Help- daily driver SUV for $30-40K - Cayenne vs. world
#17
12-09-2009, 01:22 PM
If you don't mind buying a used vehicle, I found a 05 Cayenne Turbo with the Power kit package (among other goodies.)
Daily driver, just passed the 10in snow test, on and off road capability with air suspension, and quarter mile acceleration on par with the BMW E46 M3.
Seats 5 nicely, with room for groceries for the holidays.
As far as the RDX you were considering...it has car like ground clearance. Not sure if you will be happy with that in a Chicago winter.
Daily driver, just passed the 10in snow test, on and off road capability with air suspension, and quarter mile acceleration on par with the BMW E46 M3.
Seats 5 nicely, with room for groceries for the holidays.
As far as the RDX you were considering...it has car like ground clearance. Not sure if you will be happy with that in a Chicago winter.
#18
12-09-2009, 02:57 PM
If I had a garage (w/ 2 x sports cars), and was getting a 3rd (SUV) that was going to sit for extended periods....I would value reliability more than the 0-60 performance or styling.
Before you make your decision, imagine you need to be at O'Hare for a 7am departure on a nippy -20F January 4th morning. Your SUV has been sitting for 2 weeks during your X'mas vacation in Florida. The city plow has blocked you in, you have a pavlovian response for lower back pain, when you look at your snow shovel.
Which car is going to start up for you? Audi/VW/Porsche? or Acura/Honda/Lexus/Toyota? (99% of the Vegas bookies would put their money on Japan).
Before you make your decision, imagine you need to be at O'Hare for a 7am departure on a nippy -20F January 4th morning. Your SUV has been sitting for 2 weeks during your X'mas vacation in Florida. The city plow has blocked you in, you have a pavlovian response for lower back pain, when you look at your snow shovel.
Which car is going to start up for you? Audi/VW/Porsche? or Acura/Honda/Lexus/Toyota? (99% of the Vegas bookies would put their money on Japan). Looking for some advice / opinions regarding a good daily driver SUV, used or new, for $30-40K to help deal with the unpredictable chicago climate. Currently have a '04 GS300 and it's up there in miles (105K) and its RWD but otherwise runs like a champ. Considering a new Acura RDX (low 30s), Audi Q5 (sl used) , BMW X3 (sl. used '08 low-mid 30's), new Infiniti EX35- but I kinda like the idea of having Cayenne S as the 911's big bro. Would you guys take a '06 Cayenne S (Titanium) CPO'ed over these other SUV's - to keep for 5 years, 10-12K miles a year?
#19
12-09-2009, 05:46 PM
Wife has an EX35 and loves it. A little twitchy on the road at times and small compared to others on your list but not cramped inside for front passengers. 300 HP so it'll go, get on a long trip and get's much better mileage than the Touareg V8 she had. VW was a gas hog and the dealer service was only so so. Infiniti service is much better and free EX loaner when in for service at my dealer. (I don't get a Porsche when my C4S is in the shop) EX is loaded and the nav-bluetooth-radio-CD is light years ahead of the PCM. All you got to do is talk to it. No "learning you voice mode". Works for whomevers talking to it. Not a Porsche but the sum total for all the service until she turns it in after 3 years will under $ 700. Kind of hard to beat that.
Last edited by Dadio; 12-09-2009 at 05:47 PM. Reason: spelling
#20
12-09-2009, 06:57 PM
If I had a garage (w/ 2 x sports cars), and was getting a 3rd (SUV) that was going to sit for extended periods....I would value reliability more than the 0-60 performance or styling.
Before you make your decision, imagine you need to be at O'Hare for a 7am departure on a nippy -20F January 4th morning. Your SUV has been sitting for 2 weeks during your X'mas vacation in Florida. The city plow has blocked you in, you have a pavlovian response for lower back pain, when you look at your snow shovel. Which car is going to start up for you? Audi/VW/Porsche? or Acura/Honda/Lexus/Toyota? (99% of the Vegas bookies would put their money on Japan).
Before you make your decision, imagine you need to be at O'Hare for a 7am departure on a nippy -20F January 4th morning. Your SUV has been sitting for 2 weeks during your X'mas vacation in Florida. The city plow has blocked you in, you have a pavlovian response for lower back pain, when you look at your snow shovel.
Which car is going to start up for you? Audi/VW/Porsche? or Acura/Honda/Lexus/Toyota? (99% of the Vegas bookies would put their money on Japan).
#21
12-09-2009, 07:29 PM
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Chicago
Posts: 162
Rep Power: 27 
The EX35 is pretty nice and the perfect size- and has that very strong V6 that blows the RDX's turbo-4 out of the water. Usually this time of year our local dealer has some killer deals on 'em (last year it was $7000 off- 42K->35K) but haven't looked into them quite yet. There are also some pretty nice CPO'ed '08 X3's floating around for $30K- that's a lot of car/SUV for the money- although the Q5 is nice, it's not $15K nicer than the X3. But there's little doubt that I'd feel more comfortable keeping a Japanese SUV as a daily driver from a cost-of-ownership perspective than a Q5, Tiguan/Toureg, or Cayenne. Heck, for that mid 40's price range, I'd probably take a new lightly-equipped 2010 S4 over any of these (MSRP $48K with only extended Nappa leather) and get the safest and most fun to drive combo on the market today.
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