I have been the first owner of a Porsche 911 targa since 18 May 2003 and I have to say that I have not been impressed by either the car or the company.
I placed my order on 22 Feb., asked for factory delivery and was given a collection date of mid-April. On 7 April the factory told the dealer that the guided tour was not going to be possible because of the Easter holidays. Ridiculously late notice (I had made travel/holidays plans etc.) and ridiculous to assume that I was prepared to pay £500 to go to Stuttgart without being able to have a guided tour of the factory.
After more confusion between the dealer and the factory, the car finally arrived on 18 May.
Having lived with the car for two months, these are my thoughts:
Pro: a sensational engine with a unique sound, excellent handling, gearchange and steering, quick and accurate sat nav
Cons: the targa roof is little more than an over-priced gimmick: it does not give anything like the open-top experience of a cabrio, the roof rattles already and its weight blunts the performance.
The BOSE hifi and Sports Exhaust options are simply not worth the outlay. There is no automatic headlight option (available on 3 series 2 years ago) and no tyre pressure monitor.
The fit, finish and interior architecture are not a patch on my previous car, a humble Audi TT. In fact, although the car handles like a dream it does not have the rawness that I was hoping for in a "supercar". A sop to the American market no doubt.
Finally to reliability: the brake hydraulics failed completely this week and I've had to leave my 2 month old car at the dealer. I've owned BMWs and Audis and have never had a single problem. I would be interested to hear from other owners if I've simply been unlucky.
My conclusion is that Porsche is resting heavily on its laurels. Perhaps I bought into the myth of heritage, flat-six (blah) without taking a long, hard look at the product. Perhaps Porsche has sold so many 911s because others have too.
Migration info. Legacy thread was 6747
I placed my order on 22 Feb., asked for factory delivery and was given a collection date of mid-April. On 7 April the factory told the dealer that the guided tour was not going to be possible because of the Easter holidays. Ridiculously late notice (I had made travel/holidays plans etc.) and ridiculous to assume that I was prepared to pay £500 to go to Stuttgart without being able to have a guided tour of the factory.
After more confusion between the dealer and the factory, the car finally arrived on 18 May.
Having lived with the car for two months, these are my thoughts:
Pro: a sensational engine with a unique sound, excellent handling, gearchange and steering, quick and accurate sat nav
Cons: the targa roof is little more than an over-priced gimmick: it does not give anything like the open-top experience of a cabrio, the roof rattles already and its weight blunts the performance.
The BOSE hifi and Sports Exhaust options are simply not worth the outlay. There is no automatic headlight option (available on 3 series 2 years ago) and no tyre pressure monitor.
The fit, finish and interior architecture are not a patch on my previous car, a humble Audi TT. In fact, although the car handles like a dream it does not have the rawness that I was hoping for in a "supercar". A sop to the American market no doubt.
Finally to reliability: the brake hydraulics failed completely this week and I've had to leave my 2 month old car at the dealer. I've owned BMWs and Audis and have never had a single problem. I would be interested to hear from other owners if I've simply been unlucky.
My conclusion is that Porsche is resting heavily on its laurels. Perhaps I bought into the myth of heritage, flat-six (blah) without taking a long, hard look at the product. Perhaps Porsche has sold so many 911s because others have too.
Migration info. Legacy thread was 6747
