Waving to other 911's - What i've noticed
 

Whenever I see a fellow 993 out on the road, almost without failure, we'll always exchange that quick wave hello which I feel sorta translates into: 'hi dude, I appreciate your taste in vehicles'. My brother drives a Mini S, and he says that the Mini Cooper guys all do this as well. This sort of camaraderie is also done between motorcyclists.

Not sure what your experience is, but I never experience this camaraderie with the 996's and certainly never with the Boxer's. I have done a unscientific estimate on the percentages of waves i get from the following pairs of Porsche drivers.

993 - 993 : 100%
993 - 997 : 80%
993 - 964 - 40%
993 - 996 : 20%
993 - Boxer : 0%
993 - (any 911 driven by a woman) 0%

I suppose its because while we all like 911's, on a fundamental level, we have a decreasing appreciation for models that are more and more dissimilar than our own.

The observation about woman I have checked with my wife and several of her friends, and women apparently are not aware of what car they are driving. Ever.

You know your probably right. I always wave and don't always get one back especially people in Boxsters

No sampling on anything older than a 964? :confused:

I think many Boxster owners are not even aware that there ARE other Porsches besides Boxsters.

I also think women do not generally wave back at men in other cars whom they do not know. Asking for trouble. That notion supersedes car camaraderie.

Yeah, I've noticed that too. It's pretty rare around here to see another 993 on the road. Was out for happy hour with my GF and saw a Riviera Blue 993 sitting at the stop light out front. I popped out of my seat and headed outside just to watch it roll on down the street. Anyway, the majority of the Carrera guys wave. Boxster guys not so much. Same with the 996 guys (but I think they're just confused as to whether they're in a Boxster or not anyway)... :icon107:

From my experience % was pretty high among the SC and 3.2 crowd, Very high with the 2.7 generation and off the charts with the 356 guys.

Unfortuantely the flasher on my SC was broken, so I had to wave whenever flashed.

I honestly don't get many waves from 993 owners around my neighborhood, except for the guys I know personally. When my wife takes the 993, she never returns a wave, too much downside potential.

Air-cooled VW Beetles = 100%. After a short pause while they think about it.

FWIW, on Monday, I waved at, and got a wave back, from a hot blonde in a Miata that had the same color as mine. I'm sure she waved because she didn't see me as a threat in my chick/gay car.

Anyway, the majority of the Carrera guys wave. Boxster guys not so much. Same with the 996 guys (but I think they're just confused as to whether they're in a Boxster or not anyway)... :icon107:[/QUOTE]

Cincy Ron, I thought that Boxster guys only waved at other Boxster guys when they are looking for a date.....:icon107:

I was running neck and neck with a 944 down the highway and couldn't coax a wave out of him.

Other than that, it appears pretty much 50-50 across the Porsche board.

You have just officially broken my heart :crying: ...

My 993 is mine... only mine and I know exactly what I'm driving ... and I would have waved at you ... except you blew it now ... if I ever drive out to WA, I'll be sure not to wave as I pass you in the fast lane :burnout:




I'm kidding... I'm not touchy about such things...

I was expecting more on road camaraderie when I got my 993, especially from other air cooled 911s.

Motorcycles are great for that, and old little British sports cars are good too. Surprisingly, Jeep Wranglers always get a return wave from other Wranglers. Ferraris (perhaps not surprisingly) are not, especially if they're of different vintages.

I always show love to the 993 crowd. I don't bother waving to newer porsches because they think im driving an rx-7

Amen to that! I'll never forget a date I went on years ago. Picked her up in my Boxster. I could see her looking around the interior of the car, and she looks at me and says "what is this, a Miata"? Oh, it took her a while to hear the end of that one.

I guess that was the last time you went out with her right? :roflmao:

I think we pretty much can all agree on whats been said.
I had an encounter with a 996 GT3 a month or so back. 2 lane road, speed limit is 25mph, scenic route, ONLY two cars on the road. I gave a wave, he looked at me and turned his head the other way. :rolleyes:


and it never seems to fail. Whenever I'm in the Porsche I don't see anything but WRX's and when I'm in the WRX I never see anything but 911's. I swear its some undiscovered law of physics or something. :confused:
(i still wave no matter what I'm driving. I get a lot of odd looks :o )

I gotta disagree with this. In my experience, women driving Porsche CLEARLY know what they're into. I get better response rates from women in Boxsters than anything else.

