Quote:
W8MM said:
Internet car-forum readers seem to suffer from from some sort of compressed time continuum combined with an obsessive/compulsive disorder.
Never before has it been possible to "compare notes" with other obsessive/compulsive friends, with such good industry connections and high interest levels, all focused on Porsche model details. We seem to know as much or more than most Porsche dealer personnel as soon as (or before) they do. It's a lot of fun, but it creates its own new problems.
One problem is the disappearing sense of romance with new car models. If one can know every last detail about a new Porsche before anyone outside of the factory has even seen one, where is the mystery? In this environment of full, premature disclosure, new car buying becomes less like making a date with an exciting new girl friend and more like bargaining for the services of a hooker. What mystery is left to discover?
When I talk to my car-guy friends about an exciting new car, detailed spreadsheets of other competitive vehicles rarely come up. The discussion usually revolves around more holistic topics. One friend of mine just bought a 1980s Morgan because he isn't interested in newer, more technological cars. He's a friend whose company I enjoy immensely. He's driven Barber races and restores old Ferraris and Astons. We have a great time roaring around his rural neighborhood in my Carrera GT.
This is the common way car guys used to relate -- before the Internet. We didn't go into convulsions over a missing four or five percentage points in horsepower relative to some arbitrary ideal. We actually waited to test drive a new car to see if it was worth our interest. If it turned out to be as exciting to drive as it was to look at or think about, we'd be in love and have to have one.
Sometimes I think that Internet automotive forums sort of coarsen what used to be more fun. This has nothing to do with the actual cars being discussed, but more the wham-bam, thank you Ma'am, sped-up nature of the information flow.
There are some pursuits in life wherein taking one's time and stretching out the experience is more satisfying.
Shouldn't Porsche buying be one of them?
You know what is funny, Mike? I agree and at the same time I disagree with your very intelligent, I have to admit, accurate statement. It is 100% true what you said but on the other hand I think that internet forums also start to create a desire for a certain thing. The only problem about creating such a desire is that at the same time, it also creates high expectactions. I always urged Porsche to officially support internet forums with information, technical details and help for customers. It is
their fault that people fall for gossip and urban legends, that people are confronted with dozends of different infos regarding the same subject. How much power? 480? 481? 483? 500? This is how all the confusion starts. In the end, people are actually "overfilled" with information, so they pick up what they liked best. And when the real thing shows up, they're disappointed. This doesn't need to happen. Porsche should learn to control the internet information flow. They can't control it to a full extent but they could place some information here and there, they could correct certain false claims, they could even direct discussions and rumors to a certain direction.
Yes, the internet creates a lot of problems for companies. Nowadays, it is very difficult to "hide" bad products or production flaws. It is almost impossible, word gets out and sooner or later it will be all over the internet. This is actually a very good thing...for the consumer.
This may be one reason why some companies actually view the internet forums like some sort of vicious thing, something they don't like. Here is actually their logical mistake. Internet forums are a great marketing tool, if they know how to use it. The AMG Owner's Club forum was a first step into the right direction, a private internet forum officially supported by a manufacturer. But unfortunately some club members apparently felt a little bit too elite, in my opinion this "experiment" didn't succeed too well because they didn't have the right people for the job.
Internet forums don't destroy fantasies, they actually create them, sometimes to an extent which isn't good at all.
But as a car manufacturer you have to understand that such internet forums need a "guiding hand", some sort of PR officer who keeps some sort of two-way communication between the creaters of such forums and the manufacturer.
But the truth is: manufacturers don't take us seriously. When I had the chance to talk to somebody high up in the Porsche hiearchy, he looked at his watch all the time and fed me with his "only 3% of our customers..." talk. Nothing what I said, nothing what I proposed seemed to be interesting for him. The only reason why he spoke to me was because he was asked to by his boss.
The only reason why I'm disappointed with the 997 Turbo is the fact that I actually hoped to get "my" dreamcar, my "959" if you wish to say so. Maybe it is just a personal thing, maybe I'm getting old, maybe I'm realizing that my financial top level has been reached and that I may not be able to own another supersportscar in the farer away future. I'm confused and I shouldn't be. I hope these aren't the first symptoms of a midlife crisis.
And of course I should learn to "talk" less, sorry guys.
However, they have assigned more than two dozen employees to surveil/peruse these boards, so, it makes me wonders what they're actually up to. 
And a few others working in his shadow...
