Porsche novelty worn off yet?

It is about is year since I bought my first 996 and I can say for the first 10 months I loved it and I was haunted if I did not take it out. Now the novelty is sort of wearing off as I sort of get the feeling been there done that. I could say I am going through "a car is a car" phase and I do not feel privileged driving it anymore. Anyone else after a year or 2 get the same bored feeling and long for comfy saloon with all the comforts and a meaty engine?

If you stop driving like a sissy, you might get a rush

I'm no longer in the honeymoon phase, so I can identify with what you are saying. But...it now just feels like a good marriage. The upside is I can upgrade in the future, and it will be much cheaper to upgrade the Porsche than to upgrade the wife. Also, I'll bet you will miss the P-Car if it's gone and kick yourself if you let her go.

I said on another thread that I'm suffering from second Porsche syndrome. You do start to take it for granted. A BMW was behind me last week and I noticed the passenger had a small video camera out the window taking video. My first thought was "what the hell are they taking video of?" then I realized it was my good looks.

Yeah, I might add the road rules just changed drastically here which may have something to do with it. Before July 1 I could drive 240km/h and only get a max 75$ fine. Now it is $900 and licence gone for a year. I can assure you I do not drive like a sissy.

So you say in your 7,523rd post...the novelty isn't completely gone! I think that in addition to the driving experience, the communal aspect of Porsche ownership is pretty darn cool. I don't know that it would be possible to experience it with any other car that I can afford.

i have to confess: this morning, when i go to work, my p-car is in garage, and my beater is out side. i have to move the beater to get the p-car out, and once i started the beater, i said to myself, what the hell, i just drive the beater to work today, not the p-car. novelty is fading. fast than i think.......

This is a very simple thing to fix. Go rent a car for 1 entire week (5 work days and 2 weekend days) and you will never believe you posted this thread. Trust me. I had a rental for a week after visitng family for a wedding and 1 week in a rental really makes you miss your baby and I have had mine for several years!

I am off to spain tomorrow and have a "compact" for a few days. We will see. Also insurance day is due, over 3000 euro as I have to pay all at once which could be another factor

The community notwithstanding I think they allure of the Porsche, just like anything else, has waned slightly. All it takes for me is one great summer night or fall day to drive with the top down to bring it all back. And like Dell mentioned, just a week in a wretched domestic vehicle will put you right back into permasmile once you fire up the 911.

I spent a week driving a rental Camry a few months ago. That thing rattled, had a bad a/c, no power, bad brakes, and was generally embarrassed to be seen in it. Sad part was the thing was their brand new Camry with 100 miles on it. I was so glad to get back to my P-car. Though I do get that the novelty of it wears off a bit over time. However, take a car that is about 1,000,000,000,000 less cool and drive it a week and your p-car love affair will be rekindled.

honeymoon is over - but still best car I have ever had!

Honeymoon over...thinking about divorce...but then when I start her up and hear the ROAR.....I can't I am addicted!!! Instead of driving her everyday (like during the 10 month honeymoon) I drive her a couple of times a week.....I am looking for excuses to get ridde of her!! but can't find any!!!

Nah, because I can still drop the top.

I am in week 5 of the honeymoon, so me and my P-car are still "doing it" 3 times a day My Bro-in-law has a 911 and 928 GT. He also has 4 other "average" cars such as the family transporter-Chevy Suburban; Volvo, etc. He has had the PORSCHES for 5 years and I will tell you that you couldnt pry the keys from his cold, dead hands if you had to. My brother in South Beach also has a tricked out 911 track car, going on 6 years and 115,000 miles. Could'nt get his keys from him with a crow bar and an ice cold Mojito!! I am hoping for the exact same from mine!!

well, for me feeling of speed is gone. Now my C2 feels just any other quick car... but when i got it 6 mo. ago, it was 'oh sh*t" fast!!!

I'm in a different city every week for 4 days out of seven in different rental cars of all shapes and sizes. When I get on the plane to fly home, it doesn't matter how great the service in executive class is or how cute and attentive the flight attendant is, I start to obsess with getting home so I can get into the Porsche for the drive home from the airport! Yeah, drive ordinary cars once in awhile and you'll appreciate your p-car that much more.

