The Porsche Wave-Ten Simple Rules

[bigchillcar]

74-77 should get a thumbs up for safety.

They're the most defensive drivers on the road!

forgot to give props to socal911sc..this remark was pretty clever and well-timed..

i'm not realllllly worked up over this thread..it's just another saturday night and i ain't got no money......and i'm just sittin' here with you guys, nary a beer in the house and someone picked a fight with the boy's p-car.. nobody gets a free wave from bigchillcar tonight..but i can afford to give any interested obnoxious party the finger..

ryan

[ianc]

It all kinda makes sense if you think about it. You're not really waving at the car, but at the person in the car, and the car they drive is an excellent indication of their feelings about Porsches in general.

Anyone driving anything old and well cared for gets a big wave, be it a 914, a 924, or a 550 Spyder. Obviously they care. The older and better cared for, the bigger the wave.

Anybody driving anything water-cooled past 98 doesn't get a wave. They might deserve one if they have an oldie at home in the garage, but if so, why aren't they driving it?

Living in Marin, I gave up waving at Boxsters and 996's long ago. I have better things to do than wear out my elbow for blank stares in return.

As for Cayenne owners, I reserve the bulk of my vitriol for them. They are cars for people with more money than sense. Whenever I see one on the road, I feel a deep sense of embarrassment that cheapens my car and the Porsche experience in general. Middle fingers away.

Funny thread.

ianc

P.S. Whoever blasted 914's has obviously never had A) the opportunity to drive one, or B) a clue.

914's kick serious ass.

[Freeman]

"A special note about women in Porsche's: It is probably their boyfriend's, or they are a dyke, or they are stuck up and won't wave back anyway"

Not so fast, we are a 2 911 family and the wife drives the '87. The '95 "just doesn't have the same feel, you drive it." Did I mention that she had an Audi S4, 2nd in GA because she ordered it after reading the C&D article in '00. Oh yea, she's also a 12 handicap, play a round with her and please Glenn, bet heavy at the turn . . .

[Chuck Moreland]

I put about 100 miles on my '73 today.

I got one wave from a 964, once from a 993, one from a old Alfa spider, and one chick lifted her shirt to flash her ta-tas.

Though I didn't initiate any of these "waves", I enthusiastically return them all

[bigchillcar]

chuck,
tell me more about those ta-ta's..tell me a story....
ryan

[Steve@Rennsport]

Ryan:

I think Chuck was diplomatically telling you that he flashed his "ta-ta's" in return.

[livi]

I am with you Ryan on this one.

Wanna wave ? Wave. Big deal..

I have not yet the knowledge to take my car to pieces and put it back together. But so far I have done an oil change and my rear shocks and the the feeling of satisfaction having done those simple things utterly supersedes most of my days working as a pediatrician.

On the topic though, while driving with a BMW Z4 in front of me and a Mercedes SLK behind me, the three of us passed a black shiny 996 cab. 60+ fart driving, missus beside. They don´t take notice of the Beamer but then they see my car and the wify starts waving like crazy. I put up big smile, wave back and when passed she put down her hands ignoring the Merc.

OK, admittedly made me feel good...

[ianc]

OK, admittedly made me feel good...

Yep. That's the point.

ianc

Edit - I want to say in addition to my above comments that attractive women in any model are to be waved at most enthusiastically. Hell, waving at attractive women driving Hondas is OK...

[larry47us]

Being in the Chicago area, I have seen plenty of Porsches since the weather turned warm (there are always boxsters around, and they are so common, I don't count them - but I have driven one, and they are fuuuuun.)

I have tried to wave at them, but they mostly ignore me. Wifey and I were driving down Sheridan road, along the lakefront. I saw a newer 99something driving up ahead. I kicked Kermit in the Ass to catch up and do the wave thing. He saw me coming, and pulled to the right and STOPPED TO LET ME BY!!!! Wave? Hell, he thought I was dangerous. Was he afraid that I was going to leave a trail of Parts on the road???

But I will admit that lately, I have gotten a few Big Thumbs UP and Grins from guys in newer cars around here.

Some are just so stuck up. I wonder if they think that I bought my '73 cause I couldn't afford a new one??!?!?!? Dots OK, over the next 5 - 8 years, the value of mine will surpass theirs, and I'm having more fun just toolin around. I'm not trying to impress anyone (OK, I am, but it is the car that gets the stares, not the mid 50's driver.)

(btw, I'm in for the T-shirt)

larry

[sweet97m3]

Living in the Washington D.C. area P-cars of all ages and types are abundant (relatively speaking), truly a good thing. Of course Boxters and Cayennes are the most prevalent. I've found that in a few cases these particular car owners also had an older model in their garage as well (usually a 911), so the stereotype around here does not always hold true. Being a relatively affluent area I also see lots of the well preserved aircooled cars on weekends and nice days - and often being used as daily drivers! My biggest ***** is when I am out in mine I rarely see one to wave at...must be on a bad luck streak! Waving at them from the Tahoe isn't quite the same, from either vantage point...

