Today’s Cayenne represents a car dismissed by some for the dilution it brought to the Porsche brand. There are others, however, who don’t mind its mad mix of speed and sitting up high. Let’s see if this red rocket’s price is something about which we can all agree.

Last Friday we looked at a that was so old school it probably kept an apple for the teacher in its trunk. The lesson we all learned was that even an inaccurate restoration—the car had the wrong stripes, bumper, and grille—couldn’t sway the lure of a warm V8 and a four-speed stick. In the end, that not-so-perfect but perfectly a-okay ‘Stang earned a solid 70 percent Nice Price win at its $18,999 price tag.

You know, I often wonder what is the oldest car out there that most people would still consider viable day-to-day transportation. I see a lot of early Mustangs tooling around here in my neck of the woods so a few folks must seem to think that they do just fine.

The simple fact is, cars and trucks have changed dramatically over the years. This is especially true since the 1980s when electronics began to play a central role in how they run, handle, and the quality of their exhaust. It’s inarguable that today’s cars offer more horsepower, greater safety, and fewer emissions than any generation that has come before. Amazingly, they do all those things while still using less fuel, on average.

Change is an omnipresent factor in nearly all aspects of our lives. Some change is for the better, and some, for the worse. One change that has proven contestable for many is Porsche’s move from a maker of strictly sports cars, to one with a more expansive product line, including the building of (clutches pearls) a tall wagon with all-wheel drive.

This is an example of that expanded model line, a move that Porsche made in the late ‘90s to basically save their bacon. At the time, Porsche was cash light and they attempted to mitigate expenses by doing things like cobbling together the cheaper Boxster and range-topping 911 out of many of the same parts. That made the expensive car look kind of cheap.

The better way to improve development was to increase revenues and the best way to do that was to enter a new segment with a capable contender that leveraged the company’s already aspirational brand. As we all know, the rest is history. Porsche sold a ton of Cayennes, and that led to revenue streams that allowed the continued development of their sports cars.

Let’s all give this GTS Red over black leather Cayenne Turbo a hearty “well done” for its roll in that renaissance and then let’s see if it might be worth dropping some coin on, itself.

The car comes with 87,000 miles on the clock and what’s claimed to be a clean title. It also appears to be running current registration tags on its California plates. The 2010 Cayenne is not the best looking of the breed—the mid-cycle refresh didn’t do the taillight design any favors, in my opinion—but it’s not hideous or anything. The paint looks to be in excellent shape, as do the factory alloys, which show no sign of curb rash. Those wear Pirelli P-Zeros.

The interior appears equally up to the task with leather on the seats, dash, and door cards, and enough buttons to keep you busy pushing things on even the longest of trips. Of course, the car comes with pretty much every accouterment you could want—power everything, nav, heated seats, etc.—so you would feel very spoiled in here.

Power is provided by Porsche’s 4.8-litre V8 which makes its 500 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque by way of a pair of turbos tucked down under the heads. Transmission duties are handled by a six-speed Asin TR-80SD with Tiptronic shift capability. The engine compartment here looks clean and complete but is as shiny as a Mr. World competitor. The bay has been coated in that wax dealers like to add to make everything glisten but thatis also so sticky it makes the car a pain to work on.

The ad says that the car is accident-free and has no leaks nor drivetrain issues. It says so in Spanish, and then in a verbatim translation into English which is fun. My Spanish is not that great, but I think I could make do to negotiate a deal on a car like this.

How about the rest of you? Would you consider this Porsche Cayenne regardless of the language? How about when we throw in its $12,400 asking? Does that have you saying muy bueno, or ¡ay caramba!

You decide!

Los Angeles, CA , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup!

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