unfortunately, can't access the link *NM*

A few months ago I promised that I would post more pics and give a greter review of my Turbo S after I had a chance to drive it some more. Well after three months, I final have gotten around to doing so. It is very lenghty at 6 pages and it includes a slide show of pics. Rather than bore anybody that was not intersted or take up valuable space of this forum, I created a blog for it which you can access via the link below.

[edco-911turbo-s.blogspot.com]

Regards,
Ed Co

Very nice looking car, one which you're obviously enjoying in many ways.

I really appreciate the candor with which your wrote a pretty detailed description of your exerience and feeling about the car.

I'm sure you'll really enjoy the next 2.7 years when it will be decision time again.

informative and enjoyable write-up. Thank you for posting!

Your description of the power in terms of "hand gun" ownership is why I finally gave up my FZ1 motorcycle.

"Bart, with $10,000, we'd be millionaires! We could buy all kinds of useful things like...love!"

I thought I would weigh in on this quote from your review, "I promise you under hard steering conditions there will be times that you want to change gears and will not be able to do so."

I have driven and tracked 6 different Porsches, all with tiptronics (I know they're not PDK's but the positioning of the shift buttons are the same). My point is this: First, if you unlearn certain bad habits--hand placement should be at 3 and 9--your hands will always be in position to shift, when you are in situations where you should be shifting.

My current Porsche is the 06 Club Coupe which includes Porsche's variable steering, which I don't like. But even with it's longer initial steering ratio, I literally never have to move my hands from the 3 and 9 positions in any corner, 99.9% of most left turns, and only when turning right. I would submit to you, you don't need to be shifting on a right turn, anyway. As such, I'm never on the street (or on the track, when I used to do DE's) finding myself in the situation you pose. My hands/thumbs are where the shift buttons are. That is why Porsche has it designed the way it is.

Second point: I know the PDK is smooth, and you can shift in situations like mid corner (provided you're not right at the edge of your tires adhesion limit). But that said, shifting in mid corners especially hard ones is not what you should be aiming for. As most novice students who have done DE's probably learn the hard way, get your shifting done before turn in or after track out of a corner, as shifting midstream can upset the balance of the car. Observing that rule (and yes, I can shift mid corner with a Tip too), I have never had a need to shift mid corner, especially in a Turbo (I used to have an 01 996 Turbo) which has gobs of HP and torque in any gear you're in at the moment.

Seriously, though, I think Porsche did get it right. The amusing thing is, no matter which way it is engineered, it will be wrong for those who want to use it differently. Jeremy Clarkson slammed the Ferrari (I forget which model but it's a recent one) which is set up exactly the way you want--his complaint was, how am I supposed to shift when the paddles (fixed to the steering column) are way over there and my hands are here.

I am glad you're enjoying your Turbo. I didn't read your whole article--if you haven't done a DE in it, you should.

Current Porsche: PCA Club Coupe 2 of 50

Past: 02 986 S

01 996 Turbo

00 Millenium Coupe

99 996 C2

99 Boxster

That was a great article. I really enjoyed it. Thanks.