First off, thanks to all the people who have been posting on this forum over the last several months. I have been reading it religiously for since the beginning of the summer and it made ordering a card much easier. It made several decisions regarding options very easy to make. I especially appreciated all the comments regarding PSE, PSM, sport suspension and the C2 vs C4S discussions. Thanks to all of you who have been so generous with your time; it has helped incredibly.

Now for my question: The dealer told me that my car came off the production line last Monday. They said I had to wait an additional "seven to ten weeks" before the car would make its way from Germany to Portland, OR. Why does it take so long for a car to get here? When we ordered a Volvo, it took 8 weeks to the day from when we ordered it to when we drove it home. Is there any way to determine where the car is at any given point?

Tim

 

4-5 weeks seems like a more realistic number, and that's what has been happening. Maybe you're dealer is just helping you manage your "impatience".

 

4-6 weeks is to the east coast....

 

East/West coast doesn't really matter. Our shipments from Europe take 4 weeks, door to door.

My last Porsche took 5 weeks from completion to delivery.

 

So what car did you end up ordering? options?

 

Our car was built October 17, 2001, passed inspection on the 18th (Porsche) and we took delivery in San Diego on December 11, 2001.........

 

Thanks for all the info on transit times. The car I ordered is:

C2
Lapis Blue
M030 - Sports suspension
PSE
Xenon
PSM
HiFi
Carrera II
Pirelli P-Zero
Colored Wheel Crests
Heated Seats
Natural Brown Full Leather

I definitely would never have even thought of ordering PSE if it hadn't been for this board. Three months after reading about it here, I found a dealer who had a car in stock with PSE. Once I heard it, I had to get it. It isn't overly loud, but the sound is what a Porsche should sound like. It is as fantastic as every one here says it is. It reminds me of the sound of the other great 996 in the motoring world: the Ducatti 996.

After wondering about the C2 vs C4 question for a month, the topic got posted here and I learned a lot by reading what people had to say. The best advice of all was to go test drive them back to back. So I found a dealer who had a C4S and a C2 with sport suspension and drove them both on the same day. After that drive, there was no question about which one I should order. The C4S felt very stable and planted on the road, but there was much less information coming from tHe front wheels. (It reminded me a lot of my M3.) The C2 (with sport suspension) felt much more alive in the front end and most importantly, I felt like I would learn a lot more about driving from the C2 than from the C4S. The C2 also felt quicker in straight line acceleration.

The last two options were the smartest decisions I made in the order. My wife was really not looking forward to this new car until I changed my mind on interior color. Once I changed from black to natural brown, she could imagine herself driving it. She then became really excited about the purchase and now can't wait to get behind the wheel. I can't believe such a little thing moved this car from a point of contention to something we are both excited about.

 

Natural Brown Leather is an awsome option. Do you get the leather visors and A/C vents covered in leather as well? Also, if you don't mind, how much is the option for the leather?

 

Your car is likely ONVSL as of today with an 11/04 ETA at port (San Diego). Have your dealer check status.

 

The leather option is $4,500. I called it the $8K interior when I was teasing my wife about it however. That is because I could have had the car I wanted for about $72K (a Lapis Blue 03 with the PSM, PSE and M030) if I had bought it off the lot. Instead we ordered the car and are paying just under $80K.

The teasing went on for a couple of weeks before I realized, that I had her on my side on this one and I should be praising her wise choice of interior color rather than making fun of it.

 

tstanding, you will LOVE pse.