New to FChat

Hi All,

I'm introducing myself as a new member. I've owned several Porsches over the years, but always thought that Ferraris were too expensive. Well, after debating with myself for many years and spending more and more on Porsches, I decided to take the plunge. Then came the hard part: Assuming I would only have 1 (at least to start, but it's hard to fight this habit), which model???

I started off thinking of a 458 because of the beautiful design and NA sound. The placement of the engine and the resulting mid-engined look was something that had appealed to me since the time when Magnum P.I. was originally aired. Then, after having spoken with a few salespeople and making a good connection with one, I started thinking of an 812 because of the "classic" V12. Test drove both and decided I wanted a newer car. But wait, I can get a V12 in something else? I never thought the Lusso was attractive in pictures, but seeing one in person changed my mind. Plus, I could rationalize the purchase even more by being able to bring my wife and 2 young daughters with me. My wife actually encouraged me to go with a 2-seater, but I'm glad I got the Lusso because my daughters love it. They know that it's special to me, so they like going for rides in what they originally called "the safari".

Anyway, I don't tend to post very often, really only when I feel I have something to add. Regardless, I enjoy reading others' posts. Happy to join a group of fellow enthusiasts!

Steve

 

Thank you All! As requested, here are some pics from the day the baby arrived. The professional-looking one was from the dealer listing

 

@Julia, 355 Spider is a beautiful car, and many think 355s are the best sounding V8s. Like I wrote before, this is a hard habit to break, so I've been dreaming of a 2nd baby, most likely a NA V8 like yours. The only problem is garage space, i.e. the 911 GT3 would have to go

 

Build another garage?

I started looking into a lift, but I have to admit, I probably don't drive the cars enough to keep everything. I only put 800 miles on the GT3 over the past year and a total of ~4100 miles over 4 years. This year, it'll probably be driven even less. If I could bring myself to daily drive the Lusso, I would sell/trade in my X5 (which has already been kicked out of the garage) and maybe the GT3.

 

Apologies in advance for the long reply.

I’ve daily driven other 911s, but I personally wouldn’t do it with a GT3. I have a 2019, 991.2, with carbon bucket seats. I believe Ferrari’s carbon seats have folding backs. Porsche’s do not, which means that access to the storage space behind the seats (where the rear seats in other 911s would be) is hindered. You have to get in and slide the seat up, and/or you have to wrangle whatever you want to put back there over the center console and between the front seats. They’re also deep and narrow, so getting into and out of them requires more acrobatics than Ferrari’s. For a daily driver, I would stay away from the carbon buckets.

The front end is also very low, lower than Ferraris. I have a front end lift, which works faster than the one in the Lusso, but it still takes time to work, and you definitely have to use it over speed bumps and with many driveways.

Visibility out of 911s is typically excellent, but the GT3 rear wing cuts right across the middle of the view out the back. Very difficult to see if the vehicle following you is one that could pull you over.

The engine sounds great, but it’s loud. Short trips are fine, but longer road trips can impact one’s hearing. Probably fine with a helmet on at the track, but I would probably use earplugs if I was to drive on the street or highway for more than a couple of hours.

Winter tires are a must, IMO, if temps consistently drop below 50F. I’ve been OK in wet weather—even a torrential thunderstorm—by taking it really easy on the Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires, but I wouldn’t recommend it, and they’re definitely slippery in cold temps. If you get significant amounts of snow, you could then use the car as a RWD, expensive-but-ineffective, snow plow. You’d just need to treat the front spoiler lip and bumper as disposable parts.