At this point my order has been placed with the Porsche factory, configured as specified in the last post. I did end up selecting the European Delivery option, so we will be traveling to Germany sometime most likely in October - the delivery date has yet to be determined. I figured this whole experience so far has been pretty incredible - winning a raffle for a Porsche 911 Carrera S, on my birthday no less - so I figure why not continue the experience. This should be a great story for the rest of my life.
I am currently working with the dealer to finalize some other paperwork and calculate the final numbers with PCA and Porsche Cars North America. Once that is complete, I will primarily be in a waiting stage until the car is built. In the meantime the only thing to do is to continue planning our trip to Europe. My wife and I didn't have passports so the first thing we did was get that paperwork submitted and expedited, as that information is needed for the tourist delivery option.
We have yet to get into any detailed plans, but I have a general idea of where we want to go. We won't be able to book any hotels or flights until there is a set date for the delivery. As I mentioned in the last post, we will be going South from Zuffenhausen, and will end up going through Switzerland, Italy, and France, and possibly Austria, Monaco and Liechtenstein. Here is a map of my preliminary route. Zoom almost all the way in on points D and E to see some of the fun. I don't want to go to any tourist traps, historical places, or do any sightseeing other than what we encounter on the roads. I want this to be a vacation of purely driving one of the best driving vehicles in the world on some of the best driving roads in the world, nothing else. I'm shooting for about 4 to 5 days of driving, on the road about 6 hours per day. That way we'll have time and not be in a rush and I won't get burned out too quickly. It should end up being somewhere around 1,000-1,200 miles total, which should do nicely to break in the new car.
So that's where I am now, everything about the car itself should be mostly wrapped up at this point other than some boring details. So I'll keep this updated as I progress on the tourist delivery plans.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Narrowing Choices
Other than the color I haven't spoken much about the other choices in building this car. Let me start with the specific model of 911. There is the regular Carrera, the Carrera S, the 4, 4s, GT3, etc, and most of them have Coupe or Cabriolet versions. Starting with the easiest choices, I'm not interested in a convertible because of the weight and rigidity issues - I want a car purely for driving - potentially on the track - not for cruising. The GT3 / GT3RS / Turbo / GT2s are out of my price range, so that helps narrow this down. So we're left with the C2, C2S, C4 and C4S Coupes. For the same weight / performance concerns as above I'm going to go with the 2 wheel drive version, and I'm not a big fan of the red stripe across the back of the C4's either. The raffle itself provides a C2S which seems to be the ideal choice for me as well, so I'm going to stick with that.
There are an enourmous number of options for 911s. Some options require or conflict with others, so it can take a while to figure out what is even possible. I've done quite a bit of research trying to understand all the options, in some cases with limited information becuase of the new model year. I've also tried to think about what options I would actually USE realistically. Here is my current option list:
[edit] Here are some photos of the color I took
with a camera phone on a 911 Cabriolet:
There are an enourmous number of options for 911s. Some options require or conflict with others, so it can take a while to figure out what is even possible. I've done quite a bit of research trying to understand all the options, in some cases with limited information becuase of the new model year. I've also tried to think about what options I would actually USE realistically. Here is my current option list:
- 19" Carrera Sport Wheel (XRR)
These are the wider wheel option that has an 11.5" wide rear rim - Leather Sport Seats (P77) (in Sand Beige (TE))
This is a sportier seat than the standard "Comfort" seats, but not the full racing bucket seat with harness pass-throughs. - Heated Seats (342)
This should be good for colder weather driving, as well as add to resale. I can't imagine it adds much, if any weight. - Floor Mats in Interior Color (810)
Need to have floor mats, don't want to wear the original carpet prematurely. - Navigation Module for PCM (672)
New for 2009 is a touch-screen navigation system, otherwise I would have skipped this option. Bose High End Sound Package (680)
I'm not 100% sold on this option yet, I'd like to compare the default sound system with a Bose one in a 2008 if at all possible. I've heard this option isn't worth the money.
