5 years in - my Porsche journey to date
Discussion
A reminder flashed up this morning reminding me that it’s 5 years today I bought my first Porsche....
5 years on and I’m now on Porsche number 4 showing that those dreams we have as children can become reality. I blame the A4 picture of the 911 I had on the bedroom wall as a child!
Number 1 was a 997.2 GTS PDK bought from Tom and the excellent team at 911V. Had this for 2 years and carried out a few mods to individualise it and improve the car including Sharkwerks bypass pipe, H&R lowering springs, Aero kit front splitter, Zunsport grills, GT3 RS C/L wheels with Michelin Cup 2’s - all these made the car a much nicer place to be and improved the looks & handling.
Car was returned to standard and sold to Hexagon who offered very strong money at the time (made a whole £5 profit LOL) allowing my next purchase....
Then came the 981 GT4, purchased privately from a PistonHeads member this was fully loaded with Clubsport package, PCCB brakes, extended leather etc etc etc. Had this for 18 months in total and whilst I loved it ultimately I always found it a compromised road car - suspension was too harsh (and noisy) for the roads I often drive and I decided to sell whilst the values were still strong. At the time of selling (to OPC Chester) it was the most expensive GT4 in the network!
Then came a practical 4-seater (kids getting bigger...) so a 2012 V8 M3 Comp pack in Santorini blue (which I still have) was purchased. Great practical 4 seater with a wonderful engine yet questionable brakes and quite a heavy barge.
But the Porsche want was still strong and with a space in the garage and an addiction to satisfy a perfect spec Cayman R was purchased again from Tom at 911V. Great service from Tom and actually bought the car blind (I trust Tom and he knows how anal I am about cars!) and Tom delivered it to my house. A wonderful car, so capable, composed, pure - the CR is a sublime road car and arguably in my opinion a far more capable ‘fast road car’ than the GT4 it replaced. However this was a short lived love affair as I was simply too tall for the 987.2 chassis and the compromise was too much for my 6ft4 frame! My height was the only reason this car was sold back to Tom at 911V and it’s just one of those things...
Then came my latest Porsche which is the beautiful 981 Spyder. This car was a private purchase and with just 1,200 miles over 2.5 years and fully specced with loads of options including my preferred 918 buckets. A good deal was done (being December helped me!) and I’ve enjoyed it since. In my opinion the Spyder offers a compliance that the GT4 never could and again for road use it’s far more suited to me. Arguably one of the best looking modern P cars I’m thoroughly enjoying every drive out.
What’s your Porsche history so far...????
5 years on and I’m now on Porsche number 4 showing that those dreams we have as children can become reality. I blame the A4 picture of the 911 I had on the bedroom wall as a child!
Number 1 was a 997.2 GTS PDK bought from Tom and the excellent team at 911V. Had this for 2 years and carried out a few mods to individualise it and improve the car including Sharkwerks bypass pipe, H&R lowering springs, Aero kit front splitter, Zunsport grills, GT3 RS C/L wheels with Michelin Cup 2’s - all these made the car a much nicer place to be and improved the looks & handling.
Car was returned to standard and sold to Hexagon who offered very strong money at the time (made a whole £5 profit LOL) allowing my next purchase....
Then came the 981 GT4, purchased privately from a PistonHeads member this was fully loaded with Clubsport package, PCCB brakes, extended leather etc etc etc. Had this for 18 months in total and whilst I loved it ultimately I always found it a compromised road car - suspension was too harsh (and noisy) for the roads I often drive and I decided to sell whilst the values were still strong. At the time of selling (to OPC Chester) it was the most expensive GT4 in the network!
Then came a practical 4-seater (kids getting bigger...) so a 2012 V8 M3 Comp pack in Santorini blue (which I still have) was purchased. Great practical 4 seater with a wonderful engine yet questionable brakes and quite a heavy barge.
