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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  Satisfied Customer - 1st Porsche - 2002 Porsche Boxster
  By Debby - October 9 - 10:00 am

  It took 5 months from order to delivery to receive my 2002 Boxster but well worth the wait. Hard Top, Tip, Comfort & Sport Pkgs. This is my 1st Porsche experience and loving every minute of it. I have no real negatives at this time having only owned it for 4 months. Pleasant experience with my dealership and highly recommend them.

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  Buy this car! - 2002 Porsche Boxster
  By Sundeep Madra - October 8 - 2:00 am

  Porsche there is no substitue!

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  Plunging resale shocks me - 2001 Porsche Boxster
  By car buff - October 8 - 2:00 am

  Fun car to drive, lots of thumbs up from other drivers. Shocked when I went to trade it at 7 months and 7,000 miles to find value had dropped by 25-30%...dealer says Porsche shipping too many into US market. A squeak/rattle trap with top up .

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  2001 996 Carrera Coupe - 2001 Porsche 911
  By Bill Warnock - October 8 - 2:00 am

  Absolutely exhilirating to drive.The longer I own this car the more I love it and the more I appreciate how special it is. Ive been on winding mountain runs in the Arkansas Ozarks that were absolutely amazing in this car. Its low end torque, rapid acceleration and absolutely wonderful response to the drivers desires is beyond any car that I have ever had.

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  Porsche 2006 911S - 2006 Porsche 911
  By hevener - October 5 - 6:20 am

  A wonderful work of art. 6 speed stick is refined. Wife loves it. The fat rear end is sexy.

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  993 value should increase - 1998 Porsche 911
  By 1998 - A+ - October 4 - 2:00 am

  Best true sports car on the road. Low miles - great condition 98 appeals to me more so than a 2004 or 2004 996.

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  terrific - 2004 Porsche Boxster
  By jreynoso - October 4 - 2:00 am

  the car corners as if on rails and has tremendous get up and go.The seats are comfortable and the instruments are easy to reach.The ride is somewhat stiff ,but,most sports cars are.

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  V6, but real "Porsche" - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By SanJose Star - October 4 - 2:00 am

  Im not Porsche enthusiast, but begun to understand their feeling after buying this car. This car is not normal SUV but crossovered sports car. If you like to drive calmly, then just take D range, but if once you take M and always keep 3000-3500 rpm, this car would be drastically changed into real "Porsche". This change is so attractive to me, really fun to drive!

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  My New Car X50 - 2003 Porsche 911
  By Alex4747 - October 4 - 2:00 am

  This car is amazing. I originally did the homework and was close to buying a C4S, but when I saw the price I thought a used Turbo would be better, but then saw the upgrades made in 03 like the PCM II. Then the X50 package and I went for it. It is amazingly fast and without my Valentine 1, I be paying a lot of speeding tickets since its hard to tell when you are going over the speed limit. Overall this car is amazing and very well built. Mine does not rattle one bit. Love it!

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  This is the car you must get. - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By suizzy - September 30 - 10:00 am

  When I bought this car I did not know what I was geeting into. My husband loves it I wonder why we just could not get a simple van. Now I know why this one of the best SUV to me. So good we now own two.