Re: yes, and...

due to heavy smoke and highway closures for the past month, vacation, and local road construction, it’s taken a lot longer than expected, but i finally made it to yosemite and hit 1000 miles. break in is done! and although i haven’t yet hit redline, and the air quality was poor for most of the trip, i can emphatically state that i love this car!

Awesome ... thanks for the update! Stunning photo!!
Looking forward to more driving impressions.

is that a gear indicator? just curious.

congrats! such a beautiful car and now you can drive it properly.

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

i find it helpful. with the 986 2.5L, i never (thought that i) needed it, because you HAVE to be in the right gear, else you have no umph. i find it easy to know which gear you're in just based on the feel and sounds of the car. with the GTS 3.4L and Spyder 4.0L, both with 6 speed, there is such a huge overlap in gearing and enough torque that you can often be in 2nd, 3rd or 4th and get away with most casual intentions without shifting. in this case, i do find myself glancing at the gear indicator in the dash just to confirm where i'm at.

as for the congrats comment. thank you. i had several nice interactions on the car while in yosemite. one especially friendly and enthusiastic porsche owner wrapped up with "congratulations." i initially felt a little strange about the comment, but realize that we're in strange times and the car is hard to get. i do feel very lucky (in many ways) to be driving this car.

as for driving impressions, it's like dr. jekyll and mr. hyde. sorry to say this, but it's comfortable, within reason. the spyder is on PS4S, comfort pressure, and 2 way sofa seats, and it's certainly as comfortable and quiet as the similarly configured '16 GTS. i drove >400 miles in 2 days and feel great. great cruiser! but when the time is right and you want to be a bit more spirited - BOOM! if you're familiar with old priest grade, zip zip zip and we're on top. effortless. fun. i was keeping an extra eye out for big rocks in the road, which i regularly come across on this route. and i found one in the middle of my lane, with short notice. pretty certain that it would have ruined my day if i went over it...zip, zip...the car just danced around it. amazing. i did goose it in the long tunnel and it wasn't as obnoxious as the GTS, but i find the sound on the Spyder to be good (it's also dr. j/mr. h). stupid expensive stereo - i got it, and i'm happy that i did. you can listen loud and you can listen quiet...sounds good either way and the car and wind don't drown it out, or vice versa. top - also fine. the manual intervention is no real difference from doing the chop on the plastic window of the 986. i don't currently plan to take the spyder to the track, so i can only comment further on cruising, but feel free to ask me anything.

if you're bored: [www.dropbox.com]

WOW Great Pics and such an ecstatically pleasing vision of beauty!!

I love the deviated stitching around the steering column and others. Great choice.

Keep sending us links.

I hope to experience that trip and car some day!

Thanks for the future memories.

MIKELLIG

Great pictures! A car like the Spyder is the perfect way to see the fabulous scenery. Beautiful backdrops.

We enjoyed Yosemite a few years ago in a rental Mustang convertible. The Spyder would have been sweet icing on the cake.

Just one question. Has Porsche changed the breaking period? It used to be 2000 mi.

thanks. i've said it before, and said it again while doing it....yosemite is THE place for top-down cruising. there are no appropriate places to go fast...so you go slow and soak in the place. it's just stunning and a boxster/spyder is a great way to experience it. just don't park under any tall trees.

the written documentation lists 2000miles/3000km for break in. i read that a lot like the pirate code...more like guidelines. there are lots of opinions. i'll just continue to use common sense...maintain it superbly, warm it up well and don't abuse anything.

I agree. I don't think there's a magic thing that happens at 2000 mi / 3000 km (which is actually 1864 mi.). As I was approaching 3000 km, I started increasing rpms.

Over the long haul, as you say, maintain it properly, take it easy until fully warmed up. As a guideline, I wait until oil temperature reaches at least 90 C / 194 F before considering the engine warmed up, before driving it "with enthusiasm". And, we have to remember that Porsche builds these engines for sports car driving - not in the comatose octogenarian style.

I beg to differ. Yellowstone and Grand Teton are tremendous in a drop top. We did them several years ago (basically right next to each other, not certain why they are separate parks), also in a Mustang convertible, and wow. A bit scary when stuck in a buffalo jam, sitting still, no roof and buffalo so close you could reach out and touch them. Glad I was in a rental!

you are right - there are many amazing places to drive with the top down. i've done the glacier/yellowstone/grand teton loop a couple of times in recent years...in a minivan! on the most recent trip is when i got the call that the dealer had a spyder allocation for me. even before that call, my mind was overwhelmed with thoughts of driving a boxster on those roads. my friend and i plan to make the loop in the spyder within the next few years. have you been to craters of the moon monument/preserve? it's a whole other perspective on where you may want to drive a spyder. miles and miles and miles of straight road with nobody, and i mean nobody, and nothing around.

the buffalo jam "oh sh#&" factor is real.

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