Hey all. I'm starting this thread in hopes that you all can give me some real life feedback as i try to make a smart/informed decision about my next car purchase. Basically, i've narrowed it down to either a MB or a Porsche (although some other makes are still slightly bouncing around my head). But, i have some serious concerns about perceptions if i go the Porsche route. Please check out my questions below and provide any feedback if you care to. THANKS!

1. How do you perceive Porsche's cars or brand?
2. Porsche seems to have a really great "mystique" about it. Is there any truth to this?
3. Did you also consider a Porsche? If so, why did you go with MB?

 

Great sport cars that have become luxury cars.


Yes, a Boxter, but the high maintenance and potentially short engine life scared me off.

 

1) Legendary sports car with a true feel of a race car (911 twin turbo) that maintains luxury.

2) The mystique is the performance these get out of a six. And the performance (911 twin turbo). and how can anyone not drive under 90 mph in these things is beyond me. The biggest mystique is finding a porche owner that haven't gotten a ticket yet or at least pulled over.

3) Actually considered it, but sports cars are not my style. Also, I didn't know how to work on these things (yet) meaning maintence would have been killer and good luck finding a used one that haven't been raced.

 

maysdad,

I have been driving German cars for 23 years. I have had numerous Porsches and Mercedes.

I drove Porsche in the 80's and 90's, and took performance driving 1 and 2 at Road Atlanta.
I sold my last Porsche in 1990, because problems within the company filtered down to the dealers then to me. Prior to that time they had a firstclass operation.

From the early eighties to 1987 the company built up the 911 each year until it was an amazing and fabulous car. The customers and fans like me cheered each year as the rear tires and fenders became wider, the engine larger in displacement and more powerful. It was a growing momentum, and each year's car show was more exiting than the last. Finally something broke the momentum. For me it was the "1988 sport coupe", It wore the signs of economic cutbacks, low cashflow, and currency decline. I hated it, and so did all of my friends. No matter how much hype was metered, my cliche saw the car as a downsized backward move. The old narrow tires and fenders returned, smaller econo motor, plastic instead of leather, but the price was the same. We were furious. We would have rather the price had doubled, than to compensate for curreny decline by cost cutting the car into something so uninspiring. Our opinions must not have been isolated, because the entire company took a downturn after that. sales dropped, effeciency dropped, dealers went under, parts became scarce, and race tracks switched to Nissans for training. I got out in 1991, due to lack of parts and service availability in Atlanta. I was waiting six weeks for basic parts and service on an eight year old car.

I was trying to fing something to fill the void in my driving life, and I found Mercedes. The cars still had the quality and strength I loved in German cars, but had a broad enough product base to keep the sports lines going even in tough times. They sell enough basic vehicles and trucks to keep the lofty sports car projects well financed.

I think Porsche, after ten years, finally realized that their customers WERE willing to pay for the old traditional performance...if it was there, and were NOT interested in the watered-down econo Porsches. They began the new cars and began to focus on pure performance again. The fenders and wide rear returned. I like the new Porsches, I have noticed that their performance specs are nearly unrivaled, and even Ferrari barely tops them in one area. I think their SUV is an attempt to stabalize the comapany with some solid basic cash fllow to prevent what hapened in 1988. There is a new Porsche dealer down the street, but I haven't stopped in.

I have been with Mercedes since 1990, and haven't looked back, so I'm not up-to-date on this year's Porsches. I've had the opportunity to work for Mercedes on contract basis, race with a team, and be a 16 year 3-time customer. Now Mercedes is beginning to go in a direction I do not agree with. I actually postponed the purchase of my 2005 clk because of technical changes I did NOT like. The new cars are so complicated that I'm NOT convinced ANYONE will be able to repair them when needed, especially since they can't seem to find the problem with my current clk now. Cars are changing, and repair is becoming more difficult; that affects my cost justifications.

I would like a v8 clk with manual windows and manual transmission, in a festive blue color, but they cannot even custom build this car for me, so I don't know what my next car will be.

Good luck to you

Oh,

1) Porsche brand?- Highend, racing heritage, top performance marks, fragile company.
2) Mystique?- nothing mysterious about the price. Whenever I see one, I say" here comes money". And after reading the Road&Track test specs, I try not to make eye-contact with the driver at a traffic light. I'm afraid my Benz will go into "limp mode" if I look at the other car.
3)Why I chose Benz? I chose Benz because I like to keep my cars, and I need the support of a huge campany to provide service, information, and parts for years to come. Also there is a Mercedes dealer in almost every city I visit, so I don't worry about taking the cars on trips.

Charles

 

They still have V8 CLK with manual windows and manual transmission in blue here in Germany being built. And I don't know why they say they have to custom build this car? The most they have to do is take one that was already planned to be made for "German" market and make to American specs. Soldiers do it everyday. Order a car have it made US specs but sometimes with cloth seats, manual transmission where you normally won't see them in the states and manual things. Mercedes in German still sometimes come off the factory line with basic interiors and or engines depending on who ordered it and what they wanted.

But the point is it shouldn't as hard they make it seems. Not like you're asking for an S-class in your specs, then that may be an issue since even in Germany S-classes are considered the top and don't come in manual transmission or manual windows still can find then with that "new age" icky texture cheap feeling synthetic cloth seats every blue moon.

 

Wow, Blackwolf,

In that case, I will tell them exactly what I want. I don't mind waiting.

Charles