Used 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet Coupe Review & Ratings

Porsche is famous for its sporty 911 model. The 911 is known by some enthusiasts as the only "true" Porsche model because it is directly linked the original Porsche 356- though the 911's fate has been extended much longer. The 911 coupe first debuted in 1963 and featured a powerful six-cylinder engine. And, though the 911 was almost removed from the market several times, it always made a comeback to meet the expectations of the iconic Porsche 911 image. The 911 became very important to the Porsche line (it essentially established its reputation, after all) and it has been extremely profitable throughout its entire run. Its intended successor, the Porsche 928, was easily outsold. Over the years, the 911 has gone through small, careful evolution to keep it fresh and exciting, consistently setting higher expectations with each new year and model variant.

The Porsche 911 began with the Porsche Project 695 and was originally designed as a four-seat model. The 911 was not intended to replace the smaller luxury Porsche 356 vehicle, but that was eventually the outcome as the 911 became more and more popular. What was desired, by 1984, was a smoother, more practical, quieter vehicle with more luxury features: the 911 Carrera. For the 2012 model year, the 911 is available in more than a dozen forms, including Carrera variants, with models such as: the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS (with a starting MSRP of $103,100), the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera Black Edition (with a starting MSRP of $81,300), the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 (with a starting MSRP of $85,400), the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS (with a starting MSRP of $112,000), 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S (with a starting price of $98,300), the standard 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe (with a starting price of $79,000) ,and the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S (with a starting price of $91,900). There's also a mid-year redesign of the Carrera S (with a starting price of $96,400) and a Cabriolet (convertible) variant of several of the 911 Carrera models.

For this review, we'll focus on the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet convertible coupe. The 4 line features all-wheel-drive instead of the traditional rear-wheel drive. This Carrera produces 345 horsepower with its six-cylinder engine and manual drivetrain. Technology and safety features are plentiful, as are comfort and luxury features. Overall, the Carrera 4 Cabriolet is aesthetically-pleasing, very fuel-efficient for a sports car, and powerful enough to keep any Porsche enthusiast satisfied.