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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  2002 C2 Cab - 4th 911 - 2002 Porsche 911
  By Bob in Fort Myers - December 19 - 3:16 pm

  My 4th 911, first water cooled and the best of the lot. Reliable and an absolute blast to drive even around town. There is nothing like a 911, especially a rag top with the top down. I bought a museum quality car and keep it that way as a pleasure car. When I take it out I feel the bit of celebrity a Porsche 911 brings to the road. I love the power top and the complex way the rear deck comes up to hide it, but it squeaks when going up and down and has a small intermittent rattle. No real problem. Hope to own a 911 until I die and would be buried in one but it would be a shame to deprive someone else of the pleasure of driving the car.

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  Porsche... there is no substitute. - 2007 Porsche Cayman
  By Dan - December 10 - 4:46 pm

  This is a sportscar that has to be driven to be believed and for the normal driver the 2.7 has more than enough hp and torque to keep a permanent grin on your face. As mine is a daily driver, in heavy traffic, I chose the Tiptronic and Im not disappointed with its performance at all. In manual mode it shifts extremely quickly and it screams thru the twisty turns, easily keeping pace with my buddys Corvette... without ever touching the brakes. The car is a real looker in meteor gray with the Boxster S wheels, chrome twin exhaust and I really like the preferred package extra touches. Be prepared to talk "Porsches" to complete strangers drooling over your car as most have never seen one.

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  Very Good - 2000 Porsche Boxster
  By bobby21234 - December 7 - 10:00 am

  I love this car. it is the best, nice handling, nice interior, everything is GREAT!!!!!!

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  Great vehicle - 2016 Porsche Cayenne
  By Banx - December 6 - 10:39 pm

  We traded in our 12 Turbo (500 hp) for this used but certified 16. Both the 12 and 16 had/have the sport chrono pkg. The buttons on the center console area are very easy to use. This vehicle has been fantastic to drive. With 520 hp, it accelerates 0-60 in about 4.2 seconds and there is zero turbo lag at any time. One big advantage of this model is the buttons on the console that allow the climate for driver or passenger to have air flow exactly as they wish in any combination of air flow outlets. The Bose sound is very good, way better than the Harmon Kardon in our two Mercedes cars (wagon and CLS) that have the weakest bass sound ever. The navigation system works well - this car doesnt have voice control (Mercedes nav is horrible). Heated steering wheel is very comfortable in the winter. The 15.8 mpg over the 5300K miles Ive been tracking it on a spreadsheet is 0.3 mpg less than what the trip computer has calculated. The EPA, which always overstates mpg, has it rated as 14/21 for city/hwy. It requires 93 octane like all Porsches, so if you live in an area where 91 octane is the highest available, the ECU will not nearly give you the acceleration performance that this car could give you. Reliability has been fine so far (expect to pay about $2K when the front brakes (rotors and pads) are replaced). There is no oil dipstick; once the car has been driven around 10 miles, a dash view of oil level can be seen in a submenu. This has averaged needing a half-quart of Mobil 1 5w-40 added every 1015 miles, which is normal for their twin turbo V-8. Cargo space in the rear is fine for us - it carries a few golf bags, etc. and has WAY more trunk capacity than the Macan or Audi Q5. While Id love a Macan, theyre just too small in the cargo area. One problem with Cayennes is removing the retractable cargo cover shade entirely out of the bracket that holds it in place. It is a ridiculously tough chore! This 16 has the sport exhaust option and the sound is quite exciting outside the vehicle, but you barely hear it inside - it sounds much more thrilling on this V-8 than on the Cayenne V-6 loaner I got. While we have a locking differential control, weve only used it a couple of times while clambering up a snowy, pine-covered trail to a camp. If you really need that go anywhere capability, Id guess the Range Rover would be the one to get. This came with summer tires - as soon as it got cold I took them off and put on all-season tires on the 21 inch wheels. The ride would be a bit more comfortable on rougher roads with smaller wheels. The LED low beam headlights have a sharp cutoff - Id prefer them to light up more of the road in front of us. There is an extremely annoying start/stop function - even though we turn it off, the 16 resets itself to "on" each time the engine is turned off. That split second when you dont realize the start/stop is functioning and youre turning left while seeing oncoming traffic and youll understand what I mean. Youre saving a few cents a week in gas but the starter is being used 20 times a day - whatll that Porsche starter cost to replace after the warranty is up? This has parking sensors front and rear that work very well (those in our Mercedes are useless), and the blind spot monitors are good too. Fortunately, the cruise control is NOT the adaptive option - I do not like those. Heated and ventilated seats work very well in front - the rear only has the base heated seats. Transmission has worked flawlessly so far.

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  The Best Car Ever - 2006 Porsche 911
  By Ole - December 6 - 12:36 pm

  This is the best car I have ever owned. It is fast and fun to drive. The quality of this car is excellent and the road handling is amazing. The 911 is still "the Daddy".

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  Unbeatable value and performance for a used car - 2008 Porsche Boxster
  By daftab - December 6 - 12:12 pm

  I bought a certified pre-owned RS 60 spyder with 30K miles, 2.5 years old, and paid $41K at a dealership (wrnty good to 100K mi or June 2014). The design, performance, fit&finish, and overall driveability are phenomenal. The sport exhaust is absolutely AWESOME!!. I love driving this baby through tunnels with the top down--the sound just stirs the soul! Many you tube videos exist that give nice reviews of the car, but for some reason none really capture the sound all that well. You really have to drive it to hear and feel it adequately. After researching "fun" cars for years, I feel that I couldnt have made a better choice for overall performance and value.

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  All-Singing, All-Dancing, All-Conquering - 2007 Porsche 911
  By Karl H - December 1 - 1:10 pm

  This is a stupendous car! Ive been a Porsche aficionado for 25 years. This is my 5th Porsche, and I never imagined it could be this good. It goes, stops and (mostly) handles at a level that is beyond my experience. It is very user-friendly, and a complete pussycat to learn, unlike the hair-shirt 996 GT3s. It is a fundamentally understeering car, which is the key to its benign nature. Alas, the understeer is too much of a good thing. It needs more adjustability so the push can be overcome by knowledgable owners. That said, it was sooo satisfying to put away a Viper, a Corvette Z06, all BMWs, all other Porsches and most everything else I encountered at Watkins Glen last weekend!

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  Hard to beat... - 2003 Porsche 911
  By Geo2000 - December 1 - 10:00 am

  A great all around driver. Step on the gas even at 5th or 6th gear and just go, go. I cant think of a better choice yet! Handling of course is excellent, Fit and finish are outstanding. Interior is well laid out. Navi is a real plus. A blast to drive and a real head turner.

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  2003 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet Tip - 2003 Porsche 911
  By Porsche911cab - December 1 - 10:00 am

  This is the best car I have ever owned, I just bought it a few months ago and I have been in heaven with it since then. Mine is Black with A Black Top and Black interior, which is probly the best color on the car. Everything works great, I havent had many problems, though the people at my dealership arent the brightest and sometimes screw things up. But besides that, when I have it out on the road its great. Im in Pennsylvania so we have alot of back roads I can just fly through with it. I rated Comfort as a 9, because when your going on a bumpy road, you can feel every bump right up your butt. But I love my car and wont get rid of it till next year!

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  Amazing Machine - 2003 Porsche 911
  By PerfectBMW - December 1 - 10:00 am

  This is the definition of perfection. The car is blazing fast, and quickly puts an end to other cars trying to keep up with you in turns. A REAL dream to drive, and always makes you turn around and look at it when you park it. Porsche, there IS no substitute.