Goodbye, Panamera

The time has finally come to say farewell to our Panamera (Panamera Turbo: MY2018). It was delivered three years ago in October 2017, with a Night Blue Metallic body color, and currently has about 29,000 km on the odometer.

“I’ve been thinking for a while now, ‘Soon it will be time to say goodbye to the Panamera… it’s so sad…’” but when my husband actually told me, “We’re handing the Panamera over to the dealer this week,” I was filled with sadness. (By the time this article is published, the handover will already have happened.)

Honestly, this is the hardest car to say goodbye to among all the cars we’ve owned.

That’s because this Panamera holds more memories than any other car I’ve ever driven.

When the Panamera was delivered three years ago, I was more afraid of driving than I am now, and I was overwhelmed by the turbo’s power, struggling to drive it well. Also, because the Panamera is quite large, I remember gripping the steering wheel tightly and driving tensely.

Gradually, I got used to driving it, and thanks to this Panamera, many “first experiences” opened up for me.

For example, I drove alone for the first time about 1,000 km round trip from home to Fuji Speedway,

I drove on a circuit (Fuji Speedway) for the first time,

I participated in a Porsche driving school for the first time,

I drove the Hakone Turnpike for the first time, (there was a sudden deer crossing incident, but I avoided it with full braking)

I drove on snowy roads for the first time (caught in an unseasonal heavy snowfall at the end of March)

And many other “firsts” I was able to experience. Also, we took many family trips to places like Kyushu and Wakayama in this Panamera.

Every time I drove it, I felt the amazing performance of the Panamera as a car and grew to love it even more. On top of that, I discovered the joy of driving, gained some confidence, and eventually felt warm and safe sitting in the Panamera’s driver’s seat.

It was a wonderful car—trustworthy in every situation, whether on mountain roads, winding routes, highways, or city streets. It was a gentleman with a fierce spirit.

I truly loved this car.

Now, it’s finally time to say goodbye to the Panamera. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to be there for the farewell because I’m back at my parents’ home preparing for childbirth. It’s so sad that the goodbye will happen like this, at the very end.

Looking back at all the photos of the Panamera, so many memories come flooding back, and I get a bit emotional. I made sure to tell my husband to pass on my thanks to the Panamera on my behalf.

A New Encounter

Now that I’m more comfortable driving, can handle a manual transmission, and can go places on my own, I feel like there may never be another car that offers as many “first experiences” as this Panamera did.

In that sense, the Panamera will always hold a special place in my heart.

We’ve driven about 30,000 km on various roads, and the engine, ride comfort, driving performance, and engine sound have all been finely tuned (laughs), so I hope it will continue to show wonderful performance in its next home.

On top of that, thankfully, next month a 911 Cabriolet (992 model) will be joining our family. I probably won’t be driving much right after having our third child, and afterward, I’ll mostly use the Note for transporting the kids. But I’m excited to see what kind of experiences I’ll have with the 911 Cabriolet, which has a very different character from the Panamera Turbo.

Well, before all that, I have the big task of childbirth ahead, so I better do my best… lol