Driving a 2010 PDK equipped 997S with the wife
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But... her husband already has a 6-speed. Let me be non-PC again... she was curious about the car having been in her husband's car, now she's ready to trash the dealer's property, and all be damned but she has to drive it as she sees fit, regardless of the warning given. PC my foot!
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Why would a Porsche dealership have a steep driveway that has to be driven at the perfect angle to prevent damage? IMO, they need to fix the driveway!
Ever see that episode of 'Million Dollar Listing' on Bravo where Josh (the agent with a black 997 targa S) is showing a house with a really steep driveway. Two guys pull up in a Lamborghini and meet him out front. Without even getting out the car, the driver of the Lambo says 'Nope, this house won't work - I can't even get my car up the driveway'.
Josh can't understand why he would put his car before his potential house (just buy a new car?), but guess I'm crazy too because anywhere I live I always take the car / parking situation into account!
C'mon dealership, if you sell sports cars - fix your driveway! Or maybe their body shop enjoys the business!
Ever see that episode of 'Million Dollar Listing' on Bravo where Josh (the agent with a black 997 targa S) is showing a house with a really steep driveway. Two guys pull up in a Lamborghini and meet him out front. Without even getting out the car, the driver of the Lambo says 'Nope, this house won't work - I can't even get my car up the driveway'.
Josh can't understand why he would put his car before his potential house (just buy a new car?), but guess I'm crazy too because anywhere I live I always take the car / parking situation into account!
C'mon dealership, if you sell sports cars - fix your driveway! Or maybe their body shop enjoys the business!
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I ended up getting so lost in that 993 that I came back an hour later with about 50 miles on the car. I did buy the car though .
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You married a woman, not a monkey. Just about anybody can drive/learn to drive a freakin' car...it's just a car. Give her a chance and she'll be doing doughnuts in the parking lot!
I have zero problems with her taking out spoilers or scratching the bottom of the car but sitting in the backseat? WTF were you thinking????? Let the guy sit in the cubicle or in the backseat, you're the one writing the check...what's wrong with people?
I have zero problems with her taking out spoilers or scratching the bottom of the car but sitting in the backseat? WTF were you thinking????? Let the guy sit in the cubicle or in the backseat, you're the one writing the check...what's wrong with people?
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I wish my wife would come test drive cars with me. She loves driving my cars especially my C2S pdk, and it was one of the biggest turn-ons watching her drive the hell out of my friends viper.
But when it comes to test driving cars, she feels very intimidated by the dealers in the car with us. Even though she is a great driver, she can not enjoy driving a car with the dealer riding with us. Thus she never gets behind the wheel during a test drive and usually never even comes with me.
As for dealers letting me take the car without them, I have only had that experience once when I was trying to decide between getting the new M5 or a 650 and he let me take each of them for an hour.
But by reading your experiences with this, next time I will bring the wife and ask the dealer to let us go alone or no car buying from them.
But when it comes to test driving cars, she feels very intimidated by the dealers in the car with us. Even though she is a great driver, she can not enjoy driving a car with the dealer riding with us. Thus she never gets behind the wheel during a test drive and usually never even comes with me.
As for dealers letting me take the car without them, I have only had that experience once when I was trying to decide between getting the new M5 or a 650 and he let me take each of them for an hour.
But by reading your experiences with this, next time I will bring the wife and ask the dealer to let us go alone or no car buying from them.
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His wife was already nervous driving the car . Do you think she would have been more comfortable if hubby is playing "mr know it all " next to her? As it is even the saleman seemed jittery . She may have been been better off taking the car by herself . Being alone with the car may have been less stressful for her.
As it is she has the salesman, hubby, and about half of these replies passing judgement on her test drive after it was posted on the forum.
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My dealer threw me the keys and gave me a free reign test driving a Cayman but came with me while driving the 911.
I think the OP's mistake was letting her drive it off the lot. What I'd have done is drive it to the half-way spot to get the feel of it (and her as well to some degree) and swap seats on the way back. The SA should have squeezed his @ss into the back seat if he wanted to come along.
I HATE when my wife makes impromptu decisions that mess with my carefully-laid mental plans.
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I was completely sympathetic to the sales person but she's just inexperienced with low clearance cars. My wife daily drives an Acura RDX. So she's used to high clearance, automatic cars. All of MY cars are 6MT, so she's never gotten behind a P-Car or my Z06 for that matter.
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Completely different take on it...
You have no reason to feel embarrassed because your wife had a hard time driving the car. Its a Porsche, its a sports car and it doesn't feel or drive like any car that she is probably used to.
I am sure the first time any one of us got in a 911, we were a bit nervous, apprehensive and overwhelmed. Its not a Mini-Van, SUV or sedan. Its low to the ground, the engine is way behind you and ITS A SPORTS CAR. It doesnt feel like anything else. Period!
She is not used to that. That's fine. Encourage her. She will get the hang of it. We all have to learn somewhere, somehow, right?
I am sure she is not the first person to scrape the bottom of a car on a test drive and will not be the last. Bottoms of cars can get repainted and the person who eventually buys the car will never know nor care as it will be brought back to new.
Dont listen to what anyone else tells you (there are some very judgmental people on this forum), she is your wife and has a love of P-Cars, the rest will fall into place.
Good luck!
Steve
PS: For all those worried about people test driving their cars before they eventually bought it, DONT BE! Its a damn tough sports car. If it can handle a track, it can sure handle people driving it in city traffic. If you are that worried about your car being so fragile, why did you buy it in the first place? Its a Porsche, they are really tough cars.
You have no reason to feel embarrassed because your wife had a hard time driving the car. Its a Porsche, its a sports car and it doesn't feel or drive like any car that she is probably used to.
I am sure the first time any one of us got in a 911, we were a bit nervous, apprehensive and overwhelmed. Its not a Mini-Van, SUV or sedan. Its low to the ground, the engine is way behind you and ITS A SPORTS CAR. It doesnt feel like anything else. Period!
She is not used to that. That's fine. Encourage her. She will get the hang of it. We all have to learn somewhere, somehow, right?
I am sure she is not the first person to scrape the bottom of a car on a test drive and will not be the last. Bottoms of cars can get repainted and the person who eventually buys the car will never know nor care as it will be brought back to new.
Dont listen to what anyone else tells you (there are some very judgmental people on this forum), she is your wife and has a love of P-Cars, the rest will fall into place.
Good luck!
Steve
PS: For all those worried about people test driving their cars before they eventually bought it, DONT BE! Its a damn tough sports car. If it can handle a track, it can sure handle people driving it in city traffic. If you are that worried about your car being so fragile, why did you buy it in the first place? Its a Porsche, they are really tough cars.
I think buying a PDK Porsche would be my way of showing I'm not "selfish" since all the sports cars we own are 6MT.
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I don't think any married man would disagree with this.