Geesh! Current Porsche Colors Mostly Suck!

Just venting my frustration over my now 2nd year of hunting for a Cayenne S!

That's including wasting the first 14+/- months trying to find a 2006 CayS Titanium Edition in that 6 month only "continuation model" Iceland Silver - a light silvery blue metallic, similar to my 85 BMW 325e's Cosmos Blue. After looking at 6-10 really nice appearing low mile 28-55k mile ones - none of which could confirm if they did or werre previously had them done by a PO for the dreaded V8 plastic to metal coolant pipe update! A few other high cost predicted failure items in the Sereis 1A (or 1) 03-06 version (headlight/composite units heat failures at a $1-2k per side to replace, rear hatch strut failures at $700+ every 2-3 years, etc.).

So we've moved on to the 2008-10 Series 1A (or 2) & maybe 2011-13 of the Series 2 (or 3A) Cayenne S, where we probably should've been in the first place due to the improvements.

Preferably one with both the factory tow hitch receiver & rear camera already installed - (the latter requires Nav/PCM to also be optioned), & preferably shod with 18" or 19" or 20" factory wheels (maybe factory 21") with proper N-Spec tires.

We're not too picky on interior colors - preferring Gray or Tan, but prefer to stay away from the darker Black & Brown due to both heat & showing too much dirt easily.

Now we're not overly picky on paint colors either, since we can accept the Blue, Silver, Dark Grey, & Gold/Jarama Metallic colors just fine & maybe even White - but not the other odd & cop-attracting colors (RED! & ORANGE!).

Black is NOT favored since it's such a PITA to keep clean & looking nice .... & our CayS will primarily be towing our restored vintage 1960 Avion T20 (#2 off the line - looks like an Airstream but better!) to vintage trailer events - so black will look cruddy all the time at those!

I feel like I'm back in the 19-teens & twenties looking at Ford Model T's - you know: "You can have any color, as long as it's black!" - as ole Henry I used to say!

I mean really - how friggin' many BLACK & BLACK-on-BLACK & BLACK-on-BLACK-with-BLACKOUT-Trim did Porsche have to make!?

Just not my taste all blacked out - but black with a tan interior & chrome/metal brightwork does look sharp to my eye - just not to keeping it clean!

Couldn't Porsche have offered/offer a CHOICE of decent colors!?

I thought I'd found "the perfect one" in a 2-owner 45,000 mile 2008 CayS in Marine Blue on Havanna/Sahara Biege Interior with the factory rear camera, but the DAPO had "improved" it with upsized non-factory 22" wheels & non-Porsche-spec tires - both of which rears had sidewall splits in them + the 4% speedo/odometer error....

.... Plus he had swapped out the excellent factory upgraded BOSE Audio/Nav/PCM for some supposedly "better" aftermarket unit - along with who knows what else was hacked-up on the harness since the rear camera now opend/closed every time a door opened or the key was turned - rather just opening when put in reverse & close when taken out!!!!

It was well cared for & maintained - but those above both prevented me from even taking a test drive (no blowouts on my dime!) nor considering it further without them all fixed (I could swap wheels/tires with another fool with a factory set later, & can get the factory tow hitch installed for $1200-2000 at a dealer).

A lesson for you folks - do NOT hack up your electrical harnesses with your "improvements" - especially not with the newer cars where all of the onboard computers, sensors, ECUs, Obi-wan-kanob-I's & -II's, etc. are linked together!

Nuff said....

Feel free to shoot me a PM or email if you hear of a likely 2008-12-ish Cayenne S candidate in our colors etc.! TIA!

Cheers!
Tom
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Hey Tom,

I totally agree with you on this one. I had a Cayenne Turbo S for several years. Looked for at least 18 months to find one. In the end I had guess....Basalt Black with Black Leather. I ended up throwing the towel in trying to find one in anything other than black or silver. It was either silver with gray leather (so god damn plain lack lustre) or Black with Black. I came across a few baby poo tan interiors but seeing them in the flesh put me off.
I just had to bite the bullet and buy the best condition Cayenne Turbo S I could afford and forget the color.
It's not just a US thing, it's the same color problem in UK. The car was great to own and drive but in the end I sold it to buy some used parts for my vintage Ferrari restoration. (oh and its NOT red either!!!!)
Don't know why Porsche are so unadventurous with Cayenne colours?

x100..

Gray, Silver, Black, Guards red, White too. Benign colors to say the least. "Safe" selling colors that the dealers don't mind ordering either as they will sell.

Miss the "jelly bean" colors..

As an aside, hanging out with my son recently in a hospital. Look down on the lot.. A sea of Silver, white, black, gray.. a few reds.. almost no yellows, bright blues, greens etc. rather drab.

Darren & Dave!