But the Porsche want was still strong and with a space in the garage and an addiction to satisfy a perfect spec Cayman R was purchased again from Tom at 911V. Great service from Tom and actually bought the car blind (I trust Tom and he knows how anal I am about cars!) and Tom delivered it to my house. A wonderful car, so capable, composed, pure - the CR is a sublime road car and arguably in my opinion a far more capable ‘fast road car’ than the GT4 it replaced. However this was a short lived love affair as I was simply too tall for the 987.2 chassis and the compromise was too much for my 6ft4 frame! My height was the only reason this car was sold back to Tom at 911V and it’s just one of those things...
Then came my latest Porsche which is the beautiful 981 Spyder. This car was a private purchase and with just 1,200 miles over 2.5 years and fully specced with loads of options including my preferred 918 buckets. A good deal was done (being December helped me!) and I’ve enjoyed it since. In my opinion the Spyder offers a compliance that the GT4 never could and again for road use it’s far more suited to me. Arguably one of the best looking modern P cars I’m thoroughly enjoying every drive out.
What’s your Porsche history so far...????
Four Porsches in five years? It's a pity you've not had such a great experience of Porsche ownership. How long will the latest one last and why have you only done only 1,200 miles in 2 1/2 years!?
I'm four years in. 37k miles in that time in my 981C 2.7 PDK. Great car when there's an open road but I am beginning to think I'd prefer something with less power so I can pretend I'm going faster when all the traffic, speed cameras, pot holes, and road works choke 99% of my enjoyment.
Still, 1% of the time I hear the F6 howl and it rekindles my enthusiasm. And not being able to drive fast keeps the mpg over 37!
I'm four years in. 37k miles in that time in my 981C 2.7 PDK. Great car when there's an open road but I am beginning to think I'd prefer something with less power so I can pretend I'm going faster when all the traffic, speed cameras, pot holes, and road works choke 99% of my enjoyment.
Still, 1% of the time I hear the F6 howl and it rekindles my enthusiasm. And not being able to drive fast keeps the mpg over 37!
DJMC said:
Four Porsches in five years? It's a pity you've not had such a great experience of Porsche ownership. How long will the latest one last and why have you only done only 1,200 miles in 2 1/2 years!?
You're interpreting it differently to me...I think he's saying previous owner had it for 2.5 years and 1,200 miles - and he's enjoying his Porsches.
LordGrover said:
DJMC said:
Four Porsches in five years? It's a pity you've not had such a great experience of Porsche ownership. How long will the latest one last and why have you only done only 1,200 miles in 2 1/2 years!?
You're interpreting it differently to me...I think he's saying previous owner had it for 2.5 years and 1,200 miles - and he's enjoying his Porsches.
Stuart70 said:
LordGrover said:
DJMC said:
Four Porsches in five years? It's a pity you've not had such a great experience of Porsche ownership. How long will the latest one last and why have you only done only 1,200 miles in 2 1/2 years!?
You're interpreting it differently to me...I think he's saying previous owner had it for 2.5 years and 1,200 miles - and he's enjoying his Porsches.
Admittedly I don't get chance to do a lot of miles with a full time job, young family, wife who likes holidays etc but I love the car on every journey. The best journeys are those with no destination and my current record is 72 miles for a pint of milk (ironically it was purchased at the local fuel station less than 2 miles from home!) on a lovely summers evening.
LordGrover said:
You're interpreting it differently to me...
I think he's saying previous owner had it for 2.5 years and 1,200 miles - and he's enjoying his Porsches.
Ah... I see what you mean. A low mileage when he purchased. Got it.I think he's saying previous owner had it for 2.5 years and 1,200 miles - and he's enjoying his Porsches.
But I think it's only his current one he's enjoying. First sold fairly quickly, 2nd too harsh, 3rd too small.
At least he's persevering! One go with a Merc (5 months) and it put me off the brand for good!
DJMC said:
Ah... I see what you mean. A low mileage when he purchased. Got it.
But I think it's only his current one he's enjoying. First sold fairly quickly, 2nd too harsh, 3rd too small.
At least he's persevering! One go with a Merc (5 months) and it put me off the brand for good!