Maybe you should all sell your 996's and get a 993... You might enjoy driving again.. -- Just kidding, just kidding... OJPIMPSON started it.. lol.. I was just visiting your board when I saw this thread... Can i just get a hug?

How funny, the 996 C4 effect has worn off. I have been tire kicking something major. Test drove a Lotus and just put an offer in on used Cayenne Turbo (interim car for a while, as I make my next move). Was also thinking an RS America. Not sure I am really comfortable putting a GT3 on the track. Not there in terms of baller status, to track an $80k-$90k car. After some twit almost took me out in the rain in his new GT3, I realize that it�s often not even your fault.

After I took my 996 to the mountain road and raced against my friend's STI, fully modded Integra for the first time, I realized what a beast I'm driving! My car is totally stock, and I could follow my friends very closely. (Their car is heavily modded, and my car is BONE STOCK!!) This just makes me appreciate my car every time I drive it.

I can relate to this, I pretty much have to do the same to access the P-car and then face crowded freeways to get to work and back, but in no way is it a sign of fading novelty, since on the weekends or a day off with intent of getting time for myself and find Zen through the local canyons, there is no question how much joy I continue to get from driving my P-car on the twisties. Way better and cheaper than a shrink! What I do get out of my beater is the simplicity of going from point A to point B regardless of the road condition and traffic, and the associated freedom of parking on any available spot.

Damn. reading this thread has been seriously depressing. I've owned my 996 for about 4 months now and we are definitely still on our honeymoon - still going hot and heavy. I feel as though I just married a supermodel in her prime, Christie Brinkley maybe, and you simply do not get tired of that quickly. I'm going out for a ride, I SERIOUSLY SUGGEST YOU GUYS DO THE SAME!!!!!!!

If the honeymoon seems to be over, I suggest you make your own **** by taking your car and a camcorder and doing a track event. You'll rekindle the passion.

totally concur with Mark! I have so many DVD's of track events that I can't ever get tired of it. Pop in one of those forms of car **** and your heart start racing. Damn I love my car

do what i do. two cars: http://photos.jkb.org/v/cars/911/IMG_1166.jpg.html

If you drive the same car every day you become accustomed to its performance. As others have posted, it's important to force yourself to drive another car like a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry for a couple of days and the honeymoon will quickly return.

No better way to rekindle the romance! I travel 100+ days a year and after a good slog through the crappy domestic car pile I can't wait to get home to my cars...and I don't even have a Porsche (yet!).

I can't see this with a 996. I live in FL real a/c is it. I've had lots of porsches. I did get tired of all of them in the summer but this one (C4) just gets better in the summer, I love this car in the rain, find myself hoping for rain.

I've been driving my as a daily driver for just over a year now. Honestly, I'm falling deeper and deeper in love with the car the more I drive it. It's so stable, so comfortable, so fast, so pretty, and it has so much character. Like others in this thread I've gotten used to the power so that doesn't wow me any more. But I just did my first driving event a few weeks ago and I came away with a great respect for Porsche's track abilities. There are some niggling problems like a lack of trunk space and too many rattles from the sun roof but they're easy to overlook. If the magic is gone from your relationship maybe you could try some modifications. A new set of pipes or some coil-overs can start the love affair all over again.

Well I can say I lost the wandering into the garage every chance I get and the wow I can't believe I actually have it. Though, I don't wish to upgrade this for any other car or newer/faster model. Though I do long for a second P-car (not counting my wifes Cayenne S). Take it to the track, and your will get an appreciation for the car and the way its is build. You'll find a lot of 20 year old Porsches at the track as well and that should speak volumes as to how well these cars are built and handle. While driving some other cars but not including the Cayenne. I don't feel safe. There bouncy, soft, heavy and the wind pushes you all over the place. While having to constantly correct the wandering, step on the throttle and then you wait for some response which usually just engine noise and the gas needle going down. While I am in my car, I can feel the control I have over it. The stability, the tight and precise steering and the willingness to please this car has once the throttle is pressed. I don't think I will ever get tired of that. I like the looks, the feeling, the bit of ambiguity and anonymousness of not driving a F or L car. Sorry, but nothing else does compare.

so i took the car to work today. felt great, but still not as good as the first time. damn, even sex isn't as good once get used to it. but then i found out i couldn't push the car cause the traffic. maybe that's why, i didn't fully "doing" it! i will try to locate some time and sign up for DE with my local PCA. btw, my cel turned out to be a fault purge valve, tech replaced the purge valve and tighted all pipes, 3K miles late, nothing came out. thanks.

