Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Went on some test drives yesterday. Tried a C7 Z51 7 speed manual, a couple Boxsters (987 base and 987 S), and got cock blocked at the Ford dealer when I asked to drive a car with Magneride.

The '18 C7 was numb and did nothing to stir my loins. The interior was mediocre, the infotainment was light years behind the equivalent Sync, and it wasn't rorty enough, even with the exhaust in "sport." It's a nice car to drive and the chassis is well sorted, but there was no fizz.

First Boxster I drove was a base 987.1 '08 with 88k on it for a price that was verrrrrrry tempting to YOLO on the spot. It drove very nicely, the chassis was compliant, but sporty, the little 2.7 was eager to rev and had a lovely intake sound, and it was squeak/rattle free. However, I was surprised at the travel on the brake pedal and that it was a bit mushy. Not what I was expecting at all. Not sure if maybe some stainless lines and new fluid and pads would sort it. I'll have to try another base car with lower miles.

Second Boxster was another '08, but an S model with sport seats. The intake bark and overall noise was better and it certainly felt a bit faster. Throttle response also felt sharper. The brake pedal on the S model was definitely nicer and more what I would expect. It also had half the miles, but was nearly twice as expensive. I didn't feel that the price gap was justified and will have to sample some more cars.

The 996 was an '03 base car with around 50k on it. It's been a while since I'd driven a 911, the last one was track-prepped 993 almost a decade ago. The clutch was noticeably heavier than the Boxsters and man, you can really feel that weight hanging off the end of it. Interiors have also come a long way since the 996 as well.

It was a nice car to drive, but I came to the conclusion that I'd rather have a Boxster. The Boxsters are more lively, agile, and don't look like a bathtub in convertible form. All three Porsches were at area authorized dealers with the CPO warranty (2 years, unlimited mileage). After my experiences at both (being thrown the keys within minutes of speaking with sales rep) and zero pressure to buy on the spot, I'm sold on buying a CPO car from a dealer. And now I'm keen to try a 981 to see if I'd be missing out on anything.

Sadly, the Ford dealer where @Nabster bought his Mustang from was not a pleasant experience and we were shooed out unless I was willing to do a credit app to prove I could afford it. This was especially odd as we showed up in his Mustang, said that he got it from that dealer, and explained that I just came from a Porsche dealer and had driven a Corvette earlier. It was a disappointing experience when they cited that they had to protect their products and couldn't have people putting miles on their cars to try them out. Upon returning home, we noticed that they had a Bullitt (7 total!) with Magneride and 3800-odd miles on it. This is treatment I've come to expect from GM dealers about new Corvettes and hotter Camaros and left this place insulted and stunned.

On the plus side, when I show up in whatever I buy, I'll rub it in their faces.
 
To add to the above, this dealership is the same one that gave my friend (and former FG member) problems when he wanted to buy his Terminator Cobra new, and ran him off to another dealer. Same deal when he'd wanted a Contour SVT a few years earlier. Would not let him test drive either one. He didn't even bother considering them when the time came to buy his current Edge.

Yet, when another friend wanted a C-Max, they rolled out the red carpet for him and bent over backwards offering multiple test drives, etc., etc.

EDIT: I just called my Cobra owner friend - turns out that wasn't the only bad experience he had with them. He had a girlfriend take a Mustang to their body shop and they didn't repair it correctly twice; they had to take the car to another dealer to get it repaired properly. This same dealership also ripped them off on the 60K service - charged them for work not done and parts not installed, specifically for plugs and wires that he found out had never been done three days later among other things.

This dealership needs to be nuked from orbit.
 
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First Boxster I drove was a base 987.1 '08 with 88k on it for a price that was verrrrrrry tempting to YOLO on the spot. It drove very nicely, the chassis was compliant, but sporty, the little 2.7 was eager to rev and had a lovely intake sound, and it was squeak/rattle free. However, I was surprised at the travel on the brake pedal and that it was a bit mushy. Not what I was expecting at all. Not sure if maybe some stainless lines and new fluid and pads would sort it. I'll have to try another base car with lower miles.

