Item: Used Porsche 911 Coupe 2001 - 2006
Author: What Car? Team

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Porsche is best known as the quintessential sports car maker, but its line-up is increasingly diverse, interesting and successful, from its SUV family to the Panamera hatchback and shooting brake and, in time, a planned family of electric vehicles.

Whatever your choice, What Car?’s testers rate the cars highly; Porsche has an unusually high percentage of five and four-star cars.

Without exception, its sports cars are class leaders or among the class leaders, standing out for combining driving thrills with surprising luxury and comfort. Likewise, its SUVs are among the sharpest handling, as well as offering high levels of practicality and quality. Meanwhile, the Panamera is a true rival to the very best large executive saloons.

Porsche also sees itself as an electric car pioneer and has already enjoyed sales success with its plug-in hybrid range. Its first all-electric sports car is imminent, signalling the firm’s intent to stay relevant for many years to come.

PORSCHE

The Porsche 911 is a supercar you can use everyday - it's perfect

Used Porsche 911 Coupe 2001 - 2006

If you're considering a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/911/coupe/review/n98">911</a>, you've obviously got a few quid to splash, but even when buying used, you'll need every single penny. This is a car that cost between around £56,000 and £116,000 when it was new, and being so desirable, retained values are very strong indeed. Prices may well have come down by many thousands, but you'll still be paying a huge chunk of the original cost.

If you can still afford it, you probably won't give much of a hoot about running costs, either. For the record, most versions will return about 25mpg, but the turbocharged versions do 21.9mpg.

Despite relatively normal service intervals of 12,000 miles, routine maintenance will also be extremely pricey.

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The Porsche 911 is a supercar you can use everyday - it's perfect

Whichever version you go for, you won't be making a bad choice - all are terrific. The base-level Carrera cars come in coupe, cabriolet or targa body styles, and are powered by a 320bhp version of the awesome 3.6-litre engine, enough to propel it from 0-60mph in around five seconds.

Carrera 4 and 4S models have the same engine output, but also have four-wheel drive. These come in the coupe or cabriolet body styles only.

Then there's our pick, the Turbo. It'll cost more, but let's face it, no version will be cheap. Power is hiked up to 420bhp, meaning that performance turns from blistering to Tarmac-shredding. The standard 911 is special, but the Turbo is truly an event.

There are also two stripped-out racing models: the 375bhp Carrera-based GT3, and the 462bhp Turbo-based GT2. These are perhaps best kept for track use.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter <a href="https://pages.haymarket.com/whatcar/wcar-form.html">here</a>

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Strong performance</li> <li>Good balance between ride and handling</li> <li>Excellent build quality</li> <li>Decent practicality</li> <li>Sophisticated interior</li></ul>

Coupés are all about style, but while practicality undoubtedly takes a back seat to aesthetics, these cars still need to be easy to live with on a daily basis. It’s this that distinguishes a coupé from an out-and-out sports car.

Fortunately, there’s a wide range of style-focused models available, and you don’t even need to spend silly money to buy or run one.

For a blend of rock-solid resale values, punchy engines and an interior to die for, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/tt/coupe/review/n12">Audi TT</a> is a brilliant option. But the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/4-series/hatchback/review/n17260">BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/cla/coupe/review/n19245">Mercedes CLA</a> both offer plenty of style and substance to match, while the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/aston-martin/dbs/coupe/review/n18289">Aston Martin DBS Superleggera</a> will give you serious performance.

Supercars have a reputation for being a little temperamental, but Porsche owners have reason to feel smug.

The 911 is the most reliable supercar you can buy and even has a better reliability record than many superminis and family cars. True, there's a good chance that your average used 911 will have been thrashed more than most cars, but then again the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/porsche">Porsche</a> is more equipped to deal with it than most cars.

When you're spending this kind of cash, it's only sensible that you protect your investment with a few prudent checks - a few cars have needed new engines because of head gasket failure, for example.

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The Porsche 911 is that rarest of supercars - it's as comfortable trawling to the shops and back as it is haring round a track at break-neck speed.

For your more devil-may-care moments, the 911 is simply thrilling. Performance is breathtaking from any of the engines and the handling is taut, lithe and wonderfully accurate.

When you're in a more sedate mood, the 911 is a controllable beast. The ride is comfortable on any surface and it's arguably the easiest supercar there is to drive, so pottering around town isn't out of the question.

Refinement is excellent, too, both in town and when cruising, although you do notice some rumble from the tyres.

There's even space for two kids on the rear bench, and if the family isn't in tow the bench can be folded down for extra luggage space.

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Used Porsche 911 Coupe 2001 - 2006 review

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