What it's like to own a Porsche 911 for six months

[jadenfrancis]

In January of this year, I bought my (obtainable) dream car: a 2002 Porsche 911 (996) Carrera 4S 3.6 with manual transmission. I had idolised this car for ten years. And yet six months later, I sold it, and have no regrets.

Briefly, I'm going to try and summarise the reality of owning a car like this in the UK - not the most car friendly of countries - earning a good but not outrageous salary. It's a longish post, but I reasoned that there might be a few people out there contemplating Porsche ownership: it's the closest that an average Joe can get to owning a genuine supercar.

First of all, the bad:10.0.0.0.1 192.168.1.254 hotmail.com


There was a thread a while back on "unpopular car opinions" where someone said that, unless you attend track days regularly, there is absolutely no point in getting a car with sporty suspension. Having owned such a car for six months, I have to agree. On all but pristine asphalt, the ride was unbearable. On particularly bad roads, the entire car would bounce around like a jumping bean and become dangerously unstable. This was surprising and a little heartbreaking to me, given that the Porsche 911 was supposed to be the ultimate practical sports car. I think the UK's terrible roads may ultimately have defeated it.

On a decent road, this thing is viciously fast. A lot of people think that a Porsche 911 is basically just a VW Golf that's been sexed up to look like a Ferrari. It's actually the other way around. This thing is a supercar masquerading as a runaround.

Mechanically, it was absolutely fine. Nothing went wrong for the six months and approximately 6,000 miles that it was mine. For a car nearing 100,000 miles on the odometer, that's quite a feat of engineering.

This car made some of the best noises I have ever heard. Early 996s were criticized for their muted, whispery exhaust note. The 3.6 C4S has gone so far in the other direction that Porsche have put a butterfly valve in there so you can avoid deafening your neighbours. All the time, I would see pedestrians looking round to see what in the hell was coming up behind them.

The engine was not quite flawless. It fell asleep below 2,000rpm and then had quite jerky power peaks at 3,500 and 5,500 rpm. I'm interested to see if subsequent 911s smoothed this out or improved bottom end grunt.

Porsche's famously long, tall gearing takes some getting used to. 3rd gear is good for 25mph and also good for 80mph. You can tackle long sections of corners without needing to change, which I guess is probably the intention.

Jealousy is a major problem with this car. People want to race you, regardless of what they driving. I mean, things like Transit vans and ten year old Jeep Cherokees want to race. Not only that, but people are dicks when it comes to being overtaken. On not just one but two separate occasions I had cars move across to try and force me off the road. Basically, try and kill me, whether they thought about it that way or not. Because I had an expensive car, and they didn't.

The possibility that I might kill myself in this thing is ultimately what made me part company with it. I was driving it too fast. I was overtaking in risky places. I was getting into races with fellow idiots. When you pay your own way, as I do, it's sometimes difficult to admit when you've made a mistake. And one day, I realised that I had.

I needed a new car right away, so I bought my dad's old E46 BMW 318i with 130,000 miles on the odo for £750. One twentieth of what I paid for the Porsche. And you know what? It's a great car. Practical, fun, economical and it soaks up the real world much better than the exquisitely highly-strung Porsche.

One day, I might feel the urge to buy another expensive car. But at the moment, it's worth noting that I really don't care for another. I rode that ride. I scratched that itch. I worked out, without losing too much money or face, that it just wasn't for me. And I have no regrets.

[Linderpat]

interesting first and only post. Weird is maybe better - you realize this is a Porsche 928 forum? We ain't all the same you know. I also cannot imagine anyone in the 996 forum, who are enthusiasts, are going to be warm to a one time poster that tells them he bought something they love and then dumped it a short 6 months later because it was too stiff and he was afraid to drive it.

sorry for being harsh, but hey, here we are

[stepson]

And this is in the 928 forum for what reason? edit: Sorry Ed, you must have posted just before me.

[JK McDonald]

Hey Jaden - Along with the excitement and performance of owning a 911, there is a frame of mind needed to put up with the quirky short comings of many Porsche models. The newer 911 ARE significantly quieter, more refined and normally very comfortable on the road, especially when compared to the earlier 911 which I also drive. Although not eliminated completely, Porsche has considerably refined and improved on the tendency of the newer 911 to swap ends if you get too aggressive in the curves..... With the tendency for the HP of my 930 to suddenly come alive above the 3k RPM mark, I've unexpectedly looped it several times in the rain. That will get your heart pumping and a negative comment or two from the wife like few other events. One of the perks for me is that I enjoy kind of a flash back reliving my early days when we take the top off our Targa and drive all night under the stars across the Arizona desert.

As far as the 911 (or 928) being a jacka$$ magnet - it doesn't matter which model Porsche you drive. There seems to be a "Red Cape - Waved In Front of a Bull Syndrome" when some drivers see the word Porsche in front of them. I have lost count in the number of times in heavy traffic an aggressive driver passed so close to my door that I've had to readjust my side mirror. When in one of my generic daily driver-mobiles these kamikaze dive bombers are no where to be found......

Hey Jaden - if a 911 doesn't suit you, next time you should perhaps try a 928

Drive Safe - Michael

[Duckworth]

Originally Posted by jadenfrancis

The possibility that I might kill myself in this thing is ultimately what made me part company with it. I was driving it too fast. I was overtaking in risky places. I was getting into races with fellow idiots. When you pay your own way, as I do, it's sometimes difficult to admit when you've made a mistake. And one day, I realised that I had.

I needed a new car right away, so I bought my dad's old E46 BMW 318i with 130,000 miles on the odo for £750. One twentieth of what I paid for the Porsche. And you know what? It's a great car. Practical, fun, economical and it soaks up the real world much better than the exquisitely highly-strung Porsche.

Some good points in the review. Personally I find a lot missing from modern 911 Porsches regardless of performance..especially since it is relative to many factors. Ironically, in the last 20 years of owning, a Spitfire consistently offers more adrenalin rush in terms of visceral speed, even though according to the speedometer, not much is happening. On a brisk downhill bend at 35 mph, with a cop off to the side, your heart skips a beat, until you look down to notice you're barely over the limit..

In the same vein...check out a 912 that recently went down in flames in a Ca. shop fire, but in terms of raw personality might be a better fit for England :

https://youtube.com/watch?v=A8ly2hwGFNM