Coloradoheel

I picked up the new ride at Rusnak in Pasadena (Jeff Miles, their service manager is a solid dude - he did the PPI + for me, put in the new battery, replaced main power cable - on warranty, and put on two new tire on front), then headed down to LAX to pick up my Pop who flew in from NC.

It was hell getting out of L.A., but we finally made it and hauled *** into the desert. I was feeling good and pushed it to 120+/-, getting a feel for the car. It is perfect - so tight, so responsive and man it REALLY wants to go fast. I tell her no, but she says that she knows best. Finally bunked down in Mesquite NV for the night.

Day 2 was an 825 mile haul from Mesquite, through St. George UT, to Aspen and up/over Independence Pass. Stopped in Buena Vista for some dinner, then jammed the last hour + into Monument CO.

I gave my Pop first shift on Thursday - a couple hours/a couple hundred miles. He was a little unsure at first and exhibited his normal habit of not paying enough attention to his driving. He quickly learned that the car goes exactly where it is pointed - and goes there quickly - so from that point forward it was eyes on the road, two hands upon the wheel. Eventually he was cool with pushing to 110 - a big milestone for him.

I took over in Cove Fort UT (a cool stop if you're ever that way) and pounded it out to Moab. Wide open roads all day with nary a trooper in sight. Normal cruising speed for the day was 105 - 115 (I still averaged 22 mpg with the AC on). At one point we were headed up a long hill - a few miles long, so I pushed to the 120-125 range and blew by the handful of cars/big rigs in front of me, then stepped on it. Not sure of the exact speed at that point (I found myself very comfortable in the car at any speed, but when I would look down and see speeds north of 120 it was at times unnerving so I stopped looking for the most part), but we hit some kind of long shallow dip in the road, and as we came out of it the car kept going up and it felt like the road fell away. THAT was pretty damned cool - we were flying.

Pop drove again from Moab to Glenwood Springs. Then I took over for the drive through Aspen and up/over Independence Pass. I've driven that road a number of times, and as the guard rails will attest, it is not a road to be taken lightly. I was cautious, had a great time running those curves (my Pop kept saying, "Damn, this car stays flat through every turn...Is there a limit to this? Will it stay flat until at some point it just flips over?). Stopped at the top at dusk, took a little walk and then drove down the east side into Twin Lakes.

Stopped in Buena Vista for some delicious enchiladas for dinner (30 minutes later I had to fart so bad but couldn't bring myself to fart in the car!) and then kicked it home.

This my friends was a watershed moment for me. An incredible experience, the best way to learn and bond with the car, a super fun trip with my Pop, and a 100% validation of my decision to buy.

Actually went to work today (you may remember that I had some concerns about perception at my office) and received a lot of compliments about the car. Everyone was pretty cool about it.

These pics aren't that great so I will try to take some better ones of the interior (and in better lighting conditions).

Thanks everyone - feels great to be part of the Porsche family.

Mspeedster

Great pics and quite an adventure. Congratulations and welcome to the club.

smokestack20

Hey Colorado, Great story, I've put 1k miles on my new to me 997 and can't stop grinning! But I can only imagine how cool your trip was. Your Dad, the scenery, the speed!

I'm jealous... but thats a good thing!
Good Luck with her, she's a looker.

Ken

spourreza

awesome car and awesome pics. thanks for sharing

808997

Sounds like a great trip. Just got back from vacation in Colorado and LA and was missing my 911- not so much in LA but in those mountain passes.

gota911

Awesome adventure, great write-up! I too am looking at 2008 and 2009 cars and hope to be a Porsche owner again in the near future.

Dartmouth

Great story, just shared it with the wife who liked it too. But we're in NJ so I'm jealouos of driving my P-car on those open desert roads out west I've seen only once before in a long time ago in a 67 VW bug.

PasPar2

You forgot to take pictures of its ***... I mean thats what a c4s is all about - right!?

good luck with it!

billh1963

Awesome! Would like to be able to drive in an area where I could stretch the car's legs. East Coast highways are revenue generators these days.

Leader

Great write-up; cool car!
Makes me want to go road-tripping, but I'm stuck here in Carmageddon this weekend.

henrysko

Excellent post and pics! Congrats on your choice.

Bought mine from Rusnak 2 years ago and also had a great experience.

All the best!

pewter82

Congrat's ! You'll love the C4S Wide *** !

Vjgtrybno1

One of my most enjoyable trips was the maiden voyage from FL to OH when I picked up my '07. Thanks for sharing and the pics are fabulous!

Coloradoheel

Here is the ***, as well as a view of the rear of the car (just kidding Pop)

McCulla

This story reminds me of my first 911. Picked up a 1980 911SC (Weissach Edition in the dark gray) from a great guy, car collector, in Oct. 1987. The car had 16K miles and he had purchased it new. The car was in a big metal outbuilding on this guy's business property in West Covina. The building was filled with many, many nice cars. I'd never even sat in a 911, much less driven one! I drove it east through Death Valley, left LA about 3 in the afternoon, and drove to St. George. Slept about 20 minutes and took off again. I took the route into Colorado that brought me through Grand Junction. As I made my way through Colorado, I was getting more comfortable with all the noises/smells and paranoia. But as I came over Vail Pass (I was looking at the scenery) I caught a large, dark shape in my lane just as I brought my head around to straight ahead. I was about 50 feet (at about 75 mph) from a very large log, right in the center of my lane. I was able to dodge around it, but saw my automotive life flash before my eyes! Nobody was with me and, thankfully, no traffic around me. Changed my shorts and paid more attention to the road from then on. Very lucky break that was probably not deserved in view of my inattention!!