Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

@hefty if I look after your expenses and buy you a decent lunch would you be amenable to taking a look at the 996 which Olly posted up thread?

From my limited experience a think a Cayman might be one of the ultimate daily use sportcars. Good chunk less money than a 911, usable performance and the aftermarket parts availability is getting better and better, not to mention you can interchange a lot of parts with boxters and 911s.

I've not had much experience of driving 911's at the limit but I do know that my dad had a nervy experience in a 996 Turbo when it was low on fuel. He's driven most things of note, raced on an off over the last 20-odd years (most exciting a full beans TVR Tuscan Challenge car - 450hp and around 900kg) and the only time seen him nervous was after a spirited drive home in the 996 where mid corner, the tail decided to give itself a big wag at about 70 and it all looked like it was headed south. After speaking with knowledgable people in the 911 world it turns out that running them low on fuel can unsettle the car due to weight (or lack of it) in the front.

Would still have one though.

in that case, something cheapish and efficient and fun - honda civic / vw golf / mini cooper then something vintage, a joy to drive that makes excellent noises but also cheap to run / maintain - vintage bmw, vintage mercedes, vintage mazda rotary engine anything car ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exYel-BCvZU

oh wait - that's just what i want to do. :D

Where is it? I certainly don't lack the will, but might lack the time.

In a front engined rear drive car you'd need to lift off, twirl the wheel and hope for the best when that happens which is probably what he did. What he should have done, especially in a 4WD car like the turbo, was bury the throttle and let the traction fix it.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy (when you're typing it not living it).

Exactly. And as his primary experience lands in cars that are front engined and rwd, I'm guessing thats what happened. Still, alls well that ends well. He's just a bit circumspect about driving them in the same manner now.

Where is it? I certainly don't lack the will, but might lack the time.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/porsche/911-carrera-996/porsche-911-996-carrera-----------------1998/5401409?v=c

Chaps profile says "London", I would think that @Olly398 might be able to shed further light on this as he's driven it.

It's in Barnes

Just looking on Pistonheads at alternatives and I noticed theres lots of Cayman GT4's for sale. Obviously everyone that ordered one thought they'd see how far they could take the piss with the prices. Most are around 30k over list!

I LoLed :oP

It's in Barnes

Thanks! Would you have bought it for £14,000?

I think that's pretty much the exact figure I was minded to offer him... but you'll have to mek your own mind up :)

@Dammit
Why not do a trip to aus, do some riding, buy a Porsche
http://www.carpoint.com.au/private/details/Porsche-911-1979/SSE-AD-4197802/?gts=SSE-AD-4197802&gtssaleid=SSE-AD-4197802

Also, a fiesta as a daily is not silly... I've been driving my folks new fiesta ecoboost 3 cylinder turbo. Excellent car, engine is full of character, spools up quickly so you can have fun under the limit and the car handles. Can even fit bikes in it. Just the interior looks cheap.

I land in Sydney on the 26th as it goes, not sure my luggage allowance runs to a 911 though.

Just the interior looks cheap.

it would go well with the 996 then...

wahey!

Ha, excellent. Business or leisure? If you have any riding time it's a great time of year. Was out today, 20 degrees and sunny. Rediscovering the good roads is fun.

I would sell an eyeball to go back to Syders for a couple of days, revisit my old haunts

Wait, @Dammit are you planning on selling the Volvo?

Do try to keep up...

:-(

I have no idea what's going on

He's leveraging it by keeping it as his 'sensible daily', which permits him a classic car policy, provided he rents a garage, then purchasing a 996 C2 with a modest loan, the repayments of which over 5 years are offset by his car annual allowance. #freeporsche #solongsuckers

This is what I thought I'd understood from the conversation but others are talking about a Fiesta?

Also, how does one procure an annual car allowance?

Just ask your boss :)

it's just salary