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    My first Porsche (drive)

    Despite the fact that I've been posting on this board for a while now, the fact that the majority of my contributions are dodgy photoshops is probably enough of a clue that I'm not a Porsche owner (yet). I like to think of myself as more of an aesthete - appreciating the marque for their design qualities. In truth, I'm "into Porsches" in the same way that many a fat, beer-drinking middle-aged man would list football / soccer / baseball / rugby among his interests. "TV, food & drink, socialising, football (watching)". An armchair enthusiast.
    I don't have a bad job and could probably afford one were it not for the second mortgage we shell out in nursery fees and my wife's desire to spend money on appreciating assets rather than depreciating toys (although I think we may have winessed a sea-change in attitudes today - of that more anon).
    For now, I just use sites like this (and my jogs past the local OPC) as the carrot to see me through to the end of my MBA (bring on August!).

    Anyway, wife says a friend has her father's Boxster and "would I like to go for a spin?". Sure, yeah, why not.
    Friend turns up in an immaculate silver 987S on 18's. Looks like Arctic, with full teracotta interior. The latter, incidentally, looks fantastic up close and has just closed off one of the plethora of spec hypotheticals that help fill slow days in the office. Wife goes for a passenger spin for 10 minutes and comes back awestruck. I can almost hear the home improvement plans being mentally shelved.
    I duly hop into the passenger side - trying not to look half as impressed or interested as I am. All that studied indifference goes straight out the window before my bum hits the teracotta, though - as I'm asked if I wouldn't really rather take the wheel. Wife must have spent her entire ride extolling my virtues as a driver, I guess. Good wife.

    Swap seats, get comfy, dick about with the mirrors and scan the cabin for buttons I might recognise. No PASM, no sport chrono, no nav, speedo incremented at 75MPH. Transpires the car is a RHD import from Germany (a la Easy).
    Foot on clutch, fire it up. Sounds great. Take it easy out of our street, ostensibly out of safety-minded respect for the neighbours kids - but in all honesty just hoping my ex-boss (and current neighbour) is about. No joy, dammit.
    Meander out of town, getting used to the feel of the controls. Cannot believe how easy and unintimidating the thing is, for a pretty powerful (by my standards, anyway) mid-engined, rear-drive sportscar on rain-soaked roads. Only major control that requires a surprising amount of heft is the brake pedal, which also seemed to sit pretty high.
    Out of town, heading up a sliproad onto the A1 and being encouraged from the passenger seat to open the taps, I let rip, up through the gears. Probably shifting way short but focusing on the road, other cars, puddles and the bridges ahead, trying desperately to remember which ones hide the speed cameras in their shadows.
    Now - as a non-owner, and therefore someone who's Porsche "choice" is currently purely hypothetical - it's easy to get carried away with the desire for power and speed.
    "I want a Carrera."
    "Actually, no - make that a Carrera S."
    "With a Powerkit... nah a Turbo!"
    Having driven the Boxster S, though, I can't see the need for anything quicker on these roads. Fantastic machine. On the way back to the house is a left hand turn at a roundabout with good visibility that can be approached at pace. Slight dip in the road, and the road off is slightly uphill. If there's nothing coming from the right, you can be quick onto the roundabout and then - if there's nothing coming towards you from the road you're exiting onto - power off the turn. Decent fun in an everyday hatch.
    But in a Boxster, in the wet? Ruddy marvellous. Give it the beans in second, very wet road. Car oversteers enough to prompt a reactionary smidgeon of opposite lock, but it all felt deliciously natural and easy. No idea if PSM was invoked but if it was it's very flattering to the (distinctly average) driver.

    So do I crave a Boxster, after years (dating back to the launch of the 964, as far as I can remember) of wanting a 911? Probably not, if I'm spending my own money. It'd be far easier to swing a toddler-toting 911 as an almost sensible second car. But if it's on a car allowance with a job? As long as it's got a six cylinder Porsche motor behind my bum I couldn't care less which model it is or what options it's got.
    As long as the leather is terracotta, obviously.

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Hey hellgelb.. thanks for the write-up and good luck with that MBA, where are you doing it at? ..oh and I almost forgot to say, nice to see that I'm not alone spec'ing those porches to while away the 'slower' times! I certainly have to agree with you with regards to the escalating power requirements...id convinced myself that id only be happy with nothing less than a X51 and it only took one drive in a Cayman-s to shatter that myth..something tells me that a 987 (no s) would equally suffice.. heres to dreams!

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Edinburgh Business School. It's a dark tunnel, but I can almost see the light!

