eyeslasher1

just returned to chicago with a (new to us) 2016 gts coupe manual transmission.

please enjoy my miscellaneous ramblings below

Dan Nagy

Great movie clip! Thanks and congrats.

eyeslasher1

We have been looking to replace a 993 c2s i regretfully sold.

We already have a 991 c4s cab with pdk in rhodium and a cayenne gts and were looking for another weekend fun car. I started out looking at the gt3 model, but since we already have a pdk 911, I thought a manual transmission coupe 991 variant would make more sense.
Test drove a 991.2 manual trans coupe and liked the exterior and interior look of the car and appreciate the updated tech the car offers. I think the 3.0 turbo provides improved low end torque (not v-8 like grunt tho), but the motor (even with pse) just doesnt offer the same amount of wonderful flat six porsche engine noise as the naturally aspirated 991. This is something that i want in my sports car (and I realize it might not be as important to others).

My son recommended I consider the gts as it is (or was) the most powerful NA 991 with a manual transmission (that is obtainable -looking at you 991r).

so the search begins.........

but

It isnt so easy to find a gts manual coupe in the united states right now...

eyeslasher1

There are like 5 or 6 in the whole country.
there are a couple in California (prob too far away to drive back home-but maybe next time
There is a stripped out carrera 4 gts in philly that intrigues me philosophically ( I like the idea of a back to basics Gts (no sunroof, base radio, 4 way seats) but i wanted to stay 2wd as the cab is a 4s

We found one we really liked in Atlanta on Thursday night online over hot dogs at portilllos
-after business hours for the dealership tho, so I cant call then to confirm they still have the car, cant make plans to see the car since it is located at a dealership 800 miles away, cant buy plane tickets
-all i can do is try to sleep and keep my mind from racing about whether this is the right car.

My reservations were two-fold
1. I already own a silver 911 coupe (granted the cab is in rhodium silver). But is gt silver different enough so that i wont wonder why i have 2 silver 911 cars in the garage? (....possibly)
2 I wasnt sure about alcantara-Or course, i read as much as i can find online about the comfort and durability of alcantara and ultimately decided that as a weekend car alcantara would be fine and as an unusual fabric it differentiates the coupe from the cab and makes the gts interior interesting.

Thankfully, the wife supports my car indulgences
And lovingly says get what makes you happy

So far so good.......

eyeslasher1

so.....

about 2 am i decide I'm flying to atlanta.

I need a co-pilot
A conspirator
a partner in crime
and i have just the right person in mind

I tell my son's mom he is missing friday school

perfect father and son experience, am i right?

purchase 2 one way tickets to atlanta for 900Am and pack my toothbrush and a minimal amount of clothes into my backpack (the way only a guy can) -hell i had space left over for snacks

on the way to the airport- i send an email to the dealership to confirm they still have the car- thank god the car is still there

We arrive at the airport- uber to the dealership and the second i see the car
-i know I'm buying it-
in the same way that you know something is perfect for you and everything is right and good in the world
like when you know you want to marry your wife
Or see your child for the first time
Well maybe those two analogies were a bit of hyperbole ( I wont compare buying a car to life's milestone)

Let's say when you know the rolex submariner (no date) or a lange and sohne 1815 up/down you are contemplating
is your perfect watch
or the first taste of pappy van winkle you spent years trying to obtain

or the first notes from your mobile fidelity sound lab first press lp of miles davis "kind of blue" played thru an oracle turntable with audio research tube pre amp, krell monoblocks and Wilson WATT loudspeakers-sheer aural bliss!!

We get out of the Uber car and saunter around the dealership lot. I consciously make an effort to look at everything but the Gts. I check out a black gt3 they have and a white Gts with pdk before I head over to the main course.

(I wonder how shady we looked in retrospect.). See it from the dealers perspective -two guys are dropped off in a nondescript Chevy Impala. They look slightly disheveled in wrinkled clothes, wearing backpacks and are walking around the Parking lot looking at all the tasty models, peering thru the car windows, etc.

Anyway, there are two slick guys in suits on their lunch hour also cruising the lot and one guy points out the silver Gts and comments on how that is the car he really wants. Under my breath, I mutter to myself
No f--ing way bro.--better find another.

The sales advisor comes out and after introductions are made, he unlocks the car and asks if i want to drive it.

absolutely not!
The first time i want to be behind the wheel of this GTS is when we are leaving the dealership and driving home.
I don't want to test drive the car, I want to buy it.
(I could tell he wasn't just going to throw us the keys and say " have at it". So, I didn't want to leave my son there alone, just picking his teeth while I had all the fun. I wanted to do the whole trip together.)
And if I drove the car with the sales advisor, I prob would feel obligated to drive it slow and careful and I wanted my first experience in the car to be unrestricted and unsupervised ( live free and drive! )

But my son and I do go over the car with a magnifying glass, the way some of us nerdy rennlist types are inclined to do.
The paint and interior look minty. We pull back the rubber seals and look under the carpet and trim pieces. No evidence of repainted panels. The drivers front seat edge where you step into the car looks perfect. the leather on the steering wheel is unscuffed. Brake rotors look and feel new, carfax checks out. the dme shows no overruns. Things seem as they should be. The previous owner cared for this car......hooray

Haggle on the price
the car is certified
not interested in extended warranty, wheel, paint or interior protection
Breeze thru the finance segment-I always find it amusing how munch they try to guilt you into the extended warranty products

lets sign and get on the road!

planet

Great story (so far!). And a gorgeous GTS.

