Attitudes to Porsche drivers…
Discussion
My money's on the convertible thing - I come across plenty of chavs on the roads but never feel like I'm being particularly singled out. Never really get any aggro from anyone unless I'm ragging it (in which case the uncharitable non-enthusiast would probably describe my driving as 'w*nkerish' anyway and deserving of flashing headlights and coffee-shaker gestures...)
All my 993s have been hard tops. I must admit that the concept of a soft top Porsche does smell more of wealth flaunting than a hard top, even though this is quite obviously false in the case of Boxsters (which only come in soft tops, ignore the Cayman as it didn't exist when the Boxster was brought out), and 944/968 convertibles which are affordable cars, hardly 'wave your wad at the geezers in the gutter' stuff. Presumably the jealous losers focus on that.
Sods law I'll get some downtrodden loser in a £500 Sierra with an ugly foul-mouthed wife and 4 fat glue-sniffing kids try to run me off the road later....
Best advice on the thread - 5 minutes down the road you'll still be driving a Porsche.
My advice?? It's the perfect excuse to supercharge or otherwise massively modify your engine so you can leave that sort of filth behind.
All my 993s have been hard tops. I must admit that the concept of a soft top Porsche does smell more of wealth flaunting than a hard top, even though this is quite obviously false in the case of Boxsters (which only come in soft tops, ignore the Cayman as it didn't exist when the Boxster was brought out), and 944/968 convertibles which are affordable cars, hardly 'wave your wad at the geezers in the gutter' stuff. Presumably the jealous losers focus on that.
Sods law I'll get some downtrodden loser in a £500 Sierra with an ugly foul-mouthed wife and 4 fat glue-sniffing kids try to run me off the road later....
Best advice on the thread - 5 minutes down the road you'll still be driving a Porsche. My advice?? It's the perfect excuse to supercharge or otherwise massively modify your engine so you can leave that sort of filth behind.
Carrera2 said:
Harry Flashman said:
Carrera2 said:
Harry Flashman said:
Carrera2 said:
I have never noticed anyone treat me any differently whatsoever...no adverse behaviour, nothing. Weird.
Harry - if people are 'brake testing' you, surely that means you're too close doesn't it?
Harry - if people are 'brake testing' you, surely that means you're too close doesn't it?
See your point C2, but incident I was referring to was on the A3 yesterday, in heavy traffic – chap pulling in just in front of me and then standing on the brakes for no reason at all. Nice.
Ah I see. Did you see that as a deliberate 'anti Porsche' thing though or just a t
t driver? If it's the former I may have to re-think my opinions on the way I'm treated 
Well, given that he and his chav mates were pointing at the car and mouthing obscenities for a good three miles (at which point the traffic opened up and I was able to press on and leave them behind), I'm going for the anti-Porsche thing...
Blimey. Utter scum.
That is somewhat scary isn't.
I've never had any trouble, but I have met people who have been spat at by chavs and white van man.
Harry Flashman said:
Wow, AD; nearly bought a 944 Turbo SE convertible identical to yours, right down to the 17" Cups. After reading that thread, am I glad that I didn’t. Seems like a red Porsche is flypaper for nutters…
Edited by Harry Flashman on Monday 19th June 12:07
The biggest nutter is behind the wheel mate... hehehe... God, I love that thing.
Couple of things I've noticed. Renault Clios always take off like a scalded cat when they see a Porsche behind them at the lights. Why? Do they honestly think I'm suddenly going to think to myself " me, I wish I had bought one of them Clios"?
Secondly, tailgaters. Why if I'm held up in traffic do people feel the need to tailgate? Don't they have any idea how powerful Porsche brakes are? I invariably end up dropping back from the car in front a little as I can't fully deploy the anchors if some tt in a repmobile is stuck up my arse 
me, I wish I had bought one of them Clios"? Secondly, tailgaters. Why if I'm held up in traffic do people feel the need to tailgate? Don't they have any idea how powerful Porsche brakes are? I invariably end up dropping back from the car in front a little as I can't fully deploy the anchors if some t
t in a repmobile is stuck up my arse I'm afraid up here in the frozen north anti-Porsche bahaviour or, as psychologists would term it jealousy, is rife and out of control.
