Why do we like Porsches?
Discussion
Its partially materialism .... making up for a lack of human closeness and emotional fulfillment, plugging up the great vacuous ontological void as it were.
If it wasn't Stuttgart beetles, it would be expensive cameras, watches, hifi etc.. or any number of other luxury exotic illusions. I must confess I am getting abit fed up with it all, and 911's in general possibly. I think i've spent too much time looking and thinking about them this past 4 or 5 years.
From here onward, I intend to devote more of my time to travelling the world and reading.
If it wasn't Stuttgart beetles, it would be expensive cameras, watches, hifi etc.. or any number of other luxury exotic illusions. I must confess I am getting abit fed up with it all, and 911's in general possibly. I think i've spent too much time looking and thinking about them this past 4 or 5 years.
From here onward, I intend to devote more of my time to travelling the world and reading.
Jackal, in the main you are right of course.
But, there is something about the 911 that I love and I don't have the vocab to express it.
It's unique and special and in some ways the underdog. It should have been replaced by something a lot more relevant in 83 by the 928 but people wouldn't let it die.
But why, by any measure its a daft car. It's all wrong. But when you see it's motor racing history, the laughing stops.
911 lovers protect and defend it to the end, and of course vent their anger when Porsche changes the smallest thing. Progress! Ha!
Oh and the fact that most people, even some owners, just don't get it, is attractive too.
But, there is something about the 911 that I love and I don't have the vocab to express it.
It's unique and special and in some ways the underdog. It should have been replaced by something a lot more relevant in 83 by the 928 but people wouldn't let it die.
But why, by any measure its a daft car. It's all wrong. But when you see it's motor racing history, the laughing stops.
911 lovers protect and defend it to the end, and of course vent their anger when Porsche changes the smallest thing. Progress! Ha!
Oh and the fact that most people, even some owners, just don't get it, is attractive too.
Edited by mollytherocker on Saturday 12th January 00:33
jackal said:
Its partially materialism .... making up for a lack of human closeness and emotional fulfillment, plugging up the great vacuous ontological void as it were.
If it wasn't Stuttgart beetles, it would be expensive cameras, watches, hifi etc.. or any number of other luxury exotic illusions. I must confess I am getting abit fed up with it all, and 911's in general possibly. I think i've spent too much time looking and thinking about them this past 4 or 5 years.
From here onward, I intend to devote more of my time to travelling the world and reading.
I'm with you there.If it wasn't Stuttgart beetles, it would be expensive cameras, watches, hifi etc.. or any number of other luxury exotic illusions. I must confess I am getting abit fed up with it all, and 911's in general possibly. I think i've spent too much time looking and thinking about them this past 4 or 5 years.
From here onward, I intend to devote more of my time to travelling the world and reading.
I get bored s
tless to be honest compared with 9 yrs ago when i bought my first a 911SC, (bit like your first girlfriend never forget but couldn't go back) I've had them all to be honest various air-cooled/cabs/Widow maker/2 6T's.........don't want to spend daft money anymore, but still get some sort of gravitational pull/emotional attraction??
Can't live with them can't live without them..........
No other car in relative terms though has the same attraction.........
It's been an obsession since childhood for me. I grew up in the 80's when Maggie took my milk and Bankers in braces drove red 911s. Since then though it became about the engineering. One man's idea honed and extrapolated. The attention to detail, the lineage, the fact the company was family owned and engineer run. Then the 996 happened.
I feel a profound loss for what Porsche was - as a company, an idea, an obsession for engineering, a family tree, a strive to perfect the fundamentally flawed, the racing heritage, the precision. The company was never about making money. It was about creating the best cars that could be made. Then the 996 happened.
I know, many people say that had Porsche not changed then it would probably not exist today. Despite owning a 2004 Porsche alongside my 1982 911, I'm not so sure that would have been such a bad thing...
I feel a profound loss for what Porsche was - as a company, an idea, an obsession for engineering, a family tree, a strive to perfect the fundamentally flawed, the racing heritage, the precision. The company was never about making money. It was about creating the best cars that could be made. Then the 996 happened.
I know, many people say that had Porsche not changed then it would probably not exist today. Despite owning a 2004 Porsche alongside my 1982 911, I'm not so sure that would have been such a bad thing...
reedman said:
For me it's easy. You can jump in the car drive to Silverstone spend the day having fun and then jump into it and drive home without a thought. That's been let down a little from 98 onwads but I guess that's why the 993 is such a wanted car.
Jame
So you cannot do that in a 2004 GT3 then ?Jame
It's strange how every has a cut off year to which were the best cars, but in real life no one would turn away a gt3 rs4.0 if offered for 50k :-)
Interesting that after 13 posts we only appear to be talking about 911's.
I like Porsche for the Carrera GT, the 968CS and the Boxster as well. All great cars in their own markets. Well engineered, rewarding to drive (although not driven the CGT) and as has been mentioned before you are buying into the brand.
I like Porsche for the Carrera GT, the 968CS and the Boxster as well. All great cars in their own markets. Well engineered, rewarding to drive (although not driven the CGT) and as has been mentioned before you are buying into the brand.
Reading some of these posts I can feel the beards growing and the briars being filled up with good old British Flake 
I have loved 911s since my very first drive in my brother's when he bought his third in 1982. It was a wondrous thing that was like nothing I had ever experienced. Coming from a Mini Cooper and a 1.5 Alfasud (wondrous car). The two things that stick in my mind more than anything else are the steering and the braking.
