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and is his Cayman a manual?? *NM*|
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When your product has a strong identity, one of the things you worry about most is someone usurping your position.
So if you happen to run, say, Audi, you worry about the likes of BMW and Lexus. And, perhaps, a little less about Cadillac and Chevy.
Sometimes, though, you lose.
In such times, you try and find out what sparkly brand has suddenly attracted the attention of your now former customer.
Which brings me to a startling, astonishing, quite life-affirming revelation from Klaus Zellmer, CEO of Porsche North America.
As Autoblog's James Riswick reports, Zellmer quietly offered that some customers do end up trading-in their Caymans and Boxsters for other cars.
An Audi R8, I hear you cry. Or a Jaguar F-Type.
Not quite.
It seems as if the former Porsche owners' car of choice -- if you choose to call it a car -- is the, oh, Jeep Wrangler.
Yes, the one you see beach bums hanging out of and refusing to let you pass, as you're sliding down the freeway to do the weekly shopping.
Zellmer reportedly admitted that explaining this to his German bosses may have involved some descending jaws and, I imagine, even condescending comments about Americans.
For his part, Riswick theorizes that -- for many families -- a Boxster or Cayman is a third car.
Ergo, getting a Wrangler still allows someone to have copious weekend fun, and even take more than one person along for the ride.
There may be some truth in this.
I fear, though, there might be something a little more substantial and even uplifting in these choices.
How many times have you driven past a Porsche and thought to yourself: "My, I bet the person driving that is really, really interesting."?
And how many times have you thought to yourself: "Pretentious halwit of the irretrievable kind and probably quite old."?
Perhaps, then, a few of these buyers would prefer to seem a little more down with the (hiking, surfing, paddle-boarding) people and less up with the "Oh, won't you look at my new Porsche?" people.
Beyond the manifest image issues, there's another thing sports car owners are often slow to admit.
Sports cars are simply a pain to own.
They can be frightfully oversensitive and entirely impractical. They can be woefully uncomfortable and, when it comes to basic equipment, painfully inadequate.
Many years ago, I confess I took a test-drive in a Porsche. The cup holder was, I'm quite sure, a joke created by someone who got fired from IKEA.
When I laughed, the dealer turned to me, serious-faced and said:
This is a driver's car. Porsche only cares about the driving experience.
Who among us has time for such high maintenance objects these days?
We want to be out there enjoying ourselves and proving just how much we're at one with nature.
Still, a Jeep Wrangler.
Oh, wait. It's not just about the money, is it?
"A mile of highway will take you one mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere."
So if you happen to run, say, Audi, you worry about the likes of BMW and Lexus. And, perhaps, a little less about Cadillac and Chevy.
Sometimes, though, you lose.
In such times, you try and find out what sparkly brand has suddenly attracted the attention of your now former customer.
Which brings me to a startling, astonishing, quite life-affirming revelation from Klaus Zellmer, CEO of Porsche North America.
As Autoblog's James Riswick reports, Zellmer quietly offered that some customers do end up trading-in their Caymans and Boxsters for other cars.
An Audi R8, I hear you cry. Or a Jaguar F-Type.
Not quite.
It seems as if the former Porsche owners' car of choice -- if you choose to call it a car -- is the, oh, Jeep Wrangler.
Yes, the one you see beach bums hanging out of and refusing to let you pass, as you're sliding down the freeway to do the weekly shopping.
Zellmer reportedly admitted that explaining this to his German bosses may have involved some descending jaws and, I imagine, even condescending comments about Americans.
For his part, Riswick theorizes that -- for many families -- a Boxster or Cayman is a third car.
Ergo, getting a Wrangler still allows someone to have copious weekend fun, and even take more than one person along for the ride.
There may be some truth in this.
I fear, though, there might be something a little more substantial and even uplifting in these choices.
How many times have you driven past a Porsche and thought to yourself: "My, I bet the person driving that is really, really interesting."?
