disappointed with the Porsche Carrera Cabriolet
03-22-2010, 05:06 AM
#11
Moderator
I think a big issue is predetermined expectations going in to the test drive, and maybe a lack of seat time in many different kinds of cars? If all you've ever driven are Hondas, all you'll really know is how a Honda drives, and driving other cars may see overly alien to you. Every car has its own strengths and weaknesses, and if you focus on only one or fail to see both you end up with a skewed outlook on the car.
All we know is that you had never driven a Porsche before and you have driven Hondas, so its hard to say.
All we know is that you had never driven a Porsche before and you have driven Hondas, so its hard to say.
03-22-2010, 05:58 AM
#12
Registered User
Dima, couple things that attributed to your disappointment...
1. You went to test drive a gt cruiser in 997 cab and expected go-kart-like handling behavior
2. You not used to RR behavior. The vagueness you feel when tugging the steering wheel, you may be not used to the lack of weight transfer that you find in FR and FF cars.
997 is a better Porsche than 987 is some ways, but if you are looking for go-kart-like handling behavior, then maybe you are looking at the wrong car? Not even Porsche can make an open-top 3,400 lb car (or whatever the 997 cab weighs - i just know it's not light) to behave like a go-kart.
1. You went to test drive a gt cruiser in 997 cab and expected go-kart-like handling behavior
2. You not used to RR behavior. The vagueness you feel when tugging the steering wheel, you may be not used to the lack of weight transfer that you find in FR and FF cars.
997 is a better Porsche than 987 is some ways, but if you are looking for go-kart-like handling behavior, then maybe you are looking at the wrong car? Not even Porsche can make an open-top 3,400 lb car (or whatever the 997 cab weighs - i just know it's not light) to behave like a go-kart.
03-22-2010, 06:06 AM
#13
Registered User
Originally Posted by jbird,Mar 22 2010, 01:28 AM
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
After driving several 996s and 997s, I came to the conclusion (coming from the S2000 at the time) the Cayman S is now the enthusiast car in the Porsche lineup(except for the GT2/GT3).
03-22-2010, 06:37 AM
#14
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I had a similar experience behind the wheel of an air-cooled 911 - totally not the car I had thought they were.
I can think of at least two reasons why the test drive did not match expectations:
a) a 911 isn't "all that." The people who claim they are so superior to other cars don't know what those other cars are like to actually drive.
b) my own car feels heavy and not particularly nimble in "regular" driving, you have to drive it in a manner that would get you arrested for it to come alive.
I can think of at least two reasons why the test drive did not match expectations:
a) a 911 isn't "all that." The people who claim they are so superior to other cars don't know what those other cars are like to actually drive.
b) my own car feels heavy and not particularly nimble in "regular" driving, you have to drive it in a manner that would get you arrested for it to come alive.
03-22-2010, 07:17 AM
#15
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I know this isn't often factored in, but there's some consideration of the [psychological] "brand impact" (for lack of better terms).
Someone right in this post talked about how they grew up wanting a Porsche and now they own one it's amazing. Some of that amazement (whether people want to admit to it) is the subjective fulfillment from owning or driving a Porsche. Which is great! Hell, I don't mind admitting I get the same warm fuzzy feeling from various products that sometimes has _zero_ to do with any objective quality/performance/etc. metric.
It's a big factor in cars like the Corvette, for folks who grew up in the 60's, watching wide eyed, from the back of their parents Family Truckster when that sweet piece of American muscle drove by.
Maybe you're just not a "Porsche person"!
Someone right in this post talked about how they grew up wanting a Porsche and now they own one it's amazing. Some of that amazement (whether people want to admit to it) is the subjective fulfillment from owning or driving a Porsche. Which is great! Hell, I don't mind admitting I get the same warm fuzzy feeling from various products that sometimes has _zero_ to do with any objective quality/performance/etc. metric.
It's a big factor in cars like the Corvette, for folks who grew up in the 60's, watching wide eyed, from the back of their parents Family Truckster when that sweet piece of American muscle drove by.
Maybe you're just not a "Porsche person"!
03-22-2010, 08:19 AM
#16
When I first drove the S2000 I was not impressed, coming from driving Civic and Corolla all mylife. After owning it for a few weeks opened my eyes to a side of cars I didn't know existed.
I suspect you need more seat time before fully appreciating what Porsche has to offer. After all, all those owners can't be wrong.
I suspect you need more seat time before fully appreciating what Porsche has to offer. After all, all those owners can't be wrong.
03-22-2010, 08:29 AM
#18
Originally Posted by Saki GT,Mar 22 2010, 12:22 PM
Honest question - how could you not be impressed with an S2000 coming from a Civic or Corolla? 
03-22-2010, 08:59 AM
#20
It's all about familiarity. I've driven a modded '06 911S and I just wasn't overly comfortable with it. I even drove it for a track session. Brakes were awesome, power was ample, but I sat up in it, and the suspension seemed to bob up and down and I just didn't quite get comfortable with it.
Same when I got rid of the S2000 and got my C6. The S2000 is a go-kart in feel, steering response, shifting, etc. The C6 is more fluid and isolated and the view from the driver's seat doesn't show the dimensions as easily. But, after driving the Vette for more than a few days and now that I've had a ton of track weekends with it, I feel as comfortable with the Vette as I did with my S2000 that I drove for almost 30k miles.
It's all about familiarity. Most any car outside of an Elise is going to feel numb after driving an S2000, until you get comfortable with it.
Same when I got rid of the S2000 and got my C6. The S2000 is a go-kart in feel, steering response, shifting, etc. The C6 is more fluid and isolated and the view from the driver's seat doesn't show the dimensions as easily. But, after driving the Vette for more than a few days and now that I've had a ton of track weekends with it, I feel as comfortable with the Vette as I did with my S2000 that I drove for almost 30k miles.
It's all about familiarity. Most any car outside of an Elise is going to feel numb after driving an S2000, until you get comfortable with it.