Sadly, I don't have one YET. For me it wont be a novelty, I have wanted one since I was a small child..

I�ve owned a Porsche (various models) for 7 years now (although I have wanted one since I was 8 years old). I think it truly takes a certain type of person/driver to live with a Porsche on a daily basis. Don�t get me wrong they are fantastic cars and I can�t see my self without one, but they are not for everyone. Fortunately for someone like me who likes to buy 1-3 year old cars, there are many who buy Porsches of the name and allure of the image of the car but find out after having the car for a period of time that he/she really doesn�t want to live with one on a daily basis or want one for what they are. Additionally, there are just some car owners that are what I like to call �car ******� who want something different every so often. As a self proclaimed/confessed �car *****� I can identify with those desires (currently I am having a problem because I find my self longing for a 997 C4S) and I can see how it would make someone want something else frequently. I think that daily driving my Porsche does tend to spoil and/or dull my thoughts on the car (where I forget how great the car really is). I have found that the cure, for me at least, and like many others have stated, is to drive a different car for a period of time. When traveling out of town with my wife we usually take her car, which I consider a great car (328i e46 bodystyle). As great a car as hers is, it always makes me appreciate the difference between a sporty sedan and a sports car. Even driving great daily drivers like a Honda Accord, not to mention some the domestic pieces of crap, make me appreciate what I have. If you spend some time driving a sporty sedan and find that you like it better or don�t long for the Porsche, maybe you just fall into the category of someone who really is not a daily Porsche owner (not that there is anything wrong with that).

When I had my 2001 C4 I used to love it when it rained!!

Dan dot Dan has the right idea. I drove my car bone stock for 3 1/2 years. In the last 6 months, I've added PSS9s, exhaust, & new intake. The car feels, sounds and even looks different - all for the better. This was a lot cheaper than buying a GT3 I've been lusting for. Get coilovers, lower the car and dial in some negative camber. See how much better the front wheels bite in a corner. The front end will feel lighter, but you'll definetly get a new experience.

I drove a 964C4cab daily for three years and every time I parked (at home or at work) I looked back and sighed that I had to leave the cockpit, and smiled everytime I opened the door. I sold the car last August and spent 11 Months looking for a 996. ( I was VERY picky) Now, I have a gorgeous speed yellow 03 C2cab and the fever is even greater than before. I find myself leaving work 1-2 hours early (vacation time of course) just to enjoy the extra 75hp. But even in stop and go I still feel like a superstar just knowing what I could do if the road was clear. I LOVE MY PORSCHE!!!!!

I don't know about you guys..... My car's rock, and I don't drive them anywhere near dangerous extremes. I love it when I see those guys in there BMW 3 somethings and the cheaper mercedes that drive around like they are the coolest thing on the road..... Until they see me, or rather, my car. I have an A4 and when I haven't driven it in awhile it feels like a toy car, where is the acceleration and the brakes??? I must admit that when I went from the newer Boxster to the 996 I had no immediate love affair, although I love to drive her; but, I believe we are lucky enough to be driving some of the best cars on the road

Had one now 19 months and the other a year, and NO WAY have they lost it with me. Driving either one is a instant smile, and driving my coupe all set up for track... i must look like lighting hit me im soo jazzed up when i get out of that car, esp on the track... this is one affair that wont end soon (its just that these mistresses are so DAMN expensive to love)

i actually dont like any of my porsches. i dont like driving them much, t hinking of selling them all, these random stupid thoughts all vanish when i take them out for a weekend blast or a trip to the race track. then i am at peace with my porsche again ;-)

<<<<"this is one affair that wont end soon (its just that these mistresses are so DAMN expensive to love)">>>> arn't they all?????

My purchase 3 years ago was deliberate and non emotional. I looked for well over a year to find a car that had it all. By this I mean the right color, condition, options, etc. I still love looking at my car with the top down, Arctic Silver Sports seats and console, with Carbon shift and brake accenting Space Grey full leather interior with tons of Exclusive Option leather covered everything and Silver gauges. It has the right look for me that I never tire of. The snap of the PSE makes me smile every time I start it up. So far the longer I have it, the better I like it. I learned years ago that this is the reward for a thought out and carefully planned purchase. Buying on a whim usually results in quickly tireing of what ever was purchased .

