TurboLlew
Honorary ///Member
So yet another fanatic has succumbed to Porsche... though not a fancy one just yet.
After looking at many X5s and X3s (amongst other things) in the R800K to R1.2M range we were in a bit of a deadlock on what to do.
On one hand there is the thought of financing what is (let's face it) a very overpriced vehicle over a period of time that is unrealistic (for me) or at a monthly cost that is likely to be insane. Better options are still expensive and with limited plan extension options. My preference is to have either a car payment+plan or no payment+no plan. Even with the mental crutch of "a 30d being bulletproof" mechanically is a difficult one for me to accept having such an electronically complex car that would be off plan for 2 years of its financed life.
On the other hand there is the thought of my hounds, dirty bikes, cricket gear and the school run with a R1M car (on top of my current F90 doing this duty in the absence of the Merc). The in-stock vehicles at WeBuyCars were not in very serviceable condition or priced at levels that made no sense vs. buying at a dealership with CPA protections etc. The cheaper options (Sub 400K) at dealers included vehicles that had very obviously had their airbags all popped at some point in their lives or never been maintained or vehicles sitting WELL over 200000 kms. The usual shit show. Apart from this, getting a R1M appliance means a "R1M delay" in getting my next special thing (or R1M more that I can spend on one at some point I guess depending on how you look at it?)... all for something that in my case is basically an appliance to get to school and back with some errands/dirty jobs added into the mix.
Going back and forth on this meant that my Alfa and M5 were being used for all the mundane tasks and my F90 was slowly being hijacked by the Mrs as her default car
Something had to happen and so eventually I ended up getting a Cayenne V6 (well VR6). Went to see it and it drove pretty well and decided to bid (new arrival auction). Being dirty hurts a car's appeal alot but I was fairly confident in what I could get it to in that department. (So far so good on that front!).
Slow AF vs. my other cars, but it does make quite a lovely NA 6 cylinder noise which I've not had for years. In fact between 4 cylinder high revving/turbo cars and V8TTs, the last time I've owned a 6 Cylinder car was way back in 2005... no doubt around the time some of the Cape Town G87 M2 TikTokkers were born
Apart from being a petrol SUV, I think the lack of history scared a few folks off so it wasn't a super heated session as I'd experienced with a few of the others. It seemed that there were a couple of bidders and I was surprised to win TBH. However, there is significant history at Porsche and evidence that the owner was at least seeking service quotes after this (GT One in Kyalami will be doing some things for me to bring the car to a baseline of sorts maintenance wise and mentioned they had done quotes on this vehicle before, though the owner opted not to book with them). At this point even if I dropped it off at Porsche to do the work with all OEM parts I'd be fine (not that I will LOL). Anyway with a R400 insurance premium and no instalment to worry about there is a lot of TLC that can be given to the old girl too.
There were two accidents on record (2011 and 2014 according to VIN Docs) but the car still continued to be serviced at Porsche well beyond that period. They don't seem to have been major based on visual inspections and the presence of all the original stickers and structure. Likely fender benders and parking lot incidents as these cars are prone to, being soccer mom cars. What I found attractive about this particular one was that all the plastic bits, undertrays, extra beadings and trims that often escape over the years were intact. Electronics and lights are all good. It is also in a mileage range where based on the last confirmed service from Porsche, it is technically now only due for things like a serpentine belt and plugs.
The sorts of costs associated with servicing and preventative work are really not bad and I wanted something I could also fiddle around with a bit and DIY some items on. It is from a time before you had to recode anything that you change, retrofit or use non-standard/non OEM parts for eg incorrect globes etc. The only item in need of some attention at present is a bit of sweat from the vacuum pump (it's 3 O-rings that need to be changed - just a bit of an awkward location)
What I think DID happen was that it was briefly owned by someone who bit off more than they could chew. The level of dirt/grime relative to how easily it cleaned up is probably testament to this as well... as are tyres of course. Either that or WBC fitted whatever tyres they could to get it to a higher category/Dekra Gold. Of course the mismatched budget tyres had to go... but another story for another day.
So here is the Porsche Cayenne V6 (957) in very humble form and hopefully to be in my service for a good few years to come.
