Welcome Home, PORSCHE

Today, I’m taking a little break from talking about cars to share some thoughts about this blog. It’s been a year since I decided to run my Porsche blog, Welcome Home, PORSCHE, in earnest, with my husband’s support. The time has flown by.

Thanks to all of you, the blog has grown far beyond what I imagined a year ago. There’s still a long way to go, of course, and lately I’ve found myself wondering more and more:

“What can I do to take this Porsche blog to the next level?”

A Blog to Help You Buy a Porsche

Around this time last year, I decided to make this a Porsche blog that would offer useful information for people considering buying a Porsche. Why? Because I’d often found myself thinking, “I wish there were more information out there to help people buy a Porsche.”

Whenever my husband is thinking about buying another Porsche, he still scours magazines and the internet for information. And even after all that searching, he’ll sometimes say:

“No luck. I can’t find the information I’m looking for anywhere. I guess I’ll have to check overseas YouTube channels and websites.”

There’s plenty of valuable content in Japan, including test-drive reviews from automotive media. But that alone isn’t enough. At least, I find myself wanting something more real.

I want to hear what Porsche owners really think: what it’s like to own one, and how a car feels after living with it for a while—not just after a test drive, for better or worse.

That’s why we’ve tried to share as much as possible about the Porsches we own, along with firsthand stories from other Porsche owners. Lately, we’ve received lots of messages and comments like:

“I bought a Panamera after reading this Porsche blog!” “I bought a Boxster!”

We’ve also heard from the owners who’ve contributed stories to our Porsche Owners’ Files series:

“Thank you for featuring my car!” “I’d be delighted if my experience could help even one of your readers!”

I’m touched—and a little embarrassed—when I tell them, “No, we’re the ones who should be thanking you.” It’s really sunk in just how much this blog depends on all of you.

This past year has involved plenty of trial and error, but looking back, I’m genuinely happy to think that what we’ve been doing may have helped someone, even in a small way.

What I’ve Learned from Running a Porsche Blog

At the same time, a year of blogging has brought some unexpected discoveries—things I never would have realized a year ago.

Test-Drive Reviews of Cars Beyond Porsche

The first is that reviews of non-Porsche cars are surprisingly popular. (Volkswagen Golf, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and others.) Readers often tell us, “I’ve been looking forward to your reviews of cars other than Porsches!” or “I drive a ○○ too, so I know exactly what you mean!”

Sometimes I think these reviews get an even bigger response than the Porsche articles… haha.

Of course, Porsche-related searches are a relatively small slice of the overall online search market, while domestic Japanese cars and other imported brands attract many times more searches.

But it also seems that readers are interested in my husband’s test-drive reviews, informed by his experience with all kinds of cars and his perspective as a Porsche owner. (I’d better work on writing some good reviews myself, too.)

Driving other brands hasn’t changed how much I love Porsche, and I’m still impressed every day by the way our Panamera drives. At the same time, I’ve come to appreciate that there are plenty of wonderful cars out there beyond Porsche.

The S63 was a really nice car.

I also think that getting to know a wider range of cars helps me understand Porsche more deeply. And that, in turn, can bring more breadth and depth to the blog.

So while Porsche will remain at the heart of what we do, I think it could be fun to test-drive and write about more cars that catch my eye or are making headlines.

Our Life as a Couple and Family of Car Lovers

The second surprise is how many readers are interested in our life with cars as a couple and a family. At first, I’d decided that cars would always be the focus of this blog—not lifestyle stories, just articles about cars.

Besides, we’re not exactly the kind of couple who can write lifestyle pieces. Haha.

We’re not foodies or fashionistas. When we eat out as a family, we usually go to chain restaurants like conveyor-belt sushi spots, MOS Burger, or Gusto (because they’re delicious, okay? Haha.)—even when we’re traveling. I mostly wear Uniqlo, and my husband wears his clothes until they’re threadbare. (Laughs.)

That’s why I decided to make this a car-focused blog rather than write about an effortlessly stylish lifestyle we don’t actually have.

But after sharing posts now and then about family road trips, conversations between my husband and me, and my husband’s driving adventures, I realized those stories resonate with readers, too. Maybe I can keep sharing more of our slightly over-the-top car life: that of a husband who’s been a car-mad enthusiast since childhood and a wife who had zero interest in cars until her husband converted her. Haha.

Buying a Porsche of My Own

When I first started this blog, one of my goals was to buy a Porsche with my own money. I even considered a blog title along the lines of “Until the Day I Buy My Own Porsche.”

I set myself that goal because I believe:

“Driving a Porsche my husband bought for me and driving one I bought with my own money would feel completely different—and mean something different, too.”

Especially when it’s your very first Porsche, you research everything, think carefully about the specification and options, and then—when delivery day finally comes—the excitement is beyond words.

I’m sure I’d take wonderful care of it, keep it for a long time, and grow even more attached to it. Those are feelings I think you can experience in a special way when you’ve bought the car with your own money.

…And, to be honest, there’s also a slightly stubborn side of me that thinks, “It’s frustrating that every car at home belongs to my husband. I want at least one car of my own!” (Laughs.)

So readers who’ve followed the blog since the beginning still leave comments like:

“Mina, we haven’t forgotten your goal of buying a Porsche yourself!” “Make that dream of buying your own Porsche come true!”

(To be honest, I got so caught up in running the blog that there was a time when I temporarily forgot about that goal…)

That’s why, when I bought a BMW with my own money recently, learning to drive a manual was certainly my main reason. But I also had a strong feeling that I wanted to take at least one step closer to my goal of buying a Porsche myself.

In other words, this blog can’t come to an end—not at least until I’ve bought a Porsche with my own money. Haha. I want to keep that goal in mind even more as I move forward.

The Future of This Porsche Blog

These are the things I’ve been turning over in my mind lately. If this blog were a mountain climb, we’d just about made it to the first marker. Now feels like the time to figure out which route to take—and how to make it—to the next one.

Once we reach the halfway point and climb higher, I’m sure we’ll see a completely different view. I’ll think about what comes after that when the time comes.

This post may not have been the most organized, but from here on, I’d like to run the blog with fewer constraints and more freedom. Rather than insisting that “a Porsche blog can only be about Porsche” or “it should only cover cars, not lifestyle,” I want to pay attention to how readers respond and express ourselves more freely. I believe that’s how we’ll find our way to a new stage.

I hope to keep blogging with an open mind—embracing change and going with the flow. Thank you all for continuing to join us on the journey!