Let's see pics of the interior. It sounds awesome!

I've had mine for well over 5 years, and I still glance back everytime after I park. It has been a love affair since I was 10, so a 911 isn't something I'd ever get tired of. Just think, I don't even live anywhere near a track, or anywhere that offers ample canyon roads and ocean views. Sure, I'm no longer sleepless at night from the giddiness, but there's still no substitute.

Let me put it this way: sometimes I think the affair is over. And yet, in spite of this, I find myself restraining myself from just going out and driving it every time I have a few minutes. Maybe it's now an addiction? I'm driving a Chevy Cobalt this week while I'm out of town. We'll see what happens when I come back I drove a Chevy Tahoe around for a bit before I left, when I hopped back in the 911, I nearly turned in to a corner rather than going around it Justin

My love affair with Porsche cars would be shorter if I didn't track the car. If you don't take your car to the track, it is pretty easy to be seduced by more comfortable yet equally powerful cars. A once a month track session rekindles the love affair.

felt the same way until i supercharged and i live in nc by country roads and boy do they take me home. Now i drive for no reason at all just to feel the power, i'm addicted. Sometimes i think about the pointless miles on back roads and come to my senses, if I'm not enjoying the car then why do i have it that's when i speed up.

I believe that is a pretty normal feeling for all car enthusiasts. We all crave for engineering excellence, new technology, and excitement. The same with everything else in life, women, sex, food, etc...after having it for long, we start taking it for granted, and we yearn for change, for something better. I felt the same with the BMW 540i too, and that was one of the reasons why I had to sell it to get something else. (main reason: Porsche is my dream car) Although I loved that sports sedan very much and was quite reluctant to part with it. If only I could keep it, but I already have 3 vehicles at home between my wife and myself. There's no room to park another baby in the garage and I don't want to leave a good car outside. I drive my Chevy S10 pickup truck to work most days, and on ****ty rainy days. I park it any damn where I like with no stress of door dings from idiots. But once in a while when I get in the bimmer...I never fail to smile. And I remind myself...this is why they make these cars more expensive. It would of course be nice to be able to, or afford to, keep all the cars we love. And to have space to keep them. I would have a sports car, a luxury car, a sports sedan, a SUV, a monster Pickup truck... but a poor man like myself would just have to stop dreaming and enjoy what I love one at a time. If I feel like it's time for a change, I start moving on. Life is short, gotta live for the moment. For now, when I'm in my Porsche, it makes me feel goooood. A Dream come true is a sweet feeling and I actually smile behind the wheel. So I'm gonna enjoy it for now until I yearn for something else...

In a word.......no. I love these cars and even with 2 of them I still feel like every drive is very special. Like Dell, I travel very frequently. As a result I drive an awful lot of rental cars. After a trip with a rental, I can't wait to get in my Porsche when I return to the airport parking lot. Additionally, it helps to take your Porsche to the track every now and again to experience the cars true capabilities IMHO.

Well today I confirmed that the answer is no... the novelty has not worn off. Case in point: Today my son had to produce a urine sample for his 5 yr check-up with his pediatrician. I also decided to work from home today and volunteered to take the sample to the pediatrician's office just 20 mins away. I could have chosen the beater (1999 Ford Exploder) for this task, but instead I double zip bagged the sample and off I went in my nice and shiny P-car. IMHO - that was probably the most fun that urine sample will ever have, and as for me I rediscovered how awesome the P-car is, even if it just for running errands... Next I'm planning a trip for this afternoon in the P-car to the Home Depot, to get some paint for the weekend home improvement project... Cheers all!

I think part of the reason I'm slightly less in love has to do with the fact that I've *had* to do so much driving lately, often in traffic. I spent over $400 on gas last month, and didn't spend all that much time on twisties.. or on the accelerator. That's why I love the Rennlist mornings - the drive to breakfast afterwards is often spirited I try to suspend my fear of speeding tickets, too - don't want to think what it would do to my insurance rates. On that note, only 13 months until I turn 25! If I were "smart", I'd stop tracking all my auto expenses in Quicken But I'm not