My Porsche Cayenne GTS

I purchased my 2014 Porsche Cayenne (958.1 generation) in February of 2020 in anticipation of my growing family.

While I was unsure of joining the “SUV Life” at first, especially coming from a two door sports car like the TTRS, I quickly became excited at the prospect of owning my first Porsche.

I remember when the original Cayenne was announced when I was in high school, and writing to Porsche for more information and them sending an educational VHS (video tape!) for me to watch.

I watched that video for hours, enamored at the idea of having an SUV that is still sporty and handles well. In this era, luxury SUVS were relatively new, with the first (true) luxury midsize SUV being the Mercedes ML320 in 1998, followed by the BMW X5 and Lexus RS300.

Fast forward to 2014 when my car was made, and Porsche had really perfected the craft of the performance SUV. This segment had gotten more competitive, and Porsche wasn’t about to let its German rivals outflank them.

My GTS has 420 hp from a naturally aspirated V8, tons of creature comforts like a panoramic sunroof and heated & cooled seats, great looks inside and out, and handles and sounds like a performance SUV should.

Not only is it fun to drive, but it was a great value, too.

My specific car had a $106,085.00 sticker price when new in 2014, but thanks to depreciation, I was able to pick the car up for less than 1/3rd of that price! Not only is this car my first Porsche, but it’s my first car that retailed for six figures.

The car came with 64,000 miles on it, which means it was driven about 10k miles per year. It was in good shape with a clean CarFax, and most importantly it had the ONE specific option that I was a non-negotiable to me – the optional Carrera Red leather interior.

You can see the full option list & sticker below thanks to VinAnalytics.com:

Options & original sticker for my Cayenne GTS

In my opinion this is one of the best SUVs you can buy under $40K, new or used, if you’re a car enthusiast like me. Newer cars will certainly have nicer tech like CarPlay (which can be retrofitted to my car, and likely will), but none will pack quite so much value and even many new cars still haven’t quite caught up to the 2014 Cayenne’s interior and level of refinement.

Going for the GTS model was also the right move for me, as it softened the blow of transitioning from a 500 WHP sports car to a dad-mobile. The GTS is tuned for someone who wants a sporty ride, more aggressive sounding exhaust, and the V8 never fails to disappoint.

My plan is to keep this car mostly stock, as my last few cars have been heavily modified and it’s time for a break.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE modifying vehicles…but my goal for this vehicle is to keep it as a comfortable daily driver and family car. Eventually, and hopefully not too far from now, I will get another sports car to play around with and modify once again, while keeping the Cayenne as my more reliable and reasonable method of transportation.

That being said, I can’t leave the car “good enough” if I discover opportunities to improve it. Anything that breaks or needs replaced will get upgraded when needed, and I’ve already started to customize things to my liking.

Current upgrades or modifications:

Future modifications I’m considering include:

  • Ceramic brake pads to reduce dust
  • SOUL Performance midpipe to increase sound
  • Lowering links for slightly better stance

As you’ll notice, that’s a pretty short mod list compared to my last cars.

The nice thing about the GTS is that it is already “pre-modded” from the factory to be more performance-oriented with a sports exhaust, lowered stance, 21″ wheels, body kit, and so-on. Inside and out, it already has a number of nice upgrades over a regular Cayenne.

The naturally aspirated V8, unlike its Turbo counterpart, does not gain much from a tune or other performance adders, which will likely keep me from trying to add more power – the parts are very expensive, and the gains are very minimal…not to mention the decrease in reliability and expensive Porsche repair bills if something goes wrong.

Wish me luck as I try to keep this build relatively mild!

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