If you had asked me in the 1990s about the possibility of Porsche – or any other European car brand –building an SUV, I would have thought you were either drunk or crazy. Fast-forward 20-plus years later and the SUVs from Porsche and BMW are their best-selling models ever. This is not too much of a surprise as even in its first generation, the Porsche Cayenne took everything that was great about a Porsche road car and put it into an SUV.
Reviews of the first-generation Porsche Cayenne S used phrases such as “a sports car in a 4×4 disguise.” Motor Trend, when talking about the Cayenne S, stated, “The handling is breathtaking. Put the Porsche into a corner and it will stick and track its way around the corner with no detectable body roll.”
The only qualm at the time was that Porsche sacrificed some of the Cayenne’s off-road ability to deliver the best on-road model they could. Despite this compromise, there were many potential customers who now had big families and wanted a Porsche to accommodate their spouse, two kids, and dog and still do a respectable 5.6-second 0-60.
Our AutoHunter Spotlight today is a first-generation example of Porsche’s SUV, a 2004 Porsche Cayenne S. The auction ends Friday, May 16, at 11:30 a.m. PST.
The seller describes this Cayenne S as being powered by a water-cooled 4.5-liter V8 mated to a six-speed Tiptronic S automatic transmission. Finished in Basalt Black over a matching leather interior, this German performance SUV is offered with a clean CARFAX report and clear title. Unlike most first-generation Cayennes – most of which passed the 100,000-mile mark a decade ago – this one has only covered 48,485 miles.
The condition of this Porsche’s exterior speaks to the low miles. I could not see any obvious flaws in the Basalt Black paint; the only real issue I saw was a small mark on the driver-side front wheel.
The interior is much the same, with the leather in great shape and no visible bolster wear on the driver or passenger seats. The condition of the leather looks as good as it did when new, again aligning with the low mileage. It seems someone really cared about this Porsche.
Under the hood is the 4.5-liter V8, which also looks to be in great shape. Everything in the engine compartment seems clean. In addition, the seller states that this Porsche has recently been serviced and has several new parts, including the starter, coils, spark plugs, coolant pipes, and air filter. The fluids have also been changed. In essence, these are all the things you would want to see done on a 2004 Cayenne.
Now, before you all say this is not a collector car, think about this: The SUV segment is the largest in the U.S. car market. Vehicles like this Cayenne – as well as its predecessor in the market, the BMW X5 – redefined the way we perceive SUVs. They have become the most important models for their companies; they basically keep the lights on. In addition, since they do so many daily-driver activities well, most have had the wheels driven off of them. As a result, finding nice examples – especially first-generation Cayennes – is quite difficult.
With all that in mind, I honestly feel this is a true future collector car that is likely to become more and more desirable as time goes on. Add to that the fact that Porsche Cayenne values are still low and you’ve got an example here that is well worth a few bids.
The auction for this super-clean 2004 Porsche Cayenne S ends Friday, May 16, at 11:30 a.m. PST.
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery
