Sharing Blog Comments

Thank you to everyone who regularly reads this blog, and to those visiting for the first time. As usual, we’re sharing some comments from readers, and this is the sixth installment. This time as well, we’ve lightly edited comments to include only the necessary parts and to keep the context clear before sharing them with you.

Comments from Readers

718 & 981 Boxster

718 Boxster GTS! The 718 Boxster GTS I bought six months ago was a stock car with red leather, and at first I thought, “Yikes! Red?” (laughs), but the real thing looks way cooler than the photos.
In pictures, the red looks harsh, but in reality, it’s more like a wine or Bordeaux shade… a subtle, calm color that’s hard to describe. By the way, if you select the Aluminum Gear Lever in the Aluminum Interior option on the configurator, the shift boot also matches the interior leather color.
The ride of the 718 really reminds me of the air-cooled models. The sound is definitely a matter of taste (laughs). Each has its charm, but it’s different from the sensual sound of a naturally aspirated engine. I liked the 718 so much that I ordered a manual, but the PDK is so excellent that maybe I could have been happy with that too!? (Runrun Rumba)

As always, your unbiased impressions without preconceptions are very educational.
> Personally, I prefer the sound of the 981.
I totally get that. Being a sensitive type myself, I’m captivated by the clear, wind-instrument-like high notes of the NA 6-cylinder exhaust. The problem is that Japan’s speed limits and gear ratios don’t really match for enjoying the exhaust sound at high revs. At a driving school, other participants asked me, “That’s a really nice sound, is it stock?” so a sports exhaust might be an essential accessory for the Boxster. (Tap)

I recently sold my Macan GTS and switched to the 718 Boxster GTS. GTS is definitely Porsche’s recommended option. Since you can’t really use all the power on Japanese roads, the base or S would be fine, but every time I drive or even just look at the GTS, it lifts my spirits. It motivates me to work even harder. (Ippachi)

New Macan & New Cayenne

*From comments on Attending the New Macan Preview – Differences from Previous Model, Driving, and Auto Journalist Reviews

I recently drove the old Macan model as a loaner for one day. It didn’t move me like the Panamera did, but it’s a nice car. I don’t quite understand the design intent of the black panel under the door on the Macan in this article… I think it would look cooler if it was cleaner like the Cayenne.
There are articles saying the next Macan will be fully electric. I’m not very interested in tall cars except for family use, so I probably won’t consider it, but I’m curious. (SN)

The Cayenne Coupe looks great! I checked the website and in the US, the Cayenne Coupe is about $75,000 and the Turbo is $130,000. When I tried the configurator, options added $30,000–40,000.
The 2+1 seating can be changed for free as the article says. For a car this size, making 2+1 standard makes sense, but I guess as a sports car maker, they won’t compromise on that. (SN)

Panamera Various

I currently own a 970 Panamera Turbo and am considering buying the 971 Turbo. Staff at a shop I often visit said, “Only the Turismo can have 4+1 seating; others might not pass inspection.” Also, I learned from this blog that the “Rear Axle Steering” is sometimes written as “Rear Axel Steering”. Which is the official name? (Uri)
[Blog Manager → Uri]
The 4+1 seating on the 971 Panamera can’t be selected on the configurator (as of 2019.3.5), but the dealer I met last week said you can order it on any model at the dealership! They also said, “It’s not really 5 seats but 4+1, so you have to straddle the center console to sit in the middle.”
Regarding “Rear Axle,” I also thought it was “Rear Axel” at first, but the official term is “Rear Axle Steering”(the rear wheel axle).＾＾

*From comments on What to Know Before Buying a 971 Panamera

This is a great summary to read before buying. I never thought about “5 Moving the passenger seat from the driver’s seat” and didn’t get that option, but since I mainly drive my parents around, I now think it would have been better to have it. (Tommy)

An update on the 4+1 seating: the option cost ¥137,000 (tax included, as of Nov 2019). When applied to the base Panamera, I noticed something interesting!
The Sport Turismo has electric switches inside the rear trunk to fold the rear seats on both sides, but the 4+1 seating version has no such switch. The switch is normally located just above the luggage net and in front of the trunk light. I think having the switch would be convenient, but if you put things on the rear seats, manual might be safer! (Tommy)

I’ve recently become very interested in the Panamera and found this site! I was curious about the Ropelario Panamera review— in the video, the hatchback opened quite high, but in real parking lots with pipes or ceilings, does it hit anything? (J11050)
[Tommy → J11050]
You can set the maximum height for the hatchback opening. See “Adjusting the Rear Lid Opening Height”. It says, “3. Move the rear lid to the desired height.” The dealer told me to open the hatch, manually adjust the height, then hold the button to set it.
It feels like forcing the hatch to move, but this is the official way to adjust the height. (Tommy)

I’ve been thinking the Turbo S is really nice lately. When Mina-san’s family ordered their Panamera Turbo, the Turbo S wasn’t available yet, but if it had been, would your husband have chosen the Turbo S? (Uri)
[Blog Manager → Uri]
I asked my husband about the Turbo S, and he said, “I never wanted the Turbo S. If it was a tuned Turbo V8 without the hybrid, maybe I would have bought it. I don’t dislike hybrids, but I don’t like the extra weight. The hybrid drives fine, but I wanted to enjoy Porsche’s handling without the extra weight.”

Our Panamera 4 E-Hybrid is doing well. As it’s gotten warmer, the battery range has increased (from about 30 km to around 40 km), and after 4 months and over 5,000 km, the engine runs smoothly. No troubles or oil loss, very comfortable.
My recent worry is unavoidable stone chips. I’ve been fixing them myself and sometimes regret not applying a protective film, but since they clean up better than expected, I’m okay with it. The only prevention I can think of is keeping distance, but do you have any other tips besides film? (SN)

Body Colors

*From comments on Never Seen a Panamera Like This! – Rare Panamera Body Colors Gallery

Choosing body color is tough. I park outside, so I usually go for white or gray that don’t show dirt easily, and my Cayenne is white (solid). When the 958 Cayenne first came out, only a cream-like “Sand White” was available, and white was added later.
I’d love to try blue metallic or black metallic with gray or brown seats once, but in reality, I always end up with a white body and black leather (tears).
GT Silver Metallic is amazing! I saw a used 991 in that color at the Porsche Center recently and it has great depth! (Kaze no Sakamichi)

Our Panamera is “Carrera White Metallic,” but the standard “White” also has a nice, weather-resistant pure white feel!
It’s amazing how much the color changes depending on the light… When choosing exterior colors, it’s important to check the actual cars at different times and days without bias or preconceptions. I’m thinking about the Crayon Panamera Sport Turismo as a stylish combo. (Manma)

All the flashy custom colors are wraps, so I think they’ll peel off when selling. Matte black, gold, pink—nowadays you can change colors easily with wraps, which is very convenient. (Kurumania)

911 (Differences Between 992 and 991)

*From comments on Porsche 911 – Is the 991 More Fun Than the New 992?

It’s fun to imagine things when a new model comes out. The comment “Multi-speed transmissions feel less punchy” is hard for an MT driver like me to understand…
Since there are paddle shifters, if you want punchiness, why not just choose the gear you like? Is there something complicated about it? I think I read that the 992’s 7- and 8-speed gears are for cruising, and the lower gears are actually lower, so it feels strange.
I’ve only driven the 718 Cayman MT, but on regular roads, if you want smooth, efficient driving, you can use a short shift up to 6th gear fully. If you want to enjoy acceleration and deceleration, you can just use 1st and 2nd gears, then skip 3rd to 5th and go straight to 6th for cruising speed.
On winding roads or highway overtaking, you can shift directly to the optimal gear based on speed and slope, so having more gears just means more options to pick the best gear, which I think is great. (Porsche Dreamer)

From Hokkaido. I recently got a 991-2. Magazines and the internet are full of 992 talk, so this magazine came at a good time for me. They say the latest Porsche is the best Porsche, but I think the final version is the most complete. (hurtlocker)

Books About Porsche

*From comments on Reading “Why We Love Porsche” – A Collection of Famous Quotes from the Book

Speaking of books about Porsche, I read the very famous Hiroyuki Itsuki’s “Polishing Your Car on a Rainy Day” a long time ago. I remember the first chapter of that short story collection featured a “Porsche.” Note that “Polishing Your Car on a Rainy Day” isn’t a car guide but a novel with women characters, typical of Itsuki’s style at the time. Each story is themed around a car, making it a subtle read for car lovers. (How to Support Life)

A classic! Of course, I’ve read it and it’s on my garage bookshelf. I like all the quotes you shared, but especially this one ♡
> To love a car is not just that.
> For example, don’t people wish their ex-lovers a happy life?
> It’s the same with cars. (Ingenieur)

The Charm of Air-Cooled

*From comments on The Fun of RR and Analog Appeal – Why We Love Air-Cooled 911s

I drive a 964 C2 and recently rode along in a friend’s 930 SC I met on Facebook. For those who love mountain roads, I think the light body and matching power make driving fun, and that’s not the 3.6L air-cooled or the newer water-cooled models. I understand the curiosity about earlier 911s and 356s as you wrote. (Kozzie 521)

