Because once you've driven a 911, nothing else will do.

Keep this in mind when talking about Porsches.>

There are more Corvettes alone than there have been Porsches built from day > one. Combine every model, 356, 911, 924/944/968, 928, Boxster, Cayanne, and > there still are more Corvettes.

Why are Porsches, particularly the 911 variants, so expensive (at least> in US anyway)?

OK let's hear the rebuttals'

OK let's hear the rebuttals'

Don't most real sports/race cars have rear/mid engine designs? ­>

Most exotics are rear engine (Ferrari/Lamborghin­i/Porsche/Pagani etc).

Actually, Porsche tried the front engine design, and it just didn't seem > that the Porsche fans were too interested.

OK let's hear the rebuttals'>

Thanks,> Joe

No. Ferrari has mid and front engines. Lambo and most others> are mid. Porsche has rear (911 et. al.) and mid (Boxster). Other

than the DeLoren, almost no other cars than 911 use rear. For that> matter, most front-engine performance cars can be termed mid-engine,> since the engine is (almost always) behind the front axle: Corvette,> Ferrari, Jaguar.

IIRC, the 924/944 was the best seller for Porsche for many years.

Floyd

josephgliebe@bellso­uth.net wrote:>> Again, some of you guys are not going to like this,(and I am a Porsche >> owner and fan), but it costs a lot of engineering bucks to make as fine a >> car as Porsche does because they are constantly improving a >> well-engineered car that started with a not-so-good engineering >> idea.....rear engine.>>

The Boxster is not rear engined, nor is the Cayenne, and they account for > well over half of Porsche's total annual production. The soon-to-be > introduced Cayman is a Boxster coupe.>

Porsche produces relatively few vehicles annually and the R&D, labor, > materials and other costs of production, plus a profit, have to be > realized from this small pool of products. That's what makes them > expensive, not the design of the company's flagship. A design, by the way, > that has proven itself in competition and in the marketplace for decades.>

What Porsche do you own? I have a 2002 996 and my experience has been that > most folks who knock the 911 haven't lived with one.

Don't most real sports/race cars have rear/mid engine designs? ­>

Phil:> >My guess is that a Porsche is designed by engineers, not accountants> >like some other automobile manufacturers>

It was true until Wiedeking, an accountant, took over, the Boxster was > designed and build to a price point,> similarly the 996 was cheaper to build then the 993.> It's only recently that the engineers have been able to improve the Boxster > and the 911 / 997, but the quality and> customer service is still far from the first class we would expect.> Regards,> Martin

Well I'm glad the Boxster hit a price point, because it meant I could> get one. And boy is it fun to drive.>

Serious question - do Carreras turn harder than the Boxster? C4 vs.> C2? I know they have bigger tires but I wondered if the rear vs. mid> engine made some difference.>

<What Porsche do you own? I have a 2002 996 and my experience has been that > most folks who knock the 911 haven't lived with one.>>

Jim, I got to put the "tamer" 996 to the test and actually prefer it over > the air cooled models. Put me firmly in the "like" column for the 996.>

When I was in the market to upgrade my original 1984 944 back in 1999, I > drove several of the 911 variants (a few SC's, Carrera's and a 964 or two) > and found the 944S2 to be the best of the lot. Not the best economic choice > because of the resale values of the 911 series, but I wasn't as interested > in having the "right" Porsche as much as I was interested in having the best > performing Porsche for the money.>

I've driven 964s and 993s, and the 996 does feel different. It's not as >"edgy" as the earlier cars and to me at least, the 996 is more >comfortable, so "tamer" is duly noted. I think the 996 moved more toward >the GT side of the ledger as opposed to "sports car" than earlier 911s, >and the 997 has apparently moved back.

Didn't like the huge blind spot (for me) at the C pillar and the car was> not as comfortable due to limited seatback reclining (I'm 6'2"). It also> could have used more power.

I've driven 964s and 993s, and the 996 does feel different. It's not as > "edgy" as the earlier cars and to me at least, the 996 is more > comfortable, so "tamer" is duly noted. I think the 996 moved more toward > the GT side of the ledger as opposed to "sports car" than earlier 911s, > and the 997 has apparently moved back.

