For the past year I have been the owner of a 2013 Porsche 911. That car is my dream car. Ever since I was 9 or 10 I’ve wanted a 911. I’ve always liked sports cars and for me the 911 is the standard bearer of legendary sports cars.
For the past year, the dream has been a reality. Here are some thoughts and observations after the first year of 911 ownership.
Getting a smog check for the car was a learning lesson. Apparently only one place in the Fresno area knows how to smog a 911. Part of the backseat must be removed, which is quite odd. Add to the fact that the engine is in the back of the car and you’ve got a recipe for confusion. The first place I went to wanted to see the engine in the front of the car…I knew that was a sign they weren’t going to be doing the job.
I’m into the car more than most other people are. My biggest compliments have come from homeless or those I believe are homeless. Maybe they’re the most forward, but overall I might as well be driving my old Toyota Camry. No one looks, comments or does anything upon seeing the car.
Sometimes other people want to race you or act odd around you. I have had a decent amount of people gun their engine near me when we’re stopped. I find this odd to begin with, then add to it when someone is gunning their engine next to you with people in front of you and you’ve got a situation that makes no sense. You can’t drag race someone when cars are in front of you. My most recent experience was like this and the driver accelerated hard for probably 20 yards when we started, then hit his breaks. Odd behavior.
If you drive it like a normal car, it feels pretty normal. If you drive it like a race car, it will run. The car’s system for shifting gears has a memory and does its best to mirror your recent driving style with how it shifts the gears. If you’re driving more aggressive, it will shift to aid in your need for speed. If you drive like a commuter, then it will shift up a gear to be more economical.
The car can haul a lot of stuff. Between the trunk in the front and the backseat area, if you don’t have passengers, you can haul quite a bit of cargo. I’m continually impressed about how many things I can put the car.
A Porsche 911 is probably the most practical impractical car on the road. By this statement I mean that even though it’s a sports car, it allows you to do many things that a normal car affords its driver. The small backseat is usable, it has space to haul a decent amount of cargo, it drives normal when you want to drive normal, it is dependable, and it doesn’t have any real oddities to speak of when it comes to the interior or exterior design.
Would I recommend the 911? 100% no questions asked.