My plans for this are very simple (first two items in progress):
Tyres
Basic services, serpentine belt and switch to Motul oil
Gearbox and Diff services
Brake fluid and coolant flushes (probably LOOOONG overdue) and a general inspection and refresh of the cooling system
An infotainment unit of sorts with wireless CarPlay
Repair of the vacuum pump oil seals (this is the only leak/sweat at the moment)
Fixing the rear PDC (system works but the sensor is somewhere behind the bumper)
General detail/cleanup (no hurry on any of this)
I'll soon know about the centre carrier bearing which is a known common issue - if it is in need of a change I will probably fit the upgrade which fixes the design flaw that causes this in the first place. No signs of it being an urgent requirement just yet.
Engine mounts etc seem fine for now as is the suspension, wheel bearings, bushings etc. It is a very, very simple and basic spec, with large profile tyres and without air suspension and fibre optic interfaces to amps etc so I hope it will turn into a fun thing to fiddle around with (at least for a while).
One thing I do appreciate is the build quality and the materials - particularly how they have held up over time: All of it is basic and quite dated (in a good way with the, IMHO, gorgeous looking cluster), but ALL of it, be it rubber, metal, plastic or leather is still in fairly good condition, nothing is torn or excessively worn etc. I am not yet sure if that had more to do with the materials or rather how it has been treated over its life (last owner notwithstanding), but it is cleaning up OK.
Most importantly my wife loves it and enjoys driving it so my F90 can stop making appearances at the Yoga studio and school run
<PS: My Alfa has not disappeared: I did a track day last Sunday and it's off to have some work done and to fit a few goodies I've had waiting - Samco boost pipes, Samco turbo inlet pipe, GFB diverter valve to replace the OEM plastic one and brake fluid service. A Spyder/Spider of some description will be coming soon to finish off the 4 car garage...>
Few pics:
Rather large vs. my F90. You will spot the missing PDC sensor here.
This is definitely my favourite (angry looking) Cayenne front... In terms of both the front and rear all the hang on parts, lights, lenses, covers etc are all intact which you don't always see.
So far, there have just been a few minor things I've done like cleaning up the interior and wheels. As always: Say NO to shiny leather! The interior was in drastic need of attention. Ozone treatment and carpet extraction next week...
Engine detail coming soon
After looking at many X5s and X3s (amongst other things) in the R800K to R1.2M range we were in a bit of a deadlock on what to do.
On one hand there is the thought of financing what is (let's face it) a very overpriced vehicle over a period of time that is unrealistic (for me) or at a monthly cost that is likely to be insane. Better options are still expensive and with limited plan extension options. My preference is to have either a car payment+plan or no payment+no plan. Even with the mental crutch of "a 30d being bulletproof" mechanically is a difficult one for me to accept having such an electronically complex car that would be off plan for 2 years of its financed life.
On the other hand there is the thought of my hounds, dirty bikes, cricket gear and the school run with a R1M car (on top of my current F90 doing this duty in the absence of the Merc). The in-stock vehicles at WeBuyCars were not in very serviceable condition or priced at levels that made no sense vs. buying at a dealership with CPA protections etc. The cheaper options (Sub 400K) at dealers included vehicles that had very obviously had their airbags all popped at some point in their lives or never been maintained or vehicles sitting WELL over 200000 kms. The usual shit show. Apart from this, getting a R1M appliance means a "R1M delay" in getting my next special thing (or R1M more that I can spend on one at some point I guess depending on how you look at it?)... all for something that in my case is basically an appliance to get to school and back with some errands/dirty jobs added into the mix.
Going back and forth on this meant that my Alfa and M5 were being used for all the mundane tasks and my F90 was slowly being hijacked by the Mrs as her default car
Something had to happen and so eventually I ended up getting a Cayenne V6 (well VR6). Went to see it and it drove pretty well and decided to bid (new arrival auction). Being dirty hurts a car's appeal alot but I was fairly confident in what I could get it to in that department. (So far so good on that front!).Slow AF vs. my other cars, but it does make quite a lovely NA 6 cylinder noise which I've not had for years. In fact between 4 cylinder high revving/turbo cars and V8TTs, the last time I've owned a 6 Cylinder car was way back in 2005... no doubt around the time some of the Cape Town G87 M2 TikTokkers were born
Apart from being a petrol SUV, I think the lack of history scared a few folks off so it wasn't a super heated session as I'd experienced with a few of the others. It seemed that there were a couple of bidders and I was surprised to win TBH. However, there is significant history at Porsche and evidence that the owner was at least seeking service quotes after this (GT One in Kyalami will be doing some things for me to bring the car to a baseline of sorts maintenance wise and mentioned they had done quotes on this vehicle before, though the owner opted not to book with them). At this point even if I dropped it off at Porsche to do the work with all OEM parts I'd be fine (not that I will LOL). Anyway with a R400 insurance premium and no instalment to worry about there is a lot of TLC that can be given to the old girl too.