.... & I know it's worldwide & even 70% of their other models' production seems to be some flavor of black! We can live with a range of colors that are not black & prefer not white, but it seems 75% of the Cayennes out there are some Black flavor!

I'm trying to be patient & resist the urge to give in to black, but in fairness, last year much of the year I was tied up with my elderly aunt's illness & death since she had no kids of her own - on top of everything else, so more than half of my prospects just slipped away by being too busy.

I think my aunt was trying to "save" me from a coolant pipe problem in them though!

I just found out in Dec. 2015 that Porsche had settled the coolant pipe class action lawsuit here in 2014 - with an extraordinarily short claim filing window of late July 2014 to 12/14/14 & it effectively closed off any other claims from any subsequent buyers.

So that was the bigger to cure my wife's & my Iceland Silver 06 lust!

For the right price, I can add the factory hitch & an aftermarket rear camera at the license plate light which was recco'd by several Porsche Dealer Service Techs for maybe $1200-2000 each or $3-4k for both - if the CayS price was reasonable.

But I will NOT buy into chasing down electrical gremlims caused by some lame audio installer, for years of grief! :angry

I'd also have thought getting one in SoCal or at least inside California would be easier too!?

At least that 2008 Blue one was 6 miles from me, but he wanted last Aug. 2015's price - not the current one, which is now 20% less!

I just love the guys who own these depreciating assets who still think they're worth the 6 month or year ago price!

We'll be keeping our, so I want to get the right one the first time!

The silvers & other metallics would be in theme keeping for us with our "Silver Twinkie" vintage trailer - although we prefer the Blue Metallic, as you can see from this pic that & cut-n-pasted an `06 CayS Titanium Ed. in the Iceland Silver with our Avion actually behind a Nissan Pathfinder, in order to get the okay from the Mrs. as a tow vehicle for "her cute little trailer".....

Click to view attachment

.

It's a polished & riveted aircraft aluminum skinned semi-moncoque body on the Avions, Airstreams & similar - so silver is like Henry Ford's Black Model T's with them!

I know of at least one guy in the UK who has one of these Avion T20's with whom I chatted online for advice on his trailer resto, so you may see it around in the warm-ish months there in "Jolly Ole"!

Cheers Mate!
Tom
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Dave,

Those color limitations aren't new either - because the SoCal (OC) P+A dealer who originally sold my `73 914-2.0 had actually done 2 color changes (as far as the trunks & door jambs anyway) - from the OE Light Ivory L80E (white) - to Sahara Beige, then the Gold, which it was when I bought it at 3 years old from the OO.

Then I did my own "colorizing" on it to the `75-76 914's Copper in Summer `76 & then to the 930's Anthracite Gray in Summer `80 as part of my rolling resto back then before grad school (latter was my "Pavement Cammo" for the Fuzz! ).

At least back in the day they didn't do 90% black/silver/gray/white!

I'd love to have that nice Macan Metallic Blue on a Cayenne!


Tom
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Just step up and spec order one. Then your concern will dissolve. Its only another 4 / 5 k added to the total.

Here you go Tom,

My old Cayenne, as I said I gave up on color choice and opted for the best example I could find.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNHJhAc-AZA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C8Gv5Eoc0M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAL-yUNQyfM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKPZV_UZ8Cs


I fitted the Speedart kit and removed the rear back box in favor of a better look and more noise.

Just in case you're wondering......I made the short films to go with my for sale ad on ebay when I came to sell the car a few years back.

Thanx Darren - cool!

PS - I like the SS DeLorean in the reflection too!

0396 -

PS - the upcharge for paint to order of a Porsche color on the Cayenne is $6700-7600+ last I saw - & more for paint to sample - plus Porsche has to approve doing your color, which they apparently often do not do - not $3-4k!

First off - the CayS is now a V6 3.6L TT - not a normally aspirated V8 & the Turbo V8 comes with the Air Suspension which I don't want - so ordering a "paint to match" new 2016> Cayenne is out for us.

Besides, I cannot see putting $80-100+k into something which will sit more than 200-250 days a year!

Because I office at home & only go out for meetings - & fly then rent cars on biz trips, & my wife works 2 miles away, most shopping is close & kids are grown & gone so we've been just a shade over 5,000/yr on both cars combined since about 2010. Since July `12 we've been renting big a$$ed F250/Ram 2500's pick-ups to tow our trailer for another +/- 2000 miles/yr.

So our CayS will serve perhaps only 3-5,000 miles/yr. primarily as a tow vehicle, plus as a back-up 3rd DD car, & for PCA fun events & my required bi-annual Concours entry until the 914 resto is done - then towing that for maybe a year or 2 to do Full Concours while it's still clean, then I'll just drive it for fun!

I can do a lot of other things than tie up the $60+k difference between $20-40k for an `08-12 CayS & $80-100+k for a new one.