Second Boxster was another '08, but an S model with sport seats. The intake bark and overall noise was better and it certainly felt a bit faster. Throttle response also felt sharper. The brake pedal on the S model was definitely nicer and more what I would expect. It also had half the miles, but was nearly twice as expensive. I didn't feel that the price gap was justified and will have to sample some more cars.

The 996.... I came to the conclusion that I'd rather have a Boxster. And now I'm keen to try a 981 to see if I'd be missing out on anything.
The 981 is basically an improved 987.2. More power, torque, nicer interior, better looking, etc. About the only negatives I can think of vs the older model is the EPS, and no oil dipstick.

Obviously I’m biased. I consider my 981 so good that it’s almost subliminal. I don’t notice it until I have to drive (almost) anything else, at which point I feel miserable.

If a 981 is not in the cards, at least go for a 987.2. Those are the first Boxsters with the 9A1 engine so you won’t have to invest in protecting it against the dreaded IMS issues.

Sadly, the Ford dealer where @Nabster bought his Mustang from was not a pleasant experience and we were shooed out unless I was willing to do a credit app to prove I could afford it. This was especially odd as we showed up in his Mustang, said that he got it from that dealer, and explained that I just came from a Porsche dealer and had driven a Corvette earlier.

On the plus side, when I show up in whatever I buy, I'll rub it in their faces.
I had the near exact experience here, thousands of miles north from you, only in my case it was just to talk to a salesperson at an SVT dealer (an appointment I booked) about possibly landing a GT350. I drove up in my wife’s (then) GLK, and within two minutes of meeting me the guy became visibly annoyed and walked off while I was in mid sentence, as if he was disappointed that I didn’t come in wearing a full suit, wingtips, and cologne that smelled of money.

It’s like we’re the same.

The '18 C7 was numb and did nothing to stir my loins... there was no fizz.
Except this, I don’t know who you are.
 
It’s like we’re the same.


Except this, I don’t know who you are.

Thanks for the affirmation of my choices hah. I definitely am ideally after a 987.2 for the same reason. Just need to find a non-nav car in an actual color. I don’t really care too much about S versus base. But I do want to have a go in a 981. 987s are at the right price point for me though.

Re: the C7, I went to Carmax and the testdrive loop was short and I couldn’t really get on it. So that may be part of why I didn’t feel the car was special.
 
Had a smiliar experience with a Ford dealer here in MA. Pulled in with my friend in his 340i. Got laughed at for trying to drive a Focus RS. When asked to drive a new Mustang GT, we were instead offered an older model with a PVC pipe for a shifter - literally.
 
My friend had a similar experience, fellow car guy wasn't looking for anything specific so I told him to check Stang and RS, dealer wouldn't let him drive either so he went and got an M240i
 
Thanks for the affirmation of my choices hah. I definitely am ideally after a 987.2 for the same reason. Just need to find a non-nav car in an actual color. I don’t really care too much about S versus base. But I do want to have a go in a 981. 987s are at the right price point for me though.

Re: the C7, I went to Carmax and the testdrive loop was short and I couldn’t really get on it. So that may be part of why I didn’t feel the car was special.

Any reason for not looking at the Cayman? Knowing TX weather there are only around 2 weeks when you can actually drop the roof on a convertible, the other 50 you'll be either fried or frozen.

It's the Porsche I would probably buy if I had the means, but as I don't have £40k lying around to drop on a 981S it's not happening any time soon.
 
Any reason for not looking at the Cayman? Knowing TX weather there are only around 2 weeks when you can actually drop the roof on a convertible, the other 50 you'll be either fried or frozen.

It's the Porsche I would probably buy if I had the means, but as I don't have £40k lying around to drop on a 981S it's not happening any time soon.

When you ride a motorcycle while wearing a suit made of firehose material, suffering in the heat is a part of life :D

If I were more serious about track days, I’d go with the Cayman, but I’ve wanted a roadster for some time. It’d be an intermediate for when I’m too lazy to gear up and ride or if the weather may be questionable, but still want to enjoy the open air.
 
