Long story long...Last Friday I took my 14 yo with me to test drive a few cars. A week earlier I had been in both the Chevy and Porsche dealers and made a couple of salesman contacts but didn't have time to test drive. So I called both and asked if just my son and I could test drive without a salesman, both said come on down!

First up was a 2013 Grand Sport. I had driven an 08 vette back in 09, regular c6 with a manual. I remembered loving the power!! So it's been on my list for a while and price wise I really REALLY figured this is what I would end up with. So off we go. Just sitting in the car and adjusting the seat I felt immediately uncomfortable and a little nervous about driving it. I mean I can drive manual well, but this was "big" power. Even tilted forward I didn't feel like I was in a driving position, more like a "look how cool I am with my seat laid back" sort of vibe. My son is 6'1" with size 14 flippers and he was fiddling with the seat trying to get comfortable, I'm like "the seat IS all the way back!". We pull away from the lot and shifting is very notchy and the clutch has a very abrupt delivery. Smartass pipes up "are you sure you know how to drive a stick??" We drive around maybe 20 min, on and off the highway, the entire time my son, mr. we need an awesome car, just sits there sort of half smiling when we romp 2nd and 3rd on and off the exit ramps. The power is awesome, no question. But the delivery and feel was very vague, on/off, no progression. Like all that fun could come to a horrible end with a guard rail at any moment. Driving in traffic was also nerve racking, not my car, BRAND NEW car, hard to see to change lanes, windows were filthy from a quick shower that morning, further obscured by the huge "Managers Special" decal on the windshield and smeared wiper fluid. We get back to the dealer, park the car and get out. To my surprise my son, Need 4 Speed, doesn't say much. I'm honest to God thinking in my head "maybe I don't want a car like this as much as I thought??". We go inside, chat a bit with the salesman out of courtesy and off to the Porsche dealer.

I used to porter at a Porsche Audi dealer in 85-86 and have always loved 911's...just never pulled the trigger. We have a very cool salesman at Porsche. We talk a bit about the cars inside. He says these cars have a 7k rpm redline, and that most people short shift and never really feel what the car can do. He looks at my son and says "Your job is to make sure your dad really DRIVES this car!". That will not be an issue. We get inside an 05 C2 manual. Immediately my son says "this car is WAY nicer" about a 7 year old car with 25k miles. And it was much nicer. He now had a comfortable amount of leg room. Immediately the seating position and controls were in the RIGHT spot, like a drivers car should be. We pull away from the parking space, I'm still over modulating the clutch because of the erratic clutch I just driven in the vette. Wow...okay...that was smoother...second gear...feels nice too. We leave the lot, round the corner and I goose it in 2nd a little, tires are cold and the rear end wags a little, hooks up and we go like hell! My son says "that was AWESOME!" Indeed it was! Leave the light left turn, 2nd gear, a little harder gas, rear wags a little MORE, hooks up and off we go to the highway on-ramp giggling like 5 year olds. Get 2nd and 3rd hard, passing everyone while still in the merge lane, look down, 85 mph, cut over into traffic, pass a handful of cars, in and out of a few lanes of traffic, getting in position to exit and make a run the other direction...none which I was even CLOSE to feeling comfortable doing in the vette!

It's late afternoon, probably 42 degrees or so. We get back to the lot and the 06 C2S is sitting at the curb, warming up for us. We get in and, well...see above...just add about 20% more of everything! A few 4 letter bombs were dropped, like only can happen when father and son are having one of those "don't tell your mom" adventures. The power delivery and precise feel of the car is absolutely addictive. My thought when we got out of this car was "I cannot live without owning this car!!"

I felt like, in my mind, I could take a 997 to Heartland Park and lay down a decent lap time INSTANTLY. Where the vette felt like it was going take a LOT of practice, with a lot of butt puckering moments involved. I was completely blown away at how 2 cars could be 180 degrees different. The connection between my feet and hands and what the car was actually doing was incredible. The vette was fun going fast, in a straight line. The 911 was fun EVERYWHERE doing EVERYTHING!! And that's what I liked. I didn't have to go 110 on the on ramp to get that charge...just whipping the turn onto the on ramp at say 40 instead of 25 was the same thrill! The progressive feel of the car was truly like driving a hopped up go cart. Like you could push it a LITTLE more each time without the fear of it just breaking loose and shooting you 90 degrees into the woods.

I can only assume that 99% of vette owners have never even sat in a 911 let alone driven one. And the price difference...why would anyone buy a 6 or 7 year old car for what they could buy a brand new corvette for!?? Until they get behind the wheel they will never know. Needless to say, my vision is clear! I know what I'm hunting now!

 

Good story, thanks! I actually owned and drove a 2003 C5 convertible for many years as my daily driver. I'm now in a 2006 C2 and could not be happier. The Vette has a few things going for it. It is an American icon. You almost feel patriotic driving it. Nobody hassles you as an elitist driving one. But, every stop light turns into a drag race challenge. Every honda civic to 5.0 mustang wants to give you a run down the road. That gets a bit old.