Guys in boxsters haven't a clue.....kinda like guys driving...uumm.....Miatas.

Many many moons ago (60's-70's), almost all Porsche owners would flash their headlamps at each other and usually wave or smile. This was during a time when there were also many British sportcars around (and Fiats, etc.) and when I drove my Triumph or Cooper S (pre- pcar), you usually waved at each other.
It all really went away in the 80's. Frankly (at least in Calif.) I believe most new Posrche owners were becoming more of the status versus true enthusiast's.
Fast forward to today and I've noticed that many 993 owners will acknowledge each other and what I've also seen is that most air-cooled Porsche people, when you give them a thumbs up or wave, they smile and respond. Sometimes they will wave first. Rarely do you get the same camaraderie from 996 or 997 owners.
As the newest air-cooled Porsche is now 10 years old, could it be because no matter what your economic status is, you have an appreciation and know the joy of owning these "older" Porsches, understand the enthusiam, and appreciate someone else who gets it? Seems to me it is. It's nice to see it all come back around!

Oh, I'm a weak man when it comes to women! It takes a lot more than that to keep me from stalking 'em!!!

And I guess I shouldn't take it personal when another p-car owner doesn't wave. My neighbors don't either. I just don't understand it...

Theres a guy down the street from me who always has various brand new porsches in his driveway. I had a tranny problem which turned out to be nothing but i figured id ask him if he new anything that may be causing my problem and hope to meet someone for some Porsche talk and comradery. Turns out he works for porsche cars NA. He implied that working on them yourself is a no no and really seemed totally disinterested in the fact that i was even there asking for his help.... had the roles been reversed i would have ran to his house with a wrench in my hand. I guess Porsches are just cars for the masses now.

My experience is most air cooled cars wave back. 996 drivers just give me a very puzzling look. Many years ago I used to own a Saab 900 Turbo and most Saab owners waved to each other.

I should start looking for waves, and try to wave first. I am 29 and look much younger and sometimes feel odd that I am driving this car, almost like i shouldn't be. I look like my mommy bought it for me. I think most people running an older Porsche are more of a car lover. I was talking to my girlfriend about this and she said probably most people buy a Porsche to look cool in and don't really care about saying hi to another Porsche.

My friends all thought I was crazy for buying a 95 over a newer carrera. Not so much when I took them for a spin.

[QUOTE=travanx;5550535]I am 29 and look much younger and sometimes feel odd that I am driving this car, almost like i shouldn't be. I look like my mommy bought it for me. QUOTE]

+1...same here brother. I had a choice about a year ago, I could buy a nice brand new car OR with the same money I could follow my heart and long passion for p-cars and get a 993...easy decision that was :rockon:

Back to this thread...I wave at all p-cars but unfortunately I don't see very many air-coolers running around and I know a good number of the owners anyway but I do notice that many of the 996's/boxter folk don't even notice that I am around them which is strange to me as I have my P-DAR on all the time and never miss one :thumbup:

I've noticed only really high-end or older air cooled 911 drivers wave. There are so many porsches here in Westlake that they really don't stand out. 997s are dropping out of trees along with S-Class Benzes (AMG of course), and BMW M-cars. Takes a Ferarri F430 or Lambo Gallardo to generate some excitement around here. Where is all this money coming from????? Anyway a brand new 997TT convertable buzzed past me a few days ago while I was testing out my brakes just after I had reistalled the calipers. Was nice to see the guy give me the thumbs-up in appreciation of my car even though his was worth probably 5X's what mine is. I have to admit I like mine so much I really wasn't envious. Would rather have the extra $125,000 in my bank account than have his car but glad to see he knows a superior porsche when he sees one!