There were two accidents on record (2011 and 2014 according to VIN Docs) but the car still continued to be serviced at Porsche well beyond that period. They don't seem to have been major based on visual inspections and the presence of all the original stickers and structure. Likely fender benders and parking lot incidents as these cars are prone to, being soccer mom cars. What I found attractive about this particular one was that all the plastic bits, undertrays, extra beadings and trims that often escape over the years were intact. Electronics and lights are all good. It is also in a mileage range where based on the last confirmed service from Porsche, it is technically now only due for things like a serpentine belt and plugs.
The sorts of costs associated with servicing and preventative work are really not bad and I wanted something I could also fiddle around with a bit and DIY some items on. It is from a time before you had to recode anything that you change, retrofit or use non-standard/non OEM parts for eg incorrect globes etc. The only item in need of some attention at present is a bit of sweat from the vacuum pump (it's 3 O-rings that need to be changed - just a bit of an awkward location)
What I think DID happen was that it was briefly owned by someone who bit off more than they could chew. The level of dirt/grime relative to how easily it cleaned up is probably testament to this as well... as are tyres of course. Either that or WBC fitted whatever tyres they could to get it to a higher category/Dekra Gold. Of course the mismatched budget tyres had to go... but another story for another day.
So here is the Porsche Cayenne V6 (957) in very humble form and hopefully to be in my service for a good few years to come.
My plans for this are very simple (first two items in progress):
Tyres
Basic services, serpentine belt and switch to Motul oil
Gearbox and Diff services
Brake fluid and coolant flushes (probably LOOOONG overdue) and a general inspection and refresh of the cooling system
An infotainment unit of sorts with wireless CarPlay
Repair of the vacuum pump oil seals (this is the only leak/sweat at the moment)
Fixing the rear PDC (system works but the sensor is somewhere behind the bumper)
General detail/cleanup (no hurry on any of this)
I'll soon know about the centre carrier bearing which is a known common issue - if it is in need of a change I will probably fit the upgrade which fixes the design flaw that causes this in the first place. No signs of it being an urgent requirement just yet.
Engine mounts etc seem fine for now as is the suspension, wheel bearings, bushings etc. It is a very, very simple and basic spec, with large profile tyres and without air suspension and fibre optic interfaces to amps etc so I hope it will turn into a fun thing to fiddle around with (at least for a while).
One thing I do appreciate is the build quality and the materials - particularly how they have held up over time: All of it is basic and quite dated (in a good way with the, IMHO, gorgeous looking cluster), but ALL of it, be it rubber, metal, plastic or leather is still in fairly good condition, nothing is torn or excessively worn etc. I am not yet sure if that had more to do with the materials or rather how it has been treated over its life (last owner notwithstanding), but it is cleaning up OK.
Most importantly my wife loves it and enjoys driving it so my F90 can stop making appearances at the Yoga studio and school run
<PS: My Alfa has not disappeared: I did a track day last Sunday and it's off to have some work done and to fit a few goodies I've had waiting - Samco boost pipes, Samco turbo inlet pipe, GFB diverter valve to replace the OEM plastic one and brake fluid service. A Spyder/Spider of some description will be coming soon to finish off the 4 car garage...>
Few pics:
Rather large vs. my F90. You will spot the missing PDC sensor here.
This is definitely my favourite (angry looking) Cayenne front... In terms of both the front and rear all the hang on parts, lights, lenses, covers etc are all intact which you don't always see.
So far, there have just been a few minor things I've done like cleaning up the interior and wheels. As always: Say NO to shiny leather! The interior was in drastic need of attention. Ozone treatment and carpet extraction next week...
Engine detail coming soon