For daily duty, once you get used to the clutch and vague gearshift, it is actually pretty easy to live with. 2 seats limits the usefulness for sure, but the trunk is HUGE.

You do have to respect the power that it makes, or you will be facing the wrong direction pretty quickly.

That being said, I've wanted a 911 since I rode in my first one when I was 16. The car fits the driver. You don't have to ride along in it and hope for the best.

They are two different beasts all together. Not better or worse, just different experiences.

Life is short, drive as many toys as you can!

 

Great story. Thanks for sharing.
Let us know when you get it and make sure to share pics!

 

Nice story. Just a word of advice. If interested in a pre 2009 911, do your due diligence and get a PPI; educate yourself about the IMS/RMS issues and model years. Not sure if any can be CPO or have decent aftermarket warranty. The local Porsche clubs will be great for making friends who share a passion about these cars and sponsor DS and DE events as well as tours on nice twisty roads. Driver (skills) (education=track) events.(DS/DE)

 

With equal drivers the 2013 GS will be the quicker car compared to an 06 CS. But only a 911 will scratch a 911 itch.

 

Great story, can't wait for my sons to be old enough to share those experiences. They already love to ride in my 911's and are very good at spotting porsches on the road.
I totally agree with the comparison between the two cars. I started out with my first car out of grad school being a 98' C5 vette. Which I traded up to a 01' Z06. Horrible clutch and notchy gears are still in my memory. Did not know that the build quality or seating position were crap until I experienced the european cars. Then when I tried out BMW, I never looked back at Vettes. Then in 09' when I was about to get the new M3, I tried a 09C2S and felt the same as you after the test drive. Now I have the ultimate 911 and having driven 458's, Mclaren MP's, Scuds, and other exotics; it has confirmed that what I have is tops. I still want other exotics but will not trade in my car for them.

Spent a weekend driving my buddies very modified and fast C6 Z06, and was overwhelmed by how uncomfortable it was to drive and how flimsy it felt as you mentioned in your story.

 

Good story. I too considered a Z06 (used) or the 911. I ve had a few older vettes and thought I d go for something different. I have also had MB s and love germany quality and engineering. I was a little concerned about the lack of HP on a 911 compared to a Z06 but I think what has been said about the car just feeling right was correct.

 

I sold my highly modified 2005 C6 (which I loved) to get into a 2010 Z06. I had almost made my decision and was going to pull the trigger on custom Caravaggio Z06 I found in Ontario Canada. For me the car will be a weekend driver at best so I want it to provide that Seat of the Pants thrill that we all love about our cars. My wife (who loves her Cayenne S and Boxster S) says "Why aren't you looking at 911's (I had owned a 95' 993 and always wanted to get back into a 911 but didn't want to spend the money) I say "I thought you would have a problem with me spending 20K more than I had planned on spending". Long story short I love my 911 S (and my wife). I'm 6-4" 225 and it fits me beautifully. I have driven the car coast to coast and border to border. There is nothing out there that compares with these cars !

 

"No replacement for displacement" NOT
More horse power does not a better car make.

 

Fun to hear all the comments and insight. I thought it was worth sharing as I was 90% convinced I was getting a vette before the test drives. To me the C2 corvette was iconic and maybe the early C3, but I don't get hung up on that "my dad had a corvette so I'm getting one" thing. Obviously there are different cars that appeal to different people, but I can't for the life of me think that an average corvette driver/owner wouldn't have fun and maybe switch a light bulb on in their head while driving a 911. On the other hand if you're used to driving a german car and get into a corvette I think it would be brutally obvious you just downgraded. As I mentioned, I drove a LOT of Porsche's back in the day. And had a lot of buddies with older brothers with some fast muscle cars. To this day I clearly remember riding with the mechanic at Art Bunker Porsche Audi that did the aftermarket turbo and engine work on this 78 930 turbo we had up there. That car was absolutely fantastic. I drove it a few times, but riding with the guy that built it and could drive it with the boot turned up was a friggin riot! What started all of this my neighbor buddy has a 70 911 track car with a 73 RS motor in it. He let me drive it a few weeks ago...like a cat with it's tail on fire!! It all came rushing back to me. So it was fun to go drive a modern 911 within a short time frame. The soul of the car is still there. Just the things that needed to be better (shifting, clutch feel and actuation, power) are better and the things that make the car what it is are still very much the same (the looks, the seating, the heavy rear end, the tail wag, the go cart feel). I've followed car prices over the years and have to say I was like "who the hell pays $90k for a new regular C2"!!?? And who pays $135k for a used GT3 when you can buy a Gallardo for $120k used?? Well, I get it now. And with any luck I'll have my own soon.