Mirage77

Initially, I was supposed to head to the VW showroom for the launch of the Golf GT together with a test drive, but for some reason or another I got the date wrong. I went a week earlier.

But no worries, just right behind the showroom there was a Porsche Pre-Owned Fair going on. So my dad and I popped in for a look...

The line-up




997 C4 Cabriolet




996 Turbo / Turbo S









GT3





Cayman S



Bonus: an M5 parked outside



I came away from the fair still rather unimpressed by Porsches. They are atypical German cars to me, and that experience is increasingly being emulated by other carmakers as well. Perhaps I'm expecting too much by wanting to be impressed. I guess Porsches will grow on you simply because of their livability and endurance. Also I haven't driven ANY Porsche yet, so my opinion is an unqualified one.

The 996 interiors were also surprisingly aged; I was very glad to see a 997 C4 to compare the interiors. They were really improved. The rear fenders of the 996 also looks boring and unsculptured compared to the 997s. Whoever thought of making the 996's headlights turn out that way must be reprimanded. Luckily the 997 corrected all the faults of the 996 and made it better.

The Cayman and the 997 C4 stole the show for me. Other highlights include the Turbos. I had a chance to sit in most of the models and I found the cabins too be a little too tight for me in all of them. The Cayman's interior was really impressive - the leather, stitching and seats all felt properly priced, as with the 997 C4.

Overall, I had a great time.

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BMW_Dude

Good to see you had fun!

Thanks for the pics!

I notice there weren't any Cayennes there, or am I wrong?

Mr. Chigga_Chan

Noticed there weren't any SUVs either. No classic Porsches there?

I agree with the age comment on the 996 models. That 996 Turbo S does look sort of plain in terms of rear bumper molding, even the pipes and the fin look sort of average. Also, I agree with the interior quality of thee pre-997 Porsches. I don't think Porsche was ever known for having quality or creative interior designs, its all business for German sports cars. Fortunately, Porsche did improve heavily on the 997/Cayman/Boxter interiors. I can't really complain about ours except for little nit-picks.

If I were to go for a used Porsche, I'd shoot for the 993 Turbo or older model Porsches.

888

well, that's a nice pile

Mirage77

There were many Cayennes, but I see them everyday so I didn't bother taking any pictures of them. In fact, the Cayenne outnumbered the rest of the models in the show. I sat in the Cayenne Turbo, the interior was surprisingly unimpressive. Am I expecting too much?

There was a 993 Turbo I think, and a 993 Carrera. I didn't take any pictures of them but I did have a sit in the Turbo. It felt as solid as modern 911s and the thing is a tank.

As a Porsche owner Chigga_Chan, what do you think are the merits of Porsches over other sports cars? I'd love to know.

BMW_Dude

I agree, it's not an interior you'd expect from such an expensive car, but I think it's from the last generation interiors, like the last boxster and 996, the 997 and new boxster are much better, and I'm sure the new Cayenne will be as well!

Mr. Chigga_Chan

This is a long ramble of my experiences with our car.

Well. My car background is mostly in MB's, so when I drive the Porsche, it definitely blows them out of the water in overall driving dynamics. The only area where MB can match and exceed the Porsche is highspeed cruising, the Porsche doesn't have anywhere near the sound insulation of luxury cars, and the engine is right behind you so its relatively loud.

I unfortunately haven't had much experience with other high-end sports cars such as Ferraris, Lambos etc, so I can't really compare. I'm a poor speciment for driving comparos.

Driving in Deutschland and across the US the Porsche performed well in all situations, wet or dry. We were speeding over 120mph on the Autobahn from Munich to Stuttgart in pouring rain and we were fine. The funny thing is that people were blowing by us in the rain....crazy Germans.

Driving on mountain switchbacks and stuff, the car was a dream, the steering ultra-precise, great tactile feel, but not overwhelming, sharp response, great poise and the power delivery was on point. Even in 6th gear, there is plenty of torque, it made me sort of lazy.

I don't think I've told you anything new Mirage, I'm sorry. But just recalling my driving experiences was quite a pleasure hehehe. One thing though, that rear-weight bias shifting around in turns, I didn't really feel it, even hustling on the switchbacks. The advanced suspension settings in Sport mode really take care of it.

I think the main advantage the Porsche has over other sport cars isn't its driving abilities, we know that a Corvette can match it, same with a Ferrari or a Lambo, but its the overall package and passion of the Porsche. The quality of its interior, the versatility and the styling will convince people to buy it over any other car. There is that "IT" factor thats hard to explain.

Merc1

I'm thoroughly convinced that a Mercedes does the high-speed stability thing better than any other car in the world, past or present. They seem to refuse to dial in better low to moderate speed handling in order to preserve this choc-block feeling at high speed. The low speed ride on my car can be unsettled on the wrong pavement, wobbly even. Smooth pavement it positively glides. The ride does an amazing act of settling down when doing 60-70 mph and anything above 80 mph is like riding on rails and mind you this on a 4 year old W208 CLK430 Cabrio!

M

Merc1

Great post. A Porsche is like a BMW in the sense that it isn't the numbers it puts up, it is the way it does it. German cars are about cold efficiency and they all share this feeling of invincibility at high speeds. From my limited experience I'd say Mercedes is first, followed very closely by Porsche, of course all of this depends on which model because a 911 is going to whop a C-Class anything in stability at high speed, but you get the point brandwise. Then I'd say BMW, Audi/VW come in next. Of course depending on the model because I'm stating the overall picture here. A M5 or S6 is going to be more stable than a C350, or at least they should be.

I've driven the current Jetta and came away amazed at how solid it felt and how well it track at ridiculous speeds on the highway. No Civic, Corolla or Sentra even compares, they're all laughable by comparision.

Porsches add a component to the mix, they're like being in an airplane, a little different from a Benz/BMW/Audi.

M

Mirage77

You mean the new generation Cayenne right? I'm not sure if they did anything to the facelifted Cayenne to improve it... Hope to take a look at it soon.

Thanks, Mr Chigga_Chan!

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