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Re: The Worst Review of any Porsche I've read

That's too bad. I trust Evo to be more honest than Motor Trend.

Well, I'm ready to test drive one, and decide for myself...

 

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Re: The Worst Review of any Porsche I've read

There was a reason why the 718 was rolled out in Beijing and not Los Angeles. This car was made for the Chinese market, not the US.

Good point. Having spent some time in Asia, I know that Asians care a LOT about image. You could poop in a box, write "Mercedes" on the side, and people will buy it, as long as it's expensive.

 

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Re: The Worst Review of any Porsche I've read

Wait wut — now we're rebranding the 718?

Well, I didn't see any Porsches in my time there. I did see a lot of Mercedes though. A Porsche poop box might be equally envy-inspiring.

 

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Re: The Worst Review of any Porsche I've read

For almost all of Porsche's history they've offered more than one sports car offering.

If turbos are the new norm, I think Porsche's best chance at making a repeat buyer out of me is to build an electric 2-seater. The way I use the car is perfectly suited to an electric vehicle. 200+ miles on the weekend, then it sits all week.

The 911 has never interested me, I suppose because the price is so high. I don't have a problem with millionaires spending six figures on a car, but I don't fall into that demographic. Without a "cheap" sports car, Porsche isn't attractive to the middle class consumer. I don't know that they are trying to attract us anyway.

I loved the character of the 981, it was exactly what I wanted and I bought it. I'm having a harder time falling in love with the brand.

 

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Re: The Worst Review of any Porsche I've read

Good idea! But I fear that will ruin my craft beer and vegan pizza. There is only so much a dude can do.

Guys, I'm afraid this whole global warming thing might be my fault. My mom was always yelling at me to close the front door, because "you're heating the whole neighborhood!" Sorry, I was young and I didn't understand the consequences.

 

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Re: The Worst Review of any Porsche I've read

The good news is that I've never been more excited to actually keep a car long term.

True! We are fortunate, to own such a fine example of modern engineering.

 

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Re: The Worst Review of any Porsche I've read

The most beautiful things in life are temporary. I am happy to have been in a position to buy one of the most beautiful cars ever built, the sweet flat 6 is just gravy. I will tell awesome stories about it when I'm in a nursing home.

Electric cars are coming. They will be different, but excellent in their own way. They are simpler, and will eventually be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than internal combustion. I will embrace the change, I am excited for a new Tesla Roadster or Cayman. I'm so happy that the enthusiasts are not being completely abandoned as the technology changes.

 

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Re: The Worst Review of any Porsche I've read

And perhaps that's because the Turbo appeals to a slightly different audience, obsessed with horsepower and flat-out acceleration over precision and optimal driving dynamics. They're no less enthusiasts, but a different mold. And my point earlier was that perhaps Porsche is now exclusively targeting that particular brand of buyer. The question is: will they buy it, or do they draw the line at cylinder removal?

A well thought out synopsis of what many of us are feeling. I have mentioned before that if displacement must be reduced, I would have preferred an NA 4 cylinder. I would have expected a price cut as well. I think it's the price cut that Porsche is not interested in, and consequently they may be abandoning the "precision and optimal driving dynamics" audience.

 

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The Worst Review of any Porsche I've read

The 718 will sell well at 30k + USD, MSRP. Which is what this entry 4 cyl. turbo car is worth.

Well, that would price it below a (loaded) Miata. I test drove the new Miata, the fit and finish is well below any Porsche.

Without the "Porsche" name, I'd expect the 718 to start at $45k. The base price isn't what gets me, it's the escalation that happens when you add in all the features that come standard on any Civic.

 

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Re: The Worst Review of any Porsche I've read

So here's a hypothetical question. What if the 982 was built with a small flat-8, similar in power and torque to the 981? Now THAT's a car I would get in line for, even if there was no performance improvement over the 6 cyl.

 

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... people have LONG memories.

No way.

...now, what was I going to say?

 

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No one will decide NOT to buy one because they're worried the turbos are going to fail.

I disagree. I ran out and bought a 981 because of the impending switch to turbo. My experience is that turbos are temperamental, highly stressed, and failure prone.

As I've mentioned in another thread, I would be more likely to buy a 718 if it was an NA flat 4, instead of turbocharged.

 

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But is the reluctance based in your preference for NA over FI? If so, I understand and that makes sense.

I just don't know where the idea originates that the turbos themselves would be at the top of the list for longevity concerns. At least, that was never towards the top of the list when I had turbo cars (I've had 4).

It's not just the turbo itself. Head gaskets, piston rings, cooling system components are all stressed. With my one and only turbocharged car, all of these things gave me trouble at about 50k miles. If the cost of repairing a Porsche was more reasonable, I might have been willing to gamble on this.

As for the sound of the flat 6, it was low on my list of things that I cared about. Now that I've had the car for a while, I have to admit that the sound is intoxicating, and I would miss it.

 

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I believe that turbos on appliance cars have been very dependable. The problems come when the owners of performance cars decide to increase the HP of their cars by 10%+ by increasing the boost.

An interesting article:

Study finds increasing problems with 4-cylinder engines - Torque News

If I bought a turbo Fusion, and the turbo crapped out, no big deal. I suspect that the bill for a similar repair on a Porsche will approach five figures. I'll be happy with my 981 until an electric roadster comes along.

 

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My local dealer has five new 2016 981 Caymans. The niche 2-seater market may be saturated. I hope it picks up, I'd hate to see the B/C disappear completely.

 

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Here in the states, they do send you a survey after every purchased and or service. IIRC, In that survey, there is a radio button that you have to select income

Yes, I remember this too. It stands out in my memory because the lowest income that one could select was "<$100,000." I remember thinking that the lowest radio button would apply to 80% of US households.

 

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Ludicrous. The IC engine is so deeply entrenched in both society and the manufacturing side that a mere 14 years is nowhere going to be enough to eliminate it from the supply side.

If there were no cars or gas stations and we had a blank slate to start from, electric cars would be the obvious choice IMO. The technology is simple and clean, charging stations can be built anywhere that's on the grid. Quick chargers can be built near interstates to minimize the inconvenience of charging on road trips. On the other hand, gas engines are complicated and dirty, gas stations require expensive safety considerations, and gasoline must be transported. What's with this whole "shifting gears" nonsense?

Here we are, 100+ years after the first internal combustion engine vehicles hit the road. I love my sports car as much as anyone, but electric cars have the potential to be better in almost every way. It will be a different experience. Can it be done in 14 years? Absolutely, if we decided to commit to it.

 

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Gas stations will be around for decades, even if all new cars sold are electric. Too many people would be in serious trouble if there was a sudden retroactive ban.

 

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Coincidentally, I recently heard about this on an excellent podcast called 99% Invisible. Here's the episode, which is all about the importance of sound, including attempts to make the Mustang Bullitt edition car sound like the movie car: The Sizzle - 99% Invisible

Nice find, I never knew the sound was dubbed.

 

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Re: Turbo's ain't what they used to be

One thing's for certain: this 0-60 marketing ploy works.

You're not wrong. An acquaintance heard I was buying a Cayman and tried to talk me into getting a Macan instead because it had a better 0-60 time. Talk about missing the point. I'm sure there are plenty of people making their buying decision based on 0-60 times. More power to 'em I guess.