A few commercials

[TheGrey]

Meh. Never saw the allure of these fancypants cars. Where are you supposed to put your stuff?

Give me a classic American Muscle Car over any of these piddly little swoopy European things, any day.

[Aloha_Shooter]

Meh. Never saw the allure of these fancypants cars. Where are you supposed to put your stuff?

Give me a classic American Muscle Car over any of these piddly little swoopy European things, any day.

<shrug> To each their own. I love the classic Mustang but was surprised at how cheap and crappy the interior of a buddy's Z06 Vette was. I am more interested in how it handles on the curves than power on the straightaway. I've also got a special place in my heart for Porsches because my Dad used to have a 356 and the way he and Mom got me to go to sleep as a baby was to load the cradle in the back half-seat and go for a drive. The 911 is the direct descendant of that old 356 so ...

[cstone]

Your car is poop!

[ray1970]

If I ever come into some big money, I'm buying a red 911. Not sure why. I don't really have a thing for them. Just seems like they kind of say that the guy driving them has money and class.

Plus, what's not to like about 0-60 in under 3 seconds and a top speed right around 200mph?

[Gman]

My dad bought a '73 911 Targa for his 'mid-life crisis' back around 1983. My mom took it for her own. So he went out and bought a '77 911 S. What I learned from his experience is that if you want to own a Porsche 911 that's 5 or more years old, be prepared for the repair costs. They may be less finicky now, but back in the day, it wasn't too difficult to blow up an airbox.

[Aloha_Shooter]

My dad bought a '73 911 Targa for his 'mid-life crisis' back around 1983. My mom took it for her own. So he went out and bought a '77 911 S. What I learned from his experience is that if you want to own a Porsche 911 that's 5 or more years old, be prepared for the repair costs. They may be less finicky now, but back in the day, it wasn't too difficult to blow up an airbox.

Yes, I was afraid of Porsche repair costs for a long time. That stemmed from a dinner conversation long ago between my dad and a cousin who was (and is) a Porsche mechanic. They were talking about a job my cousin did, I think replacing the water pump, where the part alone was $900. Bear in mind, this was 35 years ago.

What I have found since I started perusing the boards last year are scads of Porsche owners whose maintenance costs consist of an annual or semi-annual oil change. I mentioned looking at an Audi to my cousin and he told me, "you know, that's going to be expensive to maintain" ... those are scary words coming from someone who makes his living maintaining European autos.

Anyway, I thought the commercials were pretty cool.

[hatidua]

Anyway, I thought the commercials were pretty cool.

I think it's fair to assume that the three minute commercial with the little kid going to the dealer has a secure place on that directors reel.

[UncleDave]

I ran a Porsche and Audi service Dept for a few years, and was a factory trained Jaguar and Land Rover tech. Parts do tend to be much more expensive especially 20+ years ago than domestic or Japanese vehicles, but they are much better made generally speaking. The big thing is on all European car lines is you must maintain them or they will be a nightmare. If you maintain them then they usually will not have many problems. Use the proper fluids and don't cheap out. I have had half a dozen Audis and am looking for another one to replace my wife's car that has almost 300k on it. Just maintain them and don't let someone not trained on them work on them.

[Gman]

Meh. Pay tens of thousands for something that depreciates and sure, it can drive 160-180mph, but how often are you going to actually do that. Once, ever? Most people, never?

This depends on the opportunities where you live. When I lived in Oregon, my orthodontist took a European vacation. He went to Germany and bought a brand-new Euro-spec Porsche. He then spent time driving it all around Europe. Then he was able to ship it back to the US as a 'used' vehicle and avoid a ton in tariffs. He was also a member of the local Porsche club that had regular track days at Portland International Raceway. That seemed like a great idea to me!

[rondog]

Eh, can't haul shit to the range in a sports car, can't go off-road, can't haul groceries, getting in and out is a bitch - gimme a pickup anyday.