carbonblackcab

I wanted to share my thoughts on my 2011 997.2 PDK Carrera S convertible after 2000 miles. I also own a E46 SMG M3 that I drove for 6 years before I got the P-Car. I currently have both cars and drive the M3 only to keep the battery charged. I bougth the P-car new from champion porsche in South Florida. I mostly drive it on weekends when i am home.

Here are things that I love about the car:
1. The sound of the engine is awesome. It puts a smile on my face every time I turn on the ignition.
2. The convertible top is FAST and I can open it while car is moving (below 25 MPH) is a great thing. I open and close the top many times during the trip and this feature is awesome.
3. The PDK transmission is great. In non-sport mode, it shifts quickly up the gears and keeps engine noise low. In Sport/Super-Sport the car is unbelievable. The acceleration is fierce and I have hit the red line many times as it comes up so fast. I am used to M3 acceleration and the PCar hits the red line much faster. I will get used to it and shift before I hit redline. Lately, I have been keeping the car in super sport mode and using buttons on steering wheel to shift up and down to avoid hitting the rev limiter.
4. I love the PDK buttons. I dont want paddles…I like the buttons. I love the fact that I can upshift and downshift with one hand. I also like the fact that car goes back into ‘auto’ mode after I manually shift down. On the M3, I have to put the car back in ”auto” mode.
5. The flat six engine is awesome. I have always liked the sound of the engine and with the top down, I can control the sound with my right foot. In non-sport mode, car is very quiet and shifts quickly. In sport/super-sport mode, it revs higher and just the right amount of sound gets through.
6. I like the layout of the instrument panel, levers, dials, etc. With a few exceptions, everything is logical and works as expected.
7. I love the LED tail lights. They look very nice at night.
8. I love the ventilated seats. They are a must to drive with top down in summer in Miami. I don’t sweat anymore when I drove with top down in 90 degree weather.
9. The Hill Assist feature is great. I didn’t know it was there until I was trying to park at a parking lot on Lincoln Rd in South Beach. It worked great when I had to stop on a steep incline. With the SMG M3, I would chirp the rear tires in same situation trying to move again going up an incline. The M3 does have hill assist feature, but I never learned how to activate it. With the p-car, it is on by default.
10. Handling of the car is great. There are no surprises. I have yet to explore the limits of the car, but so far so good. I have had to make some sudden lan changes at around 80 mph and I was able to make them without any drama. In both cases, I was trying to avoid hitting blown out tire bits on the highway.
11. I used launch control once. It works great. Acceleration is fierce and PDK performs flawlessly. I intentionally stop at the toll booth even though I have SunPass…so I get to stop and accelerate to 70-80 mph from a standstill. 

Things that I don’t like:
1. Location of the ignition key to the left seems strange to me. I can’t seem to put the key in ignition without looking at the key hole. With M3, I could put the key in without looking. Maybe this is because I am right handed and on Pcar, I have to use my left hand to put the key into ignition.
2. The car gets HOTT. Even on short trips, car gets very hot. I can feel the heat when I park the car in the garage and walk past it to enter the house. The fan comes on and stays on for a while.
3. Luggage space is very very limited. I tried to pick up my brother at the airport and could not fit his luggage in the trunk or in the back seats. He had to take a taxi that followed me home.

Overall, I am very happy with the car. There was no buyers remorse…just joy. I am planning on driving it upto NYC in july. I work in NYC and would like to drive it upto Hamptons and Bear Mountain.

RED HORSE

There is a little hook on the inside of the fuel filler door to hang you fuel cap on so you don't scratch the paint.

ricm

On hot days I open the rear lid when garaged as it facilitates engine cool down. Push down the tab on the latch to extinguish the engine bay light. You'll have to hit your rear lid release to close it.

Some will disagree, even though it's designed as such, all that heat jammed into such a concentrated area has to be detrimental to adjacent plastic, rubber, cables, wires, etc.

carbonblackcab

Thanks Red Hourse...i knew i was doing something wrong. hahaha. Did not see the hook..will use it next time I fill up.

Ricm: I am going to install a fan in my garage. I am trying to figure out where exactly to blow the air. Maybe i need to blow air underneath the car. Will experiment with different locations and see what works. The goal is to not have the internal fan in the car on for long periods of time. The garage fan will hopefully cool down the car quickly and i wont have to worry about the batter getting drained.

Zeus993

Hmmm... Black things, I.e. cars, dogs, jackets, etc..., will absorb heat and will be HOT. What colour is your M3? Perhaps this is why you are noticing the heat. My Polar Silver is excellent. Simple laws of Electromagentic Radiation.
P.s. Nice car! I would love a convertible. Good choice... Jst drive wearing white?

ricm

The OP's concern was that his fan runs after shut down so it's the engine temp. So paint color aside could it be a function of geography - average temps are a a lot higher in FL and than in Vancouver, BC?

USMC_DS1

Here in TX the engine fan comes on often when the ambient temp starts going up starting in April. Today the temp was 105F. To help with cooling in the garage I've installed a portable fan which blows on the rear deck. I leave the rear deck closed so the engine fan will engage drawning in cooler air from the portable fan. I also plug her into a battery tender to help with battery drain. I've also seen a few garages with AC in 'em around the neighborhood... perhaps for working on a car during hot summer days here but seems like a nice feature to cool of your hot p-car as well.

ADias

That's a Porsche hallmark that we all treasure, and it makes for faster starts (or at least did in the past). Drive only Porsches and it becomes second nature.

kosmo

Man is your bro Billy Ocean?
Heard he used to tour w/ tons of clothes.

Edgy01

Leave the top down and fold down the rear seats. Holds much more stuff than you can imagine. Cabriolets do better in this regard than the coupes--because the top can be out of the way for packing them.

Zeus993

Good point. I would agree that Florida is warmer than Vancouver. Vancouver is more like Germany.

carbonblackcab

About luggage, my bro had a full size suitcase that did not fit. I had the wind screen installed and did want to remove it while double parked at the airport. I will experiment more at home with remove the wind scree and adjusting the rear seats.

About car color, my M3 is carbonblack. Tropical weather in Miami is the reason why car gets hot (not necessarily the color.)

I will install the fan in the garage and will make the airflow adjustable so that I can blow air on different parts of the car. The most convenient location for the fan would be on the ceiling of the garage and the air would blow straight down on the engine cover.

Cpa4S

nice summary - what options on the car

carbonblackcab

Here are the options I have:
1. Power/Ventilated Seats
2. PDK
3. Heated seats/steering wheel. (Not needed in miami, but if I do travel to orlando or tamps, it does get cold at night there in winter).
4. 19 inch Carrera II wheels.
5. Dynamic Cornering lights.
6. Park assist
7. Sports Chrono/Nav Module
8. Bose/XM
9. Multi-function steering wheel.

2K7TTMIA

good write up. the Pcar is a great DD ( even tho a bit on the thirsty side); nonetheless, you still have to make some attempt at keeping it parked in a safe shaded area.

Here in Miami , ( as well as other hot climates), the heat can literally cook the interior components, shortening their lifespan. Operating temps can be reached within 5-10 minutes here in the summer real quick, so at the least run the appropriate oil/ coolants.

And we are also thankful for the wonderful AC's these cars have, ( in the last 10-11 years, that is).


BTW, tell your brother, next time, travel with less or no more "Porsche" taxi .