Never test drive a Porsche 'for fun'!

Hi.. My name is Mo, and I am about to make the best mistake of my life.. After lurking around this gr8 website for months.. thinking I might just read the informative forums, take whatever info is of use to me then go away.. I now realise that I owe it to this website to share my thoughts & experience regarding this car company, that in my opinion, and in the wake of Steve Jobs's unfortunate passing, is the Apple co. of car manufacturers, with their timeless designs, sublime performance, mean price tags, and hard headedness! So here goes.. 6 months ago, I started considering buying a more 'rewarding' car to replace my 2007 Audi A4 2L which I had for 4 years.. I did my research, and after narrowing down, it came down to: Audi A6 3.0 Quattro Audi A5 Sportback Audi A7 3.0 Quattro BMW 535i series (with Alpina body kit) BMW 6 series M-Benz E300 coupe M-Benz SLK 200 (AMG kit) Range Rover Lexus GX So as you can see, I started off with no criteria whatsoever.. none of these cars felt like must-haves.. they all felt like a waste of money since they didnt offer enuf to make me abandon my current decent and fully functional car.. Until the day I went by the Porsche showroom, and I only went there for fun really.. Their cars were never my thing.. I always thought them to be unpractical over-priced sports cars that spend most of their time at the work shop.. But just before I left the show room, the salesman offered to give me a test drive, and that's when everything changed. I was the victim of a PDK Cayman S , which gave me a lecture on why all other cars are nothing but a block of steel, on wheels. And that's the stage in your car-hunting process, where you decide that your next car IS going to be a Porsche, I got no sleep that night. Of course that stage is closely followed by day-dreaming, and browsing the web at work, for every bit of material on Porsche cars, like you're on a different 'Planet' (thanks guys!) start pickin up new vocab like (tracking, DLR, PDK , CS, PASM and learn sum codes like 991, & 997!) First I was head over heels for The PDK Cayman S , then the Cayenne , then the Panamera.. Then the Cayman again..etc A few weeks later I eventually started thinking straight, thought over my requirements, to try and figure out which model is for moi. The req's were as follows (most important to least): -Reliability (I didnt want a sensitive car that can only b used every other weekend) -Practicality (I intend to use it 4-7 days a week, eventho the Audi will still b there if I need it. My commute is mostly within the city) -Durability (I want to keep this car for as long as possible, don't wanna sell in the future. Also where I live, it's mercilessly sunny all year round, no rain/snow.. and there r more potholes than trees..) -Huge emphasis on timeless classic design -Modernity (Tech options in par with most other companies: sensors, electric fold mirrors, good sound system w/ iPod connect -RIP Steve-, dynamic xenon, DRL & LED brakes, keyless entry & ignition, buttons on steering wheel, navi, sun roof, leather interior, & nice rims). -Non-italian car price-tag -2 seaters will be a pain.. Got no wife or kids (thank god), but you know those seats will come in handy 1 day.. I realize its there was no talk of performance above, and there won't be (my current car has only 160HP, anything above 200HP that wud impress me).. I don't intend to track the car at all.. In fact I know i will rarely drive it in a sporty way.. so in other words, its like I wanna catch a wild cat and keep it as a house pet.. if that makes any sense :s In conclusion, and unfortunately for the patient ones who actually read the hole thing.. I won't say which model I opted for.. Instead I wanna hear ur thoughts, and guesses about which Porsche I finally opted for (Hint: my final decision makes no sense whatsoever)! Thanks in advance for your time.. and may i take this opportunity to mention what a great website this is overall, mainly because of the great users, in addition to the diversity of issues regarding such a specialised field.. Thankfully I haven't been fired yet for spending too much time reading your gr8 comments, so keep'em coming!:thanks:

You big tease . . . Great story . . . if your final decision "made no sense whatsoever" I'm guessing you either picked a GT3, GT2, or some other version of the 911/ Carrera (since you posted this in the Club 911 forum, value "timeless design", etc.) - however, I wouldn't be too surprised if you picked a Cayenne Turbo (truly the Porsche of SUVs, and eminently practical in a place like KSA), or maybe a Panamera. How long do you plan to keep us in suspense?

