Finally Home

After a long voyage, the Porsche is finally at home in my garage. On what is probably one of the last nice days of the year, I picked it up from the dealer who had it freshly detailed and ready to go.



I've had a few nice days to be able to drive it here in PA, but I fear winter is going to set in soon and the car will have to stay in the garage for a couple months until spring.

This whole experience has been fantastic. I want to thank all of those involved in pulling this together - Vu and Manny at PCA; Randal, Erik, Erik, John, and Paul at Main Line Porsche; and Louis, Mathias, Paul, and Gabriele at Porsche. While this adventure with winning the raffle, building the car, and taking delivery is over, my experiences driving this incredible car are just beginning.

On Its Way

I found out today that the Carrera is on its way to the seaport of Emden, Germany to take a ride on the vessel Coral Highway to arrive in Baltimore, MD on December 5. I'm guessing it will be at the dealer later the following week and I'll be able to pick it up shortly thereafter. The dealer just needs to do the state inspection and install the ClearBra that I opted for, but otherwise all the other paperwork should be complete.

Photos & Videos from Trip to Europe and Porsche Delivery

Here is a slideshow of the ~200 best photos from our trip:




And some videos:

We're back

The trip was great, the car is fantastic, Jen fell in love with Switzerland, now I have to sort through 1000+ photos - I will post them once we've sorted through them. Check out the map of the actual route we took (roughly 2,000 miles total), or as close as I can make it within the limitations of Google Maps.

We're off

We're leaving for Stuttgart today, traveling overnight and into tomorrow, and the factory tour and delivery is all set for Friday. Packing worked out well with a little bit of thought, I think we should be good. Next post here will include pictures of the car!

Planning and Packing for the Trip

After spending much time on Google Maps and Google Earth learning the area, visiting other sites such as AlpineRoads.com, and watching the "World's Best Driving Roads" episode of Top Gear, I have laid out a Google Map of our planned route through Europe. It's about 1700 miles total, meaning we'll have to average about 250 miles per day which should equate to about 6 hours of driving per day. It should be a nice break-in for the car.

There are no direct flights from Philly to Stuttgart, so we have a layover in Paris on our way to Stuttgart. I have only booked our first and last night's hotel stays, the rest of it will be made up as we go along. Hopefully that plan will work out; I'm a little nervous that we won't be able to find hotels on the fly but I don't really anticipate much of a problem.

Normally I don't have much trouble packing for trips, but this trip has two specific problems that make it more difficult than usual: 1) we expect to encounter a temperature range from about 20-80 degrees Fahrenheit, and 2) we have less than 5 cubic feet of space in the 911 Carrera's front trunk for the two of us for a 10 day trip. There is also the rear seat area which will provide more space, but I'd like to use that space minimally to prevent our stuff from flying around the cabin and also to keep items hidden from view.

To keep space usage to a minimum, we are packing clothes that can be easily layered and which are lightweight and quick-drying so we can hand-wash things on the go. Outside of clothes we'll be taking some very portable electronics: Asus Eee PC for Internet / Email access and Skype usage for phone calls, Garmin C330 GPS w/ European map card, Amazon Kindle - so my wife has something to do (read) on any down time, USB drive loaded with MP3s to test the Porsche's Universal Audio Interface, and of course a digital camera with lots of storage.

We have some foreign currency and I've notified banks and credit cards of our travel plans, passports and international driver's permits are in order, I have the factory delivery information I need, and we have some physical maps to backup the GPS - I think we're all set to go.

Final Numbers

...Sort of. As explained previously, the Federal income tax is withdrawn up front at 25%, so the difference to my actual tax bracket will be sorted out when I file my 2008 taxes, as will the PA income tax. But here are the final up-front numbers:

MSRP (as configured)	$95,525
Freight	$895
Tourist Delivery	$2,250
State Sales & Tire Tax	$5,737
Fees (documentation, title, etc.)	$147
Total Vehicle Cost	$104,554
Effective Credit from Raffle	$71,449
Total Paid Up Front	$33,105

Some of the numbers have been rounded/combined for simplicity's sake, and I didn't include the VAT deposit (as it will be credited back when the car is shipped to the US), but those numbers are pretty much the deal. At this point the papers have been signed and I have the VIN of the vehicle - WP0AB29949S720835 - which is currently in the process of assembly at the factory. I guess I now "officially" own a 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera S.

