Just bought my first Porsche, am I crazy to road-trip it home with wife and kids?
 

I've been a Porsche fan for a long time, but never really thought I'd own one. Well folks, hard work and dedication do pay off sometimes and I'm stoked that I just finished doing a deal on this car:
https://www.nweuro.com/2012-porsche-carrera-s/

(BTW the owner of Northwest European has been absolutely awesome to deal with)

It took me awhile to realize that the 991S was what I wanted in my life. I looked at 993s, 997s, and even pre-1973 air cooled 911s. But all of those would have been "occasional" cars for me. I really wanted something I could drive and enjoy every day, which includes days when I need to pick my kids up from school or sit in bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway. So, I started looking for 991s.

I'd been looking off and on casually for a year or more, but only got really serious in the last couple months. I made offers on a couple of cars and either moved too slowly or offered too little and missed them. Then I made a what I thought was a lowball offer on a dark blue 991.1S in PA last week and to my surprise they accepted it. Immediately the same day, I find the white car linked above and absolutely fell in love. So I called the guy right away and found out a bit more about the car. By the end of the day, we had a price agreed on the white car and I was stoked. I called the dealer in PA back to apologize profusely and they were extremely kind.

Ok, so that's the background. I don't have the car yet and am planning a mini trip up to Seattle (from the SF Bay Area) to get it.

And I'm bring my wife...and my two kids. Am I nuts? Probably!

The plan is to fly up, hang out for a couple days in Seattle and Victoria BC (I won't take the 911 to Canada as I don't want to risk it on temporary paperwork), then do a road trip back to the Bay Area with all 4 of us in the 911. The kids are small (age 9 and 6) and have done about 200 miles (in one go) in a 991 that I rented on Turo.

My thinking is that this will be an experience we'll all remember forever. Heck, maybe my kids will eventually tell their own kids about "that time when crazy grandpa bought a 911 and we all drove back in it."

My biggest concerns with the roadtrip are:

• Weather - Encountering snow in any of the mountain passes on the way back to San Francisco (we might have to take the coast? longer but nicer)
• Time in car - Will we drive each other nuts in such a small car for such a long time?
• Luggage - We're going to have to pack really light, which is hard in the winter. I'm going to test-fit luggage in my friend's 991 before we fly up.
• Extra parts - The car has an extra front splitter, and some other stuff with it. I guess I'm just going to have to ship those down to my home.

Anything else I should be thinking about? Have any of you doing anything similar? I'm sure this will put some wear and tear on the car but honestly I believe enjoying a car comes from driving it.

For the record, I was planning to drive the Pennsylvania car home too, but probably without the wife and kids.

I've done some long stints in sporty cars in the past in fact just a couple months ago I did a 3-day 1000 mile rally in my Lotus Elise, which has the creature comforts of a plank of wood. But I didn't have any other victims in the car to torture with that experience.

PS. Looking forward to getting to know the rennlist community!

Love the idea of driving the new girl home - I did the same - picking mine up in Dallas and driving it back to Hudson NY. Couldn't recommend it higher - getting to know her on a long trip is something you will always remember.

I did my trip with my co-pilot (he is a four legged one and loved the trip, but he is a sucker for cars in general and Porsches in particular).

That said - four people seems a bit crazy! It will be one to remember either way it goes! Best of luck.

I can't comment on the wife and kids being in tow...but that is a beautiful build. $119k is well above average. Classic color combo. Carrera Classics. Surprised you could still order it with a CD changer!! Enjoy the trip home, and don't forget to stop and see the Spruce Goose.

My twin 6 year olds would handle that easily.... assuming the twin iPads were with us :)

You're not crazy. DO IT!!!

The memory will be priceless -- especially if it's not perfect.

Do it. Take your time. Because next year, your kids won't fit in the back seats.:)

+1
Congrats on the car. Leave the kids @ grandma's house, take the wife. 911s are awesome road trip cars. Lots of storage space, comfy, great ergonomics, and if you have time to get off the interstate & find a few twisty roads on the way back...:thumbsup:
Have fun, be safe...T

Really nice, well done...!

Seattle to San Francisco is about 850 miles taking the most direct and boring route. Or about 1000 miles if I take the more scenic coastal route. We'd stop a few times along the way overnight to break up the trip and do touristy stuff.

Good to know about the storage behind the rear seats. I'm hoping the kids can stash their backbacks of devices/chargers back there. They're good roadtrip kids, we did a trip tp LA and back for Thanksgiving without a single complaint but that was in my wife's Audi Q5. The pillows are a good idea, we have some small camping ones that would be perfect.

How much can fit in the front trunk? 1 carry-on + a duffle? 2 carry-ons?

Thanks! I'm super excited about the car. It has a better build than the blue one I made an offer on in terms of everyday creature comforts like the full leather, heated and vented seats, entry and drive, and the lighting package. Plus I like the agate interior better than the black and am a big fan of the black PORSCHE on the rear with the model delete. Radar detector install is super clean but I've never had a car with one.

The previous owner did the PSE install at the dealer so it's not on the build sheet but that was an important option for me too. In fact, I wonder if he is on the forum?

I gotta get rid of that front license plate though when I get it home. I hear there are bumper plugs I can use to fill the holes?

Yes. www.bumperplugs.com

dogs
 

I have dogs (not kids) and the thought of being in that small space with 3 other people for a long trip freaks me out. summer tires on these cars is no bueno below 50. Have ppf done prior to highway usage if paint chips freak you out. the paint on these cars is paper thin (3 mil in some places). Congrats on the ride !!!