My brother just bought a 918 S, it's an impressive car and very nice to drive. Der Stig, I really think that the hardtop would be more enjoyable in the long run. For one thing, you don't have to worry about someone slicing the top. The hardtop is also lighter, stiffer, quieter, and doesn't have the unfortunate image of being the hairdresser's Porsche.

As a bonus, none of the rest of us have to see you. So, if you do get the convertible, please wear your helmet when you drive around. The only topless vehicle that is acceptable for us to drive is a Jeep or an old Land Rover. ?
 
My brother just bought a 918 S, it's an impressive car and very nice to drive. Der Stig, I really think that the hardtop would be more enjoyable in the long run. For one thing, you don't have to worry about someone slicing the top. The hardtop is also lighter, stiffer, quieter, and doesn't have the unfortunate image of being the hairdresser's Porsche.

As a bonus, none of the rest of us have to see you. So, if you do get the convertible, please wear your helmet when you drive around. The only topless vehicle that is acceptable for us to drive is a Jeep or an old Land Rover. ?
Cayman weighs more, actually. Regardless, the difference is so small as to not matter to anyone but the most ardent track rat.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_981

And sports cars are about fun, and this is an enthusiast website. If someone avoids a Boxster purely because of the perceived image, then they have more pressing issues to address.
 
Convertibles are awesome. Anyone who says otherwise has probably never owned one.
Convertibles are stupid, I've driven a couple never wanted to own one.


If someone avoids a Boxster purely because of the perceived image,

I can't think of a single car that doesn't have some sort of a stigma attached to it, Mustang drivers crash all the time, Corvettes are for old people, Porsche is a dentist car, Challengers are boats, etc...
 
Convertibles are stupid, I've driven a couple never wanted to own one.
You also think FWD is the devil, are puzzled why people would ever want to live outside a concrete jungle, and believe Porsche would have been better off going bankrupt than building an SUV that made them profitable, and allow them to build even more awesome sports cars.

I rest my case, your honor.

I can't think of a single car that doesn't have some sort of a stigma attached to it, Mustang drivers crash all the time, Corvettes are for old people, Porsche is a dentist car, Challengers are boats, etc...
I never said there weren’t stigmas, only that if you let them sway a non-essential purchase like a sports car, you’re probably more concerned with how it makes you look to others, instead of how the car itself makes you feel.
 
You also think FWD is the devil, are puzzled why people would ever want to live outside a concrete jungle, and believe Porsche would have been better off going bankrupt than building an SUV that made them profitable, and allow them to build even more awesome sports cars.
I don't think them's the facts ;)

Also I seriously doubt Porsche would have disappeared, VAG woulda just picked em up earlier than they did. Look at McLaren, they basically made no cars between the F1 and MP4 12C, they didn't go away.

I never said there weren’t stigmas, only that if you let them sway a non-essential purchase like a sports car, you’re probably more concerned with how it makes you look to others, instead of how the car itself makes you feel.
I was just adding a bit to your point, that if you try to avoid stigma you basically gonna be walking everywhere.
 
I don't think them's the facts ;)

Also I seriously doubt Porsche would have disappeared, VAG woulda just picked em up earlier than they did. Look at McLaren, they basically made no cars between the F1 and MP4 12C, they didn't go away.
Those are the facts. Porsche was on life support, extended by the initial success of the 986 Boxster, but by the time the Cayenne rolled around they were again in a heap of trouble.

(Oh, and although Porsche is part of VAG, guess who is the majority stakeholder of VAG? The Porsche family.)

McLaren is not analogous to Porsche, because they were not (until recently) earning their keep selling consumer vehicles. They were a racing outfit, that just happened to make one single “production” vehicle (just over 100 were ever made). Although Porsche went racing, its solvency was dependent on its consumer sales.
 
Porsche’s financial straits was because they tried to buy VW and failed at it. Really their own fault.

You are also forgetting that McLaren was/is a contract manufacturer.

mclaren-mustang-craigs.jpg


Behold the 1988 Ford ASC McLaren Mustang.
 
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