The older the aircooled, the more likely they are to wave. Most watercooled 911 drivers don't get it. Boxsters and Cayannes don't even count.

it was just last week I pulled up to a convertible 996 black with California plates, guy revs his motor I say hi -his girl friend yells to me "she likes my car better" -he does not look happy after that -he then stalls at the green and and a warm fuzzy feeling overwhelms me-personally 1 out of 20 newer porsches ever waves back-I am still old school and flash my lights-

The non-993 owners are just jealous:)

If you want to understand the "on the road" attitude of owners of current models of Porsche, all you have to do is take a look at who is in the showroom buying the cars...

I had to run by a Porsche dealership today to pick up a window switch. Wandered through the showroom and lot just to see what they had...

I was walking out the door right behind a salesman and a potential buyer who was looking at Boxsters and Caymens....

On display in the covered drive outside the service desk was a pristine early 911 SC, a cherry 944S, and a pristine 930 Turbo...

As the salesman and customer walked by them, the customer said, "Now those cars...Are they Porsches too?"

I almost crapped my pants. :banghead::banghead:

Yah, same thing here. I think the 997 folks are very similar to us i think (perhaps a little more cash and a little less nostalgic than us? who knows....) but MOST of the time the 997 guys notice my 993's and wave, that's kinda cool, I do have a serious appreciation for those 997's.

BTW, I saw a gorgeous yellow 1969 911T in the grocery store parking lot last week and just waited for the owner to return to the car to chat with him. The guy was the original owner, and was 76 yrs old. That was neat.

Two days ago I was next to a boxster and got no wave or acknowledgement. I turned the corner and cayman pulled up next to me with his thumb up.

I only wave to police. Funny- they never wave back for some reason.

LOL !

I've noticed too that 997 owners seldom return a wave...

. . . Just cruising in from the 964 forum (getting interested in 993s) . . . I think the deep P-affinity ends after the 993s, that is, it ends with the mass-produced water-cooled P-cars. There are lots of the water-Ps around where I live, and I don't even bother with a glance or a nod. Who cares? But the air/oil cooled P-cars grab my attention right away--I can hear them a mile away, and we always exchange postive signs.

police on the big island of hawaii stii wave with a shaka bra

I wave to all Porsches except Cayennes.:surr:

+1 on Cayennes - they are the worst-- but I try with any other p-cars

I tend to agree with the poster who equates age of the car to wave. As a car gets older, it is far more likely to be bought/driven/enjoyed by a true enthusiast. After all why would you spend money on an old car?
:icon107:

+1

28 here and I look about 20. I get ID'd EVERYWHERE I go. I think that does have a lot to do with the wave-back. As if they think I can't appreciate what I'm driving. In all reality, I probably have more appreciation and love for it than the guy has for his 996 :)

Luckily, my friends, family, and girlfriend all understand and encourage my habit :D

i'll never understand this "waving" thing.

what exactly is the point?

Buy a 996, you'll fit right in over there. :-)

Guys in 996 and 997 turbos wave, as they're more likely to be car crazy like we are.


Many NA 997's, too. Last week, a guy in a brand new 997 Carrera S gave me a thumbs up as we both busted a move or two...just before he got popped by the cop behind us..."Follow the money," the cop was probably thinking...

I guess I just don't get much into automotive "connections" of that type. I see no need to share a connection with a stranger simply because they were able to finance the $40k for the same car.

I just don't see it.

I saw 2 911 3.2 owners today in Santa Barbara, waved to one he waved back. The other guy had his parked next to me and works at UCSB too, we had a nice little chat. It would seem obvious that as you get to the newer models you get less wavebacks because you'll find less Porsche enthusiasts in that model range. Almost all 356, 2.7, 3.2 owners are enthusiasts....nobody goes out and buys a 20 year old car unless they really love that car. 996 owners....most aren't enthusiasts but rather just people throwing money around because they want a "Porsh" lol. Boxsters as well. I hate it when I wave and an ass in a 996, 997, or Boxster just looks at me like im crazy. I usually honk too lol.

There are a LOT of Porsche's in Vancouver, so not much waving goes on-too common. The only people that do wave (not often) are other 993 owners. People in this city are far to cool to wave, they are too busy trying to figure out how to pay for all the stuff they couldn't afford to buy.