997.2 was kept for 2 years - only sold to scratch the GT4 itch...But I think it's only his current one he's enjoying. First sold fairly quickly, 2nd too harsh, 3rd too small.
At least he's persevering! One go with a Merc (5 months) and it put me off the brand for good!
GT4 kept for 18 months
Cayman R was short lived at 9 months - Epic car!
Spyder likely to be a longer term prospect...
Too young for a Merc!
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I agree 100% on the OPC attitude which is probably the reasons I've only purchased privately or from Tom at 911V. OPC sales people I find so condescending, lack product knowledge, are lazy, detached from the real World ownership proposition and the ones I've conversed with have very little interest in talking with genuine enthusiasts unless you have £££££ to spend on new cars. Final straw for me after agreeing to sell them my highly spec'd GT4 was a verbal agreement for a future 718 Spyder slot - that in reality turned into a telephone call suggesting a new Macan purchase 'might' get me on the list!!! Pretentious Bulls**t! I will continue to enjoy the brand but not the dealerships sales policies.anonymous said:
[redacted]
I'm with you on OPC attitudes. You'll have seen elsewhere I wasn't allowed to extend my warranty at year 5 due to the Zunsport grilles which the same OPC passed for warranty in 2017 (got my money back for that one).What did you change to though? I struggle to see any brand with anything worthwhile as both a daily driver and "fun" car.
Oh dear RR!
I feel sorry that you’ve not had a better experience.
I’ve had 4 cars from Cambridge OPC in 13 years. Boxster, C4S Cab,997.2TT and Cayenne x 2. I’m lucky enough to run a sports model and 4x4 at the same time.
They have been fabulous to deal with across all departments and make you feel like one of the family.
Edited to add one I’d missed!
I feel sorry that you’ve not had a better experience.
I’ve had 4 cars from Cambridge OPC in 13 years. Boxster, C4S Cab,997.2TT and Cayenne x 2. I’m lucky enough to run a sports model and 4x4 at the same time.
They have been fabulous to deal with across all departments and make you feel like one of the family.
Edited to add one I’d missed!
Edited by David W. on Tuesday 1st October 13:40
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I did the same backwards move once. Had an E46 325ci cab in 2001 for three years and then changed to a DB7. Horrible, horrible car. Went back to a 2003 E46 330ci cab for the next nine years until the E350 cab disaster in 2014. Later BMWs have lost the "ultimate driving machine" feel, same as a lot of modern cars nowadays. Sometimes older can be better if it suits you. anonymous said:
[redacted]
DJMC said:
I'm with you on OPC attitudes. You'll have seen elsewhere I wasn't allowed to extend my warranty at year 5 due to the Zunsport grilles which the same OPC passed for warranty in 2017 (got my money back for that one).
No-one forces you to run an extended warranty, it's not compulsary. 981s are very reliable and I'm not wasting £2k on one.On the subject of OPCs they do vary, so you need to find one that you like. However, you have to accept that the GT products will always go to the best customer i.e. biggest spenders. They are a business after all, and in my case I'm far too small a fish to be offered any of the hard to get cars. You have to accept your place in the pecking order and not get bothered by it - it makes for a happier life
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I think the source of the issue is that the OPC doesn't get enough cars allocated to them and there's currently a bun fight for them, not that they don't want to sell you in particular one.anonymous said:
[redacted]
I totally agree, and I'm not interested in that "competition" either. What I have found though is that Porsche ownership does have benefits through the owners club and OPC network in providing access to events and meets, certainly if you're into motorsport as I am.Twinfan said:
No-one forces you to run an extended warranty, it's not compulsary. 981s are very reliable and I'm not wasting £2k on one.
It would have been good, for peace of mind, to have extended again and £1190 is not bad for 2 years. But OPC and PGB say "no" to aftermarket fitments. Since then I took it to RPM for one of their Saturday morning surgeries, just to see if there was anything I should be aware of now it's five.
Absolutely clean bill of health from them, a cup of tea, and even a complimentary underbody wax (the car, not me).
