Re: Carrera GT: I could care less

... do you agree?

[www.thedrive.com]

Happy Porscheing
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

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Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Granted, black does nothing to show off the exotic looks of the Carrera GT. A car like that needs a light colour to show off its looks. In this beholder's eyes, it's a fabulous looking car, specially painted in the colour developed for it. GT Silver, like this used one that was for sale at the dealership where I bought my car.



Good grief, even that well known Brit who doesn't like Porsches (publicly at least) loves the look of this car. And of course, not only the looks, but the performance. Yes, it's a handful to drive, but it's a real driver's car for those who enjoy the act of driving.
[www.youtube.com]

Road and Track Also loved the car in their test.
[www.caranddriver.com]

Here's a comparison test of the Carrera GT and the Enzo.
[www.evo.co.uk]

I'm sure there are other test also.

Aside from non automotive magazines, I couldn't find any negative reviews of the Carrera GT in my quick search.

From my point of view, and apparently others, Thisaint Nodisco's view of this fabulous car is definitely in the minority.

Quote
Guenter in Ontario
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[snip]

From my point of view, and apparently others, Thisaint Nodisco's view of this fabulous car is definitely in the minority.

The 981 Boxster design borrows considerably from the Carrera GT.

Clearly the deep cut into the 981's doors, leading to the air intake, is strongly reminiscent of the C GT. The 981's 'carved' doors are very much integrated in the overall design, and for that reason, are that much more appealing.

Similarly, the 981's rear spoiler, which does not stop at the tail lights, reflects the C GT, albeit in the latter, the spoiler caresses the top of the tail lights, whereas with the 981, it bisects them. I believe this design is unique to the 981; I can't think of another car, Porsche or otherwise that has this. Over time, I've really come to appreciate this unique design nuance.


See GT photos here: (it takes a few seconds for the photos to load)

[gtspirit.com]




The 981's raised, but squared-off front fenders are reminiscent of the legendary 917

See 917 photos here:

[www.boxster-cayman.com]






Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2016 05:01PM by Roger987. (view changes)

Just couldn't resist modifying the question to be, IMHO "more correct".

If I had the $$$$$$$$$. I'd certainly have one in my multi-car garage, along with some driver training with a Porsche factory driver.

… the worst Porsche of all time is the 1987 930 turbo cabriolet.
It may be blasphemous (today) but I HATED that car.
It was undriveable with the turbo lag and then the explosive way the turbo kicked it.
When driving hard on mountain roads the whole car's body would twist in weird ways which wasn't predictable.
I bought it new, kept it for 39 days and when I sold it it was already rusting!
Some of the older Porsches were really bad rust buckets, such as the 1970s everything, but they were drivable, especially the 914s.
I guess each one of us would have personal views of best and worst, but its a fun exercise to see each one's views.
Happy Porscheing,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

You mention rust buckets. Back in the "good old days" Cars in general were rust buckets. Although my VW's stood up quite well, I remember changing the mufflers on them every other year as they rusted out. Here in Canada, most of the Japanese cars still tend to be rust buckets. Maybe they've improved in the last 3 or 4 years, only time will tell.

... and listen to it rust."

If not for the Boxster, I'd probably be driving (and trying to maintain) a well-sorted 1973 914 2.0. Clearly, they were/are not for everybody, but I just loved those cars. IMO they were funky and cool, and certainly there was nothing else like them on the road. The handling is the proverbial "as if on rails." I think they are great - if only they had another 50HP and had been dipped in a giant galvanizing vat!

Now the 924 - horrible. I hated them. Although, as the writer says, they begat the wonderful 944/668.

The Carerra GT - not the best look from the rear, but not horrible IMO. I doubt I'd ever be driving one at it's limits, and I'm certain I could never have afforded one.

Actually, all this reflection makes me love my old 986 even more (thanks, PP! There's really nothing about it I don't like - even the fried eggs and 90's interior.

I actually traded in my '73 914 2.0 when I got my '99 Boxster. The dealer wanted it for his collection.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/2016 09:52PM by dennisafrompa. (view changes)

Quote
dennisafrompa
I actually traded in my '73 914 2.0 when I got my '99 Boxster. The dealer wanted it for his collection.

Cool, Dennis. It's probably a $20k+ car now. Not that it's a lot - like air cooled 911's from the era - but clearly it's a car people still want.

given that you are in PA.

Mine ('70 with every option around $3600) was so difficult to maintain (despite me working 4 blocks from the dealer) that I sold it a week before the 2 year warranty ran out to a young doctor from Philadelphia. Around $2300 as I recall. Next up '70 BMW 2002.

That was before I knew the 914 was prone to rust. And I did run it 365 days a year with frequent winter trips from DC to the PA ski mountains (Elk, Seven Springs, Blue Knob, etc. ) Which would have given me really bad rust long term.

Most of my problems were simple things like the driver's window that was in the shop over 20 times without being fixed. The joke around the office was I had a parking place reserved for me at the dealers. The dealer network was completely overwhelmed with absorbing the 914 and the Audi both of which sold for around $3500 when they had been sized for 912/911 sales volumes. Parts availability was awful.

Wonderful car and I'd love to own one again if local maintenance was available. ($5-8k with rust issues, more without.)

I think the C-GT is butt-ugly.

Looks like a modified Chevy El Camino from the side. A mess of pieces glued on.


