A prelude to my dream car ...
05-30-2012, 01:43 AM
#47
Rennlist Member
As someone else who is waiting, I say a little anticipation is a good thing. Plus your training wheels look like a hell of a good time.
05-30-2012, 01:45 AM
#48
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Great points Peter and Nick. Thank you for all the input. I drive 30k miles combined on my Cayenne and C4S (which BTW is fully wrapped in paint protection film as that is my winter sled over snoqualmie pass. I work at two medical practices 140 miles apart and then there is family time. So there is only that much time for HPDE. I am in my early 40's. I have time on my hands. I want to enjoy the hobby and I do not want to put too much pressure on myself with any time frame. When I got into road biking I bought a carbon frame Bianchi and did not regret it. But when it comes to HPDE, I think I made the perfect choice for my training wheels. With my track focused '76 coupe, even if I don't get adequate DE days, I won't bleed a lot in terms of maintenance costs, insurance, depreciation of the vehicle (when compared to a RS) and so far I have got every Porsche I wanted without any effort. A very good friend of mine who is a RL'er goes out of his way to help me train for the track. The RS is a special car (that is not to say that my C4S is not special for me considering how immaculate it has performed its duties as my DD all year round) so let me sweat it out a bit before getting one. I bet that would be special. And no Peter the RS would not replace my C4S or my 3.2 ( talk about the best driving joy for the buck), it would just replace my '76 coupe (the recently acquired training wheel). My wife has already approved this agenda.
05-30-2012, 02:00 AM
#51
Amar,
After having dinner with you the other night and now seeing you post here, I propose that you get your RS sooner rather than later:
1. First, do not compromise and get what you really want. This philosophy fits your character more
2. Second, since I know you enjoy driving your 86 over the pass on a long distance trip, I can easily see you enjoying the RS drive on the same trip if not longer
3. Third, the used car market is good right now due to some pent up demand and lower supply of good used cars. The past few years has led to lower new car sales, so dealers are looking for good 997s. Besides, your C4S will eventually continue its downward depreciation curve, which arguably will be much steeper than a comparable RS
4. Fourth, I actually think that you'll have a more comfortable learning curve driving an RS compared to JR's old torsion-bar, shorter-wheelbase 911. Just make sure that the RS is setup conservatively - less sticky tires, more steady state understeer setup, and if necessary keep electronic nannies on. I didn't mention this to you when we met as you already bought the other car; but since you are still hanging here, I think I now better understand what is in your heart.
If you decide the track is not for you, you still end up with a desirable (read less depreciation, real provenance) yet modern 911 that blends the raw feel with modern enough amenities to be enjoyable for you on the streets.
Get Ed to buy your track car. Meanwhile, keep driving your Cayenne and 86. If/when you tire of the 86, you can eventually get a restored or preserved early 911 to fully have the 911 experience. You are on your way to becoming a 911 connoisseur...
After having dinner with you the other night and now seeing you post here, I propose that you get your RS sooner rather than later:
1. First, do not compromise and get what you really want. This philosophy fits your character more
2. Second, since I know you enjoy driving your 86 over the pass on a long distance trip, I can easily see you enjoying the RS drive on the same trip if not longer
3. Third, the used car market is good right now due to some pent up demand and lower supply of good used cars. The past few years has led to lower new car sales, so dealers are looking for good 997s. Besides, your C4S will eventually continue its downward depreciation curve, which arguably will be much steeper than a comparable RS
4. Fourth, I actually think that you'll have a more comfortable learning curve driving an RS compared to JR's old torsion-bar, shorter-wheelbase 911. Just make sure that the RS is setup conservatively - less sticky tires, more steady state understeer setup, and if necessary keep electronic nannies on. I didn't mention this to you when we met as you already bought the other car; but since you are still hanging here, I think I now better understand what is in your heart.
If you decide the track is not for you, you still end up with a desirable (read less depreciation, real provenance) yet modern 911 that blends the raw feel with modern enough amenities to be enjoyable for you on the streets.
Get Ed to buy your track car. Meanwhile, keep driving your Cayenne and 86. If/when you tire of the 86, you can eventually get a restored or preserved early 911 to fully have the 911 experience. You are on your way to becoming a 911 connoisseur...
05-30-2012, 02:09 AM
#52
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The notion that you need to start your tracking hobby (or any other) with the best tool available is drivel. Of course that's what the RS owners will tell you but remember they, too, worked up to this model after gaining considerable track experience in lesser cars. You have all you need, and more, in your quiver to develop real skills before you trade something in and go big. Good luck!
