Get That Porsche Ready For A Drive & Dine! - The Official Website Of: Fill & Download for Free

Whenever I drove my son’s 911 I felt as though I had a bull’s eye painted on my forehead. I never did get the thing into sixth gear because I didn’t dare take it over 100 km/hr on local roads.When I later acquired a 2004 Cayenne S, I discovered that it was fun to frustrate the pickup drivers who all wanted to “have a go” at the fancy little SUV. None tried more than once. A Cayenne is a most capable car on a two-lane highway. If a massive V8 thinks he can out-accelerate you, just wait for a corner.But I’m no longer young, and I realized I should know better after a few hair-raising drifts on black ice and slush. From then on the cruise control was on, pegged at 99 km/hr in an 80. Police officers accepted that compromise and kept going.Porsches are complex, but pretty good to work on if you have a set of triple-square sockets and a good hoist, as well as the rest of the tools in an automotive shop. After-market and used parts are widely available. Avoid Asian ignition coils. The Internet is your friend and source of information for virtually every mechanical operation on a Porsche. Ruby was not an expensive car to repair over three years. It needed lower control arms, ignition coils, a set of used a/c servos, annual a/c recharging, a set of boots for a front c/v shaft, and one O2 sensor.But after three years with the Cayenne I was ready for a change. The pendulum swung to the other side, but my wife refused a Prius. I found a used Lexus es300h.It wasn’t the mechanical complexity or the repairs which put me off the Porsche; it was my first tank of gas for the Lexus. I calculated that per mile with premium gas, the Cayenne S cost 2.7 times the amount for fuel as the hybrid, which uses regular gas. By extension, that was a $100 saving per tankful. What’s more, I find I still enjoy driving, albeit at slightly lower speeds, and with an entirely different paradigm: maximizing MPG rather than maximizing G’s.Mind you, I haven’t sold “Ruby” yet, I still grin when I step on that gas pedal or turn into a corner, and I have never sat in a chair which fits me as well as the driver’s seat of that Cayenne.Edit: 30 June, 2019The author of another answer mentioned insurance for one’s Porsche. The Cayenne turned out to cost less to insure for liability than our 2005 Lexus es.I asked the agent if she had given me a special deal on the liability. She said she hadn’t. It’s just that Lexus sedans with Ontario plates are sitting ducks for individuals who fake traffic injuries in Florida because American insurance companies have quit paying, but Canadian firms still do. I promised that neither car would go to Florida and that less than 5% of all our driving would be south of the border. We thus qualified for a discount on our liability insurance on all of our cars.For a retiree with a good driving record, a Porsche doesn’t appear hard to insure.

In my experience, it's usually the mid-tier luxury that are more snobbery than either the low-end dealers or exotics. It was 3 years ago when I was looking into updating my 09 Mercedes SLK into a 2014 newer model SLK or SL. Being a software developer for a casually-dressed company, I would often be in tshirts and shorts, and a snap back hat, and being young looking that makes me look like a college student. I remember walking into the local Benz dealer asking to see the most current model year, and the salesman made a face and expressed uninterest in helping me explore my options, made all kinds of excuses of cars not being available to see. When I did find an SL65 AMG and inquired for a test drive, the salesman casually looked up from his desk and said he would only let me test drive it if I start the paperwork to purchase the car first. I thank him for his time and promptly left.My experience the following week at Porsche, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Maserati, Lotus, Lamborghini, and McLaren, were beyond friendly, despite wearing the same shirts/t-shirts combo. At all these exotic dealers, I was treated with utmost respect as a potential client, and was able to test drive all their models as I wanted, with just my driver license, no nonsense excuses. I was even offered for an extended test drive that would have let me keep the McLaren for the weekend. In the end, I bought a Lotus Evora. When I'm ready for the next upgrade, McLaren will have my business. I guess high-end dealers learn early on that their clients dont fit in a certain look.

