CarMax has 95 Porsche Cayennes in inventory today, out of 91,843 total vehicles. Sixteen are V8’s. This is the cheapest of those 16 — and it’s a Turbo. Down below, I’ll share a comparison with the second-cheapest Cayenne V8 CarMax has, just north of our totally made-up cap of $45,000 for a unicorn. This one is a better deal, I think you’ll agree.

The 2017 Cayenne Turbo started at $116,500 new, with the Sport Package and Premium Package pushing real-world stickers well north of $125,000. At $38,998 with 52,000 miles, that’s a minimum $77,500 discount on 520 horsepower, a 4.1-second sprint to 60 mph, and a top speed of 173 mph. In a five-seat SUV. With a tow hitch. The Sport Package adds Porsche Active Suspension Management and sport exhaust; the Premium Package brings the panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats, and rear sunshade. This one also has Apple CarPlay, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, a Bose sound system, and adaptive air suspension.

This one is “Coming Soon” to Tuscaloosa, Alabama (where my 2021 Mercedes GLE63 was made, I should note!), which means you can track and grab it before anyone else does. Here’s the link, then we’ll get on with the comparison.

Stock No: 70019150 VIN: WP1AC2A2XHLA92718

Same Car · Different Story – Two Cayenne Turbos, $8,000 Apart: Why the Cheaper One is the Better Buy

Another 2017 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, albeit with only 30,000 miles – but priced at $46,998. The 52,000 mile one is $38,998. Surely, this low-mileage SUV is a better car? Not so fast. Well, the Porsches are…our conclusions are not.

Higher mileage console with wood trim – lower mileage not so much.

Both SUV’s have  twin-turbocharged 4.8-liter V8’s arriving at full torque — all 553 lb-ft of it — at just 2,250 rpm, meaning it doesn’t need to be wound up to move.

“The Cayenne Turbo is heroically, stupidly, unbelievably fast.“— Car and Driver

But let’s look side by side.

The Dulles car has 22,000 fewer miles, and CarMax is charging $8,000 more for them — about $364 per thousand miles of difference. No idea if that’s a lot, but it intrigued me. For a Porsche with a clean history and a single owner, that might be a defensible premium. But the Dulles car has a reported accident and multiple owners. The Tuscaloosa car does not. That changes the calculation a bit.

Porsche buyers — and Porsche repair bills — are not forgiving of undisclosed history. An accident on a Cayenne Turbo can mean anything from a minor parking-lot scuff to worse. The Dulles car may be perfectly fine. The Tuscaloosa car has the Sport Package, Premium Package, tow hitch, rear sunshade, and lane departure warning that the Dulles car is missing. On paper, the “expensive” one is actually the less-equipped of the two. And it’s coming soon – the Dulles car is reserved.

If you’re still interested in the lower-mileage 2017 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, it’s here at Dulles, Virginia. Near my home. I’ll go test drive it for you, for a beer.

Stock No: 70082741 VIN: WP1AC2A29HLA92984

Not ready for Porsche money? I recently covered a 2015 BMW X5 xDrive50i at $25,998 — 445 horsepower, single owner, white over tan, at CarMax Serramonte. A different kind of performance SUV at $13,000 less. Worth a look?

Who doesn’t need a basic AWD SUV unicorn to haul mulch and tools and the family and the occasional tail gate party?  One with a little style and oomph? Thinking a low mileage 2009 Porsche Cayenne S might fit the bill, especially a one-owner, accident free Texas “truck” that even comes with a tow hitch.  A real working man’s truck.

This one sold new 11 years ago for about $60,000 given the options (Bose stereo, heated seats and steering wheel, moonroof, and satellite radio – yes that was a paid option back then).  The 385 hp V-8 pulls this 5,000 lb vehicle to 60 mph in just over six seconds – not terribly quick – per this review in Left Lane News in 2008.

A GTS or Turbo Cayenne would be a bit faster, but I’ve never seen one near this price.  This 2009 GTS I wrote about last fall was $25,000.  Also covered a nearly identical 2009 S model here last summer priced at $24,000.   I think with the MaxCare warranty (a must) and taxes this 2009 Porsche Cayenne S would wind up being $25,000, and that still seems to be a bargain.  Find it here in  Littleton, Colorado.

If you miss the Volkswagen Taureg V-8, this SUV unicorn is for you.  The Porsche Cayenne SUV is big, relatively fast (okay, fast enough at 0-60 mph in six seconds flat), comfortable, and the interior is definitely not cookie cutter like most American and Japanese SUV’s.

Most Cayennes at CarMax are $30,000 and up, with a few six-cylinder ones in the $25-$30k range.  But who wants a six-cylinder in a Porsche unless it’s a 911?  If this 385hp Cayenne isn’t fast enough, occasionally CarMax tees up a much quicker 400+ hp GTS or Turbo of this 2009 vintage for about the same price (low $20’s) but very rare.  If that’s what you need, keep an eye out for supercharged Land Rovers or BMW X5 M’s – but both hover closer to $30,000 and up also.

Here’s a Car and Driver review of a 2008 – pretty much the same car.  Figure this 2009 Cayenne sold for maybe $75,000 10 years ago, and is available for a third of that now.  I’m figuring MaxCare is also a must – get another five years and 100,000 miles of warranty to keep from going broke.  Find this single-owner Cayenne here in Kentwood, Michigan.  I think it goes by Friday!

* If I haven’t mentioned before, a Quick Hit blog post means I hope to get a short piece online before a car sells and I get all pissed off I procrastinated, and also hopes to assure the reader I’m not going to waste your time with a long essay.  But brace yourself – have two in mind when I can find the time!