Nothing has ever captured that magic moment, but my love of GT3s in particular has opened up a whole new world of 911 love and desire. And now that I need a car with a broader, dare I say more practical set of virtues I also love the 991. But the 911 (clubsport models excepted) have always been tremendously practical cars. Even my current car can cruise to the 'Ring in incredible comfort and then in the right hands do an easy sub-8m lap. And my last car from the production line with moderate fettling can take a high placing in the N24. That is a ridiculous breadth of talent.
Some would say (well in fact they have) that I don't get the 911 thing. I like all the wrong models (even evo only give the 993 four stars and rate the 996 higher). I say, who cares, I enjoy progress. If you live life looking in the rear view mirror you will surely crash. You can only make real progress looking in the direction you are going. They are all wonderful cars, all with a different breadth of talent.
I have loved 911s since my very first drive in my brother's when he bought his third in 1982. It was a wondrous thing that was like nothing I had ever experienced. Coming from a Mini Cooper and a 1.5 Alfasud (wondrous car). The two things that stick in my mind more than anything else are the steering and the braking.
Nothing has ever captured that magic moment, but my love of GT3s in particular has opened up a whole new world of 911 love and desire. And now that I need a car with a broader, dare I say more practical set of virtues I also love the 991. But the 911 (clubsport models excepted) have always been tremendously practical cars. Even my current car can cruise to the 'Ring in incredible comfort and then in the right hands do an easy sub-8m lap. And my last car from the production line with moderate fettling can take a high placing in the N24. That is a ridiculous breadth of talent.
Some would say (well in fact they have) that I don't get the 911 thing. I like all the wrong models (even evo only give the 993 four stars and rate the 996 higher
). I say, who cares, I enjoy progress. If you live life looking in the rear view mirror you will surely crash. You can only make real progress looking in the direction you are going. They are all wonderful cars, all with a different breadth of talent.jackal said:
Its partially materialism .... making up for a lack of human closeness and emotional fulfillment, plugging up the great vacuous ontological void as it were.
If it wasn't Stuttgart beetles, it would be expensive cameras, watches, hifi etc.. or any number of other luxury exotic illusions. I must confess I am getting abit fed up with it all, and 911's in general possibly. I think i've spent too much time looking and thinking about them this past 4 or 5 years.
From here onward, I intend to devote more of my time to travelling the world and reading.
It's funny seeing such an astute and brutally honest post. I think your conclusion is spot on. Time then, to do something a little more valuable with ones time.If it wasn't Stuttgart beetles, it would be expensive cameras, watches, hifi etc.. or any number of other luxury exotic illusions. I must confess I am getting abit fed up with it all, and 911's in general possibly. I think i've spent too much time looking and thinking about them this past 4 or 5 years.
From here onward, I intend to devote more of my time to travelling the world and reading.
Why? I've just sold my 1995 993 Tip, with 113k on the clock, and loved every minute of it.
1. It's looks are iconic and so damn sexy.
2. In my ownership, I travelled to Scotland, France, Germany, Holland, Belguim, Austria, Italy and Monaco.
Trackdays at Bedford, Zandvoort, Spa, and The Ring.
How many 17 year old cars with 113k on the clock, can you do all this in style, working a/c, then drive back home, do the school run and commute to work in heavy traffic? Then sell it 5 years later for than I paid for it.
I give you The Porsche 911
I Thank You
PS GT3 next
1. It's looks are iconic and so damn sexy.
2. In my ownership, I travelled to Scotland, France, Germany, Holland, Belguim, Austria, Italy and Monaco.
Trackdays at Bedford, Zandvoort, Spa, and The Ring.
How many 17 year old cars with 113k on the clock, can you do all this in style, working a/c, then drive back home, do the school run and commute to work in heavy traffic? Then sell it 5 years later for than I paid for it.
I give you The Porsche 911
I Thank You
PS GT3 next
I love Porsches because they are the best mix of useability and performance (be that acceleration, braking, road holding, etc). I love the noise of the flat six engines. I love that they are a bit special, even a base 13 yr old Boxster is exciting for me.
Sure, the top dog models are amazing, but I actually think that the most enjoyment may come from running the underdog models as they aren't so precious or too fast.
Sure, the top dog models are amazing, but I actually think that the most enjoyment may come from running the underdog models as they aren't so precious or too fast.
I have loved 911s since 1966 when my then girlfriends father had a 911S which had no problem showing my tuned to the eyeballs Mini Cooper the way home, in those days of innocence on wheels an unusual experince for me. Added to the competition history of Stuttgart that worked. I have driven a 928S4 auto back in the late 80s and yes it went like stink and was milled from the solid, but it tugged at your heart strings like an Amana fridge.
A crowd of us were out in London just before Christmas and maybe that black 993 parked in a side street near the Strand was owned by some one on here, when I recognised it I had one of those double take moments and it was real pleasure to see it just being used. There was silver 997 a few hundred yards further on which was nice to see but didnt somehow make a statement.
So I think I agree, never had the bottle to buy one though, all sorts of excuses but with what you can get a useable 996 for now none of them really wash do they?
A crowd of us were out in London just before Christmas and maybe that black 993 parked in a side street near the Strand was owned by some one on here, when I recognised it I had one of those double take moments and it was real pleasure to see it just being used. There was silver 997 a few hundred yards further on which was nice to see but didnt somehow make a statement.
So I think I agree, never had the bottle to buy one though, all sorts of excuses but with what you can get a useable 996 for now none of them really wash do they?
Edited by SMGB on Saturday 12th January 09:53
Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff