Porsche Panamera Diesel – 2011 – 535,010 kilometers

One of the first Panamera Diesels in the Netherlands

Antoon van den Hurk was born in the Second World War, but still going strong. Enthusiastic as a thirty-something, he talks over the phone about the milestone he has reached with his business car. “More than half a million kilometers, isn’t that fun for you?” he asks. Perhaps. That depends on the story and the car. “It is a Porsche Panamera Diesel, one of the first to be available in the Netherlands at the end of 2011,” Antoon adds. Well, we like that!
As a servant to the boss, Antoon started a long time ago at the Rollé company, a company that dealt in wood. He worked his ass off and took over the company from the founder. The lively Brabander developed it into the company it is today: a renowned wholesaler in Schijndel, specializing in oak, especially for use as floors and furniture. In 2023, the company is a serious player in a large part of Europe. “For the company I was on the road a lot in France and Germany, so you make miles,” he says. Antoon is now phasing out. His sons Ton and David have taken over the day-to-day operations and thus also the many business trips. Because Antoon does not need to be in the foreground and enjoys a quiet stay on a sunny island, he sends the most car-crazy Van den Hurk of the whole family together with the Panamera towards the podium called Klokje Rond. We meet Tommy van den Hurk. This 22-year-old from Brabant is a walking car encyclopedia and knows all the ins and outs of the Porsche. He once played driver for grandpa Antoon when he didn’t feel like driving to France himself and is also a sounding board for his grandfather when it comes to cars.

Panamera bought for €42,000

Which business driver now passes half a million? Well, Anthony. He simply purchased the Panamera at the time for the sum of €42,000. “This car offers everything I could wish for,” says Antoon. “And it still works sublime, so why should I get rid of it?”, says the owner. There is something to be said for that. Well, maybe because you’re in the garage every two weeks because something is broken again? “Well no, he just gets his maintenance. A Porsche is of course not the cheapest car to drive, but then you get something”, Antoon confides to us by telephone.
Tommy, who is doing the honors at Carrec in Soesterberg today, is well aware of the ins and outs of the Panamera. “Twice the car stopped because of a dirty soot filter. Then he goes into a kind of emergency run. It is an eight-speed automatic and even though grandpa drives nicely on the French and German motorways, very often the rev counter does not exceed 2,000 rpm,” says Tommy. He also has every confidence in the inspection. “It’s just a good car that has been well maintained. They will find something, but it won’t be anything serious,” suspects the grandson.
Tommy easily puts himself in the shoes of grandpa Antoon and indicates exactly what the frequent driver finds important in a car. “Grandpa wants to see the nose, so those arched wheel arches are a must, like the star on the hood used to be. He also likes to sit nicely built-in, so he wants a cockpit around him. The Panamera has that too. And then the operation must be clear: not three screens around you.”
All these things contributed to Antoon continuing to drive the Porsche. Tommy: “We have certainly looked around for the past two years. He found a Range Rover far too noisy on the road, he didn’t like the seating position of an E or S class, just like the dashboard. He was a Mercedes driver at first, but dropped out for those reasons.”

Panamera is still like new inside

If you take a look in the cockpit, you won’t believe your eyes. This car is almost like new inside. Almost, because you can only find traces of use in the driver’s area. You can see from the gear knob that this Porsche has been used, but worn is certainly not the word. “Grandpa is careful with his things,” says Tommy. The passenger seat in the front and the two separate seats in the back? Like New. We can’t say that from the outside. There are some irregularities. “Grandpa overtook a car once and it lost a wheel right at that moment. That wheel went its own way and hit the front right wheel arch. Grandpa also had some trouble estimating the wide tires when he first got the car, so the rims have some parking damage.”
Finally, Antoon once left the tailgate open when he drove in or out of the garage and that resulted in an ugly scratch. We also see some stone chips at the front, but that’s it. We understand better and better why Antoon chose this Porsche as a business car. Chassis, steering, seating position, interior finish, appearance: it’s all right. Tommy agrees wholeheartedly with us. “It is in fact just Audi technology, but put together in a Porsche way. Our dad has a 911. I’ve driven it before and I notice the same thing there.”
As a true enthusiast, such a refined Porsche is of course spent on judge Joep Schuurman. Despite the famous origin of this diesel and its documented maintenance history, the Carrec foreman still manages to point out some points of attention. “Shock absorbers have a major impact on a car’s handling and comfort,” he says. “These are really worn out and so are the brakes. Those are quite serious matters, but it is also a serious mileage.”

What’s wrong with it now?

Engine rattles shortly after starting; that’s the timing chain
The engine vibrates quite a bit at idle due to worn engine mounts
The front left door catch has play
The wiper blade on the front right has stripes
There are various rattles coming from the chassis; these appear to be the shock absorbers themselves
The shock absorbers are all worn out
The interior fan beeps
The turn signal switch goes heavy and makes a lot of noise when operated
The steering wheel is crooked when driving straight ahead
The brakes are almost worn all around
The front rubbers of the rear lower wishbones are completely worn out

The opinion of Carrec Technocenter

“The Porsche is in good condition for its age and mileage, but if Mr. wants to enjoy it for a while, it’s time to invest.”