Anyway - if you really want a new one - the smartest play is to find a 1-3 year old one still under the original factory warranty at a Porsche dealer, then get it with their Porsche CPO out to 10 years & 100,000 iles - & let someone else take the 25% value loss driving it off the new car lot & another +/- 20% every year thereafter.

Imagine a clean 1 owner 2 year old Porsche with about 10,000 miles on it, & buying it with an 8 year/90,000 mile CPO! That's about double the 48month/50k mile original factory warranty - & getting it for 25-30% off sticker price when new!

Still too much for our needs though!


Tom
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Tom, so sorry for bad info on unchange for color change. The price point I used was 2003 when I spec my TT.
My point is, if you want a certain color, simply step up and pay.
It's been 2003 since I spec my car, if the local dealer network will not do it, there's always the Wish Program. ..it all depends on how much you want a particular color. It comes down to how much $ you want to throw at it

No worries 0396 - I was just explaining why I can't do that.

As I said, the new 2016 Cayenne S to spec it is no longer a V8, so I wouldn't do it anyway, plus I won't pay the new car price on them.

I'm stuck with finding a 2008-13 Cayenne S in one of the factory Marine or Dark Blue, Meteor Gray, Silver or Jarama/Platinum/Gold metallic with the equipment set-up we want - rear camera, tow hitch, steel springs in great condition - or else settling for White or Black.

I just need to be patient & keep looking. I was basically just venting on the overabundance of black Cayennes out there!

Perhaps it's a nefarious plot for Porsche to squeeze a few more $1000s out of us for the really good colors on special order!?

IIRC - Excellence or Panorama did an article about the lack of Porsche color choices & the difficulty in getting Porsche to approve any other customer colors - even under their Special Customer Order Program - & that author ran into it on a Cayenne!

They said you can more easily order anything & everything covered in leather on the interior - including the teeny little knobs - than you can get approval for a paint to order of a customer sample or even another Porsche color in the same model year from other models!

They said Porsche was telling customers that they were refusing the color requests to keep exclusivity on the other models - from the author's Cayenne!

Sounds like horse puckey to me, but that's Porsche for you!

First off, you were 19-20 when the model a came out?
Did you buy a new one or used?
Was it black?

For the cayenne , 4-5k will buy you a nice paint job....something to consider.

I also stick with used cars and let others absorb the 30-50 depreciation on new luxury vehicles.

I will buy a lighter car next time around, white or silver just so it might look clean a bit longer

LOL Rich -

No but my father-in-law had one at 20-something, & they were around as hot rods in the 50's & 60's when I was a kid/teen, but model As were more common rods, as was my Uncle's which I helped build as a teen in the `60's.

My father-in-law also still had a couple of 1920's Stars he was going to get around to restoring eventually when he passed in the early 2000's! (later acquisitions)

The Model T was out in the 19-teens to 1927 or 28 IIRC.

Anybody who knows Ford's history has probably heard that black car line!

You said it perfectly on the light to medium colors showing the dirt less!

PS - Notable Factoid - our 914s are now in their 40's & still used as DDs in stock form by many folks today!

But I don't recall any Model T's at 40 in the 1950's & 60's used as DDs unless extensively modified.

IMHO - that says a lot of good about our 914s!


Tom
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I believe Ford's line was "You can have any colour you like...as long as it's black."
The first production lines were slowed due to the time it took for paint to dry, lending to the expression "as exciting as watching paint dry".
Fast drying lacquer paint was the major innovation that made production lines work, but at first it only came in black.

At least that is how I remember it, I worked for a promotional company that did all the TV work for GM and I spent almost a year working on a history video of GM of Canada. But that was like 30 years ago.

Model T - 1908-1927.

In fact, there were some other colors, but as production picked up, sometime around 1915 it became "You can have any colour you like...as long as it's black"

There is a very "luxurious" dark Green one at REVS (f/k/a the collier collection)

Bright cayenne on eBay.

http://pages.ebay.com/motors/link/?nav=item.view&id=281928036544&alt=web ://http://pages.ebay.com/motors/link/?...44&alt=web ://http://pages.ebay.com/motors/link/?...44&alt=web

Not sure the link works right. Item # 281928036544

It works just fine, now if I just lose the sun spot in my eyes!

The GTS would also be in our running - except that they're all standard equipped with air suspension, which I don't want.


Tom
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Yours may be the actual wording Mark, but I think you & other folks got the jist of my comparison.

However, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that ole Henry Ford I did NOT spell it "colour"!

Also a great factoid about paint drying & the other history you bring in!


Tom
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Thanx for the dates Dave!

However, the Cayennes in Greens aren't on our wish list of colors, nor that eye searing electric yellow of Ripper's GTS, nor Reds, Oranges, Yellows, Browns, etc.

Are you part Canadian or UK or other Commonwealth with your "colours" BTW?
.... or just quoting from Mark Henry?

Cheers!