Why I bought a 911
08-19-2016, 07:31 PM
#1
Why I bought a 911
Just writing down my story for anybody who cares to read it.
Who doesn’t admire Porsche - a car company that has successfully merged exotic car performance with an amazing reputation for quality? However, it was that image that at one time didn’t fuel my desire. I used to say that Porsches were sports cars for “grown-ups.” I have owned a number of fine cars over the years, but never a Porsche. During my younger days I would stop by the somewhat local exotic car dealer and gaze at my future vehicles. My thoughts ran to "real exotics:" Ferraris, Maseratis, Aston-Martins, maybe a Lamborghini, etc.
Anyway, after a serious illness over a decade ago, I decided it was no longer time to do something “one day,” so I contacted an old acquaintance, who helped me find a Caterham (Lotus) 7, something I wanted ever since, as a wee child, I saw The Prisoner in the 1960s. That was my vision of a sports car. Everything a true sports car needs, nothing superfluous. And it’s great. I still have it and will never sell it. It remains the ultimate distillation of the British sports car experience. Between that, my company SUV, and my wife’s MINI convertible, I thought I had my automotive needs covered. I toyed with buying a Lotus Elise, and drove a few, even made an offer. Then I realized that as cool as the Elise is, it’s only marginally more practical than my Super Seven. Can’t use it for a weekend trip - no luggage space to speak of.
But, there seemed to be an emptiness in my garage … or in my mind. A few years ago, I dropped by a Ferrari dealer, which I do from time to time to see the pre-owned vehicles. While wandering around the lot, I spied a Aston V12 Vantage. I asked a salesperson about it, he said it was a trade-in on a Ferrari, and they wanted about $135k. The wheels started turning. After some more thought, I decided maybe my automotive needs weren’t quite covered.
I began some research. While the Aston for sale was priced right, it was not the car for me. Not a good color combination, just not something I couldn’t do without. And more than I wanted to spend. I talked to a lot of people who owned exotics. Obviously, it’s not the buying of the car that’s the biggest concern, it’s reliability, usability, and service. A friend had a Ferrari 360. While a great car, he hadn’t had a great ownership experience. A wise friend from the UK said to me when I told him I was thinking about maybe an Aston or something similar, “Don’t do it, John. Think about a 911.”
I re-examined what I wanted. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I wanted a true GT, a car with extreme performance, but one you can take for a weekend trip and enjoy the drive. I have the rawest sports car anybody can own, but no real GT. I visited my local Porsche dlr and drove a new 991. All of a sudden everything crystallized. A 911 is the PERFECT GT, almost the definition of Grand Touring! Very comfortable, plenty of luggage space for 2, and true exoticar performance. Plus, it’s not “precious,” meaning that you can actually use it every day, or plan a thousand mile road trip and not be concerned. I even measured the front trunk to make sure I could use our luggage, along with the +2 area in the back. It was now clear, I wanted a Porsche 911, specifically a 991. Now the details: 911 vs 911S, MT vs PDK, colors, options, etc.
I drove a variety. The PDK seemed ideal for my idea of a GT, plus I live in a very urban area. After driving standard & S versions, I decided that an S w/PDK just felt best. Also, I feel that a MT works better with the 3.4 engine, the PDK with the 3.8. Obviously, with the advent of the 991.2, my insights have less value. I’m sure many of the Porsche people who may read this will have plenty of points to disagree.
So I’d settled on a 991S w/PDK, and was quite impressed with the CPO program. Which options were necessary? For me, that was easy: <10k miles, PDK, 14 or 18 way seats, Premium Plus, Bose. But what colors? I like interesting combinations, and Porsche, as cool a company as it is, doesn’t offer a lot of choices. I’m somewhat lucky, as there were two (now three) major Porsche dealers fairly close. Of course I played with the on-line configurator and came up with a few that worked. I’m not a huge fan of black interiors, so that rules out most Porsches one might find! Without going into the various “approved combinations” I created a list and kept my eyes open.
A few months later, I was perusing the local dlrs on-line and there was one of my choices, with my options. I went and checked it out, and it was just as described: 2014 991S, 6k miles, the options I wanted plus the glass sunroof (which I now wouldn’t do without) & Carrera Classic wheels. Rhodium silver with yachting blue. Perfect. Made the deal, bought the car (& insisted the dealer install the clear front cornering lights. No 911 should be without). Love it. Doubled the mileage within a relatively short time. I’m happy with the options, but if I was ordering a new one, I’d add the power folding mirrors, the [now stock] parking sensors/backup camera, and passenger footwell net.
While I’m still attracted to the exotics; Ferraris, McLarens, Astons, etc, a Porsche 911 is simply a perfect automobile. I’ve had it for about a year and a half. Once you own a 911, you “get it."
Who doesn’t admire Porsche - a car company that has successfully merged exotic car performance with an amazing reputation for quality? However, it was that image that at one time didn’t fuel my desire. I used to say that Porsches were sports cars for “grown-ups.” I have owned a number of fine cars over the years, but never a Porsche. During my younger days I would stop by the somewhat local exotic car dealer and gaze at my future vehicles. My thoughts ran to "real exotics:" Ferraris, Maseratis, Aston-Martins, maybe a Lamborghini, etc.
