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Hello everyone! Just wanted to introduce myself and my 996. A few months ago I drove my beloved Boxster S back from San Diego home to Milwaukee. I immediately bought the 996 from my brother, who incidentally was buying his girlfriend's Cayman S. It was sad to let the Boxster go but I had planned a trip for my brother, my dad, and myself to drive to Asheville, North Carolina, almost right away. A three Porsche convoy to go drive the Blue Ridge Parkway and Tail of the Dragon. It was actually a trip I had taken three years ago with my dad in his 996 cabrio, and when I had decided I needed to buy my own P car. Shortly after I bought my Boxster and moved to California. So it was an awesome introduction into 911 ownership to take a cross country trip a week into owning it with my brother, in his Cayman, and my dad, in his recently purchased 997 S. We encountered many angry people in lifted trucks that decided it was fun for them to mess with us on the highway, many beautiful and just awesome roads, stunning vistas, and in my brother and his girlfriend's case, a hostile lifted truck guy that chased them through a small town late at night when they got separated from my dad and I while looking for the house we rented in the middle of nowhere.
For me it was quite a trip, especially since I was up until the wee hours the night before we left changing the brake booster and bleeding my brakes, something that kept me worried the whole trip, wondering if I may have somehow done something wrong that would cause the brakes to give out at the wrong time on the fun mountain roads. Also the challenge of the 911 driving characteristics kept me on my toes, especially trying to chase my brother (who is a much better driver that has a fair amount of track time under his belt) along the sweeping and twisting mountain roads. Definitely a different driving dynamic compared to the Boxster, which I would always claim had more grip than I have *****.
All in all, while I do miss my Boxster (first love ya know), I am enamored with my 996. She's beautiful and fast and makes me grin like an idiot every day. Here are some pictures from our trip, in no real order. As well as a picture of me doing my Richard Hammond in Patagonia gas stop homage.
You were in my neighborhood! I have actually had good luck with the locals in their pickup trucks. I encounter one, stay back a good distance, and wait patiently. Soon, they spot a pull off spot and let me by. Not always, but 85% for sure. Always surprises me a little.
yesterday I drove from newark to minneapolis in my 02 c4s. the semis loved me because I stayed back and let them figure out what they are doing and then when everything calmed down I raged by them in 3rd gear...lol
Thanks everyone for the responses! The Asheville area is truly awesome, it was my second time out there and I absolutely love it. The views, the roads, and the food are all amazing! As far as the lifted truck goofiness we certainly weren't being obnoxious or trying to tick off any locals. It was a handful of trucks that over the course of a few days would try and ride our rear ends or pass us and then slam on their brakes for no reason. Maybe they saw our Wisconsin plates and really dislike the Packers! It seemed weird to me because in the hilly country area outside of Milwaukee I've gotten a lot of thumbs ups from the local lifted truck guys. And as far as my brother and his gf were concerned when they got separated from us and found themselves on some very remote roads with no cell they definitely felt threaten when they were followed for almost an hour, even when making several random turns through a small town, the truck stayed behind them, flying up on their rear bumper and then backing off. Until, according to my brother, he opened up the taps and flew out of town at a rate the other guy couldn't match. I wasn't there so I don't know, but I can say most locals were super nice and would come talk to us at gas stations or car washes and want to take pictures of the cars. But on some of those back country roads it certainly could be kind of sketchy the way some of those lifted truck boys tried to mess with us lol
My plans are to move back to California hopefully sometime soon, but I really hope to be able to take another three Porsche family road trip there again at some point.
Congrats on the purchase....and a very cool trip
now more details about the car
Thanks! And sorry I totally dropped the ball on car details!
It's a 99 C2. The owner prior to my brother, in California where it spent its whole life and just now is experiencing the arctic cold of the Midwest, had converted the front end to 996.2 fenders and lights, along with the GT3 bumper, side skirts, and the duck tail (I freaking love the duck tail). Apparently at one point it had the full GT3 wing but that was removed and modified to just have the duck tail. Interior is black, full leather, original sound system. She has just over seventy two thousand miles, I bought it two months ago with sixty five on the clock. Only performance mod on there is a K&N cone intake, which doesn't get along with the MAF very well. I replaced the brake booster and brake fluid, which was thoroughly cooked by my brother at a track day before I took ownership, and will be replacing the water pump and thermostat this week. While on the tail of the dragon the temp got higher than I liked causing me to pull off on one of the run offs and shut her down until the temp got comfy again. Aside from that will probably replace plugs and tranny fluid also soon
12-09-2016, 05:31 PM
New 996 owner
