It's interesting reading, and following this thread.

One of the biggest reasons that I am a current Porsche owner vs. a Corvette owner (and I have owner both) is because of the exclusivity of the name plate, the cars heritage, and it's performance. With that said, I am disappointed at the appearance that the naturally aspirated Porsche may no longer be as competitive a performer in a marketplace that is turning out more powerful better performing cars for less money.

JFS

 

For anyone interested in watches, this thread should prove of interest:

https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...hlight=watches

 

Why does everyone always get their panties in a bunch over stuff like this?
Give it a stinkin rest.
Buy / Drive what YOU like best!
But I will say for all of you who bought the Porsche as a status symbol - that's pretty pathetic. The only reason to buy a Porsche is if you truly feel "There is no substitute" for you.
Besides, a better comparison would be for a ZO6 vs. GT3 / Turbo. Magazine writers just want to sell magazines. After all, how many of you rushed out to buy this issue (if you don't subscribe) because of the hype it seemed to cause threatening your ego, I mean car. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED for writers.

 

The sad fact is, there are a lot of people who buy a Porsche for (what they call) "cache" or "prestige" or "exclusivity." All you can do is laugh, there's nothing more pathetic.

 

Top Guns (27 percent of owners): driven and ambitious; strong desire to be noticed; consider power and control to be important.
Elitists (24 percent): old money; a car is just a car, no matter how expensive, and not a representation of one's personality.
Proud Patrons (23 percent): ownership is what counts and an end in itself; car is a trophy and a reward for hard work; being noticed is unimportant.
Bon Vivants (17 percent of owners): thrill-seekers; global mind; car increases excitement in life.
Fantasists (9 percent): car is a form of escape; some guilty feelings about owning the car; try deliberately to avoid impressing with the car.

I, by the way, don't find anything pathetic about any of these groups.

 

Where did this come from? What if you have old money but consider power and control important? Which neat little category are you in then? What if you buy a car because you simply like driving it? What if you have a small ego and bought the car to compensate?

Alan

 

 

Hanna and Wozniak (2001), Consumer Behavior, Prentice Hall, pp. 281-282. It's the psychographic profile of Porsche buyers (based on factor analysis I would assume). Remember, these are generalizations and the categories are neither mutually exclusive nor internally exhaustive. Nevertheless, they have a much higher validity than random opinion.

If you are interested in figuring out your own value and lifestyle profile (not Porsche-related), take the survey at http://www.sric-bi.com/VALS/. I have my students do this every semester and it's kind of fun.

 

if that's true then porsche would not be a successful auto mfg. and without their purchases they would most likely be bankrupt!
then what would you be buying?
i'm sure nothing in your home was purchased for any of those reasons?
your house is probably in the dumpiest area of town to get the most for your money?
buy your clothes at wal-mart no doubt?

 

I think everyone who is honest with themselves recognizes a little bit of the snob factor in Porsche ownership. Soulteacher's catagories don't clearly encompass true enthusiasts, since I don't think Fantaists covers it( except for synergistic medicine guys). Most likely, we all represent combinations or permutations of various catagories.
I thought the Mitsu Evo8 was phenomenal, but it would be really hard to explain to physicians I'm recruiting, since it looks like a sh*tbox. I love driving my tt,l ike looking at it, like having the valet park it in front of the restaurant, like it when my wife suggests we take it on a trip, and like explaining it to others. Only the first and last would be true of the Evo.
Cars have always had the label on the outside, something other product manufacturers have tried to do for decades. On the other hand, if the Porsche drove like a Chrysler Sebring, I don't think any of us would have bought it (except for the synergistic medicine folks, since they would just assume it's better). That is where Soulteacher's cited catagories seem to fail. AS

 

Alex, point well taken, but remember, those are psychographic segmentation variables and you are listing behavioristic segmentation variables. The categories don't fail; your variables just don't apply. The same would happen if we used demographic, geographic, etc. variables. In either case, it's not my research. I just threw it in because it's well-published and certainly has more validity than generalizations based on a sample of "n=1".

 

Hi Pcar
I think you should misread my statement. I didn't outhandle, I said shine. The steering and chasis of the 997 Cs is much better than the Z06. I tried the Z06. And it will gulp turns due to prodigious grip and superpower exits. The Porsche turns in with much better feedback back and you can stay on power a bit later before turn in. Perhaps it was my lack of practise on a front engined coupe and also limited seat time. But the porsche chasis has better feel which in turn gives confidence to the driver. If it were about performance and numbers, I'd buy the Z06. But overall chasis control and steering feel, the porsche is ahead. But I can't imagine that GM will not figure out how to emulate some of that soon.

 

I have no idea as to why you might think that. My experience, and I own both right now, is that the 997S out handles the Z06. The 997S is as smooth as butter... stickie and communicative... plants like a soccer cleat. The Z06 is twitchy and jumpy when loaded... has numb steering feel... doesn't feel planted in the rear at all. When I push the Z06 I just concentrate on reacting to oversteer. But that's just me driving them back to back on the same road.

Hopefully GM will figure out that this composite leaf spring suspension ain't keeping up. Gosh GM, please change the C7 to flippin' coils over dampers! In the mean time, the C6 Z06 is a monsterous power rocket with cushy seats and sat radio... and it's numb, it vibrates under throttle like a big V8, and is a wet paper bag to heel toe - there is no report from the blip.

Put equivilent power in the 997S and you're done.

 

I don't buy things because they're fashionable. If I like something, I'll buy it. I'm trying to think of something I've purchased to impress other people, or to enhance my image - I can't think of anything off hand.

From the tone of your post, I'm guessing you would probably think less of someone who bought their clothes at Wal-Mart, or lived in a cheap part of town. Congratulations on being better than those people, at least in your own mind.

 

i didnt mention anything about thinking less of other people.
all i was doing was pointing out that you make some decisions based on, "cache" or "prestige" or "exclusivity." despite your claims to the contrary.