Need Input on PCA!

[MPDano]

I belong to the San Diego PCA. I haven't really used the membership except for some local recommendations of mechanics. I never used them yet though.

I use the Forum sometimes. Seems like a friendly bunch. Yeah, they throw out a 928/944 joke once in awhile but i know it's all for fun.

I will Autocross sometime at the Qualcomm Stadium here, but just haven't gotten my 928 Project to my AX standards as of yet.

I will probably renew next year.

[Racerbvd]

When I renew, I'm going to join the region with the best newsletter, as my local one has too many wine & cheese boxster leasing posers running it now

[Dean_Fuller]

DFWX....Mark. Thanks for your posts. They were among the best written I have had the pleasure of reading. I agree with you 98%. The other 2% is not even worth bringing up. I hope you will consider having your stuff published. We as a community really need this kind of representation.

[rhjames]

my two cents--

1. no 500 hp (domestic advertised HP) muscle cars prior to the Viper.
2. PCA region participation depends on your numbers (that would be 928 numbers!)
3. you are faced with the animosity of the DFW 928 bunch---historically, they have no use for PCA and their events.
4. I have been a PCA/LSR member, and it's a more relaxed group of folks---they're not anal about concours events, they accept that yes, Porsche did build something other than a 911 or it's variants, and they have fun at their events.
5. more than 5 liters for current and future P-cars? Why? at 500 hp for their current offerings, more cubes isn't always the answer when you've got turbo's......

--R

[RKDinOKC]

Originally Posted by racer951y

I like the national club but my local region is full of *******s. That is why I moved my membership to the Maverick region and out of the War Bonnet region. My region just wants to have a little boys club that only a few of the members control and are not very liking of new people in their group..

I must be one of the *******s because I am not only an active member of your local PCA, I am past president. I've owned two 951s and live in Edmond too. I'd be happy to make a new friend, just pm me. Have you tried the Cimarron Region in Tulsa? About 15 members meet every Saturday for Breakfast and it's a little closer than Maverick. However, I understand Maverick's attraction. With 1000 plus members they have 50 or so active members compared to our 10 to 15 active members with 150 total members.

RKDinOKC
Recent Past President War Bonnet Region PCA

[MPDano]

Been there, done that, being a President of a Club. It was nothing more than a highly stressful year. I opted to not run again as it wasn't worth the headaches of non-future thinkers. Too many old men and not wanting change or trying new things.

I brought a dead club into a thriving club via marketing and restructure. Also, funny how the ideas I brought forward to the Board and was shut down, was implemented the very next year.

Sorry, had to rant my experience with being a Club President and dealing with Boards.

FYI, I just got my Panorama Magazine yesterday and not one mention of a 928. Not even in the Ads.

[Fabio421]

I stradle two PCA regions and have attended events held by both. I have found most of the people to be welcoming and the events were very well done. I have experienced a little good natured ribbing about my 928 but it was all in jest as far as I can tell. I have also had tons of people tell me how much they have always liked the 928's but didn't know much about them.

In my personal experience, I think that the bad impression that most 928 owners have regarding the PCA isn't deserved and stems from them feeling inadequate before they ever attend their first event.

[XLR8928]

Originally Posted by epbrown

Your rant doesn't make a lot of sense, and ignores some Porsche facts. For instance, the 928 in no way shape or form saved Porsche from being bought out. in the 80s, the 944 pulled their fat from the fire, and in the 90s the next generation entry level model did it - the Boxster.

Also, Porsche stopped doing number designations in the 80s, preferring to go with names. The 911 was renamed the Carrera in '84 - people just continued to call it the 911. The Boxster was the first all-new model since that choice to come out, and that's why it's known by it's name rather than type designation - they didn't bother coming up with a name for the 944 (and it's derivative the 968) or the 928 because they were on the road to discontinuation already. Since then it's been Carrera, Cayman, Cayenne - I don't think they'd though of the alliteration thing when they named the Boxster.

Lastly, my personal feeling is that the 928 should have been positioned as a limited-edition flag-ship model once the company realized they weren't replacing the 911. As you said, the flagship cars get people into the dealerships, where they buy the models they can actually afford and leave the supercars for the heavy hitters, like the Carrera GT does today.

This also lets them justify continuing to develop the line as a research platform, letting technology trickle down to the other models over time. This was already happening with the 928 - it's air intake and Bosche DME injection worked it's way into the 3.2L Carrera, it's Weissach axle was the basis for the 993 suspension and continues with the 996/997 cars, and the 4-valve technology used in the current flat six was pioneered in the 928 - it's engine design was also copied in miniature for the 944 and 968 throughout it's life.

Anyway, the smart thing would have been to limit production of the 928, keeping demand up while helping to defray the development costs of technology going into the lesser models. Selling 2000 cars a year is a disaster - unless you only planned to sell 2000 . It also would have kept prices up, which (perhaps perversely) would have increased demand; more high-end car buyers would have bought them if they hadn't made such poor investments. The Ferrari supercar sales model is to build one fewer than they think they can sell - and it works.

Emanuel

I think were missing a salient point, i.e.: if 928's were in a more coveted status, a lot of folks wouldn't be enjoying ownership of what is a very cool automobile. I've owned two, and plan on a future third. Those who don't care for the car, their loss.
Just my thoughts -Kerry

[SeanR]

DFWX, dude, who are you? Have we met?