Was heading down to Pacific Raceway in WA on Sunday afternoon driving my track car. On I 405 I spot a nice 997 C4S cabrio with the top down cruising on the HOV lane, as I drive a tad faster I kind of crept by them. Woman driver middle aged and probably her husband on the passenger seat. Both stone faced, made me laugh. Due to the traffic pattern we kind of cruised alongside for a while, all this time they continued to be stone faced and kind of refused to even peak at me. I guess my loud supercups is not their cup of tea :D

Biggest waves come from Guards Red Cabs! Go figure....... :rockon:

I've wondered the same thing.

I never get a wave from Boxter owners, rarely from 997 or 996 owners. Always from earlier 911's. In fact, I've passed the same 997 C4S Cab 3 times now on my commute home without even a nod or a glance.

Why do they all drive slow??? I can't help but wind my 993 up for most of my commute on the highway and end up blowin' by 997's or Boxters on a regular basis. Are they just that boring to drive?

What? :surr::eek:

:cheers:

Maybe they just don't feel the need to wave at every other porsche owner. maybe they just wanted a fun car to drive and couldn't care less about the "community".

I took a drive this evening and a blue 997 S pulled up behind me at a stoplight. We ended up next to one another at the next light and said 'nice car' simultaneously to each other. His 'S' sounded pretty good. And it sure looked awesome from the rear as I followed him.
I've waved or flashed many other 997 drivers with no reply. I stopped 'recognizing the Boxster guys because they never respond.
chuck

I pulled over to a scenic view on the highway and a guy in a 356 stopped by just to chat about my 993TT...I was flattered.

Besides age/model, there is also the locale and frequency of seeing another Porsche. I waved this guy down at 10K ft pass above Yosemite. He literally brings it out of the barn a couple times a year for a 100 mile drive.
http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/99...mite_copy2.jpg

If you don't understand the camaraderie, I'm amazed that you're on this forum . . .

Finance? $40k?

It's because they happened to choose the same weird, decade+ old car for some reason. People who drive anachronistic cars--especially every day--are special, and share a special bond. As I occasionally point out, for the same money, you could drive a '95 993, or an '08 Honda Accord V6 coupe. Actually quite similar in many ways, including performance, sad to say.

But I think you're cool if you choose the former, and a f-ing drone if you choose the latter. And I don't mind acknowledging it with a simple wave.

I also wave to I-5 Audi S-cars, '80s-'90s rally homologation specials, and other strange cars, so don't ask me...

Owned my 993 for 1.5 years now and I've gotten one headlight blink and had two stoplight talks with owners of older aircooled 911s. Around Tampa and on the freeways in central FL people don't connect "like they used to."

I'm sure if I passed other tampa listers they would blink (e.g., pedsurg, falcondrvr)!

My sis lives outside of Woodstock in NY and used to have a Saab 900 turbo. She told me they were all a pretty loyal crowd and blinked to each other.

Dave

My experience has been that a wave is sometimes initiated by H2O drivers if they've got "more special" model like a TT or GT.

Aircooled drivers wave almost without fail around here. BTW, saw someone's silver 993 C2S parked near Powell's Books last weekend... very nice!!

I always wave in my 993. Funny thing is when I had Boxster and 996 loaners I wouldn't wave or acknowledge any p-cars at all! LOL!!!

I would feel ashamed to be caught in a car with water in it too ;)

Forgive me if this was noted somewhere in this post, I can't wade through so many pages........
The universal tradition among Porsche owners, dating back to the 356 era, was a quick headlight flash. No waving out windows, tipping caps, etc. Just a graceful way of acknowledging a common but very unique interest.
It appears to have vanished with the traditionalists....the guys who insisted that Porsches be limited to four colors....red, black, white or silver.
Forget the Boxer crowd. If you flash at them, your'e just as likely to get a return flash of wonder, anger or some foreign reaction followed by a half a peace sign.
I'm amazed at the lack of knowledge of the traditions our marque. I consistently give the quick flash at any 911 derivative and it's rarely returned. So many owners have no clue as to what they're driving. It's just another toy to them.
Again. forgive an old man's ramblings. I still miss the strong odor of oil and leather that used to be standard equipment after a few years on the road.

only wave to ferrari's
believe or not always wave back to you ..

most of 996/997/cayene/boxter/cayman down here seems to be kind-of-idiots and never respond your hello ... dont know what crosses their minds ..

