2004 Porsche 911 Turbo New Car Buyer's Guide

What's New for the 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo?
Not since 1989 has Porsche offered a turbocharged 911 convertible. The new 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet is equipped with the same 415-horsepower, 415 lb.-ft. of torque, twin-turbo, 3.6-liter flat six-cylinder engine as the Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe. Porsche says that the fabric top has been tested in the wind tunnel at speeds up to 210 mph and has suffered no problems. A wind deflector and a 71-pound aluminum hardtop come standard on the 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet, and two supplemental safety bars deploy from behind the rear seats if angle sensors predict a rollover accident is imminent. Other standard equipment on this new model includes larger side impact airbags. The 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe can be ordered with a new factory-installed X50 performance package that bumps engine power to 444 horsepower and 457 lb.-ft. of torque. Other changes to the 911 Turbo models include a new Turbo tachometer, optional 18-inch wheels in SportTechno or GT3 designs, and two new no-cost metallic colors called Atlas Gray and Carmon Red.

Advantages of the 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo:

• Blazing speed
• Stunning brakes
• Needle-sharp steering
• All-wheel-drive
• Stability control

Objections to the 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo:

• Cheap interior buttons and switches
• Muddled control layout and operation
• Heavy clutch
• Can be hard to find gears

Editor's Advice:
Returning to the lineup for the first time in 15 years, the 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet provides the same exhilarating rush of acceleration and brilliant performance of the 911 Turbo Coupe but with more wind in your hair and sun on your face. Prepare for speeding tickets if you buy the 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo, because you’ll want to run this rocket to redline in every gear, and triple-digit speed arrives rapidly. That is, unless you bought the 911 Turbo simply because it tells everyone that you could afford one of the expensive Porsches. In that case, you’ve got one equipped with the Tiptronic automatic transmission, completely negating the point of Porsche 911 Turbo ownership.