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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  Fun Car, But Not a Daily Driver - 2009 Porsche Cayman
  By DeeM - July 31 - 2:03 pm

  The 2.9 L Cayman has plenty of power for the public roads with good low-end torque. Cabin space is limited while the rear window provides limited visibility. The exterior design grows on you and it is refreshing since the 911 has not changed much in its history. I had an issue with a missing key which took over 1 hour for the dealer to program. The passenger window does not close properly with automatic feature. I dislike Porsche dealers and salespeople - they think its so special. Its expensive. The interior materials are top quality now with lots of leather, alcantara, and carpeting. Fit is solid with only a minor rattle from passenger side. Ride is very hard, especially with 19"

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  Fun to drive - 2006 Porsche Cayenne
  By PAUL - July 25 - 1:10 pm

  In the last two years Ive owned two Cayenne S. Things to note the air suspension and panoramic sun roof are worth the money, plus itll sell easier with them. The reliability however is bellow par! Plan on bringing it in monthly to change every bulb, followed by something else after that.

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  BEST SUV - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By kwoktoa - July 14 - 10:00 am

  This is definitely a fun car to drive. The four-wheel system, the engine sound, the 6-speed tiptronic system are excellent. There is no way that you can compare with other SUV in the market.

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  MY 4s - 2003 Porsche 911
  By carlonne - June 18 - 10:00 am

  Generally I am very pleased with the car except for the poor gas mileage. This is further complicated by the fact that it has a very small gas tank. Be prepared to refuel every other day!!!

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  Catastrophic Engine Failure - 2005 Porsche Boxster
  By Michael_W - June 10 - 12:16 pm

  Leased the 2005 Boxster S in February. Other than sidelight issues and a tire blowout in the upper peninsula of MI that required an excursion via flatbed trailer for 150 miles to the nearest town and a two day wait for the replacement tire it would have been an uneventful trip. The real fun started in the 2nd summer of ownership when the counterbalance shaft snapped in half with 10,127 miles on the odometer. Porsche replaced the engine 6 weeks later at their expense with a remanufactured 2006 version. Michigan summers are noted for their brevity so the six week layup took the fun out of the relationship. I flipped the lease in spring of 2007 and still miss the car. Reliability is an issue.

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  Great Big 911 - 2005 Porsche Cayenne
  By Sandra Pitoniak - June 2 - 6:20 pm

  This Cayenne is just like driving my 911 only I am setting higher off the ground and I do not feel every pebble in the road surface. Great in the rain on slick roads and excellent handling in traffic. Still an obscure vehicle and no one really knows what it is, which is a plus. I like the fact that I can shift is manually. Very glad I bought the tire/rim warranty. Have replaced two tires already. Will keep you informed as the Porsche and I really get to know one another.

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  Awesome car, some issues, all smile - 2002 Porsche 911
  By Wayne Chu - May 30 - 1:23 pm

  I bought a 5 year old used Carrera C2 through the local Porsche dealship with 48,000km on it. The car developed a wee-wee noise from the get go. The dealer serviced the brakes, changed the transmission but could not make the noise go away. It turned out to be the front wheel bearing. I was told this was not a common issue with this vehicle and the dealer did not see a history of wheel bearing replacement in the past. One of the bi-Xenon bulb also had to be replaced last year; it was covered under extended warranty. It was a good thing I bought extended warranty. Since then, the car is running perfect and I am enjoying it.

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  nice boxster s - 2002 Porsche Boxster
  By yelloboxsters - May 17 - 5:56 am

  Only thing I could complain about the car is the very high profit margin to resell value. Mine retailed for almost 60,000 and I am needing to get a coupe (need backseat) and it only has 7,770 miles on it and the best I can get for it is 45,000. that to me is pretty poor. If you are considering buying one please buy a used one from a individual. Save yourself about 15,000 dollars and pick up a nice pre owned one. This is a review for a 2001 boxster s that was purchased new in may of 2001.

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  98 Boxster - 1998 Porsche Boxster
  By Efro - May 17 - 2:00 am

  Excellent car! Fun to drive but needs more HP.

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  2003 Carrera 4S - 2003 Porsche 911
  By carlos - May 14 - 5:56 pm

  I love the exterior design and the cars performance