I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE!!!!!

I've been driving the Volvo and had the Porsche in the garage for the last 3 months!!! The ambient temp's in the 20's, there's snow on the ground and the white haze of salt on the streets, but I just couldn't stand it anymore. I took the Porsche keys out of the key box, unlocked the car and and stuck the key in the ignition. There was this weird sequence of locking and unlocking of doors as the remote sensors recalibrated. Then a brief but sickeningly slow churning of the starter before it fired up. Glorious exhaust sound, even with stock exhausts!! Got out of the car as it growled at idle to take some of the air out of the tires back to spec pressures. Back in, seatbelts, radio on only to turn it off again to hear the car, AC/heater on, and AWAY WE GO!! The wheel felt pretty heavy, and I wondered if the power steering was out. Stepped on the brakes at the end of the driveway, and that required a lot more pressure than I remember it to need. Back in the garage to check fluids, kicking myself for not doing that first. But, everything checked out fine. So, back out again. The seats seemed too snug, and I wondered if I gained weight during the winter. After a few laps around town, decided to go for my favorite twisty road out of town. Gloriously exhilaraing!! The heavy steering? The better to feel the road, my dear. The brakes? The better to modulate threshold braking, trailbraking, rev matching, my dear. The seats? The better to hold your big fat butt in as you try to generate G's on corners, my dear. Man!!!! I felt like the big bad wolf alright. Just had to watch the slush at the edges of the roads since I had summer tires on. Bring on the track season!!!! I'M READY!!! <img border="0" alt="[jumper]" title="" src="graemlins/jumper.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" />

Don't feel lonely!! I bought my 99 996 in late October of last year and only put about 100 miles on it before the winter storage. I live in Northeastern PA and we have had one of the worst winters in quite some time. Snow, rain, ice and downright cold. So far I have just started mine up a few times but haven't ventured out on the road yet...too much salt and snow......If it's any help....I can't stand it either!! Spring and the Hershey Swap Meet is getting closer...... <img border="0" alt="[jumper]" title="" src="graemlins/jumper.gif" />

I enjoyed your post, as I had the same experience, at the same time yesterday. I've been tooling around in a Mini Cooper S for the last few months, and took the 996 out of mothballs for a day of fun. When you use the car on a dailey basis it's easy to take it for granted. Two months without quickly reminds you just how special it is. The line about the seats being too snug was right on the money.&lt;g&gt; Perry

Palting And can you believe it, today it's snowing. Hopefully a couple more weeks of winter and March will go out like a lamb Thanks for the post. I too got out yesterday. But in the new toy, the track car that is still streetable, but barely. It rattled my fillings, but it's fun. Still getting used to all that negative camber. The big four is very responsive. Spent the ride making a list of things I want to look into before track season starts.

Guys Guys GET SNOW TIRES!!!! I drive mine evry day! the car LOVES the cold air! I can't imagine putting it away for the winter!

Mine did year round duty with snows for the last 3 seasons.I never worried about it. The mini cooper is a ton of fun in it's own way, also with winter tires. This winter is just the worst I can remember If I wanted to live in freaking North Dakota I'd move there. Perry

at least you guys can look forward to enjoying your cars when the weather gets better... i am jealous, just sold mine......

40F yesterday and rain all day. I wake up and it's -10F !!! Strange

Even though I drive mine as a daily driver for all but the worst snow days, I spent the weekend hunkered down in the unheated garage with the kerosene heater going doing the clay bar, Zaino 5, Z5, Z7, Z5, Z7, Z2, Z5, Z2, Z7, Z2 and one more Z2 routine. Now my car shines like the sun, if I remember what that is. P.S. I actually had to use my left hand yesterday <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

This is the time of year when you remember why you hate people that live in California. Saturday, the temp in Chicago got to mid-30s with sun, so out came the brand new, '03 C4Cab for some excercise. Car was delivered November 11, and Saturday's toodling around got me up to a grand total of 650 miles. At this rate, the 997s will be out before I reach break-in mileage. Is it ever gonna be spring?

We really haven't had much snow here in Chicago, so I've been trying to get some break-in miles on the new C4S. About 550 in three weeks. Of course, I have been washing the car every 3 days or at least hosing it down in my garage. There was no way I could let it sit after waiting my whole life for the perfect 911.

