Nicole

Took the 928 out and drove past the local Porsche dealer to take a first look at the 997. Two of the salesmen were drooling over my car - how clean it is, the sound, etc - and I had a really nice conversation with one of them about my car and the new 997.

I must say I was pretty impressed with the 997 - it looks and feels very well made, and I like that they bring back the more sculpted look of the 993. I particualrly liked the side and rear. There are a number of nice touches in the interior, and the materials feel very solid to the touch. I notices a few details that I'm not crazy about, but will not waste bandwidth to elaborate here.

I was upfront with the samesman that I was merely interested in seeing and getting to know about the car and staying updated on what Porsche is doing. I made it clear that I had no intention to give up my beautiful 928.

Nevertheless he offered me a quick ride before they were closing for the day. So he took me out in a "base" 997 with Tiptronic. It gave me a nice kick in the back on acceleration, while being pretty civil from a noise standpoint. I had never known that the tiptronic actually displays which gear it's in, and I forgot to ask, if it does that also when it is in automatic mode. I love the look of the shifter - makes me wonder, if it would fit on a 928.

Overall, power felt pretty much comparable to my 928, and the ride was firm but surprisingly comfortable. The salesman offered that I could come by some time during the day and take one for a spin.

On my way home I had to stop at the last major interesction before geting to my house. A primer grey muscle car with a loud exhaust pulled up next to me: It had a young 'punk' with goatee on the wheel, hands in the usual position (left hand on top of the wheel, right hand who knows where). Ah, I think to myself, this guy is trying to be "cool"...

As a precaution I put my shifter into "2". Sure as hell, when the light turned green and I launch immeidately, he floors it. So I push my pedal a little further, pull ahead a little and shift to second way below the rev limit. I look over and see the experssion on his face. I start laughing... Time for me to step off, as we are already slightly above the speed limit. He keeps going, swerves around two cars and disappears while I make my turn to get home.

You should have seen the guy's expression - it was priceless!!!

wds928

Nicole:

I drove a black and black 997 Carrera S 6-speed maunal yesterday evening with the salesman. Yes, it's a very nice car, very solid, very quick. I can see many speeding tickets with a 6-speed though. Got on the nearby interstate for a quick run and got ito to 105 and thought I was going 80! Of course, the same thing can happen with my '94 GTS automatic as well, but it just seems manual transmissions beg to be driven up through the gears. I seem to behave more with the automatic. I do tend to shift to "2" when I'm in town, just in case someone needs a lesson in manners.

The Carrera S is a very quick car, probably a bit quicker than my car. The looks of the Carrera S seem very similar to my 928 GTS too. Even the general manager made some comments on how great my 928 GTS looks. Not bad for almost 121,000 miles. The local dealer has five 997's in stock, 2 Carrera's and Carrera S's, two with PCCB brakes. I drove the 6 speed striped model. Only $87 with a $4k markup.

Anyway, still a nice car, but I'll stay with mine....for a long time.

tuk_928

Nice story Nicole....way too easy, eh? Bet he thought you had the SIX-CYLINDER version of the 928 that Rixter found on Traderonline...wink, wink.

OK...back to my hurricane riding....

Cheers,
Tim

mpesik

Nicole,your wicked! Mike

ErnestSw

Her wicked what?

mpesik

From what I gather, I believe Nicole DOES-NOT race. Something got to her-Maybe the 997? Mike

tuk_928

Nicole,
I believe Mike is trying to say..."you're wicked"
Cheers,
Tim

mpesik

In the nicest way-Of course. Mike

tuk_928

Mike,
Of course...
Tm

Kevin Michael

bill do you really believe there is only a 4000 mark-up on that car? i cannot tell you how i know,but you could not pay the utilities at that dealership, let alone the 100,000 plus salaries on 4 grand a unit. then of course the owner...........

wds928

That was $4,000 markup over sticker. So figure a nice profit, even if sold for sticker.

Kevin Michael

sorry bill, i misunderstood. thanks, kevin

Robert_H

Nicole,

Yes, the Tiptronic does display the gear that you are in while in the automatic mode as well. It is in the area to the right of the tachometer.

Rob

Nicole

1. No , I don't race. NEVER!
2. Well, you know we have our weak moments...
3. The guy was just trying to play too cool, and I was in a mood to tease him a little.
4. I only got barely over the speed limit, certainly not even close to the rev limit.
5. I knew he was easy prey for a shark.
6. Primer grey seems to be the most popular automotive color amongst male Americans under the age of 20.
7. Yes, the 997 was fun - maybe I should really take the dealer up on their offer for a test drive.
8. The 997 didn't seem to have as much torque as the 928.
9. Thanks, Rob, for claifying ithis - way cool! Can't wait to see your new Baby!!!

10. I don't have any "wicked" - couldn't possibly afford it...

Lagavulin