    I should add to my thought above that I'm now mystified by PASM on the Boxster. The roads around Edinburgh are pretty rough and the ride quality in this conventionally suspended car was such that I didn't think about ride quality - if you see what I mean. Cannot understand why something more comfort oriented would be Pounds1k desirable. Or is the only draw of PASM the firmer sport mode?

    Also - wheel choice. Big, BIG thing for a theoretical owner. Well guess what: you can't see them when you're driving (see also: embossed headrests, carbon kickplates et al). If you're speccing PASM to make the ride on 19's bearable, how about saving a couple of grand and ignoring both (it'd pay for the terracotta)?

    I need another hit...

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Many thanks for your great write-up. I am afraid that there is only one cure now, getting your own Porsche.

    As you quite rightly state, the 987 Boxster be it 2.7, 3.2 or 3.4 are more than quick enough for UK roads. We are on our second 987 now and we just can't really find fault with them. We've had no problems (other than my current car has a tad more windnoise around the passenger door seal), is superbly comfortable, the build quality is exemplary apart from aluminium coloured cheap plastic fittings such as the door handles, the sound of the engines, the precision quality feel of the controls, the Porsche "feel" that comes from many years of careful honing. There are other cars that you can get for around the same money, some such as the BMW Z4M or Mercedes SLK 55 AMG are quicker in a straight line but feel much the same to drive as the bread and butter cars on which they are based. None feel special at any speed or on any road like the Boxster does. Ny only regret that due to my work committments these last few months we've not driven the car anything like as much as we would have liked. But I only have a few more weeks before my work gets back to normal and sensible hours, spring is just around the corner and several European driving breaks are also not far away!

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Quote:
    hellgelb said:
    Also - wheel choice. Big, BIG thing for a theoretical owner. Well guess what: you can't see them when you're driving (see also: embossed headrests, carbon kickplates et al). If you're speccing PASM to make the ride on 19's bearable, how about saving a couple of grand?
    I need another hit...



    You are quite right of course and a lot more sensible than me. I couldn't resist the 19" Carrera Classics and liked the comfort of PASM. (last car had 19" Carrera S wheels and PASM). Nearly Pounds2,300 IS a lot of money for something you don't see! I saved my money by having sound package plus now instead of the Bose which we had previously and never listened to and not speccing the 6 x CD changer. I am an IT dinosaur, so I now have to work out burning my own discs, as this car accepts MP3 where the last one didn't. Trust me, you agonise for ages on spec choice and when it's too late wish you'd changed something. (Wish we had the door finishers around the electric window switches in leather) but never regretted our colour choice (cobalt / ocean blue). Don't miss the sports seats though, SWMBO hated them and the standard seats are just as supportive. I must be crazy, just spent nearly Pounds300 on Cayman S circular chrome exhaust tips, and you don't see those when driving either!

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Quote:
    hellgelb said:
    Also - wheel choice. Big, BIG thing for a theoretical owner. Well guess what: you can't see them when you're driving (see also: embossed headrests, carbon kickplates et al). If you're speccing PASM to make the ride on 19's bearable, how about saving a couple of grand and ignoring both (it'd pay for the terracotta)?

    I need another hit...



    Options options options! In my opinion embossed porsche crests are an absolute must, a close second comes the carbon kickplates..

    A neighbour of mine had a red GT3 with these and they looked sensational. Im afraid my wheel choice would have to be the sport-designs...love those multi-spokes...

    oh and the triangular Multi-function wheel, oh and bose sound package etc etc...

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    .....oh and the heated seats and park assist and rain sensor and dimming mirrors

    Its all about budget and it isn't.

    Either in for a penny, in for a pound, get what YOU want, OR, you have x-pounds to spend on a boxster and thats it

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Quote:
    xbox said:
    .....oh and the heated seats and park assist and rain sensor and dimming mirrors





    Don't forget rear center console in exterior colour, sunvisors in leather and the short-shifter - I just love these gimmicks

    Saw a nice Porsche ad in the new issue of EVO (UK version), which ended with some infos about the price:
    "starting from XX,XXX GBP up to your personal limit"

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Quote:
    Porsche-Jeck said:
    Quote:
    xbox said:
    .....oh and the heated seats and park assist and rain sensor and dimming mirrors





    Don't forget rear center console in exterior colour, sunvisors in leather and the short-shifter - I just love these gimmicks

    Saw a nice Porsche ad in the new issue of EVO (UK version), which ended with some infos about the price:
    "starting from XX,XXX GBP up to your personal limit"



    No Porsche is complete without Porsche Communications Management, full leather, colour coded roll bars, electrically adjustable memory seats with orthopaedic support and auto-dip nearside mirror when engaging reverse, coloured wheel centres, auto-climate control.....

