I recently had the unexpected chance to experience the new Porsche 911 Targa 4 (992 generation), and I’d love to share what it was like. Porsche 911 Targa 4 (992) The car I drove was the latest 992-generation Targa 4. As many of you will know, the Targa is neither a cabriolet nor a coupe. It has a bar at the center of the body, in the position of a B-pillar, known as the Targa...
Porsche Tire Pressure Monitoring (TPM) Many Porsche models built over the past decade are equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPM). It used to be an optional extra, but gradually became standard equipment—and today, every Porsche comes with one. The system displays tire pressures in real time while you drive and alerts you if a tire loses too much air. One of the best things about Porsche’s TPM is that it tells you how...
Porsche 911 Turbo S and Cayenne GTS Coupe: The Owner’s Story A reader of this blog got in touch to say, “I’ve bought a Porsche 911 Turbo S and a Cayenne GTS Coupe. They’re my first Porsches, and I’d love to share my impressions as a newcomer.” Thank you! Of course, those impressions may evolve as the cars cover more miles and tackle a wider variety of roads. For now, though, we’re delighted to share...
Air-Cooled Porsche Prices Keep Climbing Prices for air-cooled Porsches have been on a seemingly unstoppable rise. Used Japanese sports cars and other classics have also become more expensive, but the pace of appreciation for air-cooled Porsches has been particularly striking. These days, even cars that look to be in decent condition are often listed as “Price on Request” or “ASK.” Even cars with an asking price can approach ¥10 million if they have fewer than...
A Comparison of the 991.1 Carrera S Cabriolet and 981 Boxster GTS Anyone who’s considered buying a Porsche convertible has probably asked themselves this question at least once: “What’s the difference between a 911 Cabriolet and a Boxster?” I used to wonder about it, too. I understood the difference between a four-seater and a two-seater, and between a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and a mid-engine layout. But how different are they in terms of driving feel,...
Heading for Okayama’s Rural Roads It’s almost been a year since I bought my 992, but surprisingly, I haven’t taken it on many proper driving tours. Between trips to Fuji Speedway with my family and group drives with fellow Porsche enthusiasts, most of my outings have been with other people. I realized I hadn’t done many solo drives at all. This time, I took the 992 out to attend the Hiruzen MT (meet-up) in the...
It’s been hot day after hot day, but I’m still driving my 964 as often as ever. With its Tiptronic transmission, it’s easy to drive around town and commute in, making it just about the perfect air-cooled Porsche for everyday use. One day, I casually raised the rear spoiler to take a look and noticed that the plastic bellows-style component had deteriorated and developed a hole. It doesn’t directly affect how the car drives, but...
The Porsche 911 (992) and the Joy of Throttle Control The other day, I shared an article about how wonderful the base-model 911 (992) is. In it, I mentioned that “one of my husband’s Porsche friends was also amazed and impressed by what the base-model 992 could do.” When I later asked him what he had liked so much, he told me: “The handling is so good, it might even rival a GT3. The suspension...
The Allure of the Air-Cooled Porsche 911 (964) The other day, the air conditioning in our air-cooled Porsche 911 (964) started losing its cooling power, so my husband took it to our usual shop to have the refrigerant topped up. To find out whether the system had a leak somewhere or the refrigerant had simply diminished over time, the shop added fluorescent dye. He drove the car for a few days, then took it back...
Do We Regret Selling Our Porsche 911 GT3 Touring? We sold our Porsche 911 GT3 Touring this April. It was a special car—one my husband had carefully configured to his exact preferences before buying. But it was simply too capable: in everyday driving, we rarely had the chance to make full use of its performance. In the end, we reluctantly let it go. Since then, I’ve been asked many times: “Do you regret selling the...
