I’ll assume you mean made NOW. It’s kind of early to judge the Panamera, but it’s going to put many Mercedes, BMWs, and Aston Martins to shame. On the other hand, it’s not a sports car, and that’s what Porsche has been to this point (excepting the Cayenne).
Affordable? Many might argue that leaves out all but the Boxster, and some would argue it leaves out every Porsche. Porsches are expensive cars.
GT3s and GT2s are racers made street legal. I’m not going to consider those for that reason.
So, we come down to 911s, Caymans, and Boxsters. Serious drivers don’t run convertibles, so the Boxsters are out. The Cayman S performs like a few years back 911. It’s rear mid-engine set-up is inherently more stable than the 911′s rear engine. And it costs considerably less money than a 911.
If I give the “affordable” thing high importance, Cayman S wins, even though a 911 Turbo will make it look junior mint. The Turbo will also cost around twice as much. For me, 911 is Porsche. A 911 4S at, say, half again the cost of a Cayman would be my ticket, considering “affordability.” You can’t get all-wheel drive in a Cayman. From this point the discussion just depends on what you want.
Alot of this will depend on how you define “best,” the price range you consider “affordable,” and how far and wide the group of Porsche vehicles you are considering.
For example, if you are looking for the best Porsche to plow a field and consider collectable prices to be affordable, then clearly, the Porsche Junior is the tractor for you! But if your definitions fall outside of that, then you probably won’t be looking at the Junior.
Or if you want to go vintage racing, and consider affordable relative, then a used Porsche 962C or 962 K8 would easily make the grade. Though the $300-400k spent here will not appear affordable in other areas (but a downright bargain given the car, thanks to the fact that so many 956s and 962s were produced over such a long time).
Is best defined by ability to tow and carry many passengers? A used Cayenne S would be extremely attractive in the current market.
So what is it you want? Well, we can probably rule out the Cayenne and Junior since you did say you wanted a flat 6:
In terms of current models, the two that stand out as relatively good buys in terms of price for performance would be the Cayman S and GT3. If you are looking for more of a grand touring car with lots of performance, the base 997 would likely win as “best and most affordable.”
Looking back, 996 GT3s can be had for less than many new Cayman S models. If $60k+ is affordable to you, then this is a great buy.
Early 996 Carreras are currently seeing very low price points. These offer outstanding performance at pretty low prices. And similar age Boxsters are even less, though also less utility and less performance.
964 Carreras are another model that seem to often be found at attractive price points… same with 3.2L Carreras and 911SCs, though while these are great cars, it would be hard to accept any of these as “best” unless getting to that “best for the price” catagory.
Or by “best” do you mean for collectable value? Another area where “affordable” will be relative… but, looking at early 356s and such as a measure, the long hood 911S models are probably still well under the value where they will eventually settle. These were produced in relatively small numbers, and even fewer have survived to this age in original condition with matching numbers. They will never reach the value of the rarer 911RS, but will most likely continue to go up in value for some time. A more affordable option (though bigger gamble in terms of collectability) would be a factory 914-6.
Or do you mean something else entirely by “best,” “affordable,” or is it some other subset of Porsches you are looking at?
Hands down, Apple’s app store wins by a mile. It’s a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I’m not sure I’d want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.
Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
buy a look-a-like and then go online and order the porche brand for the grille and trunk…then peel off the old ones and put the other ones on.
911 turbo
cyman
boxter
I’ll assume you mean made NOW. It’s kind of early to judge the Panamera, but it’s going to put many Mercedes, BMWs, and Aston Martins to shame. On the other hand, it’s not a sports car, and that’s what Porsche has been to this point (excepting the Cayenne).
Affordable? Many might argue that leaves out all but the Boxster, and some would argue it leaves out every Porsche. Porsches are expensive cars.
GT3s and GT2s are racers made street legal. I’m not going to consider those for that reason.
So, we come down to 911s, Caymans, and Boxsters. Serious drivers don’t run convertibles, so the Boxsters are out. The Cayman S performs like a few years back 911. It’s rear mid-engine set-up is inherently more stable than the 911′s rear engine. And it costs considerably less money than a 911.
If I give the “affordable” thing high importance, Cayman S wins, even though a 911 Turbo will make it look junior mint. The Turbo will also cost around twice as much. For me, 911 is Porsche. A 911 4S at, say, half again the cost of a Cayman would be my ticket, considering “affordability.” You can’t get all-wheel drive in a Cayman. From this point the discussion just depends on what you want.
Alot of this will depend on how you define “best,” the price range you consider “affordable,” and how far and wide the group of Porsche vehicles you are considering.
For example, if you are looking for the best Porsche to plow a field and consider collectable prices to be affordable, then clearly, the Porsche Junior is the tractor for you! But if your definitions fall outside of that, then you probably won’t be looking at the Junior.
Or if you want to go vintage racing, and consider affordable relative, then a used Porsche 962C or 962 K8 would easily make the grade. Though the $300-400k spent here will not appear affordable in other areas (but a downright bargain given the car, thanks to the fact that so many 956s and 962s were produced over such a long time).
Is best defined by ability to tow and carry many passengers? A used Cayenne S would be extremely attractive in the current market.
So what is it you want? Well, we can probably rule out the Cayenne and Junior since you did say you wanted a flat 6:
In terms of current models, the two that stand out as relatively good buys in terms of price for performance would be the Cayman S and GT3. If you are looking for more of a grand touring car with lots of performance, the base 997 would likely win as “best and most affordable.”
Looking back, 996 GT3s can be had for less than many new Cayman S models. If $60k+ is affordable to you, then this is a great buy.
Early 996 Carreras are currently seeing very low price points. These offer outstanding performance at pretty low prices. And similar age Boxsters are even less, though also less utility and less performance.
964 Carreras are another model that seem to often be found at attractive price points… same with 3.2L Carreras and 911SCs, though while these are great cars, it would be hard to accept any of these as “best” unless getting to that “best for the price” catagory.
Or by “best” do you mean for collectable value? Another area where “affordable” will be relative… but, looking at early 356s and such as a measure, the long hood 911S models are probably still well under the value where they will eventually settle. These were produced in relatively small numbers, and even fewer have survived to this age in original condition with matching numbers. They will never reach the value of the rarer 911RS, but will most likely continue to go up in value for some time. A more affordable option (though bigger gamble in terms of collectability) would be a factory 914-6.
Or do you mean something else entirely by “best,” “affordable,” or is it some other subset of Porsches you are looking at?
70′s model 911, beautiful car.
Hands down, Apple’s app store wins by a mile. It’s a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I’m not sure I’d want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.
Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.