5 Pointless Porsche Models You've Been PSYOP-ed Into Buying and You Totally Fell for It

Granted, if you’re in the market for a flagship Porsche, you’re already doing well for yourself, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re wealthy, nor that you should be careless with your finances. I’ve seen several vloggers and online personalities spending ridiculous amounts of money on track-focused supercars that they will never take to the track – or rarely if ever.

What’s ironic is that they want those cars because they represent the pinnacle of what that carmaker has to offer when it comes to driving dynamics. But what’s the point if you can’t unleash all that tech the way it’s supposed to be unleashed? Why are you driving a car with a rear wing the size of Texas when you’re just going out to dinner?

That type of car doesn’t even make sense on winding canyon roads, because you’ll simply never find yourself in a position to use all that downforce on public roads. Yet, you just spend a boatload of money, probably just so people can see that you’re a “driving enthusiast”; because enthusiasts always buy the best-handling cars, right?

Congratulations, you’ve been brainwashed. And it’s not just the media doing it, but also the carmakers themselves. They quickly realized they can run this little PSYOP on unsuspecting car enthusiasts with a bit of money in their pockets. Today, we’ll be focusing on Porsche and five otherwise terrific models that make absolutely no sense compared to other Porsche-branded alternatives.

We’re going to rank these according to price (from least to most expensive), which means we’re kicking things off with number 5.

#5. Porsche 718 Spyder RS ($160,700 MSRP)

When Porsche unveiled the Cayman GT4 RS back in 2021, they were lauded for finally giving the ultra-agile Cayman the RS treatment. They bumped the power output to 490 horsepower, while also adding 25% more downforce compared to the regular Cayman GT4 via a fixed rear wing.

That thing was so quick around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, it crushed the GT4’s time by a full 23 seconds. You know what, I love it. It is a perfect car for people who visit the track a lot.

My question is this: why did they make a 718 Spyder RS? It’s a convertible variant of the Cayman GT4 RS, priced the same, except that it doesn’t offer as much downforce as its fixed-roof sibling. It’s a “lesser RS” for all intents and purposes, yet you’re expected to shell out a minimum of $160,700 just so you can have the wind in your hair a little.

What Porsche have done here is that they’ve taken a carefully calibrated track weapon and made it... not as good. If you want a convertible 718 model, just get a 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 for $60,000 less. Otherwise, go for the Cayman GT4 RS.

#4. Porsche 911 Dakar ($222,000 MSRP)

The 992-generation 911 is flawless. It’s just one of those cars that you simply cannot improve upon, at least not when it comes to the overall recipe. So then, what do you do when you can’t improve on it? You make it worse and charge more money for it, which is what Porsche have done with the so-called 911 Dakar.

“Hey guys, why don’t we take the perfect sports car/supercar, the 911, make it less sporty, give people a false sense of ruggedness (as if you could ever do any serious off-roading with it), and make them pay Turbo S money for it!”

“Why that’s a splendid idea ‘Herr Porsche executive guy’! We can make a limited number of these and that way they’ll go up in value over time. At least until the bubble bursts.”

I know that’s not how the exact conversation went, but it may as well have.

If you want to get technical, the 911 Dakar is a limited production 911 GTS with additional ground clearance, costing you nearly $100,000 more than the latter just so you can go slower while telling people you’re driving a limited production 911 with a "heritage twist". It’s cute. But not $222k cute.

#3. Porsche Taycan Turbo GT ($230,000 MSRP)

The Turbo GT spec was introduced earlier this year for the Taycan, featuring an upgraded rear motor compared to the Turbo and Turbo S specifications, but the same front motor as the latter two. Altogether, you’re looking at a peak output of 1,020 horsepower when engaging Launch Control – otherwise, it’s 780 horsepower continuously.

In a straight line, the Taycan Turbo GT will rocket to 60 mph in 2.2 seconds for $230,000 (2.1 seconds if you get the Weissach pack variant). What to know what’s funny? The Turbo S spec model will do it in 2.3 seconds for $209,000. Meanwhile, the “regular” Taycan Turbo needs 2.5 seconds in order to hit 60 mph, and only costs $173,600.

You’d have to be a bit delusional to think that you can exploit those 0.3 seconds in real world conditions. Sure, Porsche wants something they can throw at the Tesla Model S Plaid, but not every Taycan buyer is going to care how their EV compares to the much cheaper and less prestigious Tesla. What they might care about is that there’s very little between the flagship Taycan and its “lesser” siblings, and that the latter are nearly just as quick – and considerably cheaper to purchase.

Be thankful I’m stopping here, because personally, I think that every single Taycan spec beyond the 4S is completely unnecessary. The Taycan 4S costs upwards of $118,500 and can hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. You don’t really need anything quicker, especially when it’s the exact same car but for an extra $100k. Madness.

#2. Porsche 911 GT3 RS ($241,000 MSRP)

That rant about buying a track-focused car just for “show” from earlier was 100% directed at 911 GT3 RS buyers. Maybe not all of them, but the vast majority. To make matters worse, you’ve got tons of dealerships and various other people looking to flip them for a profit. Then you’ve got your driving enthusiasts that are so enthusiastic about not being able to ever fully exploit their GT3 RS, they’re willing to pay extra for it.

Here’s what you get compared to the regular 911 GT3. It starts with an extra 15 horsepower, plus a more dramatic aerodynamic profile resulting in much greater downforce as you approach the vehicle’s top speed. My guy, first, you’re not driving this thing near its top speed because it’s illegal; second, you just look ridiculous driving around in a car with a wing that big. The ladies don’t care. Most men won’t care.

You’re the only one who’s going to care, along with every teenage boy in the world. And to make matters worse, people will specify these GT3 RS models to within an inch of their lives, taking the MSRP from $241,000 to well over $300,000; and then when they get auctioned off, people pay over $400k for them.

My advice is to just get the regular 911 GT3, which packs 502 horsepower and will hit 60 mph in 3.2 seconds – all for $182,900. It also looks much better without that goofy aero kit.

#1. Porsche 911 S/T ($290,000 MSRP)

If this isn’t the greatest scam ever perpetrated on the American public, I don’t know what is. Alright, maybe I’m exaggerating for dramatic effect, but are you kidding me with that $290,000 MSRP?! Not only is this by far the most expensive Porsche 911 ever made, but it’s also one of the slowest as it pertains to this current generation.

Yes, I know it’s a limited production car (1,963 units), and that you get the same engine you’d find in the GT3 RS and GT3 Touring, coupled with a six-speed manual gearbox, rear wheel drive, plus an overall lightweight package. But this “less is more” nonsense has gone too far.

I genuinely don’t see how the “everyday” Porsche buyer will get more from this 911 S/T than they would from a Carrera 4S, which is half the price, literally. Meanwhile, those that would appreciate the differences between a lowly Carrera 4S and the S/T are forced to treat the latter as some type of be-all, end-all product, when in fact, it would get demolished by any 911 with a Turbo badge.

Enthusiasts will call this the ultimate 911 when the fact remains that it is not twice as good as a Carrera 4S. It’s not twice the car – so why pay twice the price?

In the end, I’d say that Porsche makes such exceptional cars, it’s becoming harder and harder to justify buying novelty flagship specs when these older and more established variants are already downright perfect.