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So you can know the sublime satisfaction of driving a 911, but it will occasionally require a little extra time and effort. Or you can make do with a NSX or GTR.
I am going to buy a new fun car in the next couple of weeks. I really want to buy a 911. I live in a rural state. My closest Porsche dealer is about 150 miles away from home. I am concerned about the logistics & time requirement of getting the car serviced. Would you buy a Porsche or just stick to brands that could be serviced locally? I have access to most other brands except Porsche and the true exotics.
Like many of you, I have a very demanding job and a family so my free time is limited. If I stick to local dealers my secondary options would likely be an Acura NSX or Nissan GTR. Merc's and BMW don't interest me.
Thanks for the feedback.
MJJ
I've changed my mind!!
Back to your point, the NSX and GTR are completely different cars. If I had to pick, I would do the 911 and deal with the 150 miles now that I think about it more.
Would rather deal with a small inconvenience than an everyday mistake looking at a car I think I settled for. A 2 hour drive is a good excuse for a fun drive. Never boring and free Porsche loaner. GO FOR IT
Pretty much a once a year dealer visit. Small time commitment.
YES! These cars are pretty trouble free. If something actually breaks then roadside assistance will tow to the closest dealer. This is highly unlikely.
Also - for other than warranty, there are some local service shops i found via google for regular service like oil changes and such.
OPINION... you're considering very different cars. The GTR and NSX were great in 2010 - the new NSX took too long to be released and the electronics are already tired IMO. Do you want drivers car or a luxury car(which the GTR definitely is not) Many cars to consider for driving fun over those 2.... GTI, Miata, MiniS - hell even a mustang. Corvette too but I think you either like those or you don't. Jaguar F type?
I would and almost did. I live over 90 miles away from the closest dealership, which is in San Antonio. The car is great and any service I have ever done, they have given me a loaner. No problems. Also I had a flat tire in San Antonio after the dealership was closed. Porsche towed the car and got us an Uber for the hour and a half ride home. Also, any chance I get to drive my 911, even to the dealership is a good time! I would not hesitate to do it again!
I would have zero concern. I've had my 991.1 for almost 5 years. I've only been to the dealer for one stupid thing (rubber gaskets around the sunroof). I change the oil and do regular maintenance myself. My closest dealer is 15 miles away, but the service department sucks, so they might as well be 150 miles away.
I have 2 dealers near me but my 911 is served where I bought it 120 miles away. They transport it for free and drop off a Macan as a loaner, even for simple stuff like oil changes or burned out light bulbs.
As I was looking at a new car last year I inquired at the NorCal McLaren dealer in San Francisco. I live about 120 miles away. They offer transportation and the cost is $1,000 for both trips in my area. For example add that to the cost of an oil change. I live 6 miles from my local Porsche dealer.
As for the NSX I test drove one last fall and it's surprising fast and would be a cool car to own. They are offering huge discounts on them because nobody is buying them. FWIW I've never known anyone that has aspired to own an Acura but have known many that have aspired to own a Porsche. For the record I also own an Acura MDX.
New Porsche’s tend to be low maintenance. Oil changes if the car is not beat to death can be done every 8-10k miles. Recall stuff not super important can be done at oil change intervals. Also big factor, are you flexible enough to give up a day now and then to sit in the usually nice service area of a dealership. Again these cars are really dependable.
One last thing to consider. When my son was young and I was a single dad thinking of getting back into a sports car we looked at several S2000, BMW etc... In the end he said” Dad at the end of the day after working hard to make sure my brother and I are ok and doing well do you want to look in the garage to admire your Honda or your PORSCHE. I think he was really looking ahead to driving it some day. None the less if you are one of the people who has worked hard in life to have the privilege to drive one of these cars. GO FOR IT.
OP: I wouldn't let it deter me at all. There's a dealer here in Nashville and I rarely use them. My cars are maintained by a local indy here in Nashville or the indy at AMP where I store the track cars. Dealer is only needed for non-maintenance repairs and those are (knock on wood) rare.
You rarely need the dealer....all your routine services can be done locally. Get AAA with long range towing so that if something goes wrong, you call them and they can take your car to the dealership. You can always take Uber to pick up the car or make some type of arraignment with the dealership so that they can deliver the car. Even if the car is drivable...you can tell AAA that you have been advised not drive the car that distance.
I owned a 997 for 10 years and I only used the dealer once because of a car speaker issue. I did all my services and the dealer here is sooooo expensive out of warranty that I would dare not use them.
If it was a Ferrari, I would be given you a completely different advice.
Good Luck
Abe
02-24-2018, 01:20 PM