A friend of mine has a 986S and he's always got someone on tow (tailgating) around town. They seem to disappear a bit though once you reach the open roads when power can be deployed safely! As for getting let out at junctions, forget it! Not only do they never let you out, they generally never miss an opportunity to accelerate to block you!
It's not just a Porsche thing though, same goes for my Z4. I've just swapped from a Smart Roadster, so it's all the more obvious. I used to get smiles and waves, now I get blocks and tailgating!
A friend of mine has a 986S and he's always got someone on tow (tailgating) around town. They seem to disappear a bit though once you reach the open roads when power can be deployed safely! As for getting let out at junctions, forget it! Not only do they never let you out, they generally never miss an opportunity to accelerate to block you!
It's not just a Porsche thing though, same goes for my Z4. I've just swapped from a Smart Roadster, so it's all the more obvious. I used to get smiles and waves, now I get blocks and tailgating!
irish boy said:
rarely any probs over here.....people always pull out of the way on motorways/duel carridgeways....and i quite often see the window drop slightly so they can here my exhaust note as i drive by!!!!!
Yeah , it seems to be different in Ireland (long may it remain so) .. I've not had any hassles/spitting/tailgating etc, and people flash smiles/give thumbs up etc ...Quite often get "Nuice cah Misthah... (Dublin accent)"
I'll probably get T-boned the next time I take the car out!!!
I expected some animosity, but I was shocked to find it's much worse than a BMW. Britain's poor driving habits are exacerbated, lane discipline and tailgating seem particularly worse. Don't think I've ever been let out of a junction in it.
It's all changed now though, and it's down to my stickers for Le Mans.
During a recent drive along the motorway it felt as if I had flashing blue lights on the roof. I get let out a lot more, and it gets surrounded at Petrol Stations. People wave, other drivers flash and jaws drop.
The plan was to take the stickers off this week, now I'm not so sure!
It's all changed now though, and it's down to my stickers for Le Mans.
During a recent drive along the motorway it felt as if I had flashing blue lights on the roof. I get let out a lot more, and it gets surrounded at Petrol Stations. People wave, other drivers flash and jaws drop.
The plan was to take the stickers off this week, now I'm not so sure!
I hope I don't get blasted for saying this , but I drove (in the family car) down to Cornwall recently , and was a little shocked at how .. ahem.. 'spirited' some drivers are on the roads in the UK... I felt quite intimidated at times , much behavior was pointlessly belligerent ... I can only imagine what it would have been like touring in the 911...
However the other side of the coin is that the vast majority of UK drivers put us Irish drivers to shame ..
However the other side of the coin is that the vast majority of UK drivers put us Irish drivers to shame ..
ballcock said:
I hope I don't get blasted for saying this , but I drove (in the family car) down to Cornwall recently , and was a little shocked at how .. ahem.. 'spirited' some drivers are on the roads in the UK... I felt quite intimidated at times , much behavior was pointlessly belligerent ... I can only imagine what it would have been like touring in the 911...
However the other side of the coin is that the vast majority of UK drivers put us Irish drivers to shame ..
However the other side of the coin is that the vast majority of UK drivers put us Irish drivers to shame ..
The 911 isn't the family car???
Had a Chimera for a year and got no grief at all. Now got a 996 convertable and had it for 2 months and the jealosy from petty thugs is plain to see. Nobody wants to let you pass on the motorway and everone wants to tailgate. I think the tailgate thing might just be guys wanted to see a Porsche be floored. To be honest though I like to see the jealous looks on the scums face, makes it worth the expense of running a Porsche, To**ers!
I've only had one incident in 6 months and 8k miles of driving the turbo. This was some jerk crash braking mid corner as I gained because I was "going too fast" (we stopped up the road for a frank exchange of views).
Apart from this nutcase, who would have probably tried to kill me/us regardless of what I was driving, absolutely nothing else. No attitude, no blocking, no failing to let me out.
