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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  The Homing Pigeon - 2005 Porsche Cayenne
  By Andrew C - April 1 - 10:40 pm

  The Porsche Cayenne S has great driveability for an SUV but sadly we call ours the Homing Pigeon because it spends so much time in the dealer shop. Mostly small warning light problems but also an amazing number of recalls - I think 6 to date, mostly software upgrades. We now have a home in the Canadian boonies and unreliability plus no spare means this car is to be changed for a Lexus LX 470 To be fair the Toronto service shop has been well above average in looking after us but at the end of the day I want the car on the road, not in the shop. BTW the 19" tires are just horrible in snow - I bought an 18" set of rims and dedicated winter Scorpions and then she was great.

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  2000 Boxster S - 2000 Porsche Boxster
  By r1rb - March 27 - 10:00 am

  No problems. I sold an 88 911 targa to get this car and am very pleased with it. I would highly recommended it!

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  Awsome Car - 2005 Porsche CARRERA GT
  By Mike - March 23 - 11:50 pm

  This is the best Porsche ever! It leaves me totally speachless. I could go on forever about the handling and all the other sweet things!

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  Porsches are cool - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By pollie - March 22 - 10:46 pm

  Hi I have a Porsche Cayenne s. It drives great, and its looks are very good. It is fun to drive because it has that feel of a true race car. driving it with PSM off is magical.I like my Cayenne except there is something on the dashboard that rattles that I need it fixed so I can like this 60,000 dollar car better. I like Porsches! there fun and I like my old one 2! bye

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  2013 Boxster S blue/blue roof/grey - 2013 Porsche Boxster
  By ttibio - March 21 - 6:52 pm

  Took delivery late June to replace a 996. Pretty much fully loaded with PDK, Sport Chrono, etc. It is an excellent looking vehicle - I had ordered it sight-unseen in January but was not disappointed. Maybe a bit fussy versus the 991, but that is too much of a grand tourer now. Not really budget constrained, but do think that at $80k I paid, the base+6spd starts to look GREAT value. The PDK is incredibly snappy, steering/handling super sharp, etc. - its just as the reviewers reviewed it - an excellent driver all round. Not sure the interior is super luxe - bit plasticky if you look around a bit. Anyway it gets an A-. Like it a lot and will keep it a long time I am sure.

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  Poor Reliability - 2004 Porsche Cayenne
  By Dan - March 19 - 10:00 am

  Parking Brake broke after a few tries. Replaced transmission drive at 40K miles and gear shift really poorly. Climate Control awful making so much noise. LED dashboard was so bad that needed to replace as warranty item. Sun Glasses box broke and cost $250. Oil change or minor maint. is very expensive. I wouldnt buy it if given second chance. Stylist and good performance but reliability is not in the design process. Beside the design for perf. must take reliability and cost-efficient sustainability seriously. Good name Porsche is tainted.

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  Our first anniversary gift to ourselves - 2002 Porsche Boxster
  By The Eiserts - March 13 - 8:00 pm

  My DH and I decided to buy something very unnecessary for our one year anniversary, so glad we did! We had been looking at the 2006 Mustang gt, but those are a dime a dozen now. We picked up our new toy for $16K in excellent condition. We love the comfort, handling, and speed. Yeah baby! We actually fight over who gets to drive! On our test drive, we got it up to 120 mph and it was barely over 3000 rpm ! Need I say more! This is one fun ride! Its a dream to drive in town as well as on the open road. Dont hesitate to buy this car!

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  Craven Moorehead - 2002 Porsche Boxster
  By Craven Moorehead - March 13 - 2:00 am

  For everyone who always wanted a sports car but ended up with just a sporty car, this is the real thing.

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  A luxury car that is not overstated - 2015 Porsche Macan
  By langdonstreet - March 11 - 2:08 pm

  The car drives like a charm. In the 2000 miles from FL to NY we averaged 26.5 mpg. The technology helps keep me in check.

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  Pure exitment - 2000 Porsche 911
  By morris944 - March 9 - 1:00 pm

  This is definitely a great purchase. This car is fun to drive and I cant find enough reasons to drive it. Its horsepower and torque have a nice balance. The only complaint is the suspension. It is too soft for such a performance vehicle. A stiffer suspension would give this car more predictability. However the PSM certainly compensates for it.