Does anyone know where to find the amazing Singer ACS release video? It's not on youtube anymore.
Does anyone know where to find the amazing Singer ACS release video? It's not on youtube anymore.
"Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer
I think it's been dissappeared. I can't even find the carscoops write up on google cache OR the wayback machine. I'm guessing the mothership was none too happy.Originally Posted by TGS
Annual Report
Coming up on two years here in early June, thought I would bump the thread with a few thoughts.
The car still offers an unparalleled driving experience. While not rifle-bolt slick, the Porsche 7MT continues to scratch my itch for a manual transmission. The sports chrono with downshift rev matching is still huge fun; it suits me (and my lack of decent heel/toe technique) perfectly.
Over the last few months I started to explore the Porsche Active Suspension Management Chassis. I’m not a track guy, but this system affords dynamic control of the chassis between “sport” vs. “normal”. It works very well; at speed, on smooth roads, “sport” provides a very firm, aggressive feel to the car. On rougher roads, or at lower, around town speeds, date night, etc the “normal” setting is still firm but noticeably more comfortable.
Due to COVID and retiring for good last year, I haven’t really driven the car a lot, except for special events. We recently returned from a long distance trip to the PCA Werks Renunion at Amelia Island, and a side visit to see the Brumos Collection. Packing 700 miles in two days was a bit more than I wanted, but the car ate up the miles easily at um, shall we say, interstate speeds.
The show was great, but the Brumos Collection of racing Porsches was really excellent:
https://www.thebrumoscollection.com/
Service and Repair Costs
I use a spreadsheet to track overall costs and service data on the car. My summary Service and Repair Summary tab is below.
Over the last two years, I spent $4,361 in unscheduled and schedule repairs and service. This works out to an average Service and Repair cost of $1,090 per year, or $0.25 per mile. I am getting 25.4 MPG, based on actual fuel consumed. The high was 31.9 on our trip from Long Island, the low 13.9 when I was ah doing some ahem test driving locally.
Oil consumption has been nil. I went with Mobil 1 5W-50 instead of the 0W-40 at my last change in Feb. There is much less of a ticking sound on startup/cold (a good thing). Less noise is commonly reported by users who switch to the thicker oil. Water consumption has been only 450ml of distilled water over the two years I've owned the car.
My service watchlist includes the water pump and door panel warping.
The water pumps on these cars are problematic. There is rumor of Porsche extending the water pump warranty to 10 years, as there are many reported failures of this component, especially on the early 991.2 cars (like mine). The door panel warping is a known problem with older 991s/981s; the glue used tends to fade and loosen in heat. Being in FL, I haven’t seen it yet, but will keep an eye on it.
The rear brakes may need looking at, possibly just pads only. August will be the 4 year/40k mark on the engine air filters (a rear bumper off service). I’ll likely just get this done at the dealer, as it is a yuge PITA to get the bumper off.
I will likely do a preventative service battery replacement this summer. I did this on the Cayman; about $225 at Batteries Plus and a simply DIY.
The two largest service and repair costs were tires at $1,962 (dealer) and front brakes (pads and rotors) at $743 (DIY). The Michelins are wearing well, quiet, good in the wet, and grip like a Democrat taking my taxes.
I’ll have had 2 unscheduled warranty dealer visits. One in March to fix the sunshade roller blind, and another coming this past month to replace the two rear deck lid gas struts (the engine is hot, and the seals on these tend to fail, causing the deck lid to slowly close.)
I’m pretty happy with the paint finish. It’s four years on now. The Griot’s orbital did a nice job, and that product I used is wearing well. We have been in a hotel situation temporarily, but I did get to a touch less wash this past weekend and used some “ceramic” finish spray that I got as a sample at the show at Amelia Island. Doesn’t look too bad from 15 feet.
Depreciation, or lack thereof.
Ok, so what is the car worth, two years later? The short answer is this car, a 2017, sold as CPO by a Porsche dealer, would still be priced at what I paid for it. In other words, it hasn’t depreciated at all.
This isn’t really all due to the car, since the COVID situation caused just about every luxury good market segment to explode. But uniquely in my case, there are a few additional factors involved, such as increases in costs of the new 992; Porsche factory shutdown, meaning too few cars being chased by too many people who have a lot of disposable income, and (possibly) market preference for the “older” versions of the 911, putting additional value on the 991.1s (NA) and 991.2s (twin turbos).
And my car is an MT. I looked at the PCNA used car search tool, and there are only 11 2017 Carrera’s for sale across the United States. 1 is a MT. They range from $82K to $102K$. So while I am not 100% sure why the market on used 911s has gone nuts, I am happy my car hasn’t gone down in value, and it might have gone up. I’ve never experienced that with a used car before.
Plans
With a bit of luck we should be in our new house by July. This will let me move into and configure my garage. I’ll also be with a new dealer, Suncoast Porsche in Sarasota. In August my 4 year OEM warranty ends, and I start CPO years 5 and 6 (mileage unlimited.) I’ve already had one interaction with my advisor, and he’s outstanding. He did accidentally leave a bottle of Single Malt Scotch on the seat afterwards; I had to drive back to the dealership and drop it off for him. So I think we are off to a good start.
I do think from time to time about a new 992 base PDK C2, but they start around $102k. And to get an MT (PDK only on the base), I’d need to step up to an S, a plus up of about $16K. Geez. I just don’t see why I need to do that.
I fantasize about doing a Euro Delivery, and making a trip to Germany to pick up the car, see the Stuttgart factory and drive the Nurburgring. But I don’t see that happening. I do have to admit though, in my heart of hearts, that I am probably driving the last manual transmission car I’ll own. We’ll see how I feel about that in a couple years. Meanwhile I’ll keep driving the car.
