I bumped into an old neighbor who I have not seen in years .He moved but in the past I knew how he loved Porsches . When he noticed my car and asked about it so I began showing some of the tweaks I have added.

After he looked at my car he kinda scratched his head and said "why do you need this" ? He continued to express that he owned a 997S cab and could not drive it full blast so "why bother" ?

I can understand why some keep a car stock . What I don't understand is the lack of acceptance for modding in such a firm conviction.

Each time I have encounted this ideology I walked away even wondering if the guy even enjoys his stock Porsche. After all "why bother" ? Why spend 90 grand ? How can he not embrace what he has but question what he doesn't? How can he not wonder what his car could have been?

 

Some just stand there and enjoy what they have, some will push and squeeze the best out of what they can be. Obviously you're the second type!

 

He probably means "why pay 100K for a car which isn't 100% what you want"

 

Sometimes I wonder if they see the improvements available , they think about the responsibility /stress/financial aspects of other parts of their lives and become apprehensive of the project --- flike a squirrel glued to a tree afraid to fall.

He did walk over and look at the car . He didn't freeze up until he realized what effort it took to bring it to this level.

 

Is anything ever "100 percent" perfect ? Or is perfection merely a concept which one tries to attain ?

The automaker Lexus (Toyota) had an ad statement touting themselves as "the relentless pursuit of perfection" .

To me that's what the industry ought to do and modifying is what an individual can do if his goal with a 100 K entry fee is attain a Porsche experience which exceeds the norm.

 

If you have to ask the question "why bother" then that is enough for me. This old neighbour of yours will never take the car to the track, he will enjoy the 997, but will never push the car past 5/10's.

Other's (like most people on this forum) do want more out there car, and enjoy there cars, the modding allows us to personalize out cars, while squeezing a little more out of it.

 

I don't see why people mod cars for the street - you;re just compromising on what is a well-rounded package. Change one thing and you throw the rest out of balance.

The current 911 is more than fast enough for the street: and let's face it modding for faster street performance is a little naive to say the least. But of course non of the advertisers here are going to agree with that principal when that's how they make their money.

But if you really want to drive it faster then first mod the driver with track days and then buy a dedicated track car (RS America, GT3) and put yourself up against the best in your class if you want to go faster.

 

Wish I could be like that neighbor,my wallet would be alot better off,LOL!

Some just feel that a 'car' is just a way to get from point 'A' to point 'B',even if it is a $100,000 mode of transportation.He proabaly finds great pleasure in driving his 'stock' Porsche about as much as you do driving a modded one,which is why he makes that comment.He truly does not understand!
He probably wouldn't frequent the forums...
I would think he is the kind of guy that would never go to a car meet (cars/coffee).....
Chances are he has hobbies that have nothing to do with a car.
He is just happy with what he has,good for him,or at least his wallet!

Now you/us on the other hand,like having people look at your car and enjoy many hours of talking to people about the mods,both future and present!
I do this for a hobby and personal pleasure!
I really didn't need a single mod,except to satisfy some crazy addiction within'.
The car in 'stock' form did everything that my car in 'modded' form does now on the street only it does it 'exponentially',LOL...well at least in my mind!

Smile and wave at him he too is part of the Porsche owner family!

Stacy

 

He did look interested at one point and then he froze up. Maybe it was the expense and he was too proud to admit it or maybe it was the time that it would take to do a project wasn't worth his effort.

So was it fear , compacency , or some type of practical wisdom that he thought he had .

Well if point A to B is al it takes (as Stacy mentioned) then one can have that in any car or even taking a bus .

Why point A to B for me ? To make the most out ouf that travel .

If driving the street it's excesive (as Le Chef mentons) Then so are many cars in other ways . Large SUV's , Luxury cars. even Stock sports cars . build on the concept of offering abit more than average ina certain area.

Why mod for the street? Because there's nothing wrong with living oit that childhood fantast of having the gear to be king of the street,

I think its complacency . People settle . It eben happens in the auto industry where cars are built for ease and manufacturers think people don't notice . It happens in business and in persional lives too . This man was so excessively overweight that for years i wondered how he sat in the car . In suppose its easier to give up , on ones self disxipline, ones goals, ones pursuit of striving for the best he can be.

Well -not me . I'm going for it .

Stacy hit it on the nail here --The car in 'stock' form did everything that my car in 'modded' form does now on the street only it does it 'exponentially'

It begins the day I buy the car and ends the day I sell it only to raise the bar to trhe next level ..... a new car.

 

Stacy hit the nail on the head. Some people enjoy driving nice cars for the way it makes them feel. Others take this enjoyment to another level because not only does the enjoyment come from driving the car, but modifying it does as well. I know that up to this point I have enjoyed modding every car I have owned. It is a hobby as Stacy mentioned. By definition a hobby should be enjoyable. Even if it involves an expensive automobile like the Porsche!

 

When I bought my first Porsche (cayenne) I thought I would just leave it stock. After all it is a Porsche. That did not last too long. I did a few mods that just made it more fun to drive and they looked good too. Then I bought my C4S and was sure that I would keep it stock. Slowly I started to upgrade and got bitten by the mod bug. I love doing the work myself and found that the journey was just as fun as the destination for me. I respect the purist perspective, but have enjoyed learning about mods from this forum and the car is a whole lot more fun to drive.

 

+1, I cannot say this any better.

Still tracking with my bone stock club coupe as I think the car is still way more than me. When my driving skill gets better in a few years, my next car will be a GT3.

My target is to be able to keep up with (or pass) Ed (NorthVan).

 

Modify your suspension, put some track seats and R comps on your car and you will be passing me without any problems.

 

great story and as I tell anyone that calls who says, "What do I need etc...". I tell folks they don't "need" anything The cars are great from the factory but there are a few of us (me included) that like to tweak and or seek to improve here and there....

 

There's nothing wrong with modding a car, but... there's nothing wrong either with keeping it stock. There are indeed 2 camps on this issue and both are proud of their respective paths.

For the long run... if a car becomes a classic... it will be worth more if kept original.