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Finally I have it black on white that my Porsche is incomplete

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Quote:
    Porsche-Jeck said:
    Finally I have it black on white that my Porsche is incomplete



    So's mine - I have a common leather colour (ocean blue) not a special leather colour (cocoa) and seal grey is even more exclusive - it's colour to sample only now so mega-bucks
    ..and I forgot coloured safety belts, most important for the ultimate Porker

    Hope you don't mind me posting one of your pics...

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    In other words: while your car depreciates mine appreciates Just kidding
    BTW I just got an invitation from my OPC to a presentation of some P-cars (Boxster S, Targa 4S, Cayenne Turbo) heavyly "modded" by PAG's Exclusive department (with all the expensive "Schnickschnack" as we say in Germany). I'll post some pics later in March (the Boxster sounds very "British" to me: Brewster green / natural brown)

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Quote:
    dreamcar said:

    Hope you don't mind me posting one of your pics...



    It's alway nice to remember how my baby looks after a thourough cleaning - thanks for reminding me

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Quote:
    Porsche-Jeck said:
    Quote:
    dreamcar said:

    Hope you don't mind me posting one of your pics...



    It's alway nice to remember how my baby looks after a thourough cleaning - thanks for reminding me



    Mine's only clean because it's a garage queen (like the poetry)? Once I finish working in Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth (five weeks to go).....

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Quote:
    dreamcar said:

    Mine's only clean because it's a garage queen (like the poetry)?



    Nice poetry indeed, but I guess you know that P-cars have something in common with hot girls: sometimes they like it a bit dirty Hope you find some quality time for a hot session with your baby any time soon

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Arrrgggghhhhhhh!!!!!!

    How much better would my car look with blue safety belts to match the rollover and center console

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Porsche-Jeck...i'd love to see those photos (the ones you are going to take!) of the p-cars fully loaded with all the 'exclusive' options.. Make sure you up load them when you get them or PM me!! thanks in advance...

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Quote:
    xbox said:
    Arrrgggghhhhhhh!!!!!!

    How much better would my car look with blue safety belts to match the rollover and center console



    and don't forget to have the PCM surround in exterior colour to match the centre console (no, it's not mine)!

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Oh dear, too many colours

    Was never gonna work with silver seat backs and silver dash trim.

    Just IMHO that is.

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Quote:
    xbox said:
    Oh dear, too many colours

    Was never gonna work with silver seat backs and silver dash trim.

    Just IMHO that is.



    It's too OTT for me as well. I was worried about too much blue with my car which is why I chose aluminium - look centre console and roll bars for a contrast

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Isn't it ironic that in the 80's car manufacturers strove to rid interiors of any sign of exterior painted surfaces as it was associated with the base economy models in the range and turned buyers off. Now we are actually paying them more more to put it back in to replac the rubberised painted surfaces that are supposed to make it feel more expensive. It's a funny old world

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Quote:
    ISUK said:
    Isn't it ironic that in the 80's car manufacturers strove to rid interiors of any sign of exterior painted surfaces as it was associated with the base economy models in the range and turned buyers off.



    That explains it!! Some chap commented the car looked great apart from the cheap looking center console they didn't trim

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Quote:
    xbox said:
    Quote:
    ISUK said:
    Isn't it ironic that in the 80's car manufacturers strove to rid interiors of any sign of exterior painted surfaces as it was associated with the base economy models in the range and turned buyers off.



    That explains it!! Some chap commented the car looked great apart from the cheap looking center console they didn't trim



    Your lucky! My centre console wasn't even painted, much less trimmed!

    Re: My first Porsche (drive)

    Great Story Hellgelb

    Great story I really enjoyed reading it and I know exactly what you mean about your 1st Porsche experience. My dad brought a new Carrera S 2 years ago and I went for a test drive before he brought it. What a fantastic car and the smile on my face when I arrived back at the dealership I will remember for the rest of my life. Anyhow last October I picked up my New Boxster 2.7 and I am absolutely delighted. I to was studying to be a Chartered Management Accountant and finished my finals lasy year so I can emphasise with your current sitiation and getting some time back in your life.

    2.7 Porsche does the job fine don't worry about 2 many options as Pounds3 to Pounds4k should cover most of the essentials.

    Good luck with the MBA (Heriot-Watt Uni) I believe. I studied their also.

     
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