We leave for Germany exactly two weeks from today.

Porsche Factory Confirmation

OK, after getting back from a Porsche Club Driver's Ed event this weekend, I've received confirmation from the Porsche factory of my delivery date. The letter reads:

Dear Mr. Hassler:

Porsche Cars North America would like to thank you for your Porsche Tourist Delivery order. Taking delivery of your new Porsche on September 26, 2008 in Stuttgart will be the unique beginning of your driving pleasures.

I thought you might appreciate some general information regarding the delivery of your vehicle in Stuttgart. Enclosed in this packet are a brochure which gives full details of the program and a map showing the best way to get to the factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. If you would like, you may keep your local (Stuttgart) taxi receipts to and from the Delivery Center and send them to my attention when you return to the states. I will reimburse you for this expense in U.S. dollars.

On your designated delivery date, please plan on being at the Tourist Delivery Center by 8:30 a.m. You will need to check in with the receptionist at the front desk to inform them that you are to pick up your "Tourist Delivery vehicle." Make sure to bring your passport and valid driver's license with you.

You are scheduled for a Factory Tour that will start around 9:50 a.m. in front of the Porsche Museum. Please note that factory tour participants have to be 18 years or older to be permitted on the tour. Once the tour is complete, lunch will be provided for you and your guest at the Porsche Canteen. After lunch you will need to return to the Delivery Center to take delivery of your new car!

Upon delivery, you will receive detailed information regarding your vehicle and insurance while you are in Europe. Please be advised that if you ordered a cabriolet with a hardtop, Porsche (AG) in Germany cannot store the hardtop at their facilities if you choose to vacation without it. We do have a facility available to you for storage, which is within one mile of the factory, at no charge to you. Once your vehicle is returned to Stuttgart, please be advised that it can take up to 8-10 weeks for your vehicle to be delivered to your Porsche dealer.

We wish you a pleasant stay in Europe and many enjoyable hours of driving.

Best regards,

Gabriele McFarland
European Delivery Manager

The information mentioned above, and more, was included in the folder. I was able to book a pretty reasonably priced flight, with a stopover in Paris. Booking hotels was a little tougher, the ones Porsche provides a voucher for were booked, I assume because Oktoberfest runs through the same time I'm traveling to Germany. I was able to book another hotel that is close to the factory. Next week I should be receiving the final numbers from Porsche of the Main Line, including VAT, and will finish up the paperwork and payment with them. After that is all taken care of, we just need to prepare for the trip.

Update and European Delivery

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.

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:

• 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.
  

Now for some of the options I didn't opt for, and why:

• 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.
  

Finally, the other "option" I am considering is the Tourist Delivery at the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen, Germany. I didn't consider this until a few people asked me about it, then my mind started running and I did some research on what would be involved. I'm still in the beginning stages of research, but I really like the idea mostly due to being able to drive the car around Europe for at least a few days. Some of the best roads in the world are apparently in the European Alps area, which is just a few hours drive south from the Porsche factory. My wife and I don't vacation much, and keeping it to a strictly driving adventure I think we can do it for fairly cheap (depending on what that means to you, but around $5,000 including the Tourist Delivery option for $2,250). If we end up doing this then this blog will become more interesting...

[edit] Here are some photos of the color I took with a camera phone on a 911 Cabriolet:

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.

Winner Announcement

Today the email went out to PCA members announcing the winner of the raffle:

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.

First Meeting with the Dealership

Today I called Randal at Porsche of the Main Line. We spoke briefly on the phone until he informed me that he had a Macadamia Metallic car in the showroom sitting next to his desk. I told him I'd be there tonight at 6pm to see it, as prior to this the closest 911 I could find in this color was 2 hours away. I thought I'd be taking a road trip this weekend but instead I can just run down to the local dealer - great.

So my wife and I walk in a 6pm sharp and Randal shows us the car and the color. I'm fairly familiar with the 911's but never really went through one, especially a new one, in any real detail until now. I'm very impressed. Randal was very thorough explaining the many features of the car (an '08 model) and what would be different for '09. We chatted a bit more as he showed us around the dealership, and then we sat down and started having an initial discussion on the options I may be interested in. He only recently got the detailed information on the '09s and it's the first I'm seeing of the new detailed option list. I get to take a copy home so I can really work it out (time to update my spreadsheet).