Needsdecaf

Great story! Similar to mine (link in sig).

eyeslasher1

we leave the dealership...
and.....
right into friday rush hour traffic

we get off the road , eat dinner, cool our heels and wait for the traffic to pass.
Stayed on the interstate thru the mountains north of chatanooga
That was an absolute blast -long radius interstate corners, xenon headlights shining thru the darkness, in the passenger seat at eye level all you can see are the turning wheels of the the big rigs as you blast by them
(NOTE- WAZE is your friend on the interstate)
stop in bowling green for some much deserved rest
That night i searched for some back roads thru kentucky and indiana -off the interstate and we were rewarded the next morning with absolutely glorious cool weather, empty roads, beautifully maintained asphalt and no police to be seen.

thru the rolling hills of KY and IN.

The best part of the trip and the gts was in its element-
the 18 way alcantara seats keep you in place firmly but comfortably
the smooth responsive engine
the induction howl between 3-6500
Sport exhaust exhaust deliciously bouncing off the limestone walls
The snick snick of the manual transmission
steering accurate and communicative ( not 993 communicative)
chassis compliant over bumps, yet so well settled in the corners

it was a wonderful segment of the trip

and i was mostly the passenger.

Part of the delight of the trip was the seeing the enjoyment that my son had piloting the car thru those twisty back roads in rural kentucky

eyeslasher1

The rest of the trip wasnt nearly as exciting-
flat straight interstate in northern indiana
-avoiding law enforcement and trying to avoid the rocks and debris kicked up behind trucks.
But on the open road you can also appreciate the dual nature of the 911 and the gts in particluar
-this car is a wonderful gt car- eating up the endless miles in comfort
7th gear comfort mode, pse off, bose stereo, music thru the iphone.
climate control set
25ish mpg
the 911 is a great relaxing place to be

Having back seats opens up the interior in the 911-a sense of space, even if no one can possibly sit in the back comfortably for an extended period of time. and this in one of the reasons why i prefer it over the cayman (or any 2 seater for that matter) which can feel a little claustrophobic without any space behind you.

We race home to beat the snow storm heading to chicago
otherwise we might have turned around and hung out in rural Kentucky for awhile

jlee504

congrats!!! i inquired about the car too, its beautiful!

Needsdecaf

Love it. Aren't trips like this the best?

Glad your son got to experience it too!

Code

Cool story, congrats! Btw, I'm jealous of that garage haha

eyeslasher1

final thoughts

the car

Maybe it's the glass of wine and the fatigue after a long drive, but I am really pleased with this purchasel. I have no regrets buying this car( this comes from a guy who usually second guesses every car he buys).

The gt silver color is exquisite and pairs nicely with the rhodium silver cab.

I am also really impressed with the comfort and appearance of the alcantara interior. This car has a leather dash with deviated rhodium stitching and carbon fiber trim( i can t remember if that is the gts package and full leather package?) and for me it feels like a special/interesting environment. I am glad the steering wheel and gear shift are in leather as it appears these are the alcantara items that usually wear. The alcantara elements, to me, makes driving the car more of an occasion. to each his own

The engine is sonorous, and sounds dfferent than the c4s cab. The gts has more induction noise and the c4s seems to have more emphasis on the exhaust
notes. Regardless, when the engine howls towards redline, I get that tingly feeling that tells me this car is a keeper. Not too fast abd needs the revs, but very very sweet.

The manual transmission is precise and well balanced and i enjoyed the rev matching you get when in sports plus although we tried to keep it in sport just so i could improve my own gear changing technique. (my kid picked up the nuances of driving the 7 speed much quicker than i) damn youngsters!!

maybe i wished it had center locks- i could go either way- On one hand, it is one of the key elements of the gts model, but on the other hand, some people report they can be a pain in the neck
this car didnt have it so-decision made

It has a sunroof which I prefer rather than the panoramic roof (again I have the cab for top down driving)
But either option or no sunroof would not have been a deal breaker.

The Bose system is decent when stopped or at idle, but tire, engine and wind noise can overwhelm the system at higher speeds.

My son made what i thought was a accurate summation, and it is one i have heard before - this is a car that serves 2 purposes quite well- a gt cruiser when cruising comfortably at high speed across interstates and a sports car when the road gets technical.

the trip
I cannot tell you how much i enjoyed the trip tho.
I bonded with my son
we spent time getting familiar with the car
we enjoyed some wonderful roads

it was a memorable trip- the kind you can put in the highlights of your life to cherish forever
and if you should ever have the opportunity to travel with a special person in your life across this fine country in a porsche (or any interesting car),
i highly recommend it- and take the twisty back roads home

jeff

96redLT4

I was just thinking what an enjoyable day this is-watching my Raiders pull ahead of the Bills (fingers crossed) and reading this great story! The GT silver on the GTS is such a great color. Your son sounds like one of the few young people who can drive a standard transmission. Congrats on a beautiful car.
Jim

eyeslasher1

thanks Code

I always wanted "stacked 911's" haha