This Is An "E" Ticket Ride!

Author's Rating:

Pros: Very fast, amazing handling. Great engine. Quality construction.

Cons: Expensive to buy and own.

Handling And Control:

The Bottom Line: 
This is an amazing vehicle. Essentially a race car that is street legal. If you can afford the price of entry it will never fail to thrill and amaze you.

Author's Review
Back in the earlier days of Disneyland and Disneyworld when you needed a ticket to get on a ride, the rarest most expensive ticket was the "E" ticket. The very best rides required an "E" ticket. This car is an "E" ticket ride for sure.

I've always been a car enthusiast and decided it was time to take the plunge and drive one of the finest sports cars in the world. The price of entry is kind of steep but the fact that the monthly payments are like a lot of peoples mortgages dissolves when you get behind the wheel of this car and put it through its paces.

You press the little button on the laser cut key to deactivate the alarm and central locking system. The key is compact and you don't need to carry a separate clicker, it's all integrated. Just don't lose it, it'll set you back approximately $300 to replace. There's pretty much no way to steal the car without the key short of towing it away.

You lift the door handle and the window slides down a little to unseal itself from the rubber window seal. This type of advanced engineering is evident throughout the car. You slide into a very comfortable leather seat that really hugs you. With the generous side bolsters you know the seat will keep you in place through hard cornering. You insert the key in the ignition on the left side of the steering wheel. This originates from Porsche's racing heritage and remains to this day. It takes a little getting used to, especially if you drive more than one car, but itÕs kind of cool nonetheless. When you turn the key and hear the engine spring to life behind your head you know this is going to be fun.

The Porsche utilizes a rear mounted, horizontally opposed six cylinder "boxer" engine that displaces 3.4 liters and generates 300 hp. What this means is 0-60 in about 5 seconds and a top speed of 174 mph. It is exhilarating to say the least. Get yourself a good radar detector while youÕre at it. The engine revs like crazy and the redline comes up extremely fast, itÕs a good thing itÕs equipped with a rev limiter because you donÕt want to blow this engine. Merging and passing take on a whole new meaning in a Porsche 911: It seems like no matter what gear you are in there is plenty of power available. If you drop down a gear, youÕll have some neck snapping acceleration available immediately.

The Porsche 911 comes standard with an excellent 6 speed manual transmission. If you canÕt drive a stick, either learn to, or consider a different vehicle. I know this may sound harsh, but this car was meant to be driven with a manual transmission. Although there is a Tiptronic option (clutchless manual/automatic) this really kills the responsiveness and performance of the 911 and it also costs $3400 for the privilege!

Not only can this car go fast but it handles like itÕs on rails. The handling is amazing and skidpad figures exceed .90 g. The car can take corners at speeds youÕve only imagined in lesser cars. In case you get in a little over your head, the optional (highly recommended) Porsche Stability Management System will seamlessly take over and keep you out of trouble. You can turn off the PSM but you donÕt want to spin the car at speed, do you? At 75mph the rear spoiler automatically deploys, reducing drag and generating downforce on the rear axle. This further contributes to the high top speed and great handling at high speeds. It goes back down when you slow to about 36mph and it can also be raised via a button in the car.

I opted for the optional 18Ó wheels and tires. These are extremely wide and low profile. While they donÕt contribute to a cushy ride (thatÕs not why you bought this vehicle) they stick to the road like glue and contribute to the great handling and stopping ability. ItÕs less fun when you have to replace these Z rated tires. High performance tires like these just donÕt last very long. Figure youÕre pretty lucky if you get 15,000 miles of life. 10,000 is probably more realistic. 7.500 miles if you are very aggressive. The cost to replace them is $300-$400 per tire plus installation. Also, be careful of curbs you donÕt want to have to replace these wheels.

ItÕs nice to go fast but when you go fast you need to be able to stop fast too. The 911 has huge cross drilled ventilated rotors on all four wheels along with 4 piston calipers and ABS. The cross drilling allows for great heat dissipation and also water evaporation. The bottom line: the 911 stops as well as it accelerates. The one thing I find a little disconcerting is that other drivers tend to follow a little too closely at times. They donÕt realize how much faster the 911 can stop than they can.

Now for the not so good news: All this fun and excitement doesnÕt come cheaply. In addition to the base price you will need options. Porsche offers many, many options. Some you will definitely need, others you will definitely want. Some are a little ridiculous in that they sort of know they can nickel and dime you on them. For instance, the standard steering wheel is a four spoke wheel, everyone wants the more attractive 3 spoke wheel so Porsche charges around $300 for the 3 spoke wheel. You pay approximately $2700 for the top of the line 18 inch wheels and tires yet the colored Porsche crests in the middle of those wheels cost another $300 or so. If you donÕt take that option the Porsche crests are black. My car came out to $76,100. There were many things I could have added but you have to draw the line somewhere. Expect to pay $70-80,000 for a 911 Carrera Coupe. Is it any wonder that Porsche is the worlds most profitable car manufacturer?

Maintenance on the car will also cost you. For example, an oil change and filter runs about $200. The 911 takes 10 quarts of Mobil 1 synthetic oil. The owners manual says you can change the oil every 15,000 miles but the dealer will suggest every 5,000. IÕve already mentioned the tire expense you can look forward to. The 911 requires 93 octane gas so youÕll be paying for premium gas but believe it or not the gas mileage isnÕt too bad. The 6 speed is rated at 17 city and 25 highway. Realistically if you have a heavy foot in the city youÕll get around 14 mpg. On the highway at steady speeds that are under three digits youÕll get around 28 mpg.

The Porsche 911 is German automotive engineering at its best. It is essentially a race car modified for street use. If you are a car enthusiast, love to drive and appreciate engineering excellence this could be the car for you. Try not to get too many speeding tickets.