FisterD

It's funny how people perceive things. I'm driving a car that cost me less than $40K, and they think I'm flaunting it, when they drive past me in an SUV that costs $50K. Bottom line is, I drive my Porsche for MY ENJOYMENT, no one elses. I really try not to concern myself with what others think of me.

nels415

Well said Chris and Darin, I bought my car cause I wanted a great sports car, not because it was the 'image' that's associated with it. I know this for a fact because there is never a time where I don't love looking at my car. It's actually a shame that people consider 'image' as everything.

-nels

C2MED

It is just unfortunate that many people buy Porsche just so that they can say they drive a Porsche. There are the rich ones who buy the latest most expensive model, and there are ones who buy with whatever they can scrape together just as long as it has a Porsche badge on. They both try their best to let everyone knows that they are better/richer just because they driver a Porsche. These are the people who give us the bad image!

forklift

I would love mine just as much if it was invisible to the rest of the world.

Nutbeem

Hahaha - is this guy for real?

Image is an issue, but the older the Porsche the more likely you are to considered an "enthusiast" instead of a "rich assh***".

I think 1994 is about right....

Rick
1994 C2 Cab

carrageous

About two weeks after I bought my second Porsche, a "colleague" stopped me a client's office.

"When are you going to get rid of your Porsche?"

Huh?

"Don't you know the difference between a Porsche and a porcupine?"

Huh?

"With a Porsche, the ****** are on the inside?"

Huh?!!

The guy drove a 1982 Peugeot 505 that looked like he had rubbed elephant dung all over it. He then went on to blow his assignment on a major creative project and, as they say, never worked in that town again.

On the other hand, I did well.

My clients, who had never seen me in my first Porsche, suddenly saw me in a different light and my income literally doubled that year. And kept growing.

It doesn't matter, one way or the other, how others see your Porsche. The only view of a Porsche that matters is the one you have with you hands on the wheel!


Dain

993Brendan

It is funny how many heads my car turns and remarks I get when I take it out of the garage...

...which is why I drive to work in a 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cierra w/ windows that won't roll down.

Coleman

I have always been amused by what reactions the P car garnishes-.. this is my 2nd 911 and having a heavily modified 964 for 7 years prior, and this somewhat modded 993 now, it's always amusing to gauge reactions-.. I agree with other posts inasmuch as I'm mostly in my little world with little relation to people's views of me.. I think that the 911's have a somewhat "slick" appearance/motif and I don't really consider myself too slick, but my passion to drive a car which exhibits such a complex feel, sound, smell and gets me damp in the armpits daily, thoroughly outweighs the persona that people who don't know me are willing to pin on me... if I can plaster a smile on my face from the camber of the road and the leather seat, then I'll take any negative comments that my culture can hurl at me.

Coleman

993,951,944

Like it or not, people will judge you based on your physical
appearance, your clothes, your work place image,
your house; and yes, they will judge you by what you drive.
I agree there may be cases where this is not all true,
but unfortunately it's not the general rule. This general
rule of pre-judgment also applies to mechanical objects.
Did anyone purchased their P-car thinking it was ugly,
but thought it had other qualities ?
To deny we don't judge others, or objects, by appearances
is not being truly honest.

I purchased my P-cars for by the physical beauty, the nice
engine sounds and great craftsmanship.
( Despite my having to design circuits to control OBD-II
carbon build up for simulating air injection, or increasing
the idle speed on steep hills.) However, I am surprised
with the many positive experiences.

These cars are very special; we all spend time writing posts
asking advice about solving mechanical problems,
sharing ideas and experiences, even engaging in social
events with other P-car owners. The Porsche passion is
something we can't really describe, but we can't deny it's
very existence.

Steve 96C4S

Good stuff guys. My car has been sitting in the garage for over a month, not driven due to road salt and sand. I had to get a tire fixed today (had a huge nail in it!) so I drove it to Radial tire and fell in love with it all over again. I forgot just how damn satisfying it was to drive. Having just got an 01 740i sport, my mind's been ONLY on that car. After a day of just crazy fun driving on the Maryland beltway, around town, doing errands, I was aghast at how awesome this car handles! It blew out so much smoke when I first started it up in the morning, but once it got warmed up, it was a dream on wheels.

