The Porsche 911 is expensive due to its vintage 1964 frame, innovative engine progressions, sleek color designs and models, high-reliability rating, and a hot buyer’s market. All these factors together allowed the Porsche 911 series to be a luxury brand with high-quality parts and performance to back it up.
Sitting atop the throne of elite sports cars is the Porsche 911. This brand traces its roots back to the 1960s when it first established dominance over the automotive racing world. Its good looks, performance, and branding set the 911 apart from all other models. The Porsche 911’s history is truly a legacy.
These cars, however, come with quite expensive price tags. And no matter what year or model Porsche 911 variant you’re buying, the price is always costly. But this isn’t just ridiculous overpricing – the Porsche 911 is backed by numerous qualities which justify the cost and hype.
To answer the question above, we’ve listed the top reasons explaining why the Porsche 911 is so expensive. Keep reading to fully understand the truth behind Porsche 911’s market dominance.
Branding
Porsche’s 911 production is designed for greatness. So much so that Porsche even tries to keep a similar body frame to the original 1964 model. Car enthusiasts who’ve grown up watching Porsche evolve are willing to spend thousands of dollars maintaining 911 models from the 60s and 70s simply because of the brand’s style.
Furthermore, their dedicated engineers sticking with a flat-body six-cylinder engine throughout five whole decades shows how important Porsche’s finds tradition. These distinctive characteristics are unique to the 911 and help drive the vehicle’s prices up. “Heritage” is a term drivers use to describe how new 911 models preserve the feel of older ones without lacking in industry innovation.
The legacy behind the 911 is something few brands can compete with. Mustangs and Ferraris have their niche fanbases, but the mass amount of Porsche 911 enthusiasts overshadow these groups immensely. As a result, the Porsche 911 is a legendary sports car sought out internationally, feeding into the brand’s exclusivity. The status tied with owning a Porsche 911 is sometimes more than enough for somebody to dish out over $100,000 in a single purchase.
Back in the day, the best Ford Thunderbirds caused quite a stir in the automobile industry as well.
Performance Engineering
German automotive engineering is recognized globally for quality performance standards, and every Porsche 911 consistently represents these standards. Porsche’s intention with each 911 is to deliver a street-legal vehicle with supercar capabilities. To give you an example of how fast these cars really are, we’ve created a table listing the specifications of a recent Porsche 911 model.
| 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS | |
| Horsepower | 690 hp |
| 0-60 MPH (seconds) | 2.8 s |
| Top Speed | 211 mph |
| ¼ Mile Lap (seconds) | 10.5 s |
Given that this is only the 2018 model, we know that the 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 can only be better. It’s performance like this which the 911s cult-like following raves about. And simultaneously, one of the same reasons the 911 fetches for such a high price.
Purchase Options
The base model 911 Carrera is already an expensive car, going for almost $100,000 in MSRP. But the numerous trim options offered by Porsche, in addition to variants of the 911 (like the GT2 RS), are also what hike the car’s value up. Let’s look at the pricing for different 911 models to compare how much prices can change (excluding trim options).
For 2021, the Porsche 911 Carrera options were:
- 911 Carrera – $99,200 for coupe models or $112,000 for the cabriolet model
- 911 Carrera 4 – $106,500 for coupe models or $119,300 for the cabriolet and Targa models
- 911 Carrera S – $115,100 for coupe models and $127,000 for the cabriolet model
- 911 Carrera 4S – $122,400 for coupe models and $135,200 for cabriolet and Targa models
- 911 Turbo – $170,800 for coupe models and $183,000 for the cabriolet model
- 911 Turbo S – $203,500 for coupe models and $216,300 for the cabriolet model
From this, you can see how much pricing can differ depending on build options. As we said, though, this is excluding additional add-ons for your Porsche. Things like sunroofs, driver assist systems, ceramic brakes, advanced hydraulics, and even a “Sport Chrono” package can add $100-$3,000 onto an already high sticker price.
This can be a very similar shopping experience to finding a new expensive Nissan GTR.
Bubble Market
How much money people are willing to pay for the status, luxury, and performance of these cars affect their resale value. Vintage expensive Porsche 911s create a high-value market for collectors. But, in reaction to Porsche 911 models from the 1960s and 1970s costing as much as new models do, Porsche 911 owners are attempting to sell older 1990-2000s models at the same price.
Sure, there’s a significant difference between vintage 911s and newer 911 models, but somehow they’re still valued at similar prices. And even this phenomenon is justifiable.
Vintage Porsche 911 vehicles are comparable to 30-year-old bottles of fine wine – they fare for high prices because nothing else in the world gives you the experience and flavor they do. That’s why you’ll see people buying a 1973 Porsche 911 for over $900,000. There’s simply nothing quite like it out there, and people love that.
Newer 911 models are loaded with incredible amounts of technology, engineering, and hand-tailored comfort that Porsche is known for. Models like the 2018 GT2 RS represent the premier luxury sports cars of this generation.
However, what we can’t justify is when early 2000s models are being sold for antique prices. Models pre-2009, for example, are notorious for faulty stock IMS bearings that can severely damage the car. Regardless of the reality, these models are priced at six figures because sellers genuinely believe they can price them as antiques – inflating prices of all 911 models across the board.
Reliability
Some people will make the argument that Porsche 911s are, in fact, not reliable cars. And they might be right, depending on which model and year they’re referring to. But new Porsche 911 models certainly don’t suffer from the same problems as their predecessors. Instead, they’ve recently scored high in reliability compared to famously dependable brands such as Lexus and Toyota.
The Porsche 911 may have frequent reviews pointing out design flaws and mistakes, making it seem like the car is exceptionally unreliable, just as every other luxury performance car. But instead, Porsche has proved itself as a formidable rival for Lexus, gaining a foothold in their territory.
Reliability makes owning cars simpler. Other luxury sports cars may be enjoyable for half the price of a 911, but these cars frequently require repairs. European luxury brands like Jaguar Land Rover, or Mercedes and BMW, tend to fall on the low-end of the reliability spectrum.
That’s why when Porsche scored the second-highest overall reliability rating from J.D. Power this year, the question of why Porsche 911 cars are so expensive becomes less trivial. It’s the same reason why collectors are willing to pay over $100,000 for a Porsche 911 made in 1967. People want quality, and Porsche delivers.
Now, if you are also wondering if a Mustang is a good first car based on reliability, yikes…
Is the Porsche 911 expensive?
If you still don’t understand why someone is willing to pay so much for a car that may only get used on the track, then that’s okay. Porsche 911s are meant for individuals who can afford their high prices in return for unmatched craftsmanship. It’s a legendary car that will continue to impact the automotive world even after Porsche closes its factory doors.
But still, it can’t be ignored that many other great cars out there challenge Porsche 911’s dominance. From German engineering to Japanese imports, the automotive industry will continue to evolve quickly in a modernizing society. Indeed, even if the 911 is soon dethroned, we will at least remember the car’s tremendous influence for decades to come.Vastly different compared to the more American-styled cars like the cheap Corvette or cheap Dodge Chargers.