On the occasions I do come across a fellow P-car driver, if it is a newer car I've given up on the "flash" as they typically seem to think I am warning of a radar trap ahead of them...have to chuckle when I see them hit the brakes after they pass by...

As for "getting it"...well I have come to realize that one doesn't TRULY arrive at that point until you do much of your own maintenance. Although my '86 911 is my second, I really didn't do much of my own maintenance on the first one ('86 Targa/lack of tools and a garage mostly). I've since remedied that and have started doing the routine stuff myself and with lots of guidance found through other Pelicanheads and the great book by Wayne (101 Projects) will be moving on to some more ambitious projects. Doing as much work yourself does provide an immense sense of satisfaction...and awe when afterwards the damn thing doesn't blow up when I drive it...

Steve

[glenndeweirdt]

Geez, you 2.7 guys are a militant bunch-and I thought the SCWDP fellows (of which I am proudly a member) were extremists. What next- A '75 loaded with explosives set off in my driveway?

[RarlyL8]

There was NOTHING automotive built beween '74 and '77 beyond the 930 worthy of ownership. ANYONE who has one of these survivors has beaten the odds and corrected the issues. They should be aplauded.

I flash all things Porsche and wave at all cool high end sports cars.

So when do we get tee-shirts?

[efhughes3]

Originally posted by ianc

As for Cayenne owners, I reserve the bulk of my vitriol for them. They are cars for people with more money than sense. Whenever I see one on the road, I feel a deep sense of embarrassment that cheapens my car and the Porsche experience in general. Middle fingers away.

How does this give you a "sense of embarassment" and what possible effect could it have on the value of your car? I still don't understand this train of thought. Porsche made a business decision to build an SUV. And build they did. I again say that If I was in the market for a slick SUV, you can bet I'd be test drving Cayennes.

It's beyond me that Porsche still gets grief for building this vehicle.

BTW, if this model has contributed financially to Porsche's decision to re-enter prototype racing, and one could assume it hasn't hurt, then it should get credit for this at least.

[sweet97m3]

I think Ed makes a great point, the better that Porsche does financially the more likely they are to support racing and take chances on building truly great cars. I'd love to see Porsche remain an independent for eternity. If it means Boxters and Cayennes then so be it. As for these new great cars on the way...so what if we can't afford them?!

[Tooth911]

I would gladly plaster your windshield with an egg if I got the chance from my 77 911 2.8l 240 HP.

[Loual]

I've had my '75 for 22 years now and love the sound, the simplicity, and the fact that it is not red, black, or some somber metallic shade like most of the 911s that followed it. Here I am at Hershey parked among the '74 - '89s... no trouble picking me out! Agreed, the middlies had the least reliable engines of this lot straight out of the box, but that was 30+ years ago and most have been rebuilt taking advantage of everything we've learned since then. The market is starting to realize it--the '74 - '77s are the fastest appreciating cars in the '74 - '89 group. So I'll take a T shirt if you group the '74 - '89s together. PCA does.

[efhughes3]

All that I've read is that the Cayenne has indeed been successful to Porsche. Their unit sales in the US may not be as projected, but it's been a good model for them.

Porsche has never been healthier.

[Brother]

They benefitted from the exchange rate so maybe the numbers will turn.

I'm not wishing them doom, but I'm not a cheerleader for their non sports car programs.

[CarreraS2]

You must be reading PCNA press releases only. The sales were initially modestly ok because of the novelty factor and a base of poseurs who like to be the "first on the block." But not great sales, like when the boxster, or miata, or even Chrysler 300 came out. How many waiting lists were there for a Cayenne? How many were sold at over MSRP?

Then Porsche had to stoop to putting a VW Golf engine in it to bring out a cheaper model affordable to a wider group of poseurs. Which is like a heroin injection to a junkie. Feels good for a while, but is damaging to the health of the brand in the long run.

But nevertheless, unit sales worldwide have been way, way off. The days of inventory of those ugly things is at an all time, and frightening high. (I think around 120 days - in other words if they stopped producing today, they have enough inventory to last 120 days - which is way, way high and indicates they are piling up in showrooms).

The worst part is that there is really nothing that porsche can do to get it back on track. Because it is a fundamentally flawed vehicle for porsche to have built on so many levels, and it made absolutely no sense. You can't dress up or market a fundamental mistake like that over the long run.

[Chuck Moreland]

Originally posted by bigchillcar
chuck,
tell me more about those ta-ta's..tell me a story....
ryan

I was out testing my new oil cooler in the '73 and it proved to be a good test. Mid-high 90s and I was highway cruising when I came up on a back-up. Stop&go for several miles.

I've been driving Porsche for 20+ years, but what happened next is a first.

Suddenly I notice a girl hanging out of a car in the next lane, just ahead of me. She's looking back at my car and yelling something I couldn't make out. Then she starts making explicit gestures with her fingers and ..... use your imagination.

There are 5 or 6 people wedged into the car, mix of guys and girls. She's obviously showing off for her friends and they are all laughing.

Next thing she pulls up her shirt and gives me the Mardis Gras wave. Not bad looking either.


Save the flash