Jeff 25

There's a provocative post on a California Porsche board about whether Porsche owners should feel any responsibility to the image of the brand to follow the same rules of etiquette that came from a Ferrari site (link below) to do such things as keep their car washed, be polite to people who come up and ask questions, not scream through traffic, etc, etc. The overwhelming consensus there was that the whole concept of being a representative of the brand and having any such responsibility was utterly rediculous. Anyone here (especially those outside of California) care to weigh in on the concept?

<a href="http://www.ferrariclub.com/faq/etiquette.html" target="_blank">http://www.ferrariclub.com/faq/etiquette.html</a>

adsc4s

That is a joke right? I think most of us enthusiasts keep our cars clean anyways and I'd like to believe I am polite to everyone irregardless of what I drive.

From what I have seen, screaming in traffic, road rage, etc, maybe we should start with a responsibility to the human race, before a brand.

LanceK

Well said.

I think people in general need a healthy dose of good old common courtesy.

Jeff 25

The question presented is not whether everyone should be nice to everyone else, its whether Porsche owners should feel any additional responsiblity as representatives of the brand, i.e. more than they would feel as an anonymous driver for some mass market vehicle.

adsc4s

A Porsche owner should have the same "responsibility as representatives of a brand" as the owner of a Ford Focus, a Kia or a Yugo. In other words, no responsibility at all. It's a car.

I keep my Porsche clean because I like it clean. I also keep my Honda and Navigator clean. I am equally accommodating to questions about my Honda ("How do you like your new Accord?") as I am about my Porsche ("Is that a Turbo?").

DonW-Cape Cod

I agree with adscab. This is a personality trait/behavioral issue. If you have pride, are considerate, well spoken, polite...whatever then your car is just one of the many objects that will benefit from these traits.

Huh! What did he say? <img border="0" alt="[soapbox]" title="" src="graemlins/soapbox.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[icon107]" title="" src="graemlins/icon107.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[jumper]" title="" src="graemlins/jumper.gif" />

redcab

I'll keep my car clean and talk to those who ask questions because that's the kind of guy I am.
Now if PNA would like to pay me a salary so that I pro-actively enhance the brand image by driving around town being nice to people...
-jerry

craigg

It's been said that a clean car is a sign of a dirty mind.

Hmmm.

Or was that a clean desk...?

It must matter to somebody because they said it!

Stem

I'm an airline pilot and I'd just like to say that there seems to be an "entitlement" syndrome that says "I paid for this and I can do anything I like. The others be damned!". We see it a lot in SOME of our First Class passengers. I suppose there is a carry over to the P-car owners. Most are just as wonderful as you would expect them to be. However..... there are those select few that everyone notices.

Scott5

It's an interesting idea certainly. The style of writing was way over the top, but it brings to mind a thread I brought up several months ago.

I had just parked a Ferrari I had borrowed from my father-in-law's friend. After getting out of the car I was almost accosted by a neighbor who had observed me driving through his neighborhood and decided to chase me down in his minivan.

I was not speeding or driving improperly - you could tell than some deep seeded jealously had been upset and he just wanted to pick a fight with me.

The owner came out and laughed - he told me not to worry - he said people were constantly rude, giving dirty looks, etc. His wife didn't even like to drive with him because of it!

I think the Ferrari Owner's web site FAQ is just that particular author/owner's way of trying to do his part to change the impressions that he precieves people have of him and his cars.

~Scott

cJm

"After getting out of the car I was almost accosted by a neighbor who had observed me driving through his neighborhood and decided to chase me down in his minivan."

I've had similar reactions also. I prefer to keep a low profile, but always used my P-car for everyday errands. So I've had my share of jealous outbursts from shoppers at Home Depot or slackers at the coffee shop. Maybe I should take the Pathfinder instead?

sawmilldriver

can you give us the link to the California Porsche board?

Trojan Man

It seems that I am in the minority of people in this thread, but I completely agree with the Ferrari code of conduct.

Of course, I have pride in everything I do - that is the kind of person I am. I am proud of my alma mater (USC) and constantly do what I can to promote it. The same holds true for my Porsche.

Many people I know say that they are unjustifiably overpriced, have poor interior finish, and that the owners usually have a cocky attitude, all three of which degrade the image of the brand, IMHO.

While part of this may be true, that doesn't mean that I should just accept it as the law of the universe. I, just like the Ferrari owners, want to change the "cocky" image of Porsche owners to one of "generosity and enthusiasm".

That's just my $130,000.

<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

adsc4s

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Trojan Man:
<strong>It seems that I am in the minority of people in this thread, but I completely agree with the Ferrari code of conduct.

Of course, I have pride in everything I do - that is the kind of person I am. I am proud of my alma mater (USC) and constantly do what I can to promote it. The same holds true for my Porsche.

Many people I know say that they are unjustifiably overpriced, have poor interior finish, and that the owners usually have a cocky attitude, all three of which degrade the image of the brand, IMHO.

While part of this may be true, that doesn't mean that I should just accept it as the law of the universe. I, just like the Ferrari owners, want to change the "cocky" image of Porsche owners to one of "generosity and enthusiasm".

That's just my $130,000.

<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" /> </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Do you fly first class? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

Gretch

What an utter load of bull****. Porsche is, AT BEST, a vendor to your effort to enhance your personal franchise, not the other way around.

If you choose to act like a jerk, the collateral damage done to the Porsche franchise is not consequential and likely incomparable to the damage done to your own.

Why look for complicated reasons to be civil?