The 918 Spyder if gorgeous.

IMO.

Prior to 1976 there was no galvanizing on the bodies. Rust was a given.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/2016 01:56PM by Tcar. (view changes)

The Carrera GT is probably the only Porsche I have no desire to own. The maintenance costs are outrageous and it is to impracticable to be a daily driver. I lust after only things I can really use and afford to own. Buying is one thing, stupid cost of ownership eliminates a car for me since a close friend got into the Ferrari world. Exotic, to me, equals trouble.

Even a 959 makes me nervous... I met a guy who owned one and neither her nor the dealer could get the check engine light cleared.

Peace
Bruce in Philly



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/2016 04:32PM by Bruce In Philly (2000 S Boxster, now '09 C2S). (view changes)

.....not just read about

"A mile of highway will take you one mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere."

For many, the Boxster is not an affordable car. So, I think of it in terms of lottery cars, what would you buy or not buy if you hit a nine-figure jackpot? Would the C-GT fit into your plans then? With that kind of cash, practicality and affordability are not an issue because you'd have much more garage space to justify an impractical vehicle purchase. That being said, it wouldn't be on my list as it's a driver's car and I just don't want to put in that sort of effort, even for an impractical vehicle. As far as the original Q, think it's a cop out to name a very limited production supercar as a worst. To me, it would be the 924. Yes, they corrected it in the 944 and 968, but that just goes to show how much of an initial miss it was in the first place. It wasn't Porsche's typical evolution process as has been the case with it's historical successes.

Quote
db997S
For many, the Boxster is not an affordable car. So, I think of it in terms of lottery cars, what would you buy or not buy if you hit a nine-figure jackpot? Would the C-GT fit into your plans then? With that kind of cash, practicality and affordability are not an issue because you'd have much more garage space to justify an impractical vehicle purchase. That being said, it wouldn't be on my list as it's a driver's car and I just don't want to put in that sort of effort, even for an impractical vehicle. As far as the original Q, think it's a cop out to name a very limited production supercar as a worst. To me, it would be the 924. Yes, they corrected it in the 944 and 968, but that just goes to show how much of an initial miss it was in the first place. It wasn't Porsche's typical evolution process as has been the case with it's historical successes.

The 924 was originally to be the replacement for the Karmann Ghia for VW, as was the 914 before it.

And it showed... the 924 was NOT up to Pcar standards IMO.

Porsche (and Audi) were then part of VW, as they are now, but they were separate entities for quite a while until a couple years ago.

But Porsche was in big trouble financially so they called them Porsches. They did their job and saved Pcar... dealers had something to sell and pull in floor traffic.

We own/owned six Porsches over the years. Our most disappointing was a first-gen Cayenne, hands-down. We keep our cars for a long time, but we got rid of that one after a short three years.

The first car I bought was a 1980 Toyota Tercel. One night I went out for a few drinks with a couple of co-workers. One of the other guys had a 924 and we took that out. (I ended up in the back "seat" since I was the smallest.) I don't drink much and I ended up being the designated driver for the trip back. Driving the 924 back-to-back with my Tercel was quite a contrast. I understand the criticism of the 924, but it was well above average for its time.

Maybe not the worst, but easily the most scary, Turbos, in the early 80''s
Since there were there were a lot of Euro (Grey market) model cars coming into the US because the $ to DM rate was so good 930's were being "privately imported" .
A friend asked me to help pick up some cars from JFK (came air freight) and drive to their "conversion shop" in NJ...
I picked a 79 Turbo thinking that to be the least "handful" exotic...there were a few Ferrari's, etc; that car scared the s**t out of me, I had no clue about Turbo Lag.
Fortunately I didn't hit anything when it spun out....but needless to say I needed and underwear change
Other than that I had an early 914 that was cheap fun, handled like a slot car, but other than that, not great...
Then there was a 356 cabrio that came with a hard top, when I took the top off you couldn't open the doors...talk about rust, most of the floor was old license plates screwed here and there.

simply put, the author of that article is an idiot and doesn't have a clue about what he saying. reminds me of that woman who reviewed the boxster years ago and talked about the engine being forward of the driver. morons.

--
MY 2000 S, Ocean Blue, Metropol Blue, Savanah Beige.
Bought June 2000 - Sold May 2010

How goes it? Didn't you live in Switzerland for a while, still there? What are you driving?

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Hi Bruce! yeah, i pop my head in here every once in a while to see what's going on and keep in touch with the old gang. I lived in switzerland for nearly 30 years. moved to vancouver in 2009. i wanted to bring my boxster over here but the canadian government in all of their wisdom doesn't allow it. i see rust buckets driving sideways spewing oily smoke but i couldn't bring my perfect boxster here because it doesn't meet canadian safety standards. right. but you can bring in a car that's over 15 years old. go figure. initially i had thought about keeping my car in switzerland until then (which would have been last june) but in the end decided not to.
bought a ford edge, one of those cross-dressers. you know, dresses like a truck but is actually a car underneath. no plans for a sports car at the moment. i drive very very little, averaging less than 3k km per year. it's actually a very decent car. i would highly recommend it.
take care. good to see you on the board still.

--
MY 2000 S, Ocean Blue, Metropol Blue, Savanah Beige.
Bought June 2000 - Sold May 2010