Hello from Kobe, an air-cooled Porsche driver (^_-) I was up on the Royu Driveway this morning. There were over 20 air-cooled Porsches like 356, Narrow, 930, 964. Air-cooled Porsches are fun whether you take it slow or fast (^-^) (Hiropong∞☆)

I pay close attention to oil management and status, often checking the tachometer while driving. Although called air-cooled, the engine oil actually cools the engine directly, and there are three gauges just for oil. It feels more accurate to call it an oil-cooled Porsche.
For me, air-cooled Porsches are like watches. If you want accuracy, quartz, radio-controlled, or smartphone clocks beat them. Mechanical watches are less accurate but offer unique charm and ownership satisfaction. I feel the same about air-cooled Porsches. (Tetsu)

Loans vs. Lump-Sum Purchase

*From comments on How to Buy a Luxury Imported Car Like a Porsche – Loan or Cash?

I actually think it’s a loss not to buy luxury cars with a loan. Many who pass loan screening for nearly 20 million yen can also pay cash, lol.
Ferrari’s recent huge sales are thanks to loan purchases. Ferrari has amazing residual value, and loan companies recognize that—only Ferrari, I think. Ferrari’s residual is an astonishing 75%. Porsche holds value better than regular cars but still depreciates, so Porsche loans only set residuals at 40-50% after 3 years (which is still high; normal is around 30%). Lamborghini can set up to 60%.
So for a 30 million yen Ferrari, you can pay a 5 million yen down payment and actually pay less monthly than a domestic car. But for Porsche, with only about 40% residual, monthly payments are tens of thousands of yen. (Kurumania)

Manual Transmission Cars

*From comments on Removing AT License Restriction – From Driving School Application to Passing the Test

Inspired by this article, my desire to drive an MT car grew, and I ended up buying one: a Subaru WRX STI. It has the EJ20 engine and boxer layout developed in the early Heisei era. Although it’s called a legendary engine, it’s considered outdated and this model is said to be the last to use it.
It has noticeable turbo lag and is a high-revving engine with low torque at low speeds. It feels old-fashioned but is very fun. (SN)

I didn’t have an AT-only license, but I hadn’t driven an MT for nearly 20 years since driving school, so before my FIAT 500 MT delivery, I took about three refresher lessons. I think it was about 5,000 yen per lesson.
As I got used to the FIAT 500 MT, I started wanting to switch my Boxster from PDK to MT, and here I am now. MT options are definitely shrinking, not just for Porsche, which is sad, so I want to cherish the cars I own now. (Ishi)

MT is great! A bit off-topic, but 30 years ago when I was a university student, there was no AT-only license. Being a car enthusiast from childhood, I understood how to drive and the theory, so I didn’t feel the need to go to driving school.
I asked a friend at driving school to act as my instructor and taught me special test tips like “open the window at railroad crossings to listen.” After two hours of practice, I passed the provisional license test on the first try at the Fuchu test center.
I remember the examiner looking suspiciously at my blank graduation school field on the application. Just a driving school story! (1551)

Porsche Certified Tires

*From comments on Behind the Scenes of Porsche Tire Development – Customers Should Choose “N” Certified Tires for Peace of Mind

I heard from a tire manufacturer that there’s a performance difference between Porsche-certified N-mark tires and the same brand tires without the N mark. A lot of cost goes into developing N-mark tires, so they’re more expensive.
However, N-mark tires are matched to specific models, so just because the size fits and it has the N mark doesn’t mean it performs well on other models.
For example, 997 tires are designed for the 997’s weight balance, brakes, and handling characteristics, so they don’t fit other Porsches well.
(Kasamachi Chikara)

Past Comment Summaries

Reading through everyone’s comments again, I sighed, thinking, “Wow, you’re incredibly knowledgeable… amazing.” These comments are too good to just leave here… I even thought, “Maybe you should start your own blog and write about this yourself.” lol

I always learn a lot, thank you so much. Please keep the comments coming! By the way, here are links to previous compilations of reader comments:

→ A Collection of Comments from Porsche Owners and Those Waiting for Delivery!
→ More Comments from Porsche Owners and Delivery Waiters!
→ Real Voices of Porsche Owners – Oil Changes, Door Dings, Daytime Running Lights, etc.
→ Real Voices of Porsche Owners – Comment Sharing Vol.4
→ Real Voices of Porsche Owners – Comment Sharing Vol.5