I think you went for the Cayman S because that is the car that stole your heart. Yes, four seats are more practical. Yes indeed, watch out for potholes. Compromise is excellent, but life is about more than compromise. I went through something just like you did. Had two Porsches in the past and stopped by the dealer to look at a 135 BMW after considering every form of practical "grown up" car, even a Fit (which I think is a great car!). Here is Steve Jobs talking about design, and what he says speaks to our hearts: “We don’t have good language to talk about this kind of thing,” Mr. Jobs replied. “In most people’s vocabularies, design means veneer. It’s interior decorating. It’s the fabric of the curtains and the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service. The iMac is not just the color or translucence or the shape of the shell. The essence of the iMac is to be the finest possible consumer computer in which each element plays together. ... That is the furthest thing from veneer. It was at the core of the product the day we started. This is what customers pay us for — to sweat all these details so it’s easy and pleasant for them to use our computers. We’re supposed to be really good at this. That doesn’t mean we don’t listen to customers, but it’s hard for them to tell you what they want when they’ve never seen anything remotely like it.”

I think you went either for a 918 Spyder RSR just a random guess or a GT3RS or GT2RS. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The title of this thread is so fitting. One day back in 2005, my wife and I were out for a ride when we passed a Porsche dealer. I said let's take a look for kicks. The salesman comes out see's my Merecedes and said so you want a take test drive in a real sports car. I said no we are just looking. Long story short we take a short ride and come back in about 15 minutes. The salesman said why did you come back so quick take it for an hour or two. Well do I really need to tell you what happened after the return. Drove home in my 2005 Boxster, so long Mercedes. Loved the Boxster so much but then came the Cayman shortly thereafter and I had to have one. Never test drive a Porsche unless you can afford one or have strong willpower!!!!!

Thanks for all the responses.. now I am assured my final decision makes no sense at all, cuz very few have guessed it right.. Am not bein a tease, I just dnt wanna talk abt something I still dont have.. I will let u know which car I ordered when I get it! Ahh I can't wait.. In the meantime however, why not discuss the suitability of small Porsches for daily driving? 1) What is the ground clearance like for these vehicles? I noticed the Boxter S has a far higher ground clearance than the caymans and 911's i've seen, is that intentional cuz it shud be the most suitable for daily driving? Of course a high ground clearance is helpful cuz it makes it less likely to scrape the bottom.. 2) for daily driving and zero tracking.. is it best to go for the base model of say a boxter, cayman or 911 or is that irrelevant? 3) How would you rank the small Porsches for in terms of suitability for daily driving? forget the extra 911 seats and cayman trunks.. which one of them is less likely to break down? require more maintenance? especially in terms of suspension with speed bumps, potholes and bumpy roads? hot weather?

I voted Carrera . You fell in love with Porsche. The 911 is the timeless one with back seats. Awesome introductory post by the way. It is so cool to "meet" people from all over the world who share a passion. Even if, in the grand scheme of things, it is a trivial one.

Ahh!! The 911 is the one with the back seats!!!! :hilarious:

Never...ever...test drive a Porsche......unless you're prepared to splash the readies......:taunt:

Just make sure you have the $$$ before you test drive any Porsche. Test driving one otherwise will destroy you. Also, it is no crime to buy one used and save yourself a lot of $$$. Gold digging women drool just as much over a 2007 911 CPO as they would, a 2011. Ask me how I know!! :hilarious:

Best mistake I ever made too! Test drove the Turbo S on a whim and ended up with it in my garage.

I vote Cayenne lol

I figure the Boxster S, as you fell in love with Porsche and a convertible at the same time.

