beebalm

Hi Petee,
Thank you that is good to know
BeeBalm
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You know you own a Porsche when she has her own laundry hamper for all her colorful microfiber towels

beebalm

Hi Cheekymonkeyman,
You must me now enjoying that beautiful car of yours so much
Have a blast!

My wheels are not painted - they are just the normal color that comes on the wheels.

Have a great day.
BeeBalm

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You know you own a Porsche when she has her own laundry hamper for all her colorful microfiber towels

beebalm

Hello Porsche Friends,

So what do people do about road flares these days. Years ago, when we went on a road trip, and we have driven around the US a lot, we’d carry those old fashioned red flares that burned. Today, that just seems to be an old way to handle this.

We bought some red powerflares. Here is the flare just sitting on the ground.



It weighs about 7 oz, runs on a tiny lithium battery and lasts about 24 hours. It has many patterns. I can’t show the rotary pattern without a video so here it is it just on.

The color isn’t really true. The camera messes up the color. When on, you cannot see any yellow, only red light. You are seeing yellow because the shutter speed was to slow so it picks up an ambient light. This is just sitting on some concrete. The stuff you see around it is just seeds and stuff from trees.



So what do people do these days? Do you carry flares or not, in case you break down?

What do you think?

Thank you and have a great day!
BeeBalm

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You know you own a Porsche when she has her own laundry hamper for all her colorful microfiber towels

beebalm

Hello Porsche Friends,

I have now owned this 911 for almost 90 days so at this point in time I am going to give my initial thoughts about how I feel about this car. I am never going to take it to an autocross or track it. It is for normal driving duties, not commuting, but pleasure use only. So please understand this perspective.

For the last eight years, I drove my Cayman S almost every day taking it everywhere, doing all the things normally done with a DD. That car fit me like a glove. Its saw many store parking lots but I was always careful to park in a reasonable manner. So that is the basis for what I know and some of this might be a comparison against the Cayman.

The first 45 days were miserable weather, cold and snow on and off constantly so really, I have only driven it the last 6 weeks.

When this car is driven, it’s not driven the same way the Cayman was driven. Instead of short trips here and there in normal life, this car is driven hard but its still not done with break-in. It’s never shut off without the oil temperature hot and after a good run through the RPMs. When done the exterior is cleaned a bit with Speed Shine and obvious brake dust removed. So here is what I feel

1. The clutch is heavier than the Cayman’s and it is taking time to get used to it. However, it is not as heavy as in our old Carrera 3.2. I do not want to be stuck in heavy traffic.

2. I like the fact the instruments show the gear I am in.

3. Sometimes I feel the transmission is not smooth yet, particularly between 4th and 3rd in that it is notchy. My hub says it’s getting smoother as the miles go by.

4. I feel it is far faster than the Cayman. In sport mode I thought it was to quick or touchy. I got over that feeling real fast . I love the sound in sport mode. I don’t even use the stereo anymore!

5. It “feels” bigger and is bigger. It’s bigger to park and the interior is definitely bigger. I love the feel of the wideness of the seats because I feel like I am sitting in a big easy chair in my living room.

6. I like that there is a back seat to throw stuff in the rear rather than to have to use the frunk or hatch. That makes it convenient. However, i do miss the Cayman's hatch.

7. The luxor interior can have glare but with sunglasses, it doesn’t really matter.

8. The Guards Red exterior changes color with the light. In bright sunlight it takes on a slight tinge of orange. But in shade or near sunset, it becomes a deeper red. Awesome.

I love the red, especially so with the black accents. After living with silver the last eight years, I am so glad I went back to red for a sports car (although yellow would do fine too )

9. Love the glass sunroof but it can get hot in there. But on overcast days the large sunroof is – Awesome! It almost feels like an old Targa without the hassle of the Targa roof.

10. The Sport Technos make life so easy when cleaning the wheels and I really like the wider tires in the rear.

11. Visibility is - Awesome!

12. The SPASM front lip is low. You do have to be careful on grades. My driveway is bad enough so I don't want to go over a speed bump. But, my hub noted that if I scrape it enough, the problem will go away as it will be all scraped away .

13. I haven't driven it in sport plus yet so cannot speak about rev matching. I don't feel the suspension is harsh at all. I'm used to sports car suspensions.

I have three complaints.

