[Porsche-O-Phile]

HD I do get your point. My M.B. is a relatively "new" car with computer controls, electronic stuff in it, etc. It's amazingly comfortable and is a fantastic daily driver. Even so, I went for the SLK-320 over a slightly newer SLK-230, a Z4 and a S2000 because the SLK-320 is the most "basic" of them. It has electronics, but they're transparent to the driver. It has a bona-fide MANUAL transmission (not some electronic-assisted pseudo-manual slushbox). There is not an over-abundance of screens, buttons, knobs, switches and god-knows-what-else that one sees on even new Toyotas. A guy I used to work with bought a new BMW 325i and that sucker had a fuse block with something like 80 fuses. And EVERY ONE of them was filled. No spares or blanks. Within 4 months the car was grounded due to a failure of some damn thing-a-ma-whatsy or another that I don't even know what it did. Granted BMW has a great warranty program but the fact remains - it still puts you without the use of your car for a day or two, it's inconvenient, etc.

I COMPLETELY believe in the "less is more" philosophy in cars, aircraft and other elements of our mobile world. The last thing we need is more distractions and flashing lights and other nonsense to distract from the task at hand. Perhaps the ultimate extension of this is the SUV - an insulated, mobile living room replete with a gazillion cup holders, stereo, DVD players, cell phones, video games, electronic lighting, automatic everything, etc. The thought that at any given time there are millions of people spacing out in these 5,000-pound contraptions COMPLETELY disconnected from the reality that they are operating a deadly hunk of metal that is inherently unstable on the roads with me scares the crap out of me at times. These people really should stay home in their living rooms. Not that they could probably tell the difference. I don't want to turn this into another SUV-bashing thread, but these are some of the reasons I have such disdain for those vehicles. IMHO we should have people feeling CONNECTED to what they're doing in driving, not being completely cut off from it as they sit on their "couch" and sip a latte and watch television, with the driving part becoming more and more incidental. Heck, at least my SLK has good road feel and doesn't isolate one from the road - it preserves enough of the connection with it, transferred to the driver that makes it still enjoyable.

Anyway, although I bought the SLK to be a daily driver and it performs ADMIRABLY in that role, I still enjoy the hell out of the 911, simply because it's so much more experiential. You don't have to drive it fast (although you can) to have fun. It's the EXPERIENCE of driving that is rekindled in me every time I get in - from the moment the door goes "clunk". This has been lost under many layers of plastic and circuitry in more "modern" cars that people can't relate to it. There really was a time not that long ago when driving in and of itself was actually enjoyable, and the 911 captures that beautifully like nothing else I've ever driven (a motorcycle is similar in this respect). Free from the over-abundant "processed" feel of modern conveniences is very, very liberating. I just love it. Now that I've "seen the light" and crossed over to the world of air cooled cars, I doubt I could ever go back. They're simply awesome. I doubt I'll ever be without one until the day I leave this earth.