North Shore 911

So it's the first REALLY nice weekend of the season here in Chicago, and all the nice cars are out on the road today. In running my youngest son around town this morning, then stopping for a hand wash for my filthy C4S Cab, I saw a fairly sizable population of P cars on the road and decided to experiment with the Porsche crowd. I waved at every Porsche I saw this morning, and to my surprise, the ONLY crowd that waved back was the 911 crowd .

Panameras, Cayennes and Caymans (I didn't see any Boxters) ALL gave me the cold shoulder, whereas all the 911's waved back. And not just the 997 crowd, but I also got entusiatastic waves from the 991's and even a sweet 993 Cab. At the risk of starting another thread on this topic, it really made me wonder if that was just my relatively small sample size (10 P cars in total), or if this is the same for others. Is this your general experience as well, or did I just happen to run into the really unhappy non-911 crowd this morning ...?

docdrs

My wife never waves back to me when she's in her cayenne. When I waved to another 911 from my 911 she asked me who was I waving to? She didn't get it ! She also wondered why some guy in an Escalade was giving me a thumbs up in a parking lot once. And yes it was a thumb and not the finger

cringely

I flash the lights and wave. Most of the time, I suspect the other driver doesn't see the lights.
However, when they do—most of the time—they wave back. Rarely I do a see a return flash of the lights.

However, I will always continue to flash my lights.
This was taught to me by the wife of my Dad's best friend after he gave me my first ride in a Porsche in 1958 when I was a kid. And yes, it was a Speedster barreling down what is now the 55 Freeway in Costa Mesa (back then, it was a 3-lane road—the center lane was the passing lane for both directions)

jdgamble

Yup. Pretty much all male 911 drivers that make eye contact wave. We're all brothers. Women not so much. Cayman/Boxster occasionally. Most don't understand the arrangement. Panamera/Macan/Cayanne never. They are all soccer moms around here. I'm not sure they even know what Porsche means... I mean what it REALLY means.

Hula

Am I supposed to be waiving? I DD and never wave.

Tj40

My experience is the same 911's wave back, SUV's never, boxster and cayman drivers occasionally.

991 generation cars sometimes don't wave but 997 and 996 owners do - those generations are all in the hands of the enthusiasts now, the 991's not so much! :-)

Saaboteur

All above is true. Saw a stat recently that last year in Canada, Porsche sold over 5,000 SUVs, but only about 1,100 cars. If the latter, you'd think relatively few would be 911s. I try to wave at other 911s of whatever vintage, but nice got the cold shoulder from another 997 driver. Must have been because he was in a cabriolet, and I was in my coupe...

jdgamble

Good clarification. 991 are less likely to be enthusiasts. Many are just rich people that want a fancy car.

ADias

The wave is an old 911 thing. It's still happening among some 11 owners but it is going away. Often these cars are bought for the badge or the next car to try and not by fans of the marque. And more so for the other platforms.

North Shore 911

Yeah, that's unfortuante. It's not like any of us are hanging out of the car wildly waving for attention. Generally, it's a low-key finger wave from the top of the steering wheel to simply recognize a fellow Porsche enthusiast and to recognize another awesome P car. As others have stated, as folks buy Porsches more from a status perspective and less from a car enthusiast perspective, I suppose this will seem like more and of a lost art...

Gonzo911

If I waved at every 911 I saw around here, I would need rotator cuff surgery...

996AE

Before the 911 became a Lexus style sports car (sans Gt cars) many of us waved or flashed lights. Air cooled cars enjoyed a small, unique following. Today, one million 911s later not so much of a unique following.

Just my perspective. Still cool cars but not so unique anymore.

Wayne Smith

What percentage of 911 owners belong to a Forum? What percentages are enthusiasts?

I wave to all Porsches. Even if they are on the other side of the freeway. There's no harm in what takes very little effort. If they see a stranger waving from a similar car (or make) perhaps it will brighten their day or encourage them to appreciate their good fortune.

I also give a thumbs up to the esoteric.

Since I grew up with flashing lights being used to warn oncoming traffic of a speed trap I avoid the lights. Later, when I first started driving, if you were caught flashing your lights you could be ticketed for interference.

North of San Francisco Bay it seems like most drivers are the face forward type, not seeing much that is around them. I get very few people waving back, mostly because they haven't seen me to begin with.

But of those who do, you can bet that they are in a 911 8)

jsalah

I do this exactly, without fail. Just a fingers or low wrist lift to say 'sup. It's not an aggressive or gesticulating wave by any standard. Did the same thing when I rode my motorcycle. With the bike, the return rate was probably 90%. Sorry to say, but with male Porsche drivers, the return rate on 911s is about 40-50%, 0-10% on other cars, and for female Porsche drivers the return rate is maybe 0-10% across the board.

dawgcatching

Around here, if you are in a 911, Cayman, or Boxster, you get a wave/headlight blink 95% of the time. Nobody buys these to DD in the mountains, nearly all owners are enthusiasts. Rich people who want a Porsche skip the 3-car hassle and pick up a Cayenne/Macan.

It is the same with driving an M-car. Always get a wave, even from other Bimmer enthusiasts. Tons of thumbs-up too, a couple a day on average. Again, enthusiast owned. An area that isn't poor, but not wealthy by standards of many on these boards, and the owners do tend to love their cars and not simply be making a statement. If they want to do that, they buy a new Tacoma, throw 3 different $8k carbon mountain bikes over the tail gate, and cruise around to the various breweries in a flat-brimmed hat. That's PNW posing for you!