1. The 14 way memory seats are flakey and do not always go back to the way they should. When you get out, although comfort entry is on, the seat only goes back an inch or two and not all the way. So if you move the seat farther back, the memory just remembers that is the last setting. That is frustrating. We asked the dealer about this and the answer is, this is the way it works.

2. I wish the car had a backup camera. We tried getting an answer from the dealer about retrofitting the cameras that come with 2015 models but they never responded about it.

3. I do not like that stupid triangle that tells you when to shift for fuel economy. I will shift when I feel like shifting.




After tallying up my thoughts, I rate the 991 Carrera S “AWESOME"!

BeeBalm

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You know you own a Porsche when she has her own laundry hamper for all her colorful microfiber towels

chylld

For a daily driver, it seems like a step backward compared to the cayman?

Summarising your post:

Pros:
- faster
- sounds better
- bigger interior (and rear seats are good for chucking stuff on)
- red looks awesome

Cons:
- clutch is heavier
- transmission isn't as smooth
- lose the cayman hatch
- need to wear sunglasses because of beige dash glare
- front lip scrapes on driveway and speed bumps
- memory seats don't work properly
- bigger car, harder to park (and no reverse camera)

Matt-R20

Beebalm, this is a great thread thanks for keeping it updated! Agree on the seat memory, its a paradox.

Cheekymonkeyman

^^^+1 Always enjoy reading your 'real world' feedback - thank you!

eg991

Great review BeeBalm, and I agree the car is awesome. And I love Guards Red. As an aside, although the clutch IS definitely heavy, I don't really mind that much getting stuck in NYC area traffic. The couple of times in my commute where I can punch it a bit make up for it.

beebalm

Hi Chylld!

Good question! Your summary is pretty good. But there are two things I didn’t write about. These two things matter.

First is the issue of perspective.

Everyone is used to what they are used to. Most of my entire adult life, I’ve driven small, two seat, RWD, mid-engine, MT sports cars. I am petite in height and tiny in size and these cars fit me like a glove. Over the years, it seems small sports cars have grown larger and larger. The first one I drove daily was 151” long. Then they got longer and longer. The last one, the Cayman, was 172” long. The 911 is 177”. So from my perspective, the 911 is huge!!! I’m sure people coming from big sedans thinks it’s tiny. I’m sure those come from minivans or giant SUVs think this is crazy. But we are all used to what we are used to.

So:

1. Yes, I feel the clutch is heavier. I don’t want to drive it in heavy traffic. I’m not a big burly guy. I’m a tiny and thin lady. It’s been just 6 weeks. I’ll get used to it It was pretty good today.

2. The slickest manual transmission I ever had was in a 1988 Supercharged MR2 (again mid-engine). Those gears felt like cutting through butter. Hub says he feels this transmission getting smoother as it gets used. I drove today and the transmission is notchy to me. It feels like there is little spacing between the gears. For example, today I was in 5th. I wanted to go into 4th but it slide more easily into 6th. We’ll see if it gets smoother. The car is still a baby, mileage-wise .

3. I do miss the hatch. But that is all I know. I’ve had some kind of rear trunk or hatch, like forever (except for my Beetle and old 911). I did like just putting bags in the hatch. I’d put groceries in the back hatch and the passenger seat. Now I have to open the frunk or push the passenger seat forward to gain access to the back seat. It’s just what I’m used to.

4. Sunglasses are no big deal. I always wear sunglasses outside in the Sun. I would have them on no matter the color of the interior. I think Hub thinks it’s more of a pain because he doesn’t so he grabs his sunglasses. But make no mistake about this. A Luxor interior with red exterior is classic and awesome. I would never have passed up on that combination. Sunglasses are minor inconvenience.

5. Yes, that SPASM front lip is throwaway. I know that. I don’t think the suspension is any harsher. That never bothers me. But that lip is always something you need to be aware off. However, it goes with the territory. If you drive a sports car, it has some downsides. It’s supposed to be low. Otherwise, it would be a Macan

6. I get the feeling the comfort setting on the memory seats are the same on all Porsches. I didn’t have memory on the Cayman but I think this is how they work. Hub says he’s read complaints about the memory seats in Caymans too.

