The seller of today’s Nice Price or No Dice Cayenne has owned the car for all of one month. Now finances are forcing its sale, and we’re going to decide if it’s worth a new buyer exercising their own finances to buy it.
There are times when imperfection unexpectedly results in near perfection. The Mona Lisa’s elusive smile or Cindy Crawford’s diminutive mole are just two examples of this. Sadly for the 2002 Mazda Miata SE we looked at last Friday, its Wizdom body kit couldn’t be included in this list of admirable imperfections. As imperfect as it was, your comments indicated that it didn’t bring anything to the table for the little MX5, either aesthetically, or in support of the car’s $7,799 asking price. The end result was a 55 percent No Dice loss, an outcome that likely would have been different had the Miata been bone stock.
Today’s 2005 Porsche Cayenne Turbo appears to be fairly stock. Not only that, but the seller lauds the car for the number of up-scale options it doesn’t have. According to the seller, the lack of add-ons like a panoramic moon roof, double-laminated side glass, and adaptive cruise control actually make this Porsche more desirable since those all tend to be problematic over time.
That’s probably of little importance to the present owner as they haven’t had much time to experience any problems with the car. Apparently, the Cayenne was purchased just a month ago with the intent of putting it into service as a tow vehicle. A change in the present owner’s employment status has put the kibosh on that and now the Porsche’s back in play. And, before you boo-hoo the present owner’s situation, take a look at the ad’s list of the other cars that make up the owner’s corral that could also be easily turned into a revenue stream.
It’s obvious that the seller believes in the LIFO model of economics and hence has consignedthe Cayenne as the first to go. The car comes in white over a sand beige leather interior with a nice Alcantara headliner gussying up the place where that supposedly problematic panoramic moonroof might otherwise be. With just 63,700 miles under its belt, there hasn’t been much chance for the Cayenne to get beat up, and both exterior and interior look laudably nice. The seller does note a few minor blemishes in the bodywork, but there’s nothing egregious evident in the photos.
The ad lists a slew of mechanical updates and maintenance work undertaken by either the current owner or their immediate predecessor. It’s all pretty standard stuff for a fifteen-year-old Cayenne and nothing to raise any red flags. For consumables at least, it’s good to see the brake pads, battery, and tires all having been recently replaced. Those tires are Hankooks and they wrap around handsome 20-inch Sport Techno alloys. Per the ad, all four corners were aligned with the Hankooks’ arrival. The compressor for the air suspension has also been replaced and the seller says it doesn’t sag over time, indicating the system to be leak-free.
Along with the car comes a pair of keys, two sets of floor mats, and all the necessary manuals so you can figure out what all those buttons and knobs on the dash do. Also doubled up are the turbochargers, which the seller claims work as they should with no alarming noises.
Their work is to help boost the 4.5-liter DOHC V8’s output to a staggering 450 horsepower and 457 lb-ft of torque. Those ponies get routed through the six-speed Aisin automatic and on to the all-the-time AWD. On this car, all of that componentry is said to work without issue. The engine bay also looks clean and complete indicating that no monkeys have wrenched on it.
The title is clean and there have apparently been four owners in the Cayenne’s past. To become owner number five, one would need to come up with $23,900 as one does when that’s the asking price and you’re keen to make the move.
What we need to determine is if this Cayenne Turbo is worth that kind of scratch. What do you think, with its extensive history and the comprehensive description of the Porsche’s present condition, does the ad paint a solid justification for asking that much? Or, does that $23,900 price still seem too high for even so a high-reaching car?
You decide!
Washington DC Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Don R. for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at rob@jalopnik.com and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.
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