Oh u guys wnt bleive what happened.. lol! This is def an outcome that nobody would've been able to predict.. 3 months ago, I paid the deposit and placed an order for a brand new 991.. then I waited.. and waited.. and waited some more.. During that time I visited a show room or two every other week.. just to see waht alternatives I had.. and one interesting day, I test drove all the other cars I liked: - BMW 640i Coupe - Audi A7 sport body kit -2010 model, Carrera 4S (7,000 KM) I must say I was very lucky to be able test drive them all in the same day.. highly recommend The Audi felt nice to drive.. It had all the bells and whistles, and some more! It was the best priced out of them all.. and the dealers lent me the car for 2 full hours.. during which I took my sisters for a drive (and claimed I bought the car).. the one short coming of this car is that it didn't have much of a WOW factor.. it had everything I 'needed', but not everythin I wanted.. it wasn't sporty enuf.. The sexy Carrera 4S is what I drove next, and this is where the hole story changed.. the vehicle was as good as new.. but the moment I got inside I noticed the painfully outdated interior.. then as I drove off, the car was like a massive speaker echoing every negligible bump in the street.. it was quite noisy, and while I know I could live with it for a year or so, I know it would get on my nerves later on.. the suspension felt too firm for daily commute.. the cabin was tiny.. and the steering wheel was shockingly stiff at low speeds that my hands slipped several times during the < 30min test drive! Honestly at low speeds I know with time it will become torturing to drive this thing.. Many readers will be disappointed that I didn't get to the 'but when I stepped on it' part.. but that's me being realistic about my driving habits and conditions.. If you know you will be driving a Porsche in a civil way most of the time, it will turn into a pain at least one year down the line.. and that's not where I want to throw my heard earned money.. especially now that I know what I would be missing every minute in my city's never ending traffic after test driving the Audi .. I know the new 991 will improve on many aspects, but I doubt it will be too impressive once you look past its looks and high speed skills.. Finally I drove the BMW ..... It had most of the Audi 's bells and whistles, in addition to the much sportier look, coupled with quite frankly the best car interior out there in my opinion.. At low speeds it was surprisingly as smooth as the Audi .. its boot is roomier than my current A4's! It felt like a car I could gladly live with.. it presented no compromise at all.. its price was between the other 2 cars.. I pulled the trigger last week.. I needed a Sporty car with little compromise. A Carrera in my situation represented too much compromise.. but seriously i know way too much abt Porsches now I dunno what to do with it.. umm,, questions?

if I was living in KSA, I wouldn't, but if I was, then a sporty car would be the furthest thing from my mind, and had you down for a Cayenne , great handling with good performance, amazing interior (beats the 6-series hands down IMHO) and great comfort especially on the roads in Jeddah. The new 991 has a similar interior top the Cayenne and Panamera and is leaps and bounds ahead of the 997/987's in terms of luxury, if this is what you like. The one aspect you overlooked, but have covered is the way the car and the brand makes you feel. BMW has a great heritage, but it's not the same as Porsche, and personally Porsche gives you an emotional connection through the many things they do/have (Racing, clothing, clubs, launches, history and identity). This is what you do not get with BMW , and is what you experience with brands such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Ducati. The car that was introduced in 2003 was different, and that made it appealing, but whilst the new one is kind of pretty it's nothing particularly new, and for me the MB CLS looks better. All of what I've said above is all well and good, but the 6-Series is better looking in the eyes of many than the Panamera and costs less, so out of the rest of the range in terms of what you need, they just don't fit it seems. I like the 6-series and it probably meets your requirements, but I know which I'd rather have....an M6 could happily join my garage though Would be interested to see your review of your new car when you get it :cheers:

hi again! regarding porsche interiors, i think the new panamera interior thing that porsche has goin on is sub-par.. its nuthin but a huge set of buttons, with cheap shiny looking plastic parts all over.. then they've gone and copied it on to the whole line.. and btw i got the 2012 model 6 series with the new shape, go check that out, porsche r nowhere near this car's interior.. the second part abt how the brand makes u feel is irrelevant 2 me.. i get the car that looks good in my eyes, and doesnt brake my spine (it rhymes too!).. BMW is perceived as one of the best at makin luxury cars, and Ferrari is perceived as a company that makes sum of the best sports cars.. porsche is has positioned itself sumwhere between those two sub categories.. i think therez a good reason why ferrari and bmw exist separately frm one another => a car can either be luxurious and comfy, OR sporty.. porsche is tryin 2 merge the two which doesnt work 4 everybody.. sportiness and comfort can't over lap, unless you are happy to pay so much money AND compromise! of course the carrera 's a better sports performer (which i personally dont need at all), and yea i'll also admit it looks nicer and more classic than the 640i from the outside.. but hey u spend most of ur time INSIDE ur vehicle dnt u Nevertheless, the carrera still managed to remain behind in some technologies like LED headlights .. a lot about its interior is painfully non agronomic, like the screen that is below the a/c for sum reason (i.e further away from your eyes).. and the awkward hanging cup holders that threaten to pour ur hot liquids all over ur 'full leather interior with contrast stitching' also why use a 'touch' screen? so you can grease it up everytime you use it, and it involves shifting ur eyes completely off the road to input AND read off of it? and its not like it reduced the number of buttons around the console :s Then to top it all off, instead of increasing the ground clearance to make the carrera more suitable for daily driving, they went and lowered it! This shouts 'bugger off!' to prospective buyers in cities like mine.. anyways, i'm 2 weeks into my honeymoon with my new bmw and here r my thoughts: love everythin abt the car except for the following retarded little things: 1) the AC comes on automatically everytime u start the car, regardless of how u left it when you stopped the engine :s 2) you can 'scroll' thru and select music tracks from the steering wheel, but you can't use the steering wheel to go the 'next' song like you would have to, if you're shuffling. Instead you must use the 'next' button located in the centre stack :s 3) iPhone compatibility is limited with the car's bluetooth system (e.g. you can read BlackBerey emails, sms's etc. thru the car screen, but not the iPhone 's) 4) it has a gorgeous sun roof that tilts, but doesnt open :s apart frm that, this really feels like a car from the future, with its minimalistic design, placing everything where it should be, getting rid of all unnecessary buttons and dials (obviously they got a bit carried away here with the elimination of 'next track' buttons on the steering wheel as mentioned above).. the car's surprisingly spacious inside (much spacier than my old Audi A4) same goes for the trunk and storage compartments.. it's also very smooth and easy to drive in low speeds, then it gets meaner and firmer as you speed up.. does the 991 have the Auto Hold function? man this thing is a blessing in stop & go traffic.. i think every new car u get shud represent an upgrade in everything from ur prev car(s).. especially if it costs more.. this car is exactly that (4 me) performance-wise am still on 850 KM so i have 1150 KM left before i can start pushing the engine beyond 4,500RPM and 160 KM/h according to the owner's manual.. I hope any of this is useful.. All the best!

I completely agree with you! Its interior has absolutely nothing to do with growing plants!

LOL my bad.. 'ergonomic' is what i meant to say, stupid 'auto-correct'.. i love how ppl are still voting :s

BME, You have a 991 on order and you bought a 640i meanwhile?.....OK....... For what it's worth, my opinion/prediction is as follows: - you grow to love your Beemer, it is certainly high on style, performance, looks, it is beautifully-made, functional, controls logically laid-out, comfortable etc. - you eventually take delivery of your 991, it may not be quite as raw as previous 911s but you will be blown away by its character, responsiveness, tactileness and the sheer driving pleasure it delivers. At least.....that's what I hope will happen. All the best with both cars! :cheers:

If you consider a Porsche interior an important priority, you are shopping the wrong car.

I might be a newbie here but I'm not sure I completely agree with this. As much as the connection between you and the car is hugely important (and it is) that connection is directly influenced by the interior. It's the place you sit. It's the place you work. It's the place you play. And ultimately, it's where you are hopefully going to feel the magic of the car. An interior that has important pieces wrong is never going to connect you in the same way that that the exact same car with right pieces would. And Porsche knows this which is why all the pieces that are really important for controlling the car tend to be so good. And why pieces that are not important for controlling the car tend to be somewhat of an afterthought.

