disappointed with the Porsche Carrera Cabriolet
03-21-2010, 09:42 PM
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disappointed with the Porsche Carrera Cabriolet
hey, guys
so, I was thinking of ADDING a newer car (not selling the S), and decided to test drive a Porsche; seeing as everyone praises them
i've driven a Boxster in the past, and thought that a 911 would be an even better Porsche
i went to the Porsche dealer, and he offered me to go for a spin in a 06 Porsche Carrera Cabriolet. the car had a manual gearbox, nav, and had just 12k miles on it. it was NOT the S model.
i expected to be BLOWN AWAY in EVERY way; I expected to truly understand why Porches are supposed to be cool. i was not that impressed.
the clutch was heavy, but I attributed that to the fact that it has to hold greater torque than the S, and I adjusted my pedal effort.
the gearbox SUCKED. my 92 accord had a nicer feeling gearbox. the shifter was plasticky, the throws were too long, and it was not as precise as I was expecting
power was ample. this thing hauls ass. more power than the S... AND THERE IS TORQUE!!! lots of it... seems like anywhere, too
the exhaust note is sweeeeeeetttt. the H6 sounds beastly. the car sounds nicer inside than outside. a nice exhaust would make it sound really pronounced.
and here is the killer: handling was not there. yeah, i said it.
the car felt a bit vague, when I lightly tugged at the wheel.
the car squated, leaned, and sorta wobbled in response to steering inputs
then I took an onramp, and it disconnected smoothly, but much earlier than I expected. i corrected it, and it responded VERY smoothly and PREDICTABLY. why did it slide so easily, though? the tires were warm by then.
so, what the hell?
this is a 90k car, when new, right?
why does it not do everything WAY BETTER than my 30k car?
why do I perceive that my cheap-ass Honda have a better shifter, a tighter suspension, and crisper handling? i expected these very points to be better in the 911. i'm not hatin' on that car either. i WANTED to LOVE it. i CAN buy a used one. i would get one in blue or like red. except, i do not want one now.
everyone bitches about the Vette, and how a Porsche handles so much better. a C6 Vette actually felt better when I auto-crossed in one. and it costs about half.
again, this is what I felt, not YOU
you all may love Porsches, and that is fine
what Porsche would I like? a GT3?
so, I was thinking of ADDING a newer car (not selling the S), and decided to test drive a Porsche; seeing as everyone praises them
i've driven a Boxster in the past, and thought that a 911 would be an even better Porsche
i went to the Porsche dealer, and he offered me to go for a spin in a 06 Porsche Carrera Cabriolet. the car had a manual gearbox, nav, and had just 12k miles on it. it was NOT the S model.
i expected to be BLOWN AWAY in EVERY way; I expected to truly understand why Porches are supposed to be cool. i was not that impressed.
the clutch was heavy, but I attributed that to the fact that it has to hold greater torque than the S, and I adjusted my pedal effort.
the gearbox SUCKED. my 92 accord had a nicer feeling gearbox. the shifter was plasticky, the throws were too long, and it was not as precise as I was expecting
power was ample. this thing hauls ass. more power than the S... AND THERE IS TORQUE!!! lots of it... seems like anywhere, too
the exhaust note is sweeeeeeetttt. the H6 sounds beastly. the car sounds nicer inside than outside. a nice exhaust would make it sound really pronounced.
and here is the killer: handling was not there. yeah, i said it.
the car felt a bit vague, when I lightly tugged at the wheel.
the car squated, leaned, and sorta wobbled in response to steering inputs
then I took an onramp, and it disconnected smoothly, but much earlier than I expected. i corrected it, and it responded VERY smoothly and PREDICTABLY. why did it slide so easily, though? the tires were warm by then.
so, what the hell?
this is a 90k car, when new, right?
why does it not do everything WAY BETTER than my 30k car?
why do I perceive that my cheap-ass Honda have a better shifter, a tighter suspension, and crisper handling? i expected these very points to be better in the 911. i'm not hatin' on that car either. i WANTED to LOVE it. i CAN buy a used one. i would get one in blue or like red. except, i do not want one now.
everyone bitches about the Vette, and how a Porsche handles so much better. a C6 Vette actually felt better when I auto-crossed in one. and it costs about half.
again, this is what I felt, not YOU
you all may love Porsches, and that is fine
what Porsche would I like? a GT3?
03-21-2010, 10:11 PM
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What kind of tires were on the car you drove? That might of made some difference. The car could have been wrecked?
To be honest I had the opposite reaction you did. I drove an 02 Carrera coupe and was BLOWN away by the way the car responded . I said I finally found something that was more fun and better than the S.
The C6 I drove was really underwhelming. Felt like the V8 Cavalier I thought it was ! No feedback from anything and the words of a Ferrari dealer salesman echoed in my head . He said "The Vette is fast as hell in a straight line but as far as fun to drive it is crap". Exactly!
To be honest I had the opposite reaction you did. I drove an 02 Carrera coupe and was BLOWN away by the way the car responded . I said I finally found something that was more fun and better than the S.
The C6 I drove was really underwhelming. Felt like the V8 Cavalier I thought it was ! No feedback from anything and the words of a Ferrari dealer salesman echoed in my head . He said "The Vette is fast as hell in a straight line but as far as fun to drive it is crap". Exactly!
03-21-2010, 10:28 PM
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Buy a Cayman S, add LSD, semi-slicks, fatter wheels and grin from ear to ear.
My uncle has one and its handling is predictable and awesome. Not 3x better than my S2k but pretty damn good and it has heaps of boot space and interior functionality.
Midship engine versus rear engined in the 911 series is what makes it better
My uncle has one and its handling is predictable and awesome. Not 3x better than my S2k but pretty damn good and it has heaps of boot space and interior functionality.
Midship engine versus rear engined in the 911 series is what makes it better
03-21-2010, 10:44 PM
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the salesman even told me that the "new" Porsches are not the kind of drivers' cars as the old ones were, and that I would like a 993 more
he also said that the S2000 is like a go-kart, and that a Cayman would be closer to it
the power was the only thing that I liked in this Porsche
the idiotic "rear seats" are a joke, btw... are they even seats?
he also said that the S2000 is like a go-kart, and that a Cayman would be closer to it
the power was the only thing that I liked in this Porsche
the idiotic "rear seats" are a joke, btw... are they even seats?
03-22-2010, 03:05 AM
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my father just reccently got an 09 carrera cab.
i test drove it, i was also kinda of disappointed but at the same time i was too scared and nervous to really drive it comfortably since i didnt want to fawk up an 80k car and i didnt know its limits. Gearbox well its PDK so lol i cant agree with you since i havent tried manual.
i test drove it, i was also kinda of disappointed but at the same time i was too scared and nervous to really drive it comfortably since i didnt want to fawk up an 80k car and i didnt know its limits. Gearbox well its PDK so lol i cant agree with you since i havent tried manual.
03-22-2010, 03:17 AM
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I was in basically the same boat, I have always wanted a 911. I have owned a 07 S2k, and now own a E90 M3. I absolutly loved both cars but when I went to go test drive a porsche the other day I was ready to be 'blown away'. they had a 09 Carrera 4S with 3k miles on it, optioned out very nicely and PDK. basically, I was not impressed. sticker on this thing was 115K and for that kind of money I really expected to be shocked at the performance. The interior was nice but no better than my M3. the PDK was cumbersome, coming from a 6MT, but I am sure I would get used to that. Power was good but not much better than the M. handling? you cant beat the S2000 as far as taking the twisties IMO.
The car looked and sounded great, don't get me wrong. But I was happy to get back in my M3 and felt much more connected to the road. I believe if I get another car it will be an 07-08 S2000 for the fun.
The car looked and sounded great, don't get me wrong. But I was happy to get back in my M3 and felt much more connected to the road. I believe if I get another car it will be an 07-08 S2000 for the fun.
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03-22-2010, 03:26 AM
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Maybe the car you drove needs an alignment?
I test drove an '05 cab last year. It was a very nice car but not as sporty feeling as the S2000. I think partly because it's a heavier, more luxurious car than the S2000.
I test drove an '05 cab last year. It was a very nice car but not as sporty feeling as the S2000. I think partly because it's a heavier, more luxurious car than the S2000.
03-22-2010, 04:05 AM
#9
because another car feels crisper doesn't mean it's actually handling better. and remember you took a car for a test drive...once you were to get more comfortable in it, your opinion would be likely to change.
03-22-2010, 04:51 AM
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I just bought a 997 S Cab a few weeks ago....let me touch on a few of your comments. If the Porsche squatted, wobbled, and leaned when turned there is a problem with the car. The handling at all speeds is spot on. I did the 2 day Porsche Sport Driving School in Birmingham last year and lapped the base 997 many times. The car was NEVER the limiting factor in my quest to get around the track faster. The handling is terrific.
The shifter throws are most definitely long, compared to the S2000. No doubt about it. But they aren't overly long, and the more you drive it the more confident you get it. I think the clutch in my Porsche is far lighter than my previous car, a Z4M Coupe. That car had a horrific clutch and gearbox feel compared to the 997.
You didn't like the Porsche. That's great. You just saved a lot of money! I've been afflicted since 8yo, and I couldn't wait to get one. Now that I have it, I'm anything but disappointed.
The shifter throws are most definitely long, compared to the S2000. No doubt about it. But they aren't overly long, and the more you drive it the more confident you get it. I think the clutch in my Porsche is far lighter than my previous car, a Z4M Coupe. That car had a horrific clutch and gearbox feel compared to the 997.
You didn't like the Porsche. That's great. You just saved a lot of money! I've been afflicted since 8yo, and I couldn't wait to get one. Now that I have it, I'm anything but disappointed.