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  • Road Test: Porsche 911 (2002-2004)
    Exotic Sports
     
    Porsche 911
    by James Newman

    I have driven plenty of sports cars in my life, but the 911 is the most complete. I childishly bought a Ferrari F355 first of all. This car had many problems. It would never start after a cold night, repairs (which were frequent) were expensive and time-consuming, the interior was poorly built - and so was the rest of the car, rattling like a tin can full of coins. I'd soon had enough, so I bought the so-called 'sensible man's sports car', a 911.

    The interior looked a bit dull, so I spiced mine up by specifying sports seats, sports steering wheel and aluminium dials, all of which make it look a lot better. The 911 has a great image, albeit one that provokes some drivers to have a go at you. No matter, you just smile as you pull away and leave them for dead. It's very fast (quicker than the 355) and handles like a dream, with excellent feedback. It does around 22 mpg and can carry two sets of golf clubs behind the front seats as well as other baggage. The engine is fantastic and sounds gorgeous - better than the 355, though it needs to be louder. It looks smashing, the brakes are excellent, and it's half the price of a 355. Reliability and build quality are top-notch, too - I've had no problems in 10,000 happy miles.

    No other manufacturer has a car to compare with the 911.



    Next Reader's Drive
    Introduction The current 911 generation, known internally as the 996, was launched...

    Reliability & Quality
    Image
    Driving
    Performance
    Safety & Security
    Running Costs
    Comfort & Equipment
    Readers' Drives 



     BEST EXOTIC SPORTS CARS

    Want to know the best cars in this class? Here's our current picks.

    Porsche 911
    Ferrari F430
    Aston Martin V8 Vantage

    See Best Exotic Sports Cars In Class