What surprised me was the front tyres had worn only 2mm in 30k miles!...
As RPM can now supply courtesy cars (non-Porsche) at £20 I'm planning on giving them my servicing business from now on.
Last OPC service was a farce.
I bought my first Porsche in 2009 after a few years in Subaru's and an Evo 8.
2002 996 Turbo with 6 pots, PSS10 suspension and GT2 anti roll bars and geo and tubistyle exhaust and DMS remap, bought privately from a friend.
Fantastic introduction to the brand.
Three years later this was replaced with a 997.1 GT3. Comfort spec but a really lovely thing. Bought from JZM.
Then I got a 996 C4S and paid the mortgage off with the change from the GT3.
This was bought from Tom at 911V . I still have this and have really grown to love it.
It looks great and just feels a nice mix of classic and modern.
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/WNbu84Vk.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/XP4gKtoh" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/XP4gKtoh.jpg)
Then last year I added a Cayman R to the 996, what a great car it is. Absolutely love it, and it's a one of one PTS colour.
2002 996 Turbo with 6 pots, PSS10 suspension and GT2 anti roll bars and geo and tubistyle exhaust and DMS remap, bought privately from a friend.
Fantastic introduction to the brand.
Three years later this was replaced with a 997.1 GT3. Comfort spec but a really lovely thing. Bought from JZM.
Then I got a 996 C4S and paid the mortgage off with the change from the GT3.
This was bought from Tom at 911V . I still have this and have really grown to love it.
It looks great and just feels a nice mix of classic and modern.
Then last year I added a Cayman R to the 996, what a great car it is. Absolutely love it, and it's a one of one PTS colour.
Great thread and some interesting points.
I'm just over one year into Porsche ownership and still loving every second. I guess like most, it was a long held dream; having set myself the target of buying my first Porsche at 30, then 35 (and a few times in between) each time I was thwarted by my ex-wife. So with a divorce behind me (nothing to do with not buying the Porsche!), it took my new girlfriend to support me realising the dream and the approaching 40th Birthday to take the plunge.
I bought myself a 2014 MacanS petrol with c. 33k miles from Hatfield OPC. My experience all in all was pretty good - the car was well prepped (apart from a very cursory refurb of the face of the wheels, which is now bubbling and needs a full on strip and powdercoat). Once winter is through, I will get the car over to Lepsons to get that work done. In the meantime, she's all prepped for winter with a good coat of wax.
Unfortunately shortly after purchasing, I had to have the transfer box replaced. This is the second replacement for this vehicle evidently but have been assured that it's received the upgraded one this time. I used Cambridge OPC for that warranty work and like a few other comments here, I can highly recommend them.
The one thing which does frustrate, however, is the lead-time for getting any work booked in. I'm often quoted 4-6 weeks for workshop and >10wks for a courtesy car. Seems a little excessive to me and is one of the reasons my local garage is getting the work to replace the rear brake pads. I bought them from Cambridge OPC but the local indy will be fitting them. In some ways a shame since the OPC price wasn't all that bad.
Anyway, I absolutely love the car. Every time I start it, it makes me smile and it feels so great owning and driving my own Porsche.......finally! I'm actually surprised at the love it gets too - I was expecting a lot of jealousy or w*/ker like comments from some people, but I've had lots of positivity towards it. I also volunteer with the Ambulance Service as a Community First Responder and Ambulance crews are very positive towards it when they back me up on jobs. I guess not the normal "Response" vehicle.
I've not done much to it - just changed the Michelin Latitudes for Pirelli Scorpion all seasons given I didn't have the cash / storage space for a winter set. And I've had the rear windows tinted since it was missing privacy glass. I'm normally someone who changes cars frequently (on average every year), but I've no intention of changing this for the foreseeable. It's perfectly big enough for the pair of us and my 6yr old daughter. If more babies arrive on the scene then I'll take a look at the Cayenne but I could also imagine hanging onto the Macan and 5er Touring or something as the main family vehicle.
Here it is a couple of weeks back after I spent a day detailing it....
