Are Porsches Over-Engineered?

Car was serviced by the book and never tracked. Early 89.5 car. Cured me of wanting an over glorified VW ever again (and yes, my Bentley was built in the pre-VW era...)

 

There is a flip side to this. The PDK on my '09 Cayman is slicker than whale s***. Forget the flippers and just drive. The harder you drive the car, the faster it shifts, AND it reaches up and grabs the next gear; but if you lift, it immediately grabs the next lower gear.

Picture this: A two-lane country highway with a pickup truck in front of you. Both of you are doing 70. The car is in 7th gear. You pull out to pass and roll on the gas. (Notice I said roll -- not punch.) The car downshifts into 4th faster than the LED light can change. You immediately jump up to 85 and pass. No drama mama.

The car also adjusts other things automatically. When you lift, it pulls in the calipers a cun, ah, I mean a gnat's hair. The harder you drive, the tigher it winds itself. At first, it is a bit creepy at first knowing the car is watching you, but you get over this quick.

While I love old Porsches, it's gotta have the new stuff if it is gonna dance with me.

Dale

 

Excellent thread. I have the greatest car ever made-1982 911sc coupe-and yes it is old school. Mechanic doing my nys inspection told me that he just had a 996 in the shop and it needed a steering wheel angle sensor; my car doesn't even have power steering.

Every series of 911 has their weak spots but the huge quality drop off occurred with the 996. They aren't what they once were.....

 

It's like I've always said, it's hard to have fun in a car without a steering wheel angle sensor.

 

Restoring my '59 Maserati 3500gt has been a joy..the beauty and simplicity of the design and components is stunning. Everything in it's place, no more than necessary. I can't wait to get her out on the road the first time!

 

That's interesting, when we had dinner in Carmel, you didn't tell me you were a hairdresser...

 

Oh, and did I tell you about who I saw with who yesterday?

Dale

PS Too bad, about your P-Bug. Despite what some might have you believe, Porsche has built some stinkers in the past. What teutonic nightmare possessed them to build an engine without head gaskets?

 

There is no question of the difference between old and new. There is also no question that it is occasionally fun to drive what used to be new. But, for everyday use or if you're headed for the track, you can have all that old-time religion. Me, I'm gonna drive the new girl at the dance.

Dale

 

I'm not worried about it, had it been a great car, I likely would not have bought the Mulsanne, and I have to admit, I prefer that car over the 2 V8 Ferraris we have. It is on par with the 365.

 

<swoon>I love the 3500GTs. Not only a beautiful car, but many things are of technical interest: twin-plug DOHC six, tubular frame construction. I'm not usually a fan of cars that old but the Maser does it for me in every way.

 

My 944 S2 is an incredible car. Just fantastic. It has over 100k miles and is more tight and solid than any of the new cars I've tried in recent years.

I've taken apart (and put back together) a few Porsches over the years, and everything is high quality and heavy duty. Look at a Porsche connecting rod next to some more powerful Japanese "hot hatch" connecting rod. Look at the hardware Porsche uses. The quality of the undercoating. The galvanized steel. Forged wheels and control arms. The materials used. The fit of mechanical parts. etc. etc.

One of my favorite touches: On the 944 series, the heater/blower motor actually ducts air through the rocker panels and out the bottom, keeping them dry. Try it - turn the heat and the fan on high and run your hand along the rocker panel edge -- there are about half a dozen slots where you will feel the air coming out. I guess galvanizing wasn't good enough!

And the 928? A masterpiece. In my opinion, it is a much better car still today than many new cars. My favorite detail on the 928: Flaps in front of the radiator that open as it heats up. And this was in the '80s, when the "Big Three" were screwing together a bunch of rickety jalopies and the Japanese were churning out flimsy rust-prone death traps.

 

Tell me mo. I knew you lusted after a turbo R, but didn't know you have a Bentley.

You see, I'm looking for a classy road dawg.

Dale

 

Bought it last year.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284410

Fun car, big brute, but can still be hussled through the twisties. Subtle but high class ride. Love the interior, bigger than my first place at college...

 

Why this over the R, jus curious.

Dale

 

Price was right, I'm value driven.

Same suspension, less maintenance, the extra 60hp isn't that noticable in a 5000 pound car.

 

my 997 has both....

 

It other words, you're cheep and proud of it!

Dale

 

Yep. Also semi-literate. It's cheap.

 

You don't need no stinkin' guages or dipstick either. My Cayman has two speedos though. One digital, one analog. How 'bout your Boxster?

Dave

 

Kind of a toss up. With the Boxster you can see the boulder coming and maybe avoid it. With the Cayman, the roof might offer some protection. We are on the way to AZ and went over Wolf Creek Pass today. There were many large rocks on and just off the road. I wonder how the I70 closure went today.

Dave

 

I don't get the whole two speedo thing. my 911's have all been that way too.

it would kinda make sense, if the digital speedo was set so you could scroll to a different screen of info, but that's not the case. you can change other parts of the display but you always have the digital speedo, and the analog one.

it would make more sense to have other gauges fill the space of the analog speedo, IMO.