The Deeper Experience of Porsche Ownership

From 2013-2015 I decided to buy and own a 997 Carrera S (used) as the 911 is such an iconic car which you have to own at least once in your lifetime. I am writing this to share my ownership experience and when you buy a Porsche, it is more than the car you are buying. What you are also buying is the brand, heritage, history, lifestyle and engineering excellence. The car I purchased had a very desirable spec – it came with sport chrono pack, switchable sports exhaust, sport seats and short shift gearbox. With the sports exhaust switched on, the flat 6 bellowed out an epic howl under acceleration. The engine had so much low down torque and coupled with short gearing, the car was able to pull from any gear at any speed. Coming from an E46 M3 the Porsche engine itself was inaudible in comparison and lacked the excitement at high revs but the engine’s colossal torque and exhaust note made up for these shortfalls.

The Driving Experience
I have owned many rear wheel drive cars and this Porsche was the first I had owned with the engine not being in the front. Under normal driving conditions, you wouldn’t know that the engine is hung out behind the rear axle and Porsche have done an excellent job in disguising this. It’s only when you starting pushing the car then you notice that this is a little different to a normal car. The front end has very little weight and will bob up and down over rough roads. This can give a scary feeling, which you have to ignore to enjoy the car. The rear end is so well planted as long as you have the power down. If you have not driven a 911 before, it is not a car that you can simply jump in and drive fast. I tried this and failed miserably as I took the car to Spa Francorchamps just shortly after I bought it. I nearly spun the car on a few occasions and found the car to be a little too overwhelming. Over time I had to hone my driving skills and understand the characteristics of the car. The rear has so much traction and allows you to power out of corners early but you must stay committed and not lift, otherwise you will be facing the wrong way and what you hit will depend on your luck. Due to a very light front end, the car will naturally understeer when push. I tried to minimise the understeer by maxing out the camber (some owners fit GT3 arms for more negative camber) and fitting front wheel spacers. Together with trail braking into corners, I was able to reduce most of the understeer in the car. Steering and brake feel is among the very best. The 911 teaches you to be a smoother and better driver and this is what makes it so rewarding to drive. Get it right and you will feel on top of the world. You can never be too confident in a 911 because if you get it wrong then you are finished! That’s what makes it a unique car to drive.

The Porsche Story
To fully enhance your experience of Porsche ownership, you must divulge yourself into history of the company and its sporting heritage. I didn’t know too much about Porsche’s history and its historic cars so I purchased an Octane publication to read up on all its historic models. This was great background reading and inspired me to go and see some of these cars in person. I was lucky to catch Porsche’s feature display at the Autoworld Museum in Brussels back in 2014. This was a fantastic exhibition with a grand display of the very first Porsche, the type 64, and only one remaining and happens to have the same number plate as the one in the historic photo in the Octane publication, all the way to a prototype of the 918 Spyder. The prototype model feature side exhausts and cameras instead of wing mirrors. Also on display were the Le Mans winning cars, which were huge intimidating beasts with very small cockpits. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be driving flat out on the Mulsanne straight in one of these cars.

In 2015, I made a trip to the Porsche Museum on the outskirts of Stuttgart and next to the factory. The museum building is a striking modern piece of architecture and contrasts the styling of the actual exhibits. As you expect, inside it is filled with cars and I eventually got to meet one of my heroes – the 911 GT1 Le Mans winning car and road car equivalent.

Aftersales
Although I didn’t buy my car from an official Porsche dealer, I took out a manufacturer’s warranty at the dealer and had the dealer looking after the serving of my car during my ownership. The cost of the warranty was only about £1000 per year and this would mean having the car inspected and returned to factory specification, which was not cheap! Even the battery had to be a Porsche one! Unlike aftermarket warranties, the Porsche one was very good indeed. Nearly all components were covered from defects but obviously not wear and tear. Also having a manufacturer’s warranty meant that the dealer went over the car with a fine tooth comb as they would profit from any repairs on the car. As my car was a 2006 model, IMS bearing issues were pretty rare but the engine did suffer from terminal damage and was replaced under warranty (best £1000 spent ever!). Apparently bore scoring was a common problem on the S models as the right bank of cylinders were insufficiently cooled at low revs due to its high torque output. Many 3.8 engines suffered from this and Porsche were happy to replace the engine if it was covered by warranty. However, if you didn’t have a warranty then you would be left to hang dry. Pretty unfair as it was a design issue although Porsche would never admit it. Obviously the service received from dealers can vary. The dealer I used were Brooklands, who were a small outfit and I have no complaints whatever about their service. Being small, they were able to offer a very personal service, making me feel welcome and amazingly the staff members could remember my name every time I stepped in. With advance booking they offered nearly new Porsche courtesy cars free of charge. I have been handed a Cayenne, Macan and Boxster with 300 miles on the clock!

Sweet Memories
The 911 can be easily used as an everyday car but I used this as a weekend car. I’ve done many trackdays in it, offered passenger rides at many charity events and long trips to the continent. It is far more practical than many people are led to believe. Upfront there is a very deep boot, can seat 4 people and even the roof has attachments for a roof box. Ok, I must admit that the car did look a bit silly with a roof box when I took a long trip to the continent but the fact of the matter is that this is a practical sports car that can be used everyday, feel at home on a racing circuit and give a rewarding driving experience beyond what fast saloons/coupes can offer. It’s this complete package which makes the 911 a special proposition.