Traction Inc.

From the Mailbag

I’m not a fan of Porsches. BTDT, got the t-shirt. My wife and I both hated every minute of ownership. We felt it was a glorified VW. You have to buy into the “mystique” of the Porsche to have any desire to maintain one.

I don’t understand why anyone puts up with all the hassles of owning an old 911. If Porsche made econoboxes you’d rag on them constantly and warn people away, but somehow Porsche’s being expensive makes their flaws better somehow? How is that? The more I pay for something the more I want it to be perfect. I’ll accept imperfections in something cheap but I won’t put up with them in something expensive.

I don’t agree with this whatsoever.

I’m willing to forgive a lot if a car is fun and rewarding to drive at the limit. Cars that if you were to jump behind the wheel at autocross or track day, you’d finish your run thinking I HAVE GOT TO GET ONE OF THESE. It’s why I daily drive a turbo Miata and own an E36 M3, and why cars like the S2000 and Elise are on my wish list. Every 911 I’ve had the chance to drive has met this criteria.

When cars are cheap and bothersome they are a POS, but when they are expensive and bothersome they are “eccentric”? As if living with the third world weirdness of an old Porsche makes you a real macho, a man’s man and the chicks will love you for your car (because you can’t get them any other way?).

I think that when cars are old and bothersome, yet still are fantastic to drive, they are worth owning and preserving. If driving an older Porsche doesn’t make you smile or feel alive, pass it on to someone else.

(photo via phatdish)

I borrowed a 911 once during fun runs at an autocross. I drove it, but was very slow. Frankly I was intimidated by the $$$ and the knowledge that I could never afford to fix it if something went wrong, and as a result, I was even slower than my normally slow self. Immediately afterwards, I drove my Geo and had a faster lap time.

Facepalm.

Hey, if you can’t afford to crumple it up in a little ball and walk away, you probably should not be driving it in anger. We all know that’s true for a Time Attack or a wheel-to-wheel race. I think - and others probably disagree - that we should keep the cost of repairs in mind when autocrossing, too.

My mind hears you, but my soul doesn’t care. There are times in life when the time comes to take a chance, knowing that at least your insurance is paid up.

In the past year or so I’ve been ridiculously lucky enough to drive - in anger - a Ferrari 360, Lamborghini Gallardo, Audi R8, Porsche 997 Turbo, Aston Martin Vantage, Lotus Elise, BMW M5, M6, and various M3’s. I would spring for the chance to do so again in a heart beat, and would not let worrying make me take it slow.

I hate you.

LOL. It was a fluke - I was gifted a weekend at the BMW M School, and there used to be a place a few hours away which rented a fleet of supercars for country drives and track days (at prices I could afford!). Photos and Video »