[edit: I ended up deleting this option, again not much positive feedback and decided that this option wasn't in line with making it a "driver's" car.]- Universal Audio Interface (870)
This is cool, primarily for the USB interface which allows you to plug in a USB thumb drive and play MP3s from it. I'm getting this in place of the 6 disk CD changer. There is still a single-disk CD/DVD player in the dash (which also supports MP3s). - Sport Chrono Package Plus (640)
I was up in the air on this option, but it does add some more features other than just the Chrono so I opted for it. - Sport Shifter (XCZ)
I have a short-shift kit on my 944 and I like it, though the default shift throw is less on the 911 it should still be a nice, sporty upgrade. I should also mention that this option is only available for customer specified orders. - PASM Sports Suspension Package (P17)
This lowers the suspension another 10mm (20mm in total from the default Carrera), and adds the limited slip diff as well. - Delete Model Designation (498)
I opted for this option to keep the lines of the car as clean as possible; no badge on the rear of the car. It's a free option, and I don't need to "advertise" what the car is. - Bluetooth Interface for Mobile Phone (619)
While I don't talk on the phone in the car very much, I figured it would be a lot easier to do so with this option, and it's pretty much expected in any remotely higher-end vehicle nowadays. - Self Dimming Mirrors (267)
I initially thought I would skip this option, but I really like the self-dimming mirror in my Land Rover, and since the Carrera is much lower and therefore more in-line with other vehicles' headlights, glare will be that much more of a problem.
- 7 Speed PDK Transmission
For an automatic this is definitely a step up from the tiptronic, but as far as I'm concerned it's still an automatic. I haven't driven it yet, but I suspect it will still second-guess the driver's input in certain scenarios. If you can't stall the car while this transmission is in manual mode, it's not really a manual transmission. This is also the first year for the transmission so it might not be entirely sorted out. - Power seats / memory seats
This option varies depending on the type of seat you get, but it's generally on the expensive side and I imagine the full power seats must add some unwanted weight. The manual seat still has power recline, which I would do without as well if it were possible. - Park Assist System
Looks like this is in the rear of the car only and probably just beeps. I'll just learn to drive instead :). If this were actually a rear camera that displayed in the PCM display that would be cool, but it's not. - Electronic Logbook
This is neat in theory, I just don't see any practicality to it. What would I do with a log of my driving? - PCM Voice Control
This option is for customer specified orders only so I can't really check it out. Most voice activated systems I've used are inaccurate and/or slow to use, I'd rather just press buttons. I can't imagine this will hurt resale value. Plus with the bluetooth option, I imagine (don't know for sure) that you will be able to use the voice-activated features of your phone without this. - XM Radio
I don't have any satellite radio and don't plan on getting it. Also there is Sirius as well, so I'd be out of luck if I opted for that system in the future. Finally, the Universal Audio Interface provides an auxiliary input that I could plug any aftermarket system into. - 6-disk CD/DVD changer
As mentioned above, the ability to play MP3s via USB stick or in-dash CD/DVD should provide plenty of music playing time for me as I rip every CD I buy to MP3 format. - Rear Window Wiper
This option I elected not to get simply because I don't think it looks good. The rear wiper is kind of big and clunky and would hurt the clean lines of the car. - Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB)
$8,000? Wow. - Sports Exhaust System
This option is expensive and doesn't provide any performance improvement. The Carrera already sounds fantastic. - Interior Anything in Aluminum/Carbon Fiber/Exterior Color/Leather/etc.
These many interior options are highly configurable and can make for a very nice interior from the few examples I've seen at the dealer, however they are expensive and not performance related so I opted out of them. - Most Options In General
Many of these options that I didn't elect are able to be added at a later time by the dealer, they don't have to be ordered with the car. There are some exceptions, but as far as I know I can add the 6 disk changer, electronic logbook, rear model designation, different seats, sport exhaust, roof transport system, etc. at a later time if I change my mind.
[edit] Here are some photos of the color I took
with a camera phone on a 911 Cabriolet:
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Test Drive
At lunchtime my wife, Jen, and I went back to Porsche of the Main Line to make a final decision on the color. Being mid-day and very sunny this would be the best time to see the colors in all their glory. The Macadamia Metallic Cabriolet had been pulled out of the showroom and parked out front; it stands out even looking across a parking lot full of Porsches. Our salesman, Randal, pulls around a Meteor Grey car and parks next to the Macadamia for comparison. The 911 exhaust note sounds fantastic while he backs it up next to the other car. The Meteor Grey is nice and stands on its own, but in comparison to the Macadamia it seems dull and I worry about it just blending in with traffic. OK final decision, Macadamia Metallic w/ Sand Beige interior it is.
I ask about a taking the gray Carrera out on a test drive, as it's very close to the car I'll be getting, just a year older - it's a 2008 Carrera S coupe. They allow Jen and I to take it out for a spin around the loop. It's already running so after Randal grabs a copy of my license and the dealer tag I climb in and start adjusting the seat and mirrors. Even just pulling through the parking lot I can tell this car is very nice to drive; with decent power at lower RPM and a shorter first gear than my 944 Turbo it's more drivable at these speeds.
The drive is short but impressive. While mid-day traffic the day before the Fourth of July was light, I still managed to get stuck behind somebody driving under the speed limit. Oh well, no worries, I row through the gears up and down enjoying the light flywheel and fast engine response as I blip the throttle on downshifts. The exhaust sounds as good or better on the inside of the car as it does on the outside, and I this isn't even the sport exhaust. The ride is smooth as can be for a PA road - then I found the sport suspension button and pressed it - then I felt the usual rough ride I have come to expect in PA. Another press of the button and it felt like I teleported to a Maryland road. Neat. This car drives nice, everywhere, at any speed in any gear.
The only thing that was slightly disappointing was the one or two times I really got into the power band it didn't feel that much, if any, stronger than my Turbo. Of course this is a seat of the pants impression so I could be way off. There are a number of other factors that could have influenced this impression - for one it was a hot day and my Turbo would have been down on power significantly on the same day, plus the turbo surges hard in the mid-range RPMs after having no power down low, so the jump feels like a lot - where the Carrera's torque curve is much smoother through the RPM range. Finally, the 2009 Carrera has 30 more HP and 15 more foot-pounds of torque than the one I was driving.
We pull back in to the dealer and begin discussing the next steps with Randal. He shows us the dealer's allocation schedule and I decide to go ahead and lock up one of the very few open slots with a deposit. Now I just need to finalize my option configuration to lock in the order. I hope to run through the options one last time this weekend and check with the Porsche specialty shop I use, Dougherty Automotive, to see if there is anything else I should get with the order early next week. The only other thing I want to do is to contact Vu Nguyen at PCA again just to confirm the timeline and what needs to be done with paperwork. Otherwise hopefully I'll be confirming / finalizing the order by the end of next week.
I ask about a taking the gray Carrera out on a test drive, as it's very close to the car I'll be getting, just a year older - it's a 2008 Carrera S coupe. They allow Jen and I to take it out for a spin around the loop. It's already running so after Randal grabs a copy of my license and the dealer tag I climb in and start adjusting the seat and mirrors. Even just pulling through the parking lot I can tell this car is very nice to drive; with decent power at lower RPM and a shorter first gear than my 944 Turbo it's more drivable at these speeds.
The drive is short but impressive. While mid-day traffic the day before the Fourth of July was light, I still managed to get stuck behind somebody driving under the speed limit. Oh well, no worries, I row through the gears up and down enjoying the light flywheel and fast engine response as I blip the throttle on downshifts. The exhaust sounds as good or better on the inside of the car as it does on the outside, and I this isn't even the sport exhaust. The ride is smooth as can be for a PA road - then I found the sport suspension button and pressed it - then I felt the usual rough ride I have come to expect in PA. Another press of the button and it felt like I teleported to a Maryland road. Neat. This car drives nice, everywhere, at any speed in any gear.
The only thing that was slightly disappointing was the one or two times I really got into the power band it didn't feel that much, if any, stronger than my Turbo. Of course this is a seat of the pants impression so I could be way off. There are a number of other factors that could have influenced this impression - for one it was a hot day and my Turbo would have been down on power significantly on the same day, plus the turbo surges hard in the mid-range RPMs after having no power down low, so the jump feels like a lot - where the Carrera's torque curve is much smoother through the RPM range. Finally, the 2009 Carrera has 30 more HP and 15 more foot-pounds of torque than the one I was driving.
We pull back in to the dealer and begin discussing the next steps with Randal. He shows us the dealer's allocation schedule and I decide to go ahead and lock up one of the very few open slots with a deposit. Now I just need to finalize my option configuration to lock in the order. I hope to run through the options one last time this weekend and check with the Porsche specialty shop I use, Dougherty Automotive, to see if there is anything else I should get with the order early next week. The only other thing I want to do is to contact Vu Nguyen at PCA again just to confirm the timeline and what needs to be done with paperwork. Otherwise hopefully I'll be confirming / finalizing the order by the end of next week.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Winner Announcement
Today the email went out to PCA members announcing the winner of the raffle:
That's all so far, stay tuned for more. If anybody has any questions for me that I haven't already answered just let me know via email, blog/youtube comments, whatever and I'll try to answer them here.
Congratulations to Greg Hassler of the Riesentoter Region!The email contained the above picture of me sitting in the black '07 Carrera they took to my house, with me holding the foam board blowup of my raffle entry ticket with the word "WINNER" written diagonally across it. It also had a link to the youtube video. The video has gotten a couple of comments from people, and I've received a few emails and phone calls from various people within my region as well as outside of my region. So now that it's officially announced I decided to go ahead and put this blog together to share my experience.
That's all so far, stay tuned for more. If anybody has any questions for me that I haven't already answered just let me know via email, blog/youtube comments, whatever and I'll try to answer them here.
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