I own a Panamera and I was given the new E-Class as a loaner for the past three weeks while my Panamera awaits repair.I also owned a 2015 E-Class, and while they have improved, they are just not a Porsche Panamera. They're truly not comparable cars, which is why I chuckled when I saw that they are somewhat awkwardly compared on many websites.The brand difference may shock you, though. Try reaching out to Porsche when they're wrong. You may feel very happy with a new Mercedes.I happened across this topic as I considered the extraordinary difference in the two cars (aside from the $50,000 MSRP difference).While I haven't felt like they handed me the keys to a run down old junker, the loaner 2019 Mercedes is not in the same league as the Panamera. However, Mercedes has it all over them in Service - and that will matter at some point in car ownership. The decision may come down to how you value your time, frustration, and willingness to be looked down upon by an overhyped staff that just doesn't like you - because you can't engineer and build your own Porsche. You're perhaps just not good enough for their product - or so it may feel.The Mercedes is a fine driving car, and has many nice convenience features. They're just not a Panamera - you're not paying for a Panamera, either.I mentioned that my Porsche is in the shop awaiting repair, so Porsche is not perfect. I'd rather drive a working Mercedes than sit roadside in a broken Porsche. They're just not very attractive atop a flatbed truck - nor fast with their engines removed (see photo).The Real Dirt on Porsche Ownership:I was lied to about a safety recall, and had catastrophic engine failure with two of my little boys in the car - on our way to school.They made a mistake on mine. Fine. Mistakes happen, but lies should not. The repair could cost me tens of thousands if Porsche wasn't covering the bill, and based on reactions I received, they're only covering it because all my calls are recorded and I have proof of their dealer lying to me. I actually had a man strongly insinuate that if I didn't produce the recorded lie, the bill would be on me. Fortunately, every detail is recorded.Service has been absolutely horrible. I think that guy at the desk in the photo may be checking YouTube to see if anybody knows how to fix one - since they sell so few. I can't verify that.Porsche communication has been abysmal, and fully unworthy of the name and price. I was lied to about whether they actually performed a safety recall, or just looked at it and scratched their heads. It was not done, which landed the car in the shop for an engine rebuild.They don't answer their Twitter, much less their phones. If you do get someone on the phone, they may treat you like you don't deserve their cars. Truly horrible customer service may ruin them. I can't overstate this!Just today, weeks into repair, I was told my car is ready. The rep said he'd let me know a good time to pick it up (what?!). Well into the afternoon, I hadn't heard back and time was short, so I called and left a message. He never called, but said he “tried to text me" before realizing he was confused and texted someone else. Once I had him on the phone, he said he unexpectedly needs it another day. Unexpectedly? Did they break it again? What happened to my car?I had rearranged my schedule to accommodate them, which seems horribly stupid in the first place. They really don't understand the customer relationship. Then, last minute, they want me to put my work and life on hold AGAIN, to drive three hours round trip to pick up the car that is rebuilt on lies.I suppose the underlying thought is that my schedule is less important, just as are my every thought, compared to theirs. I'm just not worth even the simplest customer service effort - to be timely or honest.Unless they break, the Panamera is a truly remarkable car. Performance and handling are shockingly great for their size and weight. Their convenience features are amazing. My office is 190 miles from home, and the Panamera makes the trip easy (but fortunately not daily).They can seem a bit showy, but perhaps largely because Panamera are not on every corner. However there are four others in my neighborhood, within two blocks, which made me wonder why, before I bought mine. Perhaps their biggest limitation and why they are not on every corner is their price. They are pricey. Mine listed at 100-ish. But if you're seeking the more thrilling car, Porsche wins it hands down.Don't break a Panamera, though. Everything about them costs a lot - and service can take away all the joy. Porsche, in my experience and via words from other owners, is not customer driven - only sales driven. You just don't matter. Live with it. Perhaps with a Mercedes in the garage.Bottom line - a car in the driveway is better than a car in the shop. However, if mine can stay out of the shop, I definitely prefer the Panamera. The “if" is large. If you don't like “ifs", at least test drive a Mercedes.Here's the comparison. Both are nice, but they're definitely not the same. Service included.Mercedes may treat you better.