I'm just over one year into Porsche ownership and still loving every second. I guess like most, it was a long held dream; having set myself the target of buying my first Porsche at 30, then 35 (and a few times in between) each time I was thwarted by my ex-wife. So with a divorce behind me (nothing to do with not buying the Porsche!), it took my new girlfriend to support me realising the dream and the approaching 40th Birthday to take the plunge.
I bought myself a 2014 MacanS petrol with c. 33k miles from Hatfield OPC. My experience all in all was pretty good - the car was well prepped (apart from a very cursory refurb of the face of the wheels, which is now bubbling and needs a full on strip and powdercoat). Once winter is through, I will get the car over to Lepsons to get that work done. In the meantime, she's all prepped for winter with a good coat of wax.
Unfortunately shortly after purchasing, I had to have the transfer box replaced. This is the second replacement for this vehicle evidently but have been assured that it's received the upgraded one this time. I used Cambridge OPC for that warranty work and like a few other comments here, I can highly recommend them.
The one thing which does frustrate, however, is the lead-time for getting any work booked in. I'm often quoted 4-6 weeks for workshop and >10wks for a courtesy car. Seems a little excessive to me and is one of the reasons my local garage is getting the work to replace the rear brake pads. I bought them from Cambridge OPC but the local indy will be fitting them. In some ways a shame since the OPC price wasn't all that bad.
Anyway, I absolutely love the car. Every time I start it, it makes me smile and it feels so great owning and driving my own Porsche.......finally! I'm actually surprised at the love it gets too - I was expecting a lot of jealousy or w*/ker like comments from some people, but I've had lots of positivity towards it. I also volunteer with the Ambulance Service as a Community First Responder and Ambulance crews are very positive towards it when they back me up on jobs. I guess not the normal "Response" vehicle.
I've not done much to it - just changed the Michelin Latitudes for Pirelli Scorpion all seasons given I didn't have the cash / storage space for a winter set. And I've had the rear windows tinted since it was missing privacy glass. I'm normally someone who changes cars frequently (on average every year), but I've no intention of changing this for the foreseeable. It's perfectly big enough for the pair of us and my 6yr old daughter. If more babies arrive on the scene then I'll take a look at the Cayenne but I could also imagine hanging onto the Macan and 5er Touring or something as the main family vehicle.
Here it is a couple of weeks back after I spent a day detailing it....
Edited by Spuffington on Wednesday 2nd October 10:38
Edited by Spuffington on Wednesday 2nd October 10:45
I have had 2 so far a 15 plate 981 GTS and a 18 plate 718 GTS and should they come im hoping to own a 6 cylinder 718 (GTS?)
Its the comments about OPC's that interest me prior to Porsche I had been a serial BMW owner (12 cars over 18 years) but had reached the point where I didnt want another so started to look around first stop Mercedes expressed an intrest in a SLK AMG 55 dealer didnt have one & couldnt get one to test which didnt impress then Audi who did have a TT RS but didnt want to let me have an extended test drive. I then decided to visit the Porsche OPC in Dorsert and was fairly suprised no they didnt have a 981 GTS to test but they would try to get one which they did ok it took 2 weeks but they were happy to lend it to me for a day bearing in mind that I no previous dealing's with them think this was quite impressive and I have totally happy with all subequent dealings and seem much more intrested in me than BMW ever did
Its the comments about OPC's that interest me prior to Porsche I had been a serial BMW owner (12 cars over 18 years) but had reached the point where I didnt want another so started to look around first stop Mercedes expressed an intrest in a SLK AMG 55 dealer didnt have one & couldnt get one to test which didnt impress then Audi who did have a TT RS but didnt want to let me have an extended test drive. I then decided to visit the Porsche OPC in Dorsert and was fairly suprised no they didnt have a 981 GTS to test but they would try to get one which they did ok it took 2 weeks but they were happy to lend it to me for a day bearing in mind that I no previous dealing's with them think this was quite impressive and I have totally happy with all subequent dealings and seem much more intrested in me than BMW ever did
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