nastinupe1

I went to visit a friend who works at a Land Rover dealership the other day and directly across the street was a Porsche dealership, so I decided to drop in to see if I could spot a Turbo and/ or a special edition Boxster. They didn't have either in, however, they had a 1999 911 covertible. Red with tan interior. It was in excellent condition with only 50,000 miles on it. The sales associate told me that it had a 300 hp 6 cylinder and asked if I wanted to drive it. They were asking $47,000 for the car. I was like sure and gave him my license to copy.

Impressions:

Unfortunately the car had been in the same place for weeks so the tires had a dent in them and it seriously affected the steering and made the car wobble a bit. The engine was strong, but I guess the power/ torque war has really uped the standard on what "powerful" is these days. The car redlined around 7000 RPMs and I felt like I was shifting too fast. The S2000 really spoils you in that area. Also, the car felt so heavy and detached from the road. It wasn't raw like the S2000. After getting out of the $82,000 sports car, I felt even better about owning my S2000. Honda really made a classic. The S2000 is awesome. I had to drive a car that's twice it's price to realize that. And I'm not saying that the S2000 is better than the 911, however, I am saying that for $34,000, the S2000 is a bargan!

dt49396

If it was just the regular 911 cab. then I don't doubt that you felt detached from the road after driving an S, which is one of most pure driving experiences anyone can have besides an acutual race car. You have to remember that Prosche has kinda moved into the image car segment over the past 10 years, especially with the introduction of the Boxster. Not saying that these aren't good cars, but they are built for people who want a high class lux/sports car. Now had you driven a Carrera S or a Turbo model you would have probably felt differently since they are geared more towards folks looking for a driving experience. Bottom line, Porshce still makes great sports cars, you just have to select the right one for your tast. And remember all cars are bulit for a purpose, you just happen to own one built for one purpose only: the pure enjoyment of driving.

By the way, sounds like you finally found a cool Porsche dealership. I walked into the one here in Hickory by accident (it was in one of these mega Automalls and I went in the wrong door) and was greated by a snotty sales woman who more than eagerly got me out of their show room. They did not even want me in their show room much less let me drive one.

nastinupe1

Wow... these guys were really cool. The sales manager even thanked me for the test drive. They gave me a brochure, asked for my name and number to contact me when the SE Boxster came in and told me that they really wanted to work with me on the 911. And no, it was not an S. Just a regular old 911 convertible. It had a power top with no laches which was nice. And it had climate control (which kind of suprised me). It also had memory power seats. It was basically an M3 with a little less power if you ask me. I was expecting a more raw experience. The S2000 has made me very very particular about sports cars. It's going to be hard to top this purchase... unless I get into a higher tax braket.

BlueS2000Boy

the car you drove must of had pretty shitty tires and like you said was sitting for a while. my father had three porsches in a row. 98 boxster 00 911 cabrio and 02 turbo. the boxtser was a very solid feeling car, not amazing fast in fact felt very slow, but you could put just about any driver behind the wheel and it would drive great through turns. the 911 was amazing. he had that at the same time i got my S. and a 911 of any sort that is taking care of will drive circles around the S. the car is just far above the S in pure driving. i mean the S is an amazing car i love it. but regardless of what people say about porches being geared more toward looks now its not true. porsches are still pure sports cars. the 911 felt ass planted most of the time. but like the S it feels loose with throttle off through a turn. its a car that must be driven through a turn. the Turbo is just SICK. speed like there is no tomorrow. its weird cause you hit the gas and the car just moves but doesn't slam you in the seat like youwould think with the power it has. but by the time you look down at the tach you are well over 100mph. the first time i drove my fathers turbo i was expecting it to rev like the cabrio just a little faster. i hit the gas in first and bam bam bam of the rev limiter before i could even blink. handling wise its just amazing because of the awd. the car feels a bit front heavy due to the extra weight up front from all the FWD parts. but he drove in a turn together a tight high speed sweep, i was doing about 105 and he flew by me like i was standing still.