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I’m not sure what to make of the Porsche Panamera. Does it get a pass because it is a Porsche and we find things we like about it and ignore the rest? Or is it just a good car that coincides with what we like about Porsche? Probably a little bit of both, but since its launch in 2009, it has always been more of an afterthought in the Porsche lineup and even more so with the introduction of the Taycan. Now that they are very much just “used cars,” is it worth looking into over the competitors from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi?
Long live the V12! In all seriousness, I’m not breaking any news here saying the V12 engine is not long for this world. The return just isn’t there for companies with the emissions regulations and you can make comparable power with turbochargers, superchargers, and electric batteries. Thankfully we have roughly 30 years of them to choose from and they seem to be aging reasonably well, all things considered. My favorite V12, the Mercedes-Benz M275, can be had across various of platforms and it seems the secret is out about them. Today’s car, a 2014 SL65 AMG, came with a giant sticker price of over $215,000, but that doesn’t mean you are going to be snagging this one for $48,000 some eight years later. Not even close.
I know there is a massive yearning for the lightweight aircooled Porsche 911s, but given how Porsche had to deal with, the 991 generation turned out pretty good. It surely isn’t ugly or offensive in terms of styling, and the performance is always at the world standard in terms of how they manage so much performance out of a flat-six engine that fits behind a set of the rear seats. I don’t think there is single variant of the 991 that you couldn’t drive everyday if you were brave enough, granted there was no snow on the roads, and still be extremely comfortable doing it. Even the base model C2 examples, like the one we are looking at today, still brings strong performance terms of power and numbers. The thing I have to wonder is, how far will they fall in terms of price?
The Porsche 911 Targa is one of those true ‘have your cake and eat it too’ cars that has been carrying on for a few decades now. After all, it was created to answer the rumor that the US was going to ban the sale of convertible cars due to safety reasons, but Porsche, and most importantly their customers, still wanted open-air motoring. What started as a simple removable roof panel transformed into a piece of sliding glass over generations, and now we have an extremely complex folding roof mechanism that you pray never has a fault with it. Still, when it works, it is amazing. So what do you say – are you a Targa fan or not?
Last week’s 911 Turbo Cabriolet was a quick lesson on how not to sell a car. Today I wanted to have another refresher, but this time on how not to buy a car.
This 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 seems enticing enough. Sapphire Blue Metallic, 16,000 miles, and under $100,000. Clearly a catch here. Photos are average, and the seller says the there was a “minor bumper accident”. Well, that is unfortunate, but maybe it was just a parking lot accident? After all, these are expensive body parts and some damage could trigger some replacement parts. Oh how I wish that was the case with this one. Just wait until you see what “minor” really is.