Anyway, after a serious illness over a decade ago, I decided it was no longer time to do something “one day,” so I contacted an old acquaintance, who helped me find a Caterham (Lotus) 7, something I wanted ever since, as a wee child, I saw The Prisoner in the 1960s. That was my vision of a sports car. Everything a true sports car needs, nothing superfluous. And it’s great. I still have it and will never sell it. It remains the ultimate distillation of the British sports car experience. Between that, my company SUV, and my wife’s MINI convertible, I thought I had my automotive needs covered. I toyed with buying a Lotus Elise, and drove a few, even made an offer. Then I realized that as cool as the Elise is, it’s only marginally more practical than my Super Seven. Can’t use it for a weekend trip - no luggage space to speak of.
But, there seemed to be an emptiness in my garage … or in my mind. A few years ago, I dropped by a Ferrari dealer, which I do from time to time to see the pre-owned vehicles. While wandering around the lot, I spied a Aston V12 Vantage. I asked a salesperson about it, he said it was a trade-in on a Ferrari, and they wanted about $135k. The wheels started turning. After some more thought, I decided maybe my automotive needs weren’t quite covered.
I began some research. While the Aston for sale was priced right, it was not the car for me. Not a good color combination, just not something I couldn’t do without. And more than I wanted to spend. I talked to a lot of people who owned exotics. Obviously, it’s not the buying of the car that’s the biggest concern, it’s reliability, usability, and service. A friend had a Ferrari 360. While a great car, he hadn’t had a great ownership experience. A wise friend from the UK said to me when I told him I was thinking about maybe an Aston or something similar, “Don’t do it, John. Think about a 911.”
I re-examined what I wanted. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I wanted a true GT, a car with extreme performance, but one you can take for a weekend trip and enjoy the drive. I have the rawest sports car anybody can own, but no real GT. I visited my local Porsche dlr and drove a new 991. All of a sudden everything crystallized. A 911 is the PERFECT GT, almost the definition of Grand Touring! Very comfortable, plenty of luggage space for 2, and true exoticar performance. Plus, it’s not “precious,” meaning that you can actually use it every day, or plan a thousand mile road trip and not be concerned. I even measured the front trunk to make sure I could use our luggage, along with the +2 area in the back. It was now clear, I wanted a Porsche 911, specifically a 991. Now the details: 911 vs 911S, MT vs PDK, colors, options, etc.
I drove a variety. The PDK seemed ideal for my idea of a GT, plus I live in a very urban area. After driving standard & S versions, I decided that an S w/PDK just felt best. Also, I feel that a MT works better with the 3.4 engine, the PDK with the 3.8. Obviously, with the advent of the 991.2, my insights have less value. I’m sure many of the Porsche people who may read this will have plenty of points to disagree.
So I’d settled on a 991S w/PDK, and was quite impressed with the CPO program. Which options were necessary? For me, that was easy: <10k miles, PDK, 14 or 18 way seats, Premium Plus, Bose. But what colors? I like interesting combinations, and Porsche, as cool a company as it is, doesn’t offer a lot of choices. I’m somewhat lucky, as there were two (now three) major Porsche dealers fairly close. Of course I played with the on-line configurator and came up with a few that worked. I’m not a huge fan of black interiors, so that rules out most Porsches one might find! Without going into the various “approved combinations” I created a list and kept my eyes open.
A few months later, I was perusing the local dlrs on-line and there was one of my choices, with my options. I went and checked it out, and it was just as described: 2014 991S, 6k miles, the options I wanted plus the glass sunroof (which I now wouldn’t do without) & Carrera Classic wheels. Rhodium silver with yachting blue. Perfect. Made the deal, bought the car (& insisted the dealer install the clear front cornering lights. No 911 should be without). Love it. Doubled the mileage within a relatively short time. I’m happy with the options, but if I was ordering a new one, I’d add the power folding mirrors, the [now stock] parking sensors/backup camera, and passenger footwell net.
While I’m still attracted to the exotics; Ferraris, McLarens, Astons, etc, a Porsche 911 is simply a perfect automobile. I’ve had it for about a year and a half. Once you own a 911, you “get it."
08-19-2016, 07:40 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
great story, you should also post a picture of your car! - sounds like a nice spec!
08-19-2016, 08:52 PM
#4
Wonderful Story. It's nice to "get it".
Yes. Some pics would be nice to see.
I think you may be able to retrofit a camera but not sure 100% if you need the parking sensors or not. Enjoy.
Yes. Some pics would be nice to see.
I think you may be able to retrofit a camera but not sure 100% if you need the parking sensors or not. Enjoy.
08-20-2016, 12:27 AM
#6
Great story. And if we didn't know it by now, Porsche is well aware that if you truly enjoy driving, it's cars are like a drug. It would be interesting to see how many 911 owners never leave the fold.
08-20-2016, 01:15 AM
#7
Burning Brakes
Great story! I am new to the 911. I "got it" after my first test drive, and after 3 months with my 911.2 C2s I am still blown away by the car. A whole new world for me!
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08-20-2016, 08:02 AM
#8
Track Day
Yeah, great story man. I hear ya on the exotics.
I moved to SF from Seattle, and while I made some bank on property there the market here is nuts for buyers, so I decided to eat crazy rent, invest a bit of my profit and then buy a dream car for at least a few years of fun. I looked into a Ferrari or McLaren, but the 911 was always my halo car and seemed like the best mix of personal dream car, great DD/tourer and not totally crazy price.
I love this damn car, I am far from getting used to it or tapping it out.
I moved to SF from Seattle, and while I made some bank on property there the market here is nuts for buyers, so I decided to eat crazy rent, invest a bit of my profit and then buy a dream car for at least a few years of fun. I looked into a Ferrari or McLaren, but the 911 was always my halo car and seemed like the best mix of personal dream car, great DD/tourer and not totally crazy price.
I love this damn car, I am far from getting used to it or tapping it out.
