Is a Porsche a show off car?

[Eddie1996]

In separate conversations, my sister referred to my new car as snazzy, my sister-in-law as swanky,  and my girlfriend as a show off car. There's a pattern of perception there, I think! None of my male relatives have made such off-centre remarks. I tried to explain to my girlfriend that the shape of the car is a result of inescapable engineering logic and nothing in the design is there to show off. Porsche, I further explained, is a respected manufacturer of sports car, and sports cars, being free from the design imperatives of family cars etc, are inevitably more beautiful in their lines. My girlfriend concluded erroneously that the Porsche is a sports car but is also a show off car. 

Edited March 18, 2021 by Eddie1996

[Hunter]

Of course it is. The fact you came here, to an echo-chamber, might even prove to you that it is.

 

That doesn't necessarily mean you bought it to show off with, but a not-insignificant portion of owners will never really care about the handling, or the engineering, or the lap times. Porsches do look good, and through no accident! They are in fact designed to look good. All cars are.

 

Forget what others think and just drive the car for the reasons you bought it. Reasons like "engineering logic", from the sounds of it.

[Windymiller]

Damn right it is - and that’s precisely why my 9yr old Kia diesel family ‘bus’ doesn’t get to sleep under a silken cover in the painted garage after I spend a day lovingly cleaning it...

 

🥰😉👍🏻🤪

 

(that’s cleaning the Porsche - NEVER the Kia, that’s what £10 hand car washes are for 😉)

Edited March 19, 2021 by Windymiller

[wtaite01]

I must admit, this is one of the things that has caught me out most during my first year of ownership.

 

I bought my 987.2 base for £19.5K from a specialist in July last year. Whilst this is undeniably a huge amount of money to most people in the UK, it is the equivalent of buying a well specced Fiesta brand new, which no one would bat an eyelid at. It's a 59 plate, and I have had people asking if it was a year old (mistakingly thinking it was a 69 plate). I think the mid engined layout and the classic, unfussy looks give the impression of a car that is far more exotic and expensive than it actually is.

 

For me, this probably detracts from the ownership experience more than it adds, though I completely understand that for others this is (entirely reasonably) a positive aspect of ownership.

 

Mine is Aqua Blue, which is bright and eye catching. I do wonder if one of the silvers or, preferably, Meteor Grey cars would suit me better.

 

Reading this back, it seems like a rather somber appraisal of ownership, so I feel compelled to point out that I have loved owning, working on and, most importantly, driving the car since I've had it. I have done several road trips to Wales already with more to come and I am particularly excited for its first track outing in June!

Edited March 24, 2021 by wtaite01

[Eddie1996]

22 hours ago, wtaite01 said:

I must admit, this is one of the things that has caught me out most during my first year of ownership.

 

I bought my 987.2 base for £19.5K from a specialist in July last year. Whilst this is undeniably a huge amount of money to most people in the UK, it is the equivalent of buying a well specced Fiesta brand new, which no one would bat an eyelid at. It's a 59 plate, and I have had people asking if it was a year old (mistakingly thinking it was a 69 plate). I think the mid engined layout and the classic, unfussy looks give the impression of a car that is far more exotic and expensive than it actually is.

 

For me, this probably detracts from the ownership experience more than it adds, though I completely understand that for others this is (entirely reasonably) a positive aspect of ownership.

 

Mine is Aqua Blue, which is bright and eye catching. I do wonder if one of the silvers or, preferably, Meteor Grey cars would suit me better.

 

Reading this back, it seems like a rather somber appraisal of ownership, so I feel compelled to point out that I have loved owning, working on and, most importantly, driving the car since I've had it. I have done several road trips to Wales already with more to come and I am particularly excited for its first track outing in June!

 

I also feel the pressure of having such an eye-attracting car, though mostly I like it. I suspect a larger proportion than average of Porsche owners who park on London streets, choose black or grey and allow their cars to become very dirty, in a measure to make them vanish from the eyes of potential magpie street-corner kids and nefarious 3am bandits. 

 

For every yellow or orange or light green Porsche - the big show off colours - I bet there's a garage, such as the one in which Windmiller keeps his car ensconsed.

 

 

[Windymiller]

14 hours ago, Eddie1996 said:

 

For every yellow or orange or light green Porsche - the big show off colours - I bet there's a garage, such as the one in which Windmiller keeps his car ensconsed.

 

 

Well it’s just a regular garage - not a carcoon or owt exotic 🤷‍♂️

[Windymiller]

Although here she is being treated very well at a local Detailer currently - should collect her on Saturday  🤩👍🏻
 

 

[GlosRich]

@wtaite01 That's the problem I found when I owned mine.

Lots of people do buy these cars to show off, but really as you said, when you buy an old one, you buy it to appreciate the engineering and driving experience, and it's the same price as a new Fiesta!

I experienced everything from insults to praise. One work colleague was particularly nasty, a driver trapped in a £30k Insignia!

It's a funny old society we live in, yes I appreciate a lot of people have very little and a Porsche doesn't sit well with that, but a Porsche should also inspire and excite.

[briggy]

It's a difficult one to explain and there are contradictions. How can you drive a Porsche without being a show off? To turn that round, if you were a show off, then a Porsche would fit nicely. Does that make me a show off?

 

I took my son to football practice at the weekend. The coach, who I've sort of known for a couple of years said "I didn't know you had a Porsche". I tend not to shout about it. If people ask me what I drive, I say "a Cayman". I either get blank looks or some generally positive interest from those that know what one is.

 

If I'm honest, I am a bit of a badge snob and I do like the perception of Porsche being a premium brand. That said, if I didn't like driving it as much as I do, it would have been moved on ages ago. I had an Alpina B3 a few years ago and the dim-witted auto gearbox drove me nuts, so it went after a few months.

 

On the downside, I've had people slow down (i.e. actually brake) on a 2 lane dual carriageway, just so I'd overtake them. Why? So they could make hand gestures at me!

 

All I do know is that there isn't another car in the same price range that I'd consider swapping for. I've definitely bonded with the car as it's simply a joy to drive. I've had it for 4 and a half years, which is the longest I've had any car. Unless my finances change, I have no plans to sell it.

 

Cheers,

Bryan