Gretch and Gretta are holed up in a barn in the White Moutains. Saturday was sunny and 40 degrees, Sunday we got a foot of snow. This morning it was 8 below. It is still winter in the northeast........

Reading all of these posts makes me wonder why more people don't live here in California! How can you or why would you live anywhere else?!

As an almost transplant from DC to SF, I am reading the posts with a bit of relief. Guess I made a good call to move when I did. Got stuck in DC for just the one big one, but that means the 996 hasn't seen the road in 5 weeks. Got my Cooper S here in the bay area for that wine country run, but am missing the kick in the pants from the p car. Will do Summit and VIR for a last event at each before taking on Laguna, Sears and Thunderhill. Ah, it's not freaking north dakota here

After I wrote the post, I was waiting for you CA, FL, TX, etc, guys to chime in . Any one want a free-loader for 3-4 months, just let me know! I'm easy. Give me a cot, garage space, a burger a day, and I'm there!! The wife and 4 kids can fend for themselves for a while. <img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

Why I don't live in California ? I can give you the smart *** answer. California is like a bowl of granola, if you don't have fruits or nuts, you have flakes &lt;g&gt; You also have some of the world's worst traffic. I love driving my cars, but spending hours of my day idling in traffic doesn't count as driving. Florida, on the other hand is sorely lacking in both elevation and twisty back roads. What a waste of owning great cars to spend them hurtling along a straight freeway, hoping for a exit ranp to get a thrill. For better or worse the east coast has lots of great driving roads and 3 out of 4 decent seasons ain't bad. Perry Promote global warming...spray your deodorant outdoors and let's burn through some more of that ozone layer.

Perry, Kings or 76ers tonight? Maybe you were thinking of SOUTHERN California when you referenced flakes and tons of traffic. We in the north want to secede from the union of CA and live comfortably with our abundant water, mountain roads and normal folks. Sure we'll still have Berkeley but hey, who doesn't have a nutty relative?

You guys should check out the temps in Anchorage for the last few weeks. It's been up to about 50F and over 40F nearly every day! Heck it's 7.5F on my outside temp right now here on Cape Cod!!! Go Figure??

you're just rubbing in how much better the Porsche is than the Volvo <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> heh, kidding. We'll race V-cars one day

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by rumster: <strong>We really haven't had much snow here in Chicago, so I've been trying to get some break-in miles on the new C4S. About 550 in three weeks. Of course, I have been washing the car every 3 days or at least hosing it down in my garage. There was no way I could let it sit after waiting my whole life for the perfect 911.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Don't jinx us! With our luck we are gonna get a snow storm by the end of the week. BTW, where did you purchase your C4S in Chicago?

VikDiddy, I ordered/purchased the car at Joe Rizza in Orland Park. As for the snow, I suppose I did jinx us--Tammy (Tamazon) Souza on NBC said lookout for a minumum of 6-8 inches overnight. Woops!

Have driven (unfortunately) the 996 on the streets in Philly and those maintained (!!??) by PenDot. You gotta be kiddin' me. I will take a little traffic anytime to get to smooth pcar friendly roads that twist and turn and take you to a bit of the grape without the pot holes and frost heaves. As for tracks, eastern PA doesn't cut it. Pocono is too something, Lime Rock is too short, the Glen has way too much blue Armco. Sears, Laguna, Thunderhill, Willow, Sonoma and Napa Counties, now that's an idea.

Let me chime in for those sane Southern California folks. Not the flakes, nuts, granolas or whatever, but normal decent folk (like myself) who moved from the wintry climes of Chicago to the wonderful environment northwest of Los Angeles. I am talking about the area from Calabasas to Santa Barbara where mountain roads are plentiful, the weather is great and life is sublime! I've been giving my Porsche a nightly run even with the cold weather. I might add that I've been in both of the East Coast storms of the century--the latest one I was in White Plains for a week and in 96 (i think) I was in the Meadowlands for the last big dump. Who needs it? I hope to meet some of you over the course of our travels and then can invite you over for a brief stay at the Chateau!

Come on guys, I was polite enough not to mention that fault line you live on. &lt;g&gt; The snows melt eventually, and under it all we know we have bedrock. Perry

Didn't the Doobie Bros write about livin' on the fault line? I know that once the snow melts, there is precious little time before the humidity, skeeters and T'storms arrive. Been sweatin' in the heat index of 110 doing pit out for the club events. Been there, done that.