Selling a Porsche that doesn't run

Further down: how Porsche got started, which Porsche models draw the most owner complaints to federal regulators, and links to each Porsche model page we have.

From Stuttgart, since 1931

Porsche was founded in 1931 in Stuttgart, Germany, and its headquarters are still there, according to Wikipedia's Porsche article. A few points from that article explain the cars you see in US driveways today:

• The 356 came first. It was road-certified in 1948. Over its run it went through A, B and C stages, and most of its Volkswagen-sourced parts were replaced with parts Porsche made itself.
• The factory grew across the street. In 1952 Porsche built its Werk 2 assembly plant across from the Reutter Karosserie coachworks. The road in front of Werk 1, the oldest Porsche building, is now called Porschestraße.
• The 924 borrowed from Audi. A 1976 tie-up with Audi led to the US-only 912E and to the 924, which came off Audi's line in Neckarsulm carrying a good share of Audi parts.
• The Cayenne shares its chassis. Introduced in 2002, it shares its chassis with the Volkswagen Touareg and the Audi Q7, and Wikipedia ties it to the Volkswagen Group factory in Bratislava, Slovakia.
• The 911 took back first place. By mid-2006, after years of the Boxster and then the Cayenne selling best in North America, the 911 was Porsche's best-seller there again.
• Assembly outside Europe started in Malaysia. In August 2021 Porsche confirmed a plant there, its first outside Europe, run with its Malaysian partner Sime Darby.

Which Porsches draw the most complaints

The table tallies every complaint Porsche owners lodged with NHTSA for the 14 EPA-listed models, through October 10, 2026. Each is one driver's account of a problem that nobody has confirmed, and the tally is no reliability score.

The other seven models have 16 complaints or fewer each. Three things stand out:

• The SUVs lead. The Cayenne alone has more complaints than the 911, even though the 911 has been in the EPA list for nearly twice as many years. The Cayenne is also the Porsche most likely to be someone's daily driver.
• The Taycan collected its 276 in seven model years. That is more than the Boxster gathered over 24. A 2026 Taycan has spent far less time with its owner than a 2020 one, so the youngest years will keep adding to that number.
• The old cars barely register. The 944 has 16, the 968 has 9, the 924 has 4 and the 928 has 2. Few of them are still on the road, and NHTSA's online records thin out the further back you go.

The 918 Spyder has none on file, and the Carrera GT has one. Both were built in small numbers.

What every Porsche has in common when it stops

Whichever model you have, a dead Porsche is still a whole car with a title. That covers a 1980s 944 that has sat in a garage for a decade, a Cayenne with a failed engine, and a Taycan that won't charge. Each model page goes deeper on its own years and complaint patterns. The selling steps are the same for all of them.

Selling it whole

You don't strip it, part it out, or get it running first.

1. Note the model, the model year and the miles on the clock.
2. Let us know if your Porsche fires up, if it moves, and what's dented or missing.
3. Tell us who the Porsche is titled to. If the title is lost, read selling a junk car with no title.
4. Give us the address where it sits. A tow truck meets the Porsche at that spot, from a garage bay to a curb to a shop lot.

For a 924, 928, 944 or 968 that has been a project for years, see selling an old project car. For a Taycan with a battery problem, see when an EV battery fails. When the sale is done, handle the plates and paperwork.

Rather talk it over? Call (877) 421-6008.

Every Porsche model on this site

The EPA has rated 14 Porsche nameplates since 1984, and each one has its own page here. Years come from the EPA's list, which keeps adding recent model years, so a Porsche listed through 2026 may well still be in showrooms.