Selo

Porsche dealership this AM.
Me:. Wow, you have some really pretty cars here. Do you have any with a manual?
SA:. No, we order all with PDK.
Me:. Oh, that's too bad. I like to shift myself.
SA:. Well, lots of people say that, but then I take them for a ride and show them what PDK can do, and they end up getting one of these. I used to race SCCA, and I lost a race once because of a bad shift.
Me:. Oh, well, I don't race so I really like to shift myself, and practice heel toe.
SA:. Did you know PDK is faster?
Me:. Yes, but I don't need it to be faster.
SA:. Well, you could buy a PDK and drive it manually. That's what I do.
Me:. Oh, well, according to what I read on line, most people who buy PDK think shifting sounds fun, but ultimately they almost always drove in Auto mode.
SA:. Well, that's their choice. That's their choice.
Me: oh.

The Fat Kid

I am in manual mode 99% of the time, and pretty sure I am not alone. I rowed for a decade, so I view PDK as a clutchless manual.

Penn4S

I guess he did not want to sell you a car you wanted but instead one he had.

freeman

I had 4 manual Porsches since 1974. Since I am approaching my dotage, I opted to buy a new 991 C2 base PDK in 2013. I drove it for 15 months and was driven to distraction by the boredom in my left leg. I quickly sold it with low mileage and ordered a C2 991 GTS in 2015. I hope my approaching senility does not interfere with the joy I feel each time I drive it.

Selo

I have nothing against PDK. But I do have something against DB SAs.

Bents

Cool story

Scottykenneth

One of my main reasons why I went w Porsche. MANUAL **

Archimedes

You're surprised that a salesman, whose livelihood and that of his family is dependent upon selling cars, tried to sell you one of the cars he had in stock?

Rennlist needs one of those signs that says "_7_ Days Since The Last Thinly Veiled PDK Bashing Thread"

BTW, I'll bet you most PDK owners drive in manual mode most of the time, though I know that fact hurts the narrative of these threads

erdrff

I have a 991.2 S Cab with MT. Unfortunately, most dealers and SA have PDK. So it's understandable that the guy tried to sell you a PDK. That's all the dealer orders. If there were high demand for MT, then the dealer would order an appropriate ratio of MT cars. However, the market is driven by demand and most people want PDK.

bwiele

I almost never drove my Panny turbo in manual, the wonky steering wheel buttons which I then converted to after market paddles never felt crisp.

On the new GTS the paddles are perfect....crisp, short throw. Only time I will use Auto is if I'm drinking a coffee or something.

I respect the nostalgia of the manual and I've had several before, but I'm not fighting the progress of technology. The PDK shift speeds, rev matching, etc. just blows my mind and makes me smile.

spiderv6

Yeah but "manual mode" is not manual. "Button Mode" or "Paddle Mode" if you like. But its not a manual.

Not bashing. Each to their own. If I could have a second car alongside mine it would be PDK so I could have the best of both worlds.

RODOLFO04

If you want a full 100% sport car driving experience, drive a MANUAL

if you want to see how tecnology has progresed and don't mind the computer doing 20% of the driving, then pdk is great

I AM HERE FOR THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE SO I DRIVE MANUAL

Selo

Why do PDK driver's act so defensive? Sheesh. To each his own.
It's a thread about a DB salesperson.
And yes. I am surprised he pushed the issue so hard. If Porsche North America has realized their miscalculation and that there is a big market for manuals still, I'd expect them to hire SAs that still have proper respect for the brand and it's heritage.
Last, I stand by my assertion that most PDK owners drive in Auto mode most of the time. I'd venture 90% of 911 and B/S driver's, and probably in excess of 99% if you include Panamera and SUV owners. I welcome stats to prove me wrong, but so far on this thread, on an enthusiast forum, we have a sample size of 2 that say they use PDK exclusively.

Keadog

If Porsche drops the MT, I wouldn't ever buy a new 911 again. Had a '15 TT for a year and was so bored with it, I traded it on the S550 in my Avatar. Far less expensive, more comfortable and it has paddle shifters as well (that I use to downshift). Plus a back seat that is easy to get in and out of.
But you can't blame the guy for trying to sell what he has. My guess is a very large percentage of SAs would much rather sell 3 Cayennes, a Macan and a Panamera than "waste" time with someone looking for a MT sports car. It's another commodity to lots of folks and more sales is more sales.
I would wager a lot of money many SAs know far less about a particular 911 model than someone who takes the time to cruise Rennlist knows about the car they are interested in. Look how many models and configurations there are. And forget stuff like CXX options and the like - it's still pretty arcane to me after ordering 4 cars in 4 years.
I recently talked to a couple of SAs who didn't seem to understand the difference between leather and natural leather - they were confused why I ordered LTS in black natural leather in my (just now V280) Targa instead of getting "regular" black leather sooner and for less money.

Penn4S

To the point made above. If my family's livelihood depended on me making the sale I would try to get whatever the customer wanted and make the sale rather than try to move inventory. Good Porsche salesmen know that Porsche drivers are a fickle group and mostly want what they want.

This did not start out as a PDK bash and isn't there now so no need for all the sensitivity. Some of us prefer MT cars not because they are better just better for us.