05-30-2012, 02:25 AM
#53
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Boy ... the jury is quite divided. Some say get the RS now and learn HPD, others say stay w/ the '76 coupe that is built with safety, performance and endurance in mind and graduate into the RS when I am ready at the track. Interesting thread for sure. Hey, never before in my life have I been this determined to eat this healthy and be this active. That alone is worth chasing the RS dream for now. Mclaudio, I eventually seeing myself settle down with 3 911s (remember your magic rule of 3). It would be a DD (the C4S), a track car (RS) and a air-cooled classic (my current 3.2 or a longhood S). Like you mentioned both the dealers have called me with a huge interest in my C4S (PDK, natural leather, SPASM, PSE, full body wrap w/ film ... I guarantee you there are very few used cars with this package). But I don't know if I can ever part with my first 911, my C4S. It's a perfect DD. Even this week with a torrential downpour over the pass it performance was astounding. My Cayenne equipped with 4WD, PDCC, PTV and PASM cannot match it. It really is the all weather RS for me. People can say what they want and put the RS at a pedestal but it is a tool for the track which one can drive everyday but the C4S is a champ in its own right. I know people call it the poor man's turbo but given a second chance I would still go C4S. But there is something about the gen 2 RS that gets under my skin .. Hard to explain that feeling even though I have not driven one. But one day I will. I guarantee you.
Last edited by w00tPORSCHE; 05-30-2012 at 02:44 AM.
05-30-2012, 02:40 AM
#54
Nordschleife Master
We're all busy people with lives, families, etc. If it's important to you, make the time to do it and stop talking/posting about it. Wives, work, and kids are the easiest fall-back excuses. I made time to go to the gym 4 times a week without fail throughout college, med school, and an ortho residency because it was important to me and continue that habit to this day. Get yourself to the track. It's an eye opening experience for everyone their first time out. 
05-30-2012, 09:18 AM
#56
Rennlist Member
The notion that you need to start your tracking hobby (or any other) with the best tool available is drivel. Of course that's what the RS owners will tell you but remember they, too, worked up to this model after gaining considerable track experience in lesser cars. You have all you need, and more, in your quiver to develop real skills before you trade something in and go big. Good luck!
Just set up an RS with understeer and you have great training wheels. Just like any of the other cars OP owns. It's just preference at this point; OP wants 2 cars track weapon and C4S, an RS could replace both.
Just like Joe says, don't get signed off solo after 2 days at the track and look like an idiot on day 4 ;-)
I started with a Mustang (www.trakcar.com, anyone wants to buy a Mustang? $10K, over $80K invested.....) and I wish I would have spent the money on a GT3 instead of plowing lots of money in the car trying to make it work. This is not to say that OP cars are bad like a Mustang. They are fine for his purpose, just not as fine as an RS. But just my opinion folks, perhaps OP enjoys the process of going through the vehicles and the process...
It was harder to unlearn all the bad habits I picked up on my own than just getting the righ car and a coach. Cheaper too. I could have taken years and years of my learning curve placing the same money in better cars and coaches.
05-30-2012, 11:11 AM
#57
Nordschleife Master
Out of curiosity, who here would agree with me that out of the 3 cars the OP has, the 09 C4S would be the best car to start with his first few times out, and not the race prepped '86 911?
I don't blame him for his choice, because I would likely have done the same a few years ago. However, knowing what I know now, C4S to start with and go from there
If anyone argued that if his ultimate goal is an RS, to start with his C4S and then go straight to the RS and bypass the race prepped '86 911, I would vote for that too.
I don't blame him for his choice, because I would likely have done the same a few years ago. However, knowing what I know now, C4S to start with and go from there
If anyone argued that if his ultimate goal is an RS, to start with his C4S and then go straight to the RS and bypass the race prepped '86 911, I would vote for that too.
05-30-2012, 12:29 PM
#59
Out of curiosity, who here would agree with me that out of the 3 cars the OP has, the 09 C4S would be the best car to start with his first few times out, and not the race prepped '86 911?
I don't blame him for his choice, because I would likely have done the same a few years ago. However, knowing what I know now, C4S to start with and go from there
If anyone argued that if his ultimate goal is an RS, to start with his C4S and then go straight to the RS and bypass the race prepped '86 911, I would vote for that too.
I don't blame him for his choice, because I would likely have done the same a few years ago. However, knowing what I know now, C4S to start with and go from there
If anyone argued that if his ultimate goal is an RS, to start with his C4S and then go straight to the RS and bypass the race prepped '86 911, I would vote for that too.
05-30-2012, 12:36 PM
#60
Boy ... the jury is quite divided. Some say get the RS now and learn HPD, others say stay w/ the '76 coupe that is built with safety, performance and endurance in mind and graduate into the RS when I am ready at the track. Interesting thread for sure. Hey, never before in my life have I been this determined to eat this healthy and be this active. That alone is worth chasing the RS dream for now. Mclaudio, I eventually seeing myself settle down with 3 911s (remember your magic rule of 3). It would be a DD (the C4S), a track car (RS) and a air-cooled classic (my current 3.2 or a longhood S). Like you mentioned both the dealers have called me with a huge interest in my C4S (PDK, natural leather, SPASM, PSE, full body wrap w/ film ... I guarantee you there are very few used cars with this package). But I don't know if I can ever part with my first 911, my C4S. It's a perfect DD. Even this week with a torrential downpour over the pass it performance was astounding. My Cayenne equipped with 4WD, PDCC, PTV and PASM cannot match it. It really is the all weather RS for me. People can say what they want and put the RS at a pedestal but it is a tool for the track which one can drive everyday but the C4S is a champ in its own right. I know people call it the poor man's turbo but given a second chance I would still go C4S. But there is something about the gen 2 RS that gets under my skin .. Hard to explain that feeling even though I have not driven one. But one day I will. I guarantee you.