well i was always a muscle car guy, drag racer. but you get older, and pulling a motor apart at 1am after you've holed three pistons, gets harder and harder with age . then add kids and a business to the mix and things change. so while i needed something more practical, i think everyone who knew me expected me to end up in a twin turbo viper or something like that.

to my, and everyone's surprise, i decided to give the 911 a chance, and bought my first (and still only) 911 in 2006. to be truthful, i've fallen in love with the car - there is simply no other car that feels like you're putting on your favorite pair of shoes or jeans - for me it feels like i am "wearing" my 911 when i drive it. probably sounds cheesy, but that's the way i feel. for me that intimate connection between the me and the vehicle is something i relish and find very special - if you're not a car person, it's something you just can't explain.

so - and this is true especially for people who know me - i guess my 911 say's that i'm a more "mature" adrenaline junkie, appreciate that hp isn't everything, and that i still love to drive...

hey there's nothing better than heading up twisty palomar moutain, through julian, and down the back side of the moutain into the desert with pasm off, the tail out, and a little opposite lock to brighten the day, that's why i own a 911

 

This is just silly. If you can afford a $35K car, you're rich? No way. I think you can load up a Honda Accord to over $35K. While I will agree that if you can afford a porsche, with all its expenses, you're doing better than most. But many of these cars can be bought in the $30K's in the used market now. You don't have to be rich to afford that.

Funny, since I've had my porsche, I've only heard once the "you must be over-compensating for something..." response. And it was from one of the women in my wife's circle of friends... and the only woman in that circle who is divorced and must work to support herself. She's a bitter b!tch.

 

No, it is exactly this. 'Wearable' factor is number one thing - you get into car and it feels like it wraps you and extends your sensors. Some cars have more of than, some feel completely numb, 997 car is pretty much as perfect as it can be. Action-reaction thing.

 

It says ' I'm better than you by virtue of my ride'.

Too bad as I just plain like driving it.

 

wow Im actually shocked that I fit in line with so many of you. I guess even though I am waiting for my 996TT to be delivered, I still had some deep down stereotypes that were wrong. I thought I was an "outlyer".

1. It says I have OCD, as its about my 5th "toy"car in a few years.
2. I live in small, redneck, oilfield town. Although not true, everyone else will think it says "Im rich" and way TOO flashy. I've done well, but am very fiscally strict and conservative. I DO NOT get any car to impress others. I get what I love. Its a passion.
3. Most depressingly, it says Im maturing (OK, getting older!) Like Reerwd, I am muscle car guy, Z06 guy, loud motor guy. THought I would NEVER like a quiet, "euro" car.
4. Most importantly and the true reasons. It says I have taken the time to study, find the best all around, fastest straight line, best handling for track, with a small back seat for kiddo's, at the best price available car for ME!

 

For me it kind of says I'm cool with who I am, flaws included, and I don't really care what anybody else thinks. If you wanna try and race me to prove your superiority, that's ok. I don't have to race ya. But if I decide to I'll hang back and blow right by you when the time is right.

 

No one ever has said or even implied that to me, but if someone did at a moment when I didn't feel like soothing their feelings, I would simply say they misunderstand: I just like to keep a matched set of equipment in my life.

I have always suspected that people who speak of sports cars as compensation feel a personal inadequacy that makes them fear being overmatched by such cars. So they drive something invisible and very humble to match their self image. It isn't a case of "having nothing to prove" so much as having nothing they can prove. If you see the distinction.>>

I've heard this "overcompensation" theory from a few women. It's so tired. What's funny is that if it was an old 1985 beat-up Chevy they would complain to their girlfriends that I have a crappy ride. You can't win. So don't play that game. Explain that you are an enthusiast and having a Porsche is really a daily hobby and IMHO one of the best around.

 

I will also say that every woman I've taken on dates that enjoy cars want to drive mine. There is only one that wasn't especially impressed - but special note must be made that she's somewhat ditzy and drives a Honda Accord with 100k miles and has upgraded the outside lights by going to Pep Boys. And she's a frontrunner sports fan that likes any team that wins. UGH

Unfortunately this especially pretty woman didn't get my stamp of approval. ):

 

I fit the DD category. I've always liked to read about cars, ever since my friends and I used to pore over R&T memorizing stats on the early 70's 911s, etc. But mostly I like to drive ... fast. I've owned foreign cars - mostly European - most of my life with a few exceptions. In recent decades, my daily drivers have included:

BMW 540 sport 6-speed
Subaru WRX
Fiat Coupe turbo 20V (when living in England)
Saab 900 turbo
1972 Alfa GTV
1970 Camaro Z-28 w/ LT1
Etc. etc.

My first car, which I bought 2 years before I could even drive (for $300), was a Triumph TR4. My second car was a 914 2.0. I almost always have had a 4x4 and a bike as 2nd and 3rd vehicles, for different kinds of driving challenges and/or speed. I wasn't rich, I just spent a disproportionate amount of my modest income buying and fixing up cars. I'm better off now, but like other posters, I am frugal in other areas.

Reflecting on all this, probably my choice of the 911, and most of my earlier choices, say that I like to drive fast, and like a car that is good looking *to me*. Like an earlier poster, it was a good thing that I didn't have faster cars when I was in my teens or 20s. Note that I considered buying a used 911 in the 1980s and 1990s, but didn't in part because I wanted to be more stealthful, less showy. I looked at getting an early Skyline but never pulled the trigger. So I drive the 911 *in spite* of its being identifiable as a fast pricey car. I guess I finally decided I don't care what people think.

What I have found interesting over the years is how several friends and girlfriends have reacted to my car fetish. I have heard more than once that they initially thought less of me because I had a fast sports car, because they assumed I owned it to show off. These are folks who see cars as basic transport, so anything more is a status symbol that others (but not they) display. The idea of owning a car out of a love for driving completely escapes them. Only after they come to understand my personality, and my passion for doing exciting things, have they realized their misinterpretation. Somewhere along the line I decided I don't care what people who don't know me think.

A side note: One iteration of the above is that when I owned a truly crappy car, that I went out of my way to dress down (a 1960 Buick Electra with astro turf on dash and back sill, some flames, etc.), I got more attention from women based on the car. Why? It showed I was secure enough to drive a heap, and I guess being secure is a turn on.

 

Ok, I'll weigh in. I live in an area where expensive cars, including P-cars, are common, so I suspect there is little in the way of statement my car makes, except that folks compliment me on its looks (not mine, sadly), and mention that it is RED (an unusual color in the car world, these days).

I've been fortunate to have had a number of really neat and interesting cars. Each car has been different and fun in its own way, and frankly, the more exotic, the more of a pain they have been. The car that spoke most loudly to others about me, in a way I didn't really care for, was my black Ferrari 348 challenge. The comments I got about that car from folks who were NOT car nuts, like me, were always disquieting. On the other hand, my blue and white superformance cobra was loved by all and brought out more "my brother had one of those in the 60's" stories than there were 427 cobras produced. Folks were standoffish (is that a word?) about the F-car, but your buddy next to the Cobra. These, perhaps, are extremes, but interesting extremes, none the less.

I like cars! Any kind of car that is interesting and fun. My wife does not allow me the luxury of a girlfriend, so I have cool cars and motorcycles - I pursue them, win them over, enjoy their company, and one day move on. So, my car says I have a bit of ADD, and don't know enough to never buy a red p-cab, cause everyone knows you'll get a bunch of tickets in THAT thing!

tim

 

It's my husbands and it says "I really love cars"