7. Not having a backup camera these days is just ridiculous. They come free, have for years, in much, much less expensive cars. The fact that they are just now available to order on a 911 or Cayman is just ridiculous. I won’t even mention the cost because everyone knows the cost is just stupid.

So, from my perspective, these are all minor annoyances and really mean nothing. I always wear sunglasses in the sun. Yes, the car is bigger but more comfortable. Yes, SPASM is low. But these are not big things.

Second, and more important, is the general “feel” of the car. You can’t measure this. It’s subjective. But anyone who lives with these cars everyday should be able to explain it. The “feel” is incredible, just incredible. It is sturdy, strong, and solid. Its road feel is fantastic. When you put the entire package together, it is so far superior to my Cayman that it can’t be described. They are vastly different.

I’ve driven RWD mid-engine cars all my life. Cars with engines in the front feel like they are dragging you along, especially with FWD. Mid-engine cars feel “nimble”, light, and tiny. They do feel like truer sports cars. I like that feel. Rear engine cars feel like a giant push, squatting down, and pushing you . It’s a rush. You also just know there are decades of engineering expertise surrounding you because it just feels so right.

I know some people will say that I’m comparing an 8 year old car to a new one. That’s true. But I don’t think a new one would make a difference. 20 – 30 HP more isn’t significant. Even so, I can see the appeal of a Cayman or Boxster (if it had a rear view camera). If the only person to drive the car were me, then it would be smaller, tighter inside, and have that hatch. It would also be much cheaper. That would have appeal.

Hub and I have talked about this a lot. I know that if Porsche ever allowed the Boxster/Cayman to be unleashed with equivalent or more power than a 911S, then he would be the first in line checking it out. But until then, we are very happy with this awesome car.

And, make no mistake about it. It is awesome. There is something about the heritage, the feeling, the overall experience that no current Cayman could ever capture.


I really appreciate that you took the time to read my thread, I thank you!

BeeBalm

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You know you own a Porsche when she has her own laundry hamper for all her colorful microfiber towels

Hammer911

I don't seem to have the seat memory issues you describe. One thing that trips up a lot of people is remembering that when you make changes to seating adjustment (or "sound" settings for the various PCM sources (CD/Aux/Tuner) or A/C on or off), you have to reset the memory to the key by simultaneously pushing the "set" and "key" buttons on the door. Once I figured that out, it has worked like a charm.

Thanks for the updates and pics Beebalm...nice thread...and I enjoy your charmingly disarming/preemptive comments so people aren't inclined to argue with your opinions.

beebalm

Good Evening eg991,
So glad to hear that! I am so happy all worked out!
Thanks for keeping me posted!
You have a great evening!
BeeBalm

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You know you own a Porsche when she has her own laundry hamper for all her colorful microfiber towels

beebalm

You are too kind CheekyMonkeyman
Your car is a beauty

Thank you, me too

Have a great evening.
BeeBalm
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You know you own a Porsche when she has her own laundry hamper for all her colorful microfiber towels

beebalm

Thank you BlackBeauty!
Have a great evening.
BeeBalm
___________________________________________________________________

You know you own a Porsche when she has her own laundry hamper for all her colorful microfiber towels

beebalm

Hello Porsche Friends,

Here I asked about how to clean out all the tree seeds falling from the sky.

The other day we had enormous rain, 4 – 5”. Went for a good drive today and after it was over, I decided to clean the interior. What a mess.

I pulled the mats, front and back, and used my Dyson cordless vacuum. It worked pretty good.



This is the back deck. How did these little seeds get back there? I don’t know. You open the car door and stuff just blows in!



These seeds even get down into the windows.



And the frunk was just a mess of them.



Lots of pollen too but I think the rain washed away lots of the pollen.

Then I got some Griot’s Interior Cleaner out and cleaned the interior but it wasn’t to bad. I didn’t touch the seats yet. No need. But the interior can get dusty. One area is the gear shift boot. I had to clean that out.



That’s it for now. Cold and nasty winter. Cool and lots of stuff falling from the sky in the Spring. But the drive sure was nice

Thank you all for dropping by! It is very much appreciated

BeeBalm

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You know you own a Porsche when she has her own laundry hamper for all her colorful microfiber towels

Money2536

Oh my, did I read that correctly? You haven't driven in Sport Plus mode yet? I think I've driven about 10 total miles with it off. Let that baby loose...