Why do Porsches age so horribly?
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 28,108
Likes: 2,322
From: DFW, Texas
Like someone has already said, a LOT of new Porsche's these days are lease cars in their first lives. My 997.2 was an optioned out order and I'm the 3rd owner. It's often mistaken as a newer model by those that are not P car folks. Then again it was never a DD and is a garaged Texas car it's whole life. As for not aging well, I missed a couple of deals on 3.2 Carrera coup survivors. Both could have passed for restorations. 35 year or so old cars. Then again those are said to be the last "hand built" Porsche's.
Racer
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 444
Likes: 168
From: Texas
Three Wheelin'
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,900
Likes: 931
When you compare Porsche with other luxury brands, Porsches look after 3-4 years and 30-40k in average significantly worse than any other brand I know. I think the only model which aged decently was the 993 but after that it went south. I think the 996 and 997 were the worst. Coming back to our cars, the 718 and the 981s, I think there were significant improvements compared to the 996 and 997 models but still not good. The leather/leatherette of the seats wears down like crazy. The steering wheels look after 2 years horrible. And all the other interior parts are so scratch sensitive that with smallest touch you get scratches everywhere. Again, compared to the model years in the 2000s, where the buttons of air conditioning and radio look like a small child took a razor blade and scratched on the surface of those buttons all day long. It is insane that dealers have those cars priced for over 60-70k on their lot and inside they look like crap. Starting with 981 models, they have improved, but it is still not good enough. Many of the 2017 718 models on the market have so much wear and tear inside that no one wants to buy them. Just wanted to see if I am the only one who sees this issue.
My neighbor's only car is a 1995 993. It looks like it did the day he brought it home from the dealer. It has nearly 200,000 miles.
