would have to last 3-4 years, so by the time Im thinking of moving it on it'll be around 10-12 years old - whats the thinking on how that will pan out!?
The consumption is a minor worry - more because I dont tend to do many long trips, so will always be running from cold on a shortish run - but from whats been said above it doesnt seem to have that much of an effect on the figures?
I read on autotrader of some people having some issues with the build quality as well - is this just a few people getting unlucky and buying the 'friday afternoon shift' examples?
The other gripe was tyre wear - I guess thats bound to be effected by driving style, conditions and which engine you plump for (assuming that the V8 will chew through the tyres quicker)?
For that sort of money, theres not many other cars (of this size and ability) that I'd rather take a punt on.
Seem like good money for the 2003-2005 models - My only concern I suppose is buying something that turns out not to be quite as reliable as it should be and the servicing/fixing costs getting a little scary.
How good are they, most are obviously tip or full auto, is that going to be sufficient in the snow/ice?
If I bought one it would have to last 3-4 years, so by the time Im thinking of moving it on it'll be around 10-12 years old - whats the thinking on how that will pan out!?
The consumption is a minor worry - more because I dont tend to do many long trips, so will always be running from cold on a shortish run - but from whats been said above it doesnt seem to have that much of an effect on the figures?
I read on autotrader of some people having some issues with the build quality as well - is this just a few people getting unlucky and buying the 'friday afternoon shift' examples?
The other gripe was tyre wear - I guess thats bound to be effected by driving style, conditions and which engine you plump for (assuming that the V8 will chew through the tyres quicker)?
For that sort of money, theres not many other cars (of this size and ability) that I'd rather take a punt on.
I was going to buy a 3.2 V6 for her indoors.
But i really deep down wanted the diesel unit but couldn't even think about stretching to the Diesel Cayenne, much as i am a pure Porsche nut, in the end i bought an immaculate diesel Touareg 2006, more or less same car and i got the sport SE so it has every single extra. Still not brilliant on the old juice though between 25-30 mpg.
I don't buy into what people say about the Cayenne/Touareg looks either i think they look great.
Just make sure you get a good example.
But i really deep down wanted the diesel unit but couldn't even think about stretching to the Diesel Cayenne, much as i am a pure Porsche nut, in the end i bought an immaculate diesel Touareg 2006, more or less same car and i got the sport SE so it has every single extra. Still not brilliant on the old juice though between 25-30 mpg.
I don't buy into what people say about the Cayenne/Touareg looks either i think they look great.
Just make sure you get a good example.
Thought I would check what my actual mpg for the turbo was and it is 21.3mpg for the last 2 fills.
I have shamelessly stolen this anology from a poster on a US forum.
'You're asking whether it's better to get the house actually on the beach, or the house two blocks from the beach. Both will get the same salt-air corrosion of everything metal or wood, and both will get equally sacked in a hurricane; I suppose the house on the beach runs the risk of a boat crashing in, or a tsunami wave, or a whale rotting in your sand yard; but the sunsets from your bedroom, and living room, and bathroom, and kitchen, and deck... etc... are beyond comparison. Which is why that house is usually double the cost of the other.
But this choice is even simpler: you are asking about the house on the beach (the turbo) which essentially costs the same as the house (the S) two blocks in, with a view of the neighbor's house.
BTW, the V-6 is the house two hours in, with a picture of the beach hanging on the wall...'
I have shamelessly stolen this anology from a poster on a US forum.
'You're asking whether it's better to get the house actually on the beach, or the house two blocks from the beach. Both will get the same salt-air corrosion of everything metal or wood, and both will get equally sacked in a hurricane; I suppose the house on the beach runs the risk of a boat crashing in, or a tsunami wave, or a whale rotting in your sand yard; but the sunsets from your bedroom, and living room, and bathroom, and kitchen, and deck... etc... are beyond comparison. Which is why that house is usually double the cost of the other.
But this choice is even simpler: you are asking about the house on the beach (the turbo) which essentially costs the same as the house (the S) two blocks in, with a view of the neighbor's house.
BTW, the V-6 is the house two hours in, with a picture of the beach hanging on the wall...'
jackal said:
which fuel do you use sparky ?
I'm not a fuel snob so whichever happens to be on my way (either esso or BP as it happens) and usually 95ron unless they have run outI'm quite light footed and we tend to use the alfa for the really short runs that just guzzle the fuel.
Edited by sparkypups on Wednesday 7th December 08:55
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