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A few questions of Porsche owners

2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  dahon 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

Newbie here hoping to ask you guys a few questions and get your opinion.

At the end of this year I am considering purchasing a 997 911 Carrera/Carrera S or a
Cayman S. The car will be driven between 3 and 4 days a week to University and back(which is approximately 35km, a touch over 17km either way).

I'm located in country NSW. The drive can either be a mixture of 50km-80km/h suburban roads with moderate to heavy traffic during peak hour or 100km/h largely unused country roads. Now as your are probably aware country roads are rough, really rough. My neighbour had a 996T he said he drove it on the coastal roads, but didn't enjoy driving it around here. He recently sold his 996T and bought a 507 Edition C63 Coupe which he said he enjoys driving more. The harshness of country roads is one concern,the other is it's use as a daily driver.. It's more than practical enough for a uni student, books and a laptop is all I'm going to ever have it in. What concerns me is that my cousin had a 911, albeit he was in Sydney. He got sick of driving it to work every day in the city and actually preferred driving his Lexus 4WD. Also will it be reliable enough? I already know my problem, a lack of familiarity and time behind the wheel, I've never driven one.. And I'm afraid I'm even less likely to have the chance to drive one here. I've been for a drive in the 996T a couple of years ago and it's hard to remember the experience accurately, what was going through my head was: "Holy S*** this is great".

I'm in no rush to buy a car. Over the next year I'm going to try and get some time behind the wheel on the things I'm interested in. I'm obviously looking at 2nd hand cars with a budget of around $80k(if I buy at the end of this year). I'm really interested in a drivers car, but one I could enjoy on a daily basis. The idea of driving something like this for prestige alone doesn't really interest me. I'd like as many opinions as I can get(preferably from people that have driven these cars at least once on country roads or similar)and I'm also open to other suggestions and ideas that I may have potentially overlooked, such as another car that may be more suited to my needs.

Looking forward to being part of this community,
George
 
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#2 ·
I have taken mine out on country roads if you consider the run through Wollembi, to Broke in the hunter and then the Putty rd back to Windsor.

No problem with comfort or road quality. I have PASM and had to keep it on normal. Broken rd surface and potholes at 200 plus the sports mode doesn't react fast enough. And you bounce all over the place.

But no idea what the roads are like in your area.

You may want to note that here in Oz these cars and their maintenance is expensive.

Not too many people can look after these things out in the bush.

:cheers:
 
#4 ·
For a sports car (considering all the compromises Porsche made to make her handle), the cayman is quite decent in ride comfort (on semi-reasonable roads anyway) - but as mentioned it all depends on your interpretation of what is comfortable.
Someone might have a high tolerance to NVH, while others dont.
I suggest you find a similar car and test it out, maybe even sit in your neighbours/cousins cars and have a feel for the suspensions while on the road.
then you can make your judgement - as you state, you have time to look and decide.

Also, you mention that you might be driving in heavy traffic.
if you are and you're looking at a manual.. well, be prepared to have an aching left foot, the clutch on my cayman s is a PITA in traffic.
But when the roads are clear and you see some twistys, all that melts away and you love her again.. haha
 
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