Used 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet Convertible Coupe Review & Ratings

When someone says the word "Porsche," what do you immediately think of? Is it luxury, style, power? Maybe there's a particular model that you think of; for most Porsche enthusiasts, that model is the Porsche 911. The Porsche 911 line is more than just a part of the automaker's lineup; it's the most iconic model in the brand's history. The 911 helped to shape Porsche's name and reputation, and some enthusiasts consider it to be the only "true" Porsche luxury sports car. The Porsche 911 coupe replaced the Porsche 356, which was basically a heavily-modified Volkswagen Beetle in the mid-1960s. It was an immediate success, and it continued this success into the next several decades. Today, the 911 is still known for its iconic style and sporty model offerings. In many ways, (and to many people) it represents the "true" European luxury sports car. The Porsche 911 hasn't only been successful on civilian roads, either. It's made quite a name for itself on the race track over the past few decades.

It took two decades (until 1982, to be precise) for Porsche to release a Cabriolet (convertible) variant of the popular Porsche 911 Carrera. Since its first appearance, the Cabriolet version has accounted for about 40 percent of the 911 Carrera's sales, with the other 60 percent going to the traditional coupe version. The newest 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet convertible contains some fresh new features this year. It's lighter, with a new aluminum floorplan to replace the traditional steel structure, leaving it 99 lbs. lighter than before. Because of this, the new Cabriolet is more aerodynamic, and it includes an improved torsional rigidity of over eighteen percent. The new Cabriolet also comes with an improved roof for this model year, which opens and closes in only eleven seconds. This convertible roof is made of fabric-covered composite panels that are attached to a lightweight magnesium frame. An actual glass window is attached to this apparatus, making for a unique and technologically-sound component.

With so many choices in the Porsche 911 lineup for the 2012 model year, it might be hard to determined exactly which one is right for you, but we think the 911 Carrera Cabriolet convertible warrants at least a second look. It's affordable, fast, powerful, aerodynamic, and has a reasonable starting price for a luxury convertible at $108,000. There is also a second Cabriolet model- the base 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet - which is a somewhat less sporty variant of the S convertible. After review, we can say that both of these vehicles are quite impressive, with the base version coming in about $10k less than the sporty S model. However, though there isn't a huge difference in power for the S variant, it's enough to feel different to drivers.