And how many times have you thought to yourself: "Pretentious halwit of the irretrievable kind and probably quite old."?
Perhaps, then, a few of these buyers would prefer to seem a little more down with the (hiking, surfing, paddle-boarding) people and less up with the "Oh, won't you look at my new Porsche?" people.
Beyond the manifest image issues, there's another thing sports car owners are often slow to admit.
Sports cars are simply a pain to own.
They can be frightfully oversensitive and entirely impractical. They can be woefully uncomfortable and, when it comes to basic equipment, painfully inadequate.
Many years ago, I confess I took a test-drive in a Porsche. The cup holder was, I'm quite sure, a joke created by someone who got fired from IKEA.
When I laughed, the dealer turned to me, serious-faced and said:
This is a driver's car. Porsche only cares about the driving experience.
Who among us has time for such high maintenance objects these days?
We want to be out there enjoying ourselves and proving just how much we're at one with nature.
Still, a Jeep Wrangler.
Oh, wait. It's not just about the money, is it?
"A mile of highway will take you one mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere."
"Pretentious halwit of the irretrievable kind and probably quite old."???
Well at 70, I am not THAT old, in my 15 year old Boxster. But my friend in the latest red Cayman S is 94 and playing clarinet in our local community band. Neither of us are pretentious - just sayin. Probably just trying to re-live our youth. Around here, I would say that the average age of a Boxster driver that I see on the road is over 60.
Well at 70, I am not THAT old, in my 15 year old Boxster. But my friend in the latest red Cayman S is 94 and playing clarinet in our local community band. Neither of us are pretentious - just sayin. Probably just trying to re-live our youth. Around here, I would say that the average age of a Boxster driver that I see on the road is over 60.
| We age, change and circumstances lead us to different wants mikefocke, '01S Sanford, NC - 4 years ago |
I have owned 5 sports cars. 2 Alfas back in the 1960s (yea, I'm ancient), a 1070 914 and two Boxsters. Simultaneous to owning both Boxsters I owned a CRV with the world's most aggressive rain and snow tires.
So what did I replace both those cars with? Not a Jeep. Not a high end machine. A Prius station wagon. Why you ask (or maybe you don't but I'll tell you anyway)? Because it was different. Because green appealed to me. Because it was practical.
What do I own now? A Rav4 hybrid. More power than my Porsches, more MPG than my Prius, takes the trash to the dump, the grandkids to horseback riding. But it is the absolute you can't buy another option version and so has all the electronic nannies. As I age and my attention wanders, I felt I needed those. And I do love them. I also like climbing into and out of a seat that is located higher than a typical sedan and certainly higher than my Boxsters.
I still notice the P-cars. I still browse the ads every day. They are still wonderful cars. Just they are cars for a time IMHO (before and after kids) and I'll teach my grandkids to drive in a golf cart. Can you believe a learner's permit is available at 15 and a half years old in NC!
If I win the lottery I'll treat myself to a recent Targa as my toy car.
So what did I replace both those cars with? Not a Jeep. Not a high end machine. A Prius station wagon. Why you ask (or maybe you don't but I'll tell you anyway)? Because it was different. Because green appealed to me. Because it was practical.
What do I own now? A Rav4 hybrid. More power than my Porsches, more MPG than my Prius, takes the trash to the dump, the grandkids to horseback riding. But it is the absolute you can't buy another option version and so has all the electronic nannies. As I age and my attention wanders, I felt I needed those. And I do love them. I also like climbing into and out of a seat that is located higher than a typical sedan and certainly higher than my Boxsters.
I still notice the P-cars. I still browse the ads every day. They are still wonderful cars. Just they are cars for a time IMHO (before and after kids) and I'll teach my grandkids to drive in a golf cart. Can you believe a learner's permit is available at 15 and a half years old in NC!
If I win the lottery I'll treat myself to a recent Targa as my toy car.
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