Last edited by RJ; 05-22-2021 at 02:28 PM.
Das freut mich.I'm glad to read this.
I rode many times with my motorbike on racetracks in Germany, my lap time on the racetrack in Oscherleben would have been in the upper 1/3 of the German championship. Just wanna say: I know a little bit about it. If I had a Porsche or another great sports car, I would not drive on the Nurburgring Nordschleife with it. Reason: The Nordschleife is very long and very difficult to learn. Many guys crashed their cars there, some died. I don't recommend to drive on any racetrack. But if you do, do it on a shorter track which is a current Grand Prix circuit because they have better safety measures (e.g. long run-off areas). And do it in an appropriate training session, where only people and cars with similar speed are on the track. Otherwise it's dangerous. Having good instructors in the first trainings is a good thing. The Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit would be better suited than the Nurburgring Nordschleife. A friend of mine won a race of the hard-fought German 600cc motorbike championship there. But I did not ride there. I was very often in Oschersleben but did not race, rode only in training sessions.I fantasize about doing a Euro Delivery, and making a trip to Germany to pick up the car, see the Stuttgart factory and drive the Nurburgring. But I don’t see that happening.
Have you already driven on a race track? Do you know that it's very important to know the track, its corners and stuff before you go fast?
Probably you already knew most of this. Then my humble words hopefully confirm your knowledge.
Last edited by P30; 05-22-2021 at 04:06 PM.
Rich: you really timed that buy well. Glad you a enjoying such a wonderful vehicle. Used prices and way out of my league for now.
After spending time in BMW and Porsche worlds do you have a cultural preference. It strikes me from
the outside that Porsche owners really drive the things hard and they hold up to it.
Ha! Me!? Racetrack? Nein!Das freut mich.
I rode many times with my motorbike on racetracks in Germany, my lap time on the racetrack in Oscherleben would have been in the upper 1/3 of the German championship. Just wanna say: I know a little bit about it. If I had a Porsche or another great sports car, I would not drive on the Nurburgring Nordschleife with it. Reason: The Nordschleife is very long and very difficult to learn. Many guys crashed their cars there, some died. I don't recommend to drive on any racetrack. But if you do, do it on a shorter track which is a current Grand Prix circuit because they have better safety measures (e.g. long run-off areas). And do it in an appropriate training session, where only people and cars with similar speed are on the track. Otherwise it's dangerous. Having good instructors in the first trainings is a good thing. The Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit would be better suited than the Nurburgring Nordschleife. A friend of mine won a race of the hard-fought German 600cc motorbike championship there. But I did not ride there. I was very often in Oschersleben but did not race, rode only in training sessions.
Have you already driven on a race track? Do you know that it's very important to know the track, its corners and stuff before you go fast?
Probably you already knew most of this. Then my humble words hopefully confirm your knowledge.
I’m definitely not a track guy. The chances of my wife allowing me to take a new 992 around the ‘Ring are between No Way and snowball’s chance in Hell. Either way, rental MBZ or new Euro delivery, I’d probably opt for a Ring taxi ride. I’ve watched a lot of ring videos and there seem to be plenty of ways to screw up during Touristenfahrten.
If my wife and I ever make it to Germany, we will almost certainly be doing that. I'd love to learn to drive the track myself, but I have no illusions about actually being good at it or going truly fast. It's pretty scary even in Gran Turismo on a Playstation.
I’ve not owned a BMW for a few years. The brand seems to be going for a more diverse international market (read: China) with a softer chassis, more tech-based and less emphasis on “The Ultimate Driving Machine”. I’ve looked at the new BMWs, but those new grills on the M3/M4, wow. There just aren’t any current models that appeal to me. But I’m probably a poor judge these days.
OTOT, there are also plenty of Porsche owners who only want to talk about aligning crests on wheels and what exterior shade goes best with Bordeaux full leather interior. I mean, it’s like the automotive equivalent of people who color fill their HK roll marks, but never shoot them. I’m kinda in between, using a 911 as a daily driver. It gets dirty, I wash it. It’s a car, it’s not made out of silk. Having owned the used 981S, the new Cayenne, and now a 991.2, the cars are enjoyable and engaging, but far from perfect. The company stretches the envelope, for sure, but occasionally drops a clunker now and again. Our Cayenne SUCKED OUT LOUD in almost every ergonomic detail compared to our Lexus. Their tech is very poor. Porsche Car Connect is hard to use, requires multiple trips to the dealer to activate, costs a hefty annual fee, and is easily outmatched by a Smart phone running CarPlay.
But driving...yeah, I’d much rather be in a P car than a bimmer these days.
As a long-term Bimmer guy, I generally agree with you. Pretty much all my favorite BMW cars have a chassis code that starts with an “E” (and I own/drive two).
I wouldn’t want to own/drive the newest M3/M4 if you GAVE me one. The M2 still gets my attention, though.
BMW seems to have wandered far from the “Ultimate Driving Machine” days. I’m glad to see Porsche is doing a better job of keeping that “core competency”.
I am a bad Porsche owner. Washed this car only once in almost 1 year of ownership. I don't care, its makes groceries, a range trip, or getting Mexican food fun. We really don't have any good roads around here. The YZF-R6 was sold a few years ago for not having anywhere to ride it.
This is outside the grocery store, we don't have too many 911s around here so I parked close by for a snap.
Kicking myself for not buying an E30 M3 in the late 2000s in Seattle. I think the guy wanted $20k and I though that was crazy.
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