I-405... that's your problem.

Not everything in(911) life can be translated to $$$...

+1

???????????????????????????

i didn't know you had a boxster too.



:)

be safe

craig

:bigbye: There! I just screwed up your stat on women in Porsches.

I wave all the time. My stats seem to be like this...the older the car, the more likely they'll wave. But for some reason that does not apply to 944s. I can't seem to get a wave from them.

The weirdest is when I give the wave and get a blank stare in return, with this duh sort of look like, "why is she waving at me?"

I tried the waving thing with 911 owners when I bought the car last year and after numerous failures I stopped. Now I only wave to 993 owners, which are becoming scarcer in Miami...and they do return the wave.

Adrienne, you're not getting the "why is she waving at me?" look, you're getting the "Holy crap, ~she's~ waving at me! Ah, what am I suppose to do now.....I forget!". :rockon:

In Socal I get the women to wave at me......but I am good looking.:jumper:

Boxers are the worst. Even the Cayman gets some waves.

waves
 

I've just had a 993 for a few months, and I wave at all other P vehicle drivers; get waves back from about a third, and from most 911's.

I retired from riding motorcycles last fall, and it's a relief to not have to wave every few minutes.

Rinty

You're gonna make somebody run off the road - especially if they look at your plate.
Cops would never believe me: "You crashed because a beautiful woman in a Porsche waved at you? Yeahhhh, right!!!"

Quadcammer,

It's not about the fact they can finance the same car as you, but why they chose to finance the same car as you. For $40k you can get a lot of nice new cars, yet they chose to purchase a ~10 year old car. You chose that car for a reason. You don't buy an older P-car for status (usually). Coming from the Supra crowd, I wave at any other Supra I see, no matter the generation, and always get a wave back. We definitely share the bond as well.

eh, I guess I will never get it. just not my thing I spose.

+1 Jeff is right... it is only sheer confusion
Adrienne, this is the guy version of vapor lock. :)

I will wave to any vehicle with the porsche crest on it. Not at all snobbish just because I drive an inverted bathtub.

I think the wave came about because the Porsche tractors and 924/944 headlights no longer work for the flash, so to be polite we flap our hands.

For shock value it is fun to compliment someones 996 cabriolet with "nice boxster" :)

My first car was a 1964 VW bus. The PO taught me the secret bus wave. I'd have to say that the response was almost 100%. That might be because they were so slow that you could see the wave back. I drive my p car a lot and most of the time never see another p car. I acknowledge other 911's, even the ones with water in them, sometimes the boxsters if I catch their eye. I rarely see Caymans on the road. If a Cayenne waves to me I'll wave back, but it hasen't happened yet. On day on I66 going from Man asses to DC I ran into a 356, 964 and 996. We cruised together for a while, but it seemed to be more by accident than by design. I soon picked up the pace and left them all behind.

Oh dear. Did you remove that customer from the gene pool...?

I can agree 99%

I agree too. I always get a wave back from 993s and 997s. I get more waves when I mistakenly wave at a Porsche from my Z06 than I ever get when I drive the Boxster. Go figure...

http://api.photoshop.com/home_0a309d...28d07edda58917

I wave to all P cars

As the owner of a 993 AND a Cayenne, I tend to give everyone a wave...

But, it is only when I am in the 993 that people wave back (and then, hardly ever from the Cayenne owners).

And, if it happens to be another air-cooled Porsche, I usually get a wave and a nod (and sometimes something even more dramatic) back in return. LOL

Rarely Get waves from Boxers so I've given up for the most part, unless they initiate.
All other P-Cars I initiate and many times I am returning the wave. Friendly people I guess, perhaps more enthusiasts too. :bigbye: However I can tell when I'm not going to get a waive no matter the P-Car, sometimes you CAN judge a book by its cover?!