Actually, Recently…

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you might have already noticed that I’ve recently started getting interested in the 911… (-_-)

My love for Porsche actually began with the Panamera. Becoming a Porsche fan because of the Panamera might seem unorthodox to die-hard Porsche enthusiasts, and some might dismiss it by saying, “That doesn’t mean you truly know Porsche.”

But including my experience driving the 911 and Boxster (come to think of it, I’ve never driven a Cayman), I was deeply impressed and captivated by the Panamera’s amazing ability to combine seemingly opposing qualities—“luxury and sportiness,” “overwhelming performance and comfort”—at a high level. Since then, “buying a Panamera GTS” became my personal goal.

Later, my husband bought a Panamera Edition for the family and upgraded to the new Panamera Turbo last year, but “Well, if you love a car, you should buy it with your own money!” so my goal of buying a Panamera myself remained… but…

Edition → Turbo → GTS…?

A few months ago, I started thinking like this:

“I’ve driven the Panamera Edition (970), then the Panamera Turbo (971), but is there really a point in buying the Panamera GTS too?”

If I were driving a base Panamera, aiming for the GTS would make sense, but since I’m already driving the Turbo… Also, my husband said about the current Panamera Turbo, “I think I’ll be driving this one for a long time,” so maybe I don’t need to cling to the goal of buying a Panamera myself.

Also, when I recently went to Fuji Speedway and drove on the circuit, I felt “It would probably be even more fun if it were a 911~”, and seeing various 911 models there made me think “911s are seriously cool!” (A bit late, huh? lol) I know it sounds like I’m making excuses…

It’s totally fine if I’m just “getting interested in the 911” now, but since I’ve been saying things like “Panamera! Panamera! Panamera is way better than 911 (ﾟ∀ﾟ)!” for so long, I felt a bit guilty inside, and (maybe I’m overthinking it lol) but since that won’t get me anywhere, I decided to try simulating “what it would be like if I bought a 911” using the car configurator.

Looking at the 911 Model Lineup.

A bit nervous, I first visited the official Porsche Japan website and took a close look at the 911 lineup—and was totally shocked!

So expensive! ( ﾟдﾟ)

I had seen it before, but looking again carefully, it’s expensive. The base Panamera costs ¥11,620,000, so even the base 911 is about ¥1,000,000 more expensive than the Panamera in its base form. After reviewing the “911 Quick Reference Table” my husband made recently,

→[Past Article] Made a Quick Reference Table for Porsche 911 Lineup — Which One Suits Me Best?

I thought, “I probably prefer all-wheel drive, and I don’t need it to be super sporty,” so I decided to choose the 911 Carrera 4.

Finally, onto the Car Configurator Screen.

First, I chose the exterior color.

“White is common, black doesn’t feel like me, yellow is off, silver is pretty but costs extra as an option… okay, red it is!”

So I selected “Guards Red.”

Next, the wheels. The standard is 19-inch Carrera wheels, but I thought 20-inch wheels would look cooler with a longer stance, so I chose “20-inch Carrera S wheels.”

Next, interior color and seats. When I had the Panamera Edition, the beige interior looked great, but it showed dirt easily and was hard to clean, plus with small kids at home who might mess things up, I played it safe and chose black.

→[Past Article] Tried Cleaning Panamera Leather Seats as Much as Possible [With Photos]

Skipping seat options, I moved on to optional equipment. The rear badge normally says “911 Carrera 4,” but I wanted something simpler, so I chose just “911.”

From there, I selected:

■ Exterior
・911 logo
・LED headlights
・Porsche Entry & Drive system
・Park Assist (front and rear)
・Power folding door mirrors
・Privacy glass (rear windows only)
■ Transmission & Chassis
・PDK
・Sport Chrono Package
・Sports Exhaust System
■ Wheels
・20-inch Carrera S wheels
■ Interior
・Adaptive Cruise Control
・Floor mats

Basically, if you can’t drive manual, you have no choice but to pick PDK, which automatically adds about ¥650,000 ((((；ﾟДﾟ))))(I have a manual license but honestly can’t handle manual driving)

Then I clicked “Show Selection Results” and…

Base Price: ¥13,720,000!
Price for Equipment (Options): ¥3,182,000!
Total Sale Price: ¥16,902,000!

*By the way, this link

Wow, that’s expensive.

There Must Be Good Used Ones!

So I thought, “Wouldn’t it be smarter to buy a used one with some options and low mileage?” and started searching on Car Sensor and Goo.

But Carrera 4s are quite rare, and the body colors listed are mostly white, black, or silver. When it comes to red or orange, most are GT3s.

Hmm, tough… (-_-)

So I emailed my husband. (Sorry for bothering you at work)

“I tried configuring a Carrera 4, but the options alone cost over ¥3 million, so I looked for used ones, but there wasn’t a single red Carrera 4 available~”

He replied:

There aren’t many reds. I think flashy colors are more popular for GT3s and up.

I see… so I replied, “Then I guess it’s better to consider buying new myself,” and he said:

If it’s a Carrera 4, it’s best to keep it as simple as possible with just the sports exhaust and Sport Chrono. Options don’t add much value when you resell. Also, the dealer said visible options like wheels or sunroof increase the price.

Wow, I didn’t know that (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

I asked, “But I guess it’s better to have the Porsche Entry & Drive system, right? It’d be annoying if the doors didn’t open automatically?”
He said:

For me, Entry & Drive isn’t necessary on the 911 or Boxster. With sports cars like those, I want the ritual of inserting and turning the key.

I see… a ritual. Indeed, Porsche still starts the engine by turning the ignition key, and the dealer also said,

“Starting the engine by turning the ignition key instead of just pushing a button is Porsche’s commitment to the feeling of ‘I’m about to drive now!’”

Reconsidering Specs Based on Husband’s Advice.

So I tried the configurator again with these options:

■ Exterior
・911 logo
■ Transmission & Chassis
・PDK
・Sport Chrono Package
・Sports Exhaust System
■ Wheels
・20-inch Carrera S wheels
■ Interior
・Floor mats

This resulted in:

Base Price: ¥13,720,000
Price for Equipment (Options): ¥1,822,000
Total Sale Price: ¥15,542,000

Hmm, I cut a lot but it doesn’t feel much cheaper (-_-)… Well, I understand that if I buy one, this is roughly the minimum I’d need.

The Rear Axle Steering Issue.

That day, when I told my husband after he got home, “I configured the Carrera 4 like this!” he said,

“But if it’s a Carrera 4, you can’t add rear axle steering. You need an S or higher for that. Are you okay with that?”

Oh, really? But I’m not that sporty a driver, so I feel like getting the S would be overkill… Then he continued,

“But then it’s the S, and if that’s the case, the GTS already has everything, so isn’t that better? But the GTS and Turbo don’t differ much in price, so maybe the Turbo is better? Or maybe I should just go for the Turbo S! Porsche is really good at making you go down that path.”

Well, anyway, I now know roughly how much it would cost to buy one, and of course there are maintenance costs too. Having a clear image, I’m ready to work hard!