Hi all! Wow.. I can't believe it's been more than 7 years already.. It's been a long 'ride' since then.. What I look for in a car has changed drastically.. So while I had the BMW 640i, the emphasis was on practicality, looks, comfort, tech and luxury.. But then as time passed, I felt it wasn't 'sporty' enough.. meaning the suspension was too lenient.. so was the throttle response.. the exhaust noise was just OK.. and worst of all, the handling was horrible.. you see it had this option which made it easy to steer the car at low speeds, but then more force would be required to steer the car at high speeds.. which is great generally.. but every once in a while, while cornering at high speeds.. just when you feel you've built up enough confidence in the car's capabilities.. you realize that you need to steer further, in the middle of the curve! which in more than one occasion could've ended in a crash.. not cool BMW ! Anyways one day in Dubai, I rented out a Lambo Gallardo 'for fun'.. fast forward 1 month and the BMW was replaced with -u guessed it- a black mean-looking Gallardo 560-4! It was a step down in terms of convenience tech.. for instance it didn't have Navi, bluetooth connectivity, or even buttons on the steering wheel.. but it was sort of practical and it could be driven daily, especially after most of its insides come from Audi .. and omg it was the best car I ever seen (I think its better looking than the Huracan) and drove. Let's start with the engine.. it lets you know it means business the moment it starts up.. then there's the phenomenal speed.. but because it's AWD if feels like all the elements around you are working together to propel you forward.. and if that didn't scare you, there's the outrageous exhaust noise which sounds more like a fighter jet than a car.. it's so loud that you can't hear anything else in the cabin: not your music at full blast, or your terrified, screaming passenger.. just the exhaust .. And despite all that, you feel super safe.. because the car reacts to your inputs at 200 km/h the same way most cars react at 80 km/h! I freakin loved that car.. But then it attracted way too much attention.. and people start treating you different.. parking was a chore because its doors require lots of space to swing open.. and you always want to park where no other cars can park next to you etc.. and with time, the lack of convenience tech starts getting to you.. because you want to take this car around with you everywhere.. in the midst of all these thoughts one day some idiot in a GMC Yukon crashed into me.. and long story's short i had to let go of my baby bull.. I was also married at the time so my priorities moved around a little.. which is why I bought a VW Golf GTI (another amazing car which I might keep forever) months before the accident, which took place 2 years ago .. Anyways after much research, prioritizing & saving, I pulled the trigger on a 2016 Porsche Carrera 4 Cabrio, Black Edition 'I very much like!' *Borat accent* See? I came round in the end. This vehicle ticks all the boxes, it's got the looks, tech, luxury, sound, zero body-roll and telepathic handling. It's a Cabrio, which feels like 2 cars in 1. It's even got the rear break stripe like the upcoming 911. And I tell you those back-seats are actually handy. The rear-engine set-up will take some getting-used-to.. because unlike how -in most cars- you hear the noise coming from the front.. and in mid-engine cars the noise comes from right-behind you.. in the 911 it sounds like the noise is coming from a car that is speeding behind u lol.. Now the 911 is in no way comparable to the Lambo.. but still scratches that super car itch, in a way that lets you sleep better at night (more practical, costs less, attracts less attention etc).. So far I like everything about the car, except the little things that happen after you start it up. Namely, how the A/C comes on, even if you switched it off beforehand.. and if you were listening to music over bluetooth beforehand, after start up, the car plays Radio.. little things, but they happen EVERY TIME you start up the car. Also despite the fact that it's AWD, it easily loses traction in u-turns, which I know is kinda the point of owning a 911.. but the thought that I might accidentally hit the throttle in a bend and lose control one day, scares moi.. Anyways guys have u changed cars since the start of this thread? What did you replace it with? and why?