People at work say things like : "I can't believe you drive that Porch to work - aren't you worried about it getting messed up?" I work for a Cable TV company as most of you know and whenever it's nice out, I drive it to work, sales calls, and even put my tools and cable boxes in it when I have to do an install. If I don't drive it then, WHEN would I get to drive it! I "only" spent $41k for it so it's not like I worry THAT much about protecting my investment. I'm going to keep it for so long that I will definitely get my money out of it.

I have the family on the weekends and I take them around in the BMW. My friends sometimes say something like, "There's Steve and his Porch " Like it's something funny to them, like he HAS to be to be the "first, the best and the loudest" (that's right out of my baby book my mother wrote when I was 7!). She was obviously onto something about my personality, a negative at the time. I just love this car. I love the way it looks, handles, makes me feel when driving it... I like cleaning it's curves, glancing at it over my shoulder after it's parked, smiling when I see it after a long day at work amidst all the huge cable TV trucks...

It's all good,
Steve

My next and last Porsche...

prscha

i have also had some "negative emotions when i would drive my porsche to the bmw dealer i worked at (last job),employees there took pleasure inserting tennis ***** in my tail tips and spit all over the car. that was the last time to car was driven to work. actually my last job had many interesting people, most upset with people with nice cars. now i work for a porsche dealer so i am at home and not worried.

ApexL8

I don't have any clients, but my co-workers seem split about 9 to 1:
10% like it, not because it is a Porsche, but because it is sporty.
90% can't conceive of any universe where it would be justifiable to spend $30K+ on a "used car". The fact that many of them spend that much on pick up trucks doesn't temper their judgement against me.

There is a small sub-set of the approvers that are aghast that I "didn't buy a Corvette". My standard answer is that one of my best friends has a C5, and if we showed up somewhere with matching cars people would assume that we were gay lovers (not that theres anything wrong with that). I just don't want to be put in a situation where a nice car actually reduces my chances of meeting chicks.

tsjoel

My car has been in the garage for over a month. The other day the weather looked good so i drove it to work. Like Steve said I fell in love with it all over again. I ended up working late and drove home about 9:00. That turned out to an awesome experience. Just me and a great car and to everyone else on the highway just another set of headlights.

Nutbeem

You know, these sound like the same emotive ramblings as we Mac users bark about all the time. Porsche drivers and Mac users - similar obsessive personality types...

I also drive a 6-speed 540i, by any measure a very sweet ride, but I actually find myself disappointed if I have to drive it to work for a luncheon or whatnot.

The 911 is such a visceral experience, and so different from the other ******* on the road, it puts us in a whole different enthusiast class...

Rick
94 C2 Cab

catser

A while back I posted a topic "if I should drive my 96 993 C2 to work". Since then I took my car to work a few times, and I would like to post some observations; everybody seem to react in one way or another. Most of the people seem to over-evaluate the car .I paid 36K for it ,the majority put it in 70K ballpark, some ask me it is new.I answer "no it's an eight year old car".They are very surprised ,for some a reality check after spending50K+ on heavy SUV'sWith24"rims,etc.It seems like people are frendlier,more want to know more about the car, I had colleagues telling me" I never been in a Porsche before". I always keep it low key ,Porsche build this beautiful machine ,I` m just an enthusiast don`t want to be a snob.For some strange reason people seem to appreciate me more,some jokingly say(I know they mean it) that I make too much money ,when I reply the wife is working too . My boss drives a 95-96 corvette zr-1,now he wants to buy a p-car,he's always been a fan but he always thought he doesn`t have the means to afford one.Since I was a kid I wanted a porsche living i n a east european communist country,never knowing if it ever gonna become true,but telling myself one day I 'm gonna get me a porsche and thank God now at 37 my dream was acomplished,in my addoptive country. My p-car purchase comes out of passion not of infatuation which helps me appreciate the car even more.We owners of Porsches are very lucky,keep that in mind next time you drive(any car). The feeling is unbeatable. One piece of advice for youngsters who are reading this boards.Education is gonna get you far in life.Don`t dispare, hard honest work is nothing to be ashamed of.Wait till`you park your earned Porsche in your garage. Sorry I couldn`t resist too much bad stuff in the news tonight.Keep the faith.