I'm usually tanking along but I do try to be courteous and non-aggressive in my driving style. Maybe that helps?
SM
Apart from this nutcase, who would have probably tried to kill me/us regardless of what I was driving, absolutely nothing else. No attitude, no blocking, no failing to let me out.
I'm usually tanking along but I do try to be courteous and non-aggressive in my driving style. Maybe that helps?
SM
Porkers are so rare over here in France compared to in the UK that I do get a fair bit of dropped jaw staring as I drive past. For the most part I've had positive reactions from the general public with only the very occasional twit cutting me up on the road.
Negative reactions from french coppers - being good socialists they will make a point of screwing you if they can, just because you're in a flash car. Some negative reactions from colleagues too, particularly as they're almost all staff - they don't seem to understand that my point of view that for the same price as their new 407 or Megane they could run a porker if they chose to.
Negative reactions from french coppers - being good socialists they will make a point of screwing you if they can, just because you're in a flash car. Some negative reactions from colleagues too, particularly as they're almost all staff - they don't seem to understand that my point of view that for the same price as their new 407 or Megane they could run a porker if they chose to.
jjr1 said:
Had a 997 for a year and a half and never once thought people have cut me up or been deliberately awkward.
I think a load of contributors to this thread have a severe case of paranoia.
I think a load of contributors to this thread have a severe case of paranoia.
jjr1, I would think that comment would perhaps offend a fair few of us "paranoid" contributors. Maybe best to accept that perchance your experience in a Porsche is not the only one out there.
nel said:
Porkers are so rare over here in France compared to in the UK that I do get a fair bit of dropped jaw staring as I drive past. For the most part I've had positive reactions from the general public with only the very occasional twit cutting me up on the road.
Negative reactions from french coppers - being good socialists they will make a point of screwing you if they can, just because you're in a flash car. Some negative reactions from colleagues too, particularly as they're almost all staff - they don't seem to understand that my point of view that for the same price as their new 407 or Megane they could run a porker if they chose to.
Negative reactions from french coppers - being good socialists they will make a point of screwing you if they can, just because you're in a flash car. Some negative reactions from colleagues too, particularly as they're almost all staff - they don't seem to understand that my point of view that for the same price as their new 407 or Megane they could run a porker if they chose to.
In the UK I noted quite alot of rude and offensive reaction to the 993tt.
I had a guy in a Ford Focus in Chavy-coventry-tramp-zone make a gun symbol with his hand while passing by on the other carriageway.
I get tail gating from Astra Max vans and Nissan Primeras, as well as the obligatory Ford Galaxies/VW Sharan/Renault Scenic-boring family types going through mid-life-crisises, feeling they have something to prove because their lives are now written chapter and verse. Work situation reaction was similar.
It's a similar reaction in person too: 2 weeks ago I met up with an old friend in the UK, and he introduced me to his new girlfriend. She took one look at the Porsche and took an instant disliking to me. I had to put up with snidey bitchy comments all evening, constant criticism and questions as to why I bought it. The car was criticized- she called it a "Fiat" (which wasn't even funny- would have been understandable if she called it a Beetle- but I guess that would have needed some intelligence). Im still suprised that my friend has chosen to be with her, seeing as he was about to get a Porsche Boxster (she's put a stop to that) and is similar to me in outlook and that she's about 15 years his senior. Desperation is a horrible thing.
I could have retaliated to her, but felt she was an easy target, being old, haggered, a failure in life, drugged up and drunk, not very funny, had a privaledged background but still achieved absolutely zilch in life, along with being hideously fat and ugly. Also chose not to, out of respect for my friend.
Over here in Germany it's pretty much a different story, with reactions to the Porsche nearly always being positive, and cute little waves from the school children in the morning. There seem to be less Porsches here per square KM here compared to the UK though. I don't even have to suffer the the rude little snide comments from tyre fitters- or mechanics. There's usually genuine facination. May be it's because the car is German and considered the pride of German sports ar herritage, but I think it has more to do with the culture of less bitter jealousy.
Edited by Marquis_Rex on Tuesday 20th June 09:58
Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff