Topic: Need to replace the Cayenne, what to get?

[blur911]

Yet another "what should I buy thread".    Our Cayenne S is getting up there, wife no longer wants to use it for our annual trek out east (we tow a trailer) and I'm getting wary of it's age as well.   The actual drivetrain seems to be fine, but when I look underneath I can see all sorts of areas that will cause issues, mostly from rust, like on all the cooling lines, tank straps, exhaust,  etc.

Anyhow, not sure what we want, don't drive a whole lot lately, don't care about the latest tech, it can be older, want something reasonably reliable, roomy enough for a bunch of dogs in back, can tow a 3500lb trailer with ease, has a cushy interior.  Don't want to spend a fortune on it as we have other vehicles and it won't really get a lot of use overall.
 I've mostly been shopping for a bit newer and less rusty Cayenne, but I'm open to other stuff.... like there's a 2013 X5 35d with 190k near me for $13.5k that sounds interesting, but I don't know anything about them.  Clarkson Fine Cars has an Infiniti  JX35 on the lot for what appears to be a good price...but it has a CVT.

I know, everyone will tell me to get a Lexus, I'm looking, but not much around.   What are some other suggestions? 
BTW, I'm also kinda looking for an old Sidekick/Sunrunner/Vitara 2-door 4x4 to use off-road and tow behind the GMC.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Stay away from the J35 - those things were junk.

Do you need a rear hatch, or can the dogs go in the back seat of, say, that Avalanche that Clarkson Fine Cars has?  That thing will probably give you a few more years of reliable service...

[blur911]

Stay away from the J35 - those things were junk.

Do you need a rear hatch, or can the dogs go in the back seat of, say, that Avalanche that Clarkson Fine Cars has?  That thing will probably give you a few more years of reliable service...

When I had the truck I only had two dogs, now with three they'd probably complain about a back seat.  Do the back seats fold flat?   
I also can't stand the look of them.

[Firm]

Sounds like you need a nice old Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade. The most rust free one you can find....GMT800 or GMT900, should be plenty of options, finding one that's not rotten might be the biggest challenge, unless you're up for importing something from the south. In that case, I'd be happy to help if you find something of interest down here.

[JohnnyMac]

So what is the budget that you’d prefer to stick to.  Needs to be SUV/CUV with towing capacity and some reliability.  Is that about the highlights of what you are looking for?

[sailor723]

Just out of curiosity, what year is your Cayenne?

FWIW I think the later F15 era X5's have been reasonably reliable although I think the first two years (2013-14) had a lot of issues.  It would give you something of a similar driving dynamic as what you'd be coming out of if that matters to you.

My 2017 has been decent although I've only put 100K on it.

[JohnnyMac]

Pricy but would give you a large amount of years/mileage to spread the cost over.

https://www.facebook.com/share/xascdbB774PiU11U/?mibextid=79PoIi

[JohnnyMac]

https://www.facebook.com/share/D3ToBd7sK2uHvud1/?mibextid=79PoIi

[blur911]

Just out of curiosity, what year is your Cayenne?

FWIW I think the later F15 era X5's have been reasonably reliable although I think the first two years (2013-14) had a lot of issues.  It would give you something of a similar driving dynamic as what you'd be coming out of if that matters to you.

My 2017 has been decent although I've only put 100K on it.

My Cayenne is a 2006, it's been pretty good to me, average around $1k/yr in repairs and maintenance.   Had it over 10 years now, time flies.
I've always liked the X6, just don't know which ones to stay away from.

[blur911]

Pricy but would give you a large amount of years/mileage to spread the cost over.

https://www.facebook.com/share/xascdbB774PiU11U/?mibextid=79PoIi

I'd like to keep it under $20k, preferably well under.
Need to find an older garage queen.

[blur911]

Sounds like you need a nice old Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade. The most rust free one you can find....GMT800 or GMT900, should be plenty of options, finding one that's not rotten might be the biggest challenge, unless you're up for importing something from the south. In that case, I'd be happy to help if you find something of interest down here.

I haven't ruled these out, they're a bit bigger than I'd like, but I'd look at one.   I should contact a friend of mine, I think everyone in his family drove one.  He's nearby and keeps his eyes open.

[Dante]

Good luck finding what you are looking for. Used car buying sucks....
 

[tortoise]

Audi Q5? They can tow 4400 lbs and there's a bunch in the low 20's. You would be starting with an 8-10 year old Audi though....

[rrocket]

Pricy but would give you a large amount of years/mileage to spread the cost over.

https://www.facebook.com/share/xascdbB774PiU11U/?mibextid=79PoIi

I'd like to keep it under $20k, preferably well under.
Need to find an older garage queen.

Is this old enough? 

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/london/2000-lexus-lx-470-rare-leather-loaded-very-clean-land-cruiser/m7391167


Also, look for Toyota Sequoia. People forget about those. Pretty darn cush! 

And like them or not, a Lexus GX is tough to beat.

And maybe a Toyota 4Runner V8 Limited.

[Dante]

How about this....

http://www.autotrader.ca/go/5-61457942

Not sure if I have this right, but Cayennes are fairly cheap at 10+ years although they are fairly well regarded reliability wise.

[blur911]

Audi Q5? They can tow 4400 lbs and there's a bunch in the low 20's. You would be starting with an 8-10 year old Audi though....

10 year old Audis used to be my specialty.
I might look at those too, which engine is the one to have? 

[blur911]

How about this....

http://www.autotrader.ca/go/5-61457942

Not sure if I have this right, but Cayennes are fairly cheap at 10+ years although they are fairly well regarded reliability wise.

That is basically what I did 10 years ago. 

[Dante]

How about this....

http://www.autotrader.ca/go/5-61457942

Not sure if I have this right, but Cayennes are fairly cheap at 10+ years although they are fairly well regarded reliability wise.

That is basically what I did 10 years ago.

So what's that catch with these? Expensive maintenance? Known problems expensive to repair?

There are a few 2014 with just over 100K for low to mid $20Ks...

[tortoise]

10 year old Audis used to be my specialty.
I might look at those too, which engine is the one to have?

My quick search suggests the 4cyl and 6 cyl models have the same rating.  I'm not sure which is more reliable though.

I recall that Angry Chicken was impressed with how well his Q5 towed.

[JohnnyMac]

Pricy but would give you a large amount of years/mileage to spread the cost over.

https://www.facebook.com/share/xascdbB774PiU11U/?mibextid=79PoIi

I'd like to keep it under $20k, preferably well under.
Need to find an older garage queen.

Is this old enough? 

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/london/2000-lexus-lx-470-rare-leather-loaded-very-clean-land-cruiser/m7391167


Also, look for Toyota Sequoia. People forget about those. Pretty darn cush! 

And like them or not, a Lexus GX is tough to beat.

And maybe a Toyota 4Runner V8 Limited.

There are one of these locally that is much cheaper than that and looks like it’s in decent shape.

https://www.facebook.com/share/D4KgP3qoUcYmZVjf/?mibextid=79PoIi