Overview & Reviews

Porsche cars have a virtually untarnished reputation and are considered among the finest performance vehicles in the world. It's a reputation that's well-deserved. With razor-sharp handling and power aplenty, Porsche vehicles offer a driving experience like no other. It's little wonder that, for many, the marque has come to define the sports car category. For years, the only Porsches available were sleek sports cars, but the manufacturer recently expanded its lineup to include other types of vehicles.

The brand has its roots in the Porsche Engineering Office, founded in Stuttgart, Germany, by Ferdinand Porsche in 1931. Porsche brought with him years of experience as an automotive engineer; in the '20s, while employed with Daimler, his skill was tapped to create Mercedes' iconic SS and SSK sports cars. Porsche has long had close ties with Volkswagen, and the first Porsche vehicles were small two-seat sports cars that were largely based on VW chassis. From 1948-'50, most of these early Porsche cars (the brainchild of Porsche and his son Ferry) were actually built in Austria before production was switched to Zuffenhausen, Germany. Ferdinand's first real production car was the VW Beetle, so it was no surprise that his sports cars used those components and had their air-cooled engine mounted in the rear.

The 1950s saw the birth of two icons, the 356 Speedster with its low-cut windshield and the lightweight, midengined 550 Spyder. Both cars helped Porsche rack up a multitude of wins on the racetrack. In the mid-'60s, the 356 made way for the revered 911. Powered by an all-new six-cylinder engine, the coupe scored two consecutive wins at Monte Carlo. Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, the 911's air-cooled flat-six engine was located in the rear of the vehicle.

By the time the '70s rolled around, Porsche had introduced the 914 (the "affordable" Porsche with a midengine design and a targa top), the mighty 911 turbo, the disrespected 924 (powered by a weak front-mounted, water-cooled inline four) and the flagship 928 (front-mounted V8, four-seat coupe). The '80s saw the birth of the 956, a car that went on to become the most successful racecar of all time. The twin-turbo, all-wheel-drive 959 was also launched; it became the first sports car to win the Paris-Dakar Rally and the street version could hit nearly 200 mph. The athletic 944 debuted in 1983, as did a convertible version of the 911, something that had been missing for some years. The '80s also saw the rebirth of the 924, now with some muscle courtesy of the 944's strong-for-the-time (147-horsepower) inline four.

By the early 1990s the 928 had been discontinued and the 944 was replaced by the similar 968. Because of a lack of dynamic product and a tough market climate, Porsche was suffering financially. The company's savior, the Boxster roadster, debuted in 1997 and brought back the spirit of the old 550 Spyder. In 2003, Porsche committed what purists considered a sin as the company brought the Cayenne SUV to the market. However, once those enthusiasts discovered the Cayenne's sporting performance (especially in 450-hp turbo form) all was forgiven. The following year, Porsche brought out the ferocious (605-hp) Carrera GT supercar.

Today, Porsche's lineup is quite broad for a specialty automaker and now even includes a luxury super sport sedan, the Panamera. Throughout its history, Porsche has exhibited amazing resilience, weathering changes in consumer tastes and the economic climate. As such, it's safe to assume that this ever-robust company will continue to be known for making vehicles that excel at performance, luxury and usability.

User Reviews:

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  silver bullet= rattling beer can - 2002 Porsche 911
  By car fan - May 30 - 2:00 am

  This is a fast and capable car. I traded my 1995 for this vehicle. Mechanically this car is a better sports car. Quality is not good at all on the interior. Rattles all over the place The mechanics have spent a lot of time doing the interior produciton corrections that porsche should have done better at the factory. I do not expect a totally quiet convertable on 30 series tires, but clearly a 90K car should be better than this. The Boxters they have been nice enough to give as loaners show better interior quality control.

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  Porsche Boxster - 2004 Porsche Boxster
  By msy - May 21 - 10:00 am

  Great car for the value. Gets lots of looks. I would recommend spending the extra cash for an S model, because the regular lacks the punch...

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  Very nice interior - 2010 Porsche Panamera
  By Robert - May 18 - 9:10 pm

  This car has the nicest interior of any I have been in. You feel like you are wrapped in luxury. I would live in it if I could. I especially like the Yachting interior. It has alternating multicolored words in the console. Very nice is an understatement. Lots of buttons and a touch screen navigation. The power is also more than adequate on the “S” version.

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  03 911 T - 2003 Porsche 911
  By efmd - April 25 - 10:00 am

  Great car on the track, the street, and the snow (must use winter treads). I use the 17 inch winter rims from my previous 99 C4 Cab in the winter, and make it up any hill thanks to AWD and PSM traction control. The Natural brown leather looks great if you dont like the Porsche cinnamon and mustard looking leather. The radio is still not great even though its a bose, and has caused a few repair trips. Fewer rattles than the C4Cab. Great cornering and unreal acceleration. The C4 is really fast enough though.

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  Beautiful but a little let down - 2005 Porsche Cayenne
  By cayenne - April 24 - 6:06 am

  The cayenne is a rare find in a sea of similar SUVs. That being said, the fuel economy is horrible; especially for such a fun car to drive. On average it would run me approximately $60-$80 dollars per week if I drove the car daily. Im just consdering it my showpiece at this point because of the high cost of gas.

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  I love this car - 1998 Porsche 911
  By C2SOwner - April 19 - 2:00 am

  Heres the truth: you will never find a car thats more fun to drive. Period. If you want a luxury car, however, dont buy a porsche. The interior is spartan. The car creaks and croaks and makes other interesting noises. Theres no cupholder or other modern accutrements. And the dashboard layout defies logic (you cant even see the AC/Heat controls because they are blocked by the steering wheel). But you will stick to the road. And can take a sharp right at 60. And if you see 6th gear, youre probably going 100 (not that youd even notice).

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  Porsche has paint issues! - 2006 Porsche Cayenne
  By kb - April 9 - 12:43 pm

  I just purchased my first Porsche. I traded a beatiful Lexus GX470 that I wish I had back. Although the Porsche is fun to drive and I like the look, I have had several issues with the flat black paint. You can breathe on the paint and it scratches. It is only two months old and looks worse than most cars that are years old. The dealership has tried to put a band- aide on it and they keep cleaning it up really pretty. I am afraid to see what this car looks like in 6 months to a year. I cannot believe that a company like Porsche would offer such a poor quality paint! This should not even be an option!

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  catch me if you can - 2000 Porsche Boxster
  By r.t.batky - March 30 - 2:00 am

  great cornering ,handeling,speed.no legroom

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  How much for one that works - 2008 Porsche 911
  By maxxx - February 1 - 11:36 pm

  I have owned porsches since 1982, great cars, but what has happened to the quality. Buttons now fall off, electrical system fails - try losing your headlights at 65 on a windy road at midnight (I dont believe they switched to Lucas-but.....) and customer service that talks nice and does nothing. I just dont know, its a blast to drive, but then again, it is a porsche, but then again, its not the porsche I fell in love with

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  Carrera 2 - 1999 Porsche 911
  By sjp3003 - December 25 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car with 25K miles. Immediate changes: I swapped out the steering wheel, emergency brake lever, shifter, door pulls & driver seat bolster. These items wore more than I would have expected for a 25K mile car, especially the leather. The new items are Porsche carbon fiber & hopefully will hold up better in the long run. I also added the sports exhaust which provides a much more satisfying sound & a B&M short throw shifter. In terms of driving- this car is easy to drive around town- it almost feels like an econobox. It shines on fast winding roads, and the flat six sound from 4000 rpm onwards is magically refined.