The Carrera T Is Seeing Less Action

It’s been six months since I took delivery of my 911 Carrera T.
My first Porsche, and after much deliberation, I chose the Carrera T.

The driving experience is incredible. Light, agile, with outstanding handling, and the manual transmission is so much fun—I have no complaints about the driving at all. In fact, the Carrera T is just amazing.

But lately, I’ve been driving the Carrera T less and less.

The reason is clear: the car’s impracticality for daily use has become more apparent.

My husband had warned me about this from the start.

The Carrera T has a sports chassis and low ground clearance. You might be able to use it daily, but you should be prepared for some challenges. Are you sure you’re okay with that?

That was his caution.

At the time, I thought, “That’s not a problem at all.” In fact, until just recently, I was using the Carrera T for everything: dropping off and picking up the kids at school, taking them to the dentist, dermatologist, and pediatrician, grocery shopping, trips to the drugstore and convenience store—wherever I went, it was in the Carrera T.

Since I installed the front axle lift system, I thought, “Raising the ride height by 30mm means I can go anywhere without issue.” And early on, I was very careful, so I never scraped the underside.

However, recently (our neighborhood is quite hilly), I’ve started scraping the bottom in unexpected places—like at gas stations or when driving the kids to their friends’ houses—moments where I thought, “Wait, here too!?”

Well, this was within my expectations, and more than anything, the joy of driving the Carrera T far outweighs these inconveniences. Even when my husband suggested, “Why don’t you drive the GLB sometimes?” I stubbornly replied, “No, I’m going everywhere in the Carrera T!” and kept driving it.

That said, my daily life is very different from my husband’s—I don’t commute to an office (I work from home), and I only drive on the highway to Osaka two or three times a month. Otherwise, I mostly drive within a three-kilometer radius, with each trip lasting about 15 minutes.

My husband often says,

If you’re not driving for more than 20 minutes, the Carrera T isn’t the best choice. Repeatedly stopping the engine before the oil temperature rises isn’t good for it. Instead of using the Carrera T for every trip, why not drive the GLB daily and save the Carrera T for special occasions?

Gradually, I started to agree with him more and more.

The Kids and the Carrera T

Another big factor is my three children.

Although the Carrera T seats four, the rear seats are quite cramped. Plus, my three-year-old son insists on sitting in the front passenger seat, so my 10-year-old daughter and 7-year-old daughter end up squeezed into the back every time.

My eldest daughter gets car sick easily and quickly feels unwell, so in the cramped, upright rear seats, she’s almost always feeling queasy and often says, “Mom, I really hate your car…”

And I can’t blame her.

I now understand how dads feel when they get grumbled at by their families and feel a bit out of place driving a sports car (laughs).

Being a two-door, having to fold the front seats down every time to get in and out is a bit of a hassle, too. So, while getting complaints from the kids, I drive the Carrera T around the neighborhood within a three-kilometer radius, constantly mindful of parking and scraping risks…

These days, I find myself wondering what to do about all this.

Of course, the Carrera T itself is blameless; this is entirely my issue, something I knew from the start.

Anyone can see that for someone like me who only drives locally, the Carrera T is overkill—a case of pearls before swine. I was fully aware of that.

Still, I wanted to fulfill my dream of “buying my own Porsche,” and thanks to various fortunate connections, I took the plunge and bought it. (That said, I have no regrets.)

So, “should I sell it then?” That’s also difficult. I’m emotionally attached, and when I do take it on longer drives, it’s incredibly fun. Every time I drive it, I’m reminded of how wonderful and enjoyable the Carrera T is.

It’s a tough call… For now, I think I’ll use each car according to the occasion and keep driving both.