As for the timeline, if I get the order in within the next couple of weeks it will make the September "allocation" (build date at the factory). Delivery to the dealership is 30-45 days later, so if everything goes as planned it looks like I'll be taking delivery of the car in October or early November. I've only talked to Vu from Porsche Club once on the phone since the day I found out I won, and I still haven't received any of the paperwork related to it. Vu informed me that he would be busy at the annual Porsche Parade and that I would see that information the following week. So I'm going to try to have everything worked out with the dealership here pretty soon and then we'll just work out the paperwork and get the order in, hopefully.

More Thoughts / Input from Others

Now most people I know have been informed about my winnings one way or another. I'm starting to get some feedback from some of my closer friends and family on the color and configuration of the car. Something a little unexpected is that now I'm apparently in some kind of snob/yuppie zone with the car, or so some people have alluded. I want my car to be pretty unique anyway so I was looking at some of the less common and more "classy" colors, I'm currently leaning toward the Macadamia Metallic with a Sand Beige interior. This color is new for '08. Edmunds had this to say about the Macadamia Metallic color:

"this 911's color speaks volumes to a particular type of Porsche buyer — one we respect greatly. With a few exceptions ("Brown? What is this, 1977?"), our staff — including Niebuhr — came to view Macadamia Metallic as a brilliantly understated and classy way to festoon this brilliant car. This is the type of color someone would pick if they couldn't care less about what other people thought about their high-priced automotive purchase. This buyer bought this 911 because it's excellent, not to show it off at Pure or Mood or any other one-word nightspot."

Sounds good to me. I've been talked out of yellow, and I've been talked out of the Aerokit for fear of being some kind of GT3 "poser". I was borderline on that anyway, it looks good at the track but might be a little much for everyday driving.

Which brings up another point - what do I really want to use this car for? I still have the 87 944 Turbo (and technically the 86 944 Turbo, but I'm trying to sell that) which is fairly well prepped for track days. I just can't see NOT using the 911 on the track though. But at the same time I'd like to use it on the street more than I do the 944's, so I want to be careful in my choices - performance and safety oriented, but I don't want to cross the line where it's unusable for a nice drive with my wife. My current plan is to keep the 944 probably until next summer and keep using that on the track while I get the 911 broken in and sorted out with safety equipment. Then I'll probably sell the Turbo and use that money to pay for some of the taxes.

Taxes

After I tell people about the win, people either ask how the car is or if I can bring it over (I then have to explain I don't actually have it yet), or they ask if I'm taking the car or the cash if they have a little better understanding of how raffles work.

If this were three years ago or even two years ago I probably would have taken the cash. But at this point in my life I'm in a position to be able to take the car. I did, after all, enter the raffle to win a car. I knew there would be a fair amount of taxes involved, but I wasn't sure of all the ins and outs of it. After speaking with an accountant and a financial advisor, there are more than I had thought - there is state sales tax (6% in PA), federal income tax, and if I understand it right state income tax. The vehicle luxury tax has been gone for a few years now, and local income tax is for earned income only, so those are non-issues. The sales tax and an initial federal withholding (25% according to the PCA Raffle rules) will be due up front upon taking delivery of the car, and then the remainder of the federal income tax and all of the state income tax will all be worked out when I file next year.

The car as configured for the raffle is worth in the neighborhood of $92,000 - $93,000. That amount will show as income for me this tax year, which will also push me into the next bracket. All said and done it looks like I'm looking at a minimum of $30,000 in taxes and probably closer to $40,000 worse case. Still not a bad deal overall though - buying a new 911 for 40 cents on the dollar - so don't mistake this as complaining :) The only thing that really gets me is that it seems like the state is double-dipping, I have to pay income and sales tax on the same thing - about 9% in total.

After working some spreadsheets to figure out all of these costs I also did a comparison to the cash prize just to convince myself that the car is the right decision. It seems that after all the taxes are accounted for I'm still ahead by taking the car by $12,000 - $14,000. Of course I know the car is a depreciating asset and the cash is appreciating (theoretically anyway, if it's invested). But still, that's enough of a difference to satisfy me.