I think definitely the 996 is similar to the last of the 928s - a> GT. I'm not so sure the 997 has moved back, though. I'm curious about> how the Cayman drives - I think it might be a *serious* sports car.> Emanuel

In a couple of years, I'd be mighty tempted if that engine found its> way into a Boxster... a 300 hp Boxster... wow.

No. Ferrari has mid and front engines. Lambo and most others>are mid. Porsche has rear (911 et. al.) and mid (Boxster).

Other>than the DeLoren, almost no other cars than 911 use rear.

You're forgetting the Cayenne, which is front engined.

Tatra? Skoda?

I think definitely the 996 is similar to the last of the 928s - a> GT. I'm not so sure the 997 has moved back, though. I'm curious about> how the Cayman drives - I think it might be a *serious* sports car.> Emanuel

In article <u26ae.29163$lv1.12­528@fed1read06>, Jim Keenan> <jtk3@cox.net> wrote:>

What is a C pillar?>

In article <yH6ae.29164$lv1.17­24@fed1read06>, Jim Keenan <jtk3@cox.net>> wrote:>

What do you mean by "GT side" as opposed to "sports car"?

Dan Stephenson wrote:>

The C pillar is where the rear roof line runs down to the rear deck. In >the Boxster the soft top is so wide it created a huge blind spot for me, >even when I turned my head before changing lanes.>

By contrast, the A pillar is where the frame of the windshield runs down >to the cowl.....

E Brown wrote:>

I haven't driven a 997 yet, but the various magazine test drive articles > seem to share a common thread - that the 997 has returned to more > sporting roots. The Carrera S has the Porsche Active Suspension > Management as standard and the car reportedly is good for 1+ G on the > skidpad.>

I think it was Car and Driver that speculated the Cayman will come in > with about 290 HP and could be be faster than the base (320 HP) 997 > Carrera. That does seem pretty serious to me, too.

Emanuel> -- > 1983 Porsche 944 Guards Red/Black> 2003 BMW 325i Black/Black

Jim Keenan wrote:>

According to the latest Panorama magazine, it should have 295hp and be > faster than the 1997 993. There was no mention of the 997.

"E Brown" <epbrown01@att.net>­ wrote in message >news:9u4i61lodk39i­k080usrdph4qnmc511p4­7@4ax.com...>

Did you sell the 928 and the 911?>

your sig line got shorter.>

Steve Travis wrote:>

Are you sure they're comparing the Cayman with a 1997 993? Why would they?

May Car and Driver, page 38 on the Cayman S: "The newest Porsche....will > enter the lineup as a 2006 model above the base 911 Carrera and below > the 911 Carrera S. Power comes from a 3.4 liter.....that will put out > 291 horsepower and may make the lighter-than-a-drop­top-Boxster Cayman > faster than a base 321-hp 911 Carrera".>

April Panorama, page 94: "The Cayman S....has a 3.4 305 hp mill....There > will apparently be two additional versions, a mid-level with a 295 hp > 3.4 liter engine, and an entry-level Cayman with the Boxster 3.2 liter > engine. Reportedly the new Cayman S can lap Nurburgring faster than the > Carrera".

The 911 is gone, the 928 is pending (I hope), and someone's already> called dibs on the 944. I'm having the opposite of a mid-life crisis -> as I get older, I want something a bit more practical! ­> Seriously, I lost my garage space and parking 3 classic Porsches on> the streets of Chicago wasn't working. I'm hoping to get down to just> the Bimmer by the end of May, and return to the Porsche fold when I've> got the space to shelter one properly and work on it.> Emanuel> -- > 1983 Porsche 944 Guards Red/Black> 2003 BMW 325i Black/Black

I'm hoping to get down to just>the Bimmer by the end of May, and return to the Porsche fold when I've>got the space to shelter one properly and work on it.

No.....I made an oopsie. They're comparing it to the 1997 996. See page > 10 of the April Panorama Issue.

Seems like there's conflicting reports in the same issue of the mag. > Looks like we'll have to wait and see.

Honestly, though, I don't see how Porsche would allow the Cayman to > outperform the 911. That is their flagship car right? (other than the > Carrera GT which is a limited production).

On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 13:19:29 GMT, E Brown <epbrown01@att.net>­ wrote:>

You have experience of more Porsche models than most here. Which will>you go for if it is to be just one?