Will the Porsche Panamera ever be a desirable classic, or just another car? (2012, auto)

[orrecc]

Driving around the greater Roanoke area today I noticed something I used to see in Ohio all the time but never paid attention too, the Porsche Panamera. Now in my opinion this car does nothing for me in any way. True Porsches to me, are 911 based and coupes. However it seems they have found several buyers, every 911 I see is detailed to within an inch of it's life and rarely driven.

The Panameras seem to fair different, most of the roadgoing examples are surprisingly dirty, and usually had a child seat in the back. I notice the distinctive front end, but from the rear it looks the same to me as a Hyundai hatchback. Now take what you will about this but it is almost as if Porsche has created a very expensive Volvo wagon.

Bringing me to the title question:

Will the Panamera ever be a classic, or just a car someone could justify buying because it says "Porsche" and is equipped with a functioning rear seat?

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

It will be as revered(reviled?) as a 924.

[American Luxury]

It's bound to be worth something in the future just because it's a Porsche. Probably not as much as a Cayman or 911, though.

[MckinneyOwnr]

It's in the same boat as the Cayenne. Very capable cars, outstanding handling and power... but it's no 911 and never will be.

I personally don't like the looks of them at all. But I've spent some time driving one and in the passenger seat, and the interior is fantastic, as is power/handling. I could own one if I just drove it, came home, parked in the garage, and never looked back at it.

Getting in with my eyes closed would be tricky though.

[Tek_Freek]

Just another poorly designed car, but still a Porsche. Every time I see one I wonder why they welded those two particular cars together since they don't mesh well.

[Drover]

Panameras are no more likely to be considered "classics" as other daily-driver executive passenger sedans such as the S-class or the BMW 7-series. What's more likely to happen is you'll see a number of them being offered quite cheaply on the used market compared to their original MSRP because small but expensive maintenance issues gradually pile up because it makes less and less financial sense to address them. That's what happened to the 928 -- the used ones looked like a raging bargain on the used market at first glance until a prospective buyer looked deeper into the actual operating costs. Then it quickly became obvious why the buy-in price was so low. Same goes for the S-Class.

As for the strange proportions, legend has it that the designers were originally going for a "4-door coupe" style in the vein of the Audi A7 and the Mercedes CLS but then a particularly tall executive of the company (something like 6'8") insisted he be able to fit in the back seat comfortably. And voila, you ended up with a 4-door with a rear hatch that looks like a pooping dog.

Porsche showed a Panamera wagon concept at last year's Paris auto show, and IMO this is what the Panamera should have looked like from day one:


(from GTSpirit)

[iTsLiKeAnEgG]

I'm a big fan of the 911, Cayman, Boxster and even the turbocharged Cayenne but the Panamera's rear styling is handicapped. It's performance and interior quality likely make up for its styling for the people who bought it but I don't know if I could live with looking at it every day.

[City Guy997S]

My buddy bought a turbo Panamera.......he is self described as "not a car guy" but fell in love with the 500 HP and the look/feel of the car. It has factory 22s and the car looks incredible but heavy depreciation on those cars!

No they won't be much of a collectible considering the 4 doors!

[Fargobound]

I don't think any of the watercooled Porsches will be really collectible. Sure there are a few examples like the GT2 and 3.

[straight shooter]

I agree, the real aficionados/collectors will probably only go for the air cooled Porsche's.