OK- I really don't want to rain on you guys porsche parade but this thread keeps popping up. So I will throw in my 2 cents. These views are mainly based on the 911- the car that has made porsche a house hold name.
Lets get the few positives out of the way:
1. Incredible racing history- 962's, 917's, 908's, 959's, 911's. If you are a P nut then you already know all this.
2. Extremely durable design for endurance racing.
3. Rear weight bias is awesome for track use.
4. Carrera GT.
The Not so Positives(Again these are my not so humble OPINIONS):
1. Looks Like a Toad - It was kinda cute in 80's when all the other cars looked like they were styled by a bunch of 9 year olds. However by the Early 90's when compared to the NSX it looks absolutely Pathetic. The lines lost their flow. The car had truely mediocore styling by the late 80's, early 90's. The 993 was a dramatic improvement. Then they go backwards with the soulless 996. I could go on forever just on the 996. However I will leave it with just one comment- Omelette headlights. WTF are Omelette headlights. What kind of Sports car company decides to give there Halo car OMELETTE Headlights to differentiate the little brother(boxster) from the big brother(911). The rear fenders were sooooo dull that many people bought aftermarket kits or Carrera 4's just to get the 911 fender flares. The 997 is BORING, oops I mean Retro without trying to be Retro. How boring is that.
Put a 997 front next to a Beetle Turbo- Do you notice the Heritage. I sure do and I would be hurling if I was the owner of the $85k 997. What is Porsche going to do with the 998 styling. Where can they go next? How many variations of a Toad can they come up with?
2. Ugly Ass Interior - For years, every time I sat in a 911 I thought in my head- I would never pay this kinda money for this interior. I played this game in my Head 5 times. My prelude had better ergonomics. BTW, What the hell is that big ass clock doing in the instument cluster. Some prefer the minimalist interior. The minimalist interior works in a 60's or 70's car or a track car but ForChristSake why is it in a pseudo luxury GT or SportsCar in the 90's.
3. Poor Clutch and Transmission shifter - I am not talking about durability, I am talking about the engagement. Why does the Clutch have such a long travel and why is the shifter soo loose. Am I in 3rd or 5th, did I just just downshift into 2ND-Gasp or was that 4th. All this distraction doesnot make for a fun driving experience. I know, I know you get used to it. But, I would prefer they had it right from the beginning. A friend of mine recently bought a 993 as a daily driver. It looked beautiful and he wanted to show me that buying a NSX was a mistake. So, I took it for a spin. Damn that throw and clutch felt even longer than in the 911 sc I drove 5 years earlier. How can that possibly be. Later on I drove the 997. Surely they must have improved it with a 996. NOPE. Still poor. I hear that the 997 is a giant leap forward. WOW- it took them ONLY 50 years to get that right.
4. Options List. This has got to be my biggest pet peeve. The 911 is already pricey. Some might say that it is overpriced(when compared to the Vette, and I know so is the NSX). Yet if you want you can option up your $70k 911 with a myriad of color/interior/exterior options. Mind you, none of this will may your "Sports Car" go any faster. Its just there to personalize your baby. You can get this color option, that funky leather interior, and don't forget that Useless Bling bling Body kit. Thats only $100k. You sure you don't want matching seatbelts and Colored body crests
Nobody, I repeat Nobody knows the fine art of Ripping People Off like Porsche. This isn't a Tablot Lago, a Ferrari or a Bentley. Its a mass produced porsche. The Boxster S that competes with a $32k s2000 can be bought for $60k will a "few" options. Give me a break!
5. Expensive Maintenance. Some might argue that its "Not as bad as a Ferrari". Then again A p car IS NOT a Ferrari. Never has been never will be. End of discussion. When you start competing in Formula 1 then you can come back to the discussion.
6. 2+2 seating. Is this a REAL Sports car or what. What is the purpose of those seats. Surely it is not for real people. You can stuff a kid back there(in a Porsche car seat
), but when was the last time you saw somebody use it? I know its helps make it a better daily driver. But I don't want it in my sports car. I wish that it came with delete option that made the car smaller/lighter. Thank god atleast the GT3 doesn't come with it.
7. The Pepper. This thing is uglier than its cousin the Touraeg. If you get the Turbo its even Fuglier and costs $90k. If you(Porsche) really want to expand market share, I would think the next logical step would be a sports coupe(ala CLK or 6 series) or a Sedan. Why does a Sports car Company need a SUV? btw, did you notice that the 911TT got a HP increase to keep up with the Pepper V8 turbo. So let me get this straight, Your Sports car comes with less HP and cylinders(flat 6) than your SUV.
8. I have few more "counter points" - but its almost midnight and my wife is a little ticked off at me. So I might try to add some other "issues" later.
BTW, just in case you think I am a Porsche Hater. I am not. I am a Car enthusiast/fanatic. Any car- not just sports cars. Oh, and when I went to see the 997, they had a GT3 in there with 600 miles on it. They wanted ONLY $117K for a used car. It was VERY VERY tempting, Omelette lights and all
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ok I'm going up on my Flame suit now.
It's all good, you don't even know the 959 had twin turbos.. 
