Topic: The Quick and the Dad: 2015 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet GTS

[Autos_Editor]

No Service.
Read More...

[tpl]

Over $200,000 on the road in Ontario for one just like that. 

[quadzilla]

GTS logo package – $4,710

 

[Brendan McAleer]

GTS logo package – $4,710

 

I did say hilarious option package, right? Because otherwise you'd cry.

[Weels]

Great read again Brendan.

I am with you about priorities changing as you get older... 10 years ago, my main 'thing' was speed & power.  Now, it is just as you describe:

The older I get, the less I look for absolute speed, and the more I think about rhythm. A car that can pin your hair back and set your hair on fire is great fun, of course, but rarer still is a car that provides that same level of joy at a more relaxed pace. In a coupe version of the 911, I feel slightly bored unless I’m at the track, on maximum attack, but in the cabriolet there’s the wind and the sound and the amazing scenery to drink in.

The 'amazing scenery' part I definitely envy... to be able to drive up into the hills with "No Service"... sounds perfect to me.

[OliverD]

GTS logo package – $4,710

 

I did say hilarious option package, right? Because otherwise you'd cry.

It's technically the GTS Communication Package and isn't just logos. It includes deviated stitching and some other visual things. Personally I like that interior a lot even though it is pricey.

[aquadorhj]

good read, branden.  thanks.

[redman]

I'm no Cabriolet fan but I'd take the 911 Cab for a day in a heartbeat this time of year with moderate sun. It would be the perfect fix for open air driving that would help usher in the summer.

[Brendan McAleer]

It's technically the GTS Communication Package and isn't just logos. It includes deviated stitching and some other visual things. Personally I like that interior a lot even though it is pricey.

My thinking is it goes something like this:

"This is the 911 cab I'd like, I built it on the configurator."

"I've got one in stock, pretty close, but it's got the Communications Package. Adds an extra $30 a month to your lease payment, but you can have it right now."

"Sure, that's fine."

And having said that, some of the Porsche options are pricey, but at least they aren't bundled. It'd technically cost more to get your key painted body colour like that as an aftermarket thing than just ordering it from Porsche. They will charge you to the hilt, but they will build pretty much anything you want.

[Noto]

A lovely read for sure!

I love stories with cars in them rather than car stories <period>.

[micha]

It's technically the GTS Communication Package and isn't just logos. It includes deviated stitching and some other visual things. Personally I like that interior a lot even though it is pricey.

My thinking is it goes something like this:

"This is the 911 cab I'd like, I built it on the configurator."

"I've got one in stock, pretty close, but it's got the Communications Package. Adds an extra $30 a month to your lease payment, but you can have it right now."

"Sure, that's fine."

And having said that, some of the Porsche options are pricey, but at least they aren't bundled. It'd technically cost more to get your key painted body colour like that as an aftermarket thing than just ordering it from Porsche. They will charge you to the hilt, but they will build pretty much anything you want.

I don't think it goes like that.. I could not imagine buying a Porsche and not ordering exactly the spec I want. Having the ability to get one just the way you want (no bundles, many options), is part of the appeal of Porsche to me.

[jyarkony]

It's technically the GTS Communication Package and isn't just logos. It includes deviated stitching and some other visual things. Personally I like that interior a lot even though it is pricey.

My thinking is it goes something like this:

"This is the 911 cab I'd like, I built it on the configurator."

"I've got one in stock, pretty close, but it's got the Communications Package. Adds an extra $30 a month to your lease payment, but you can have it right now."

"Sure, that's fine."

And having said that, some of the Porsche options are pricey, but at least they aren't bundled. It'd technically cost more to get your key painted body colour like that as an aftermarket thing than just ordering it from Porsche. They will charge you to the hilt, but they will build pretty much anything you want.

I don't think it goes like that.. I could not imagine buying a Porsche and not ordering exactly the spec I want. Having the ability to get one just the way you want (no bundles, many options), is part of the appeal of Porsche to me.

I think you underestimate the number of people that buy 911s because they have the money and we like them this much, while they might not be quite so passionate or fastidious about this long-held dream of owning a 911.

[chignectohead]

Felt as if I were there, what a great read!

The Quick and the Wow - what was that price again?

Well, maybe the new Miata will be the Kraft parmesan cheese substitute for the real thing at the upscale deli. It's about the only hope for decent open-air motoring we mere plebs have.  I wonder if it will have this ineffable rhythm? That description of the Porsche crystallized an heretofore unformed thought in my mind. Explains why we react to certain manufactured things in such a positive way, but it's a fleeting quality rarely captured by most products.

That's why I read your stuff, Brendan. It's a pleasure.

PS I keep my Waltham Vanguard pocket watch serviced. Made about 1900 and shows the difference between the capability of the US watch-making industry at that time, and indeed 40 years even prior to that, and the blacksmith hammer-and-tongs quality of early 20th century cars. One is sublimely fashioned, the other crude. One still works, the others have turned back to dust decades ago. And the watch is only worth a couple of hundred dollars since so many survive. Just took the back off to gaze at the works again - brilliant workmanship and great design - it looks brand new. Will the Apple Watch last so long that its case plastic grain will wear down to a smooth patina? Not a hope.

[johngenx]

All new Porsches are horrid value propositions.  They're horrendously over-priced and depreciate dramatically immediately.  But, the business model works for Porsche - resulting in monstrous margins for them.

But, a 911 only makes any sense at all as a used buy for anyone not wealthy.

[bluelines]

I'm not so sure about that. One of the sales guys at DFC in Toronto, who was helping us when we were looking at the Macan and the Cayman, said that virtually none of his 911 customers take a car from inventory. The ability to customize to the nth degree is a big part of the appeal. Even with the Cayman, he was pushing us to order rather than take something from stock (with the Macan there was no choice but to order since there was a six-month or more waiting list). Overall it was one of the best car shopping experiences, since there was no pressure at all, and with the Cayman he was encouraging us to order a model with fewer options than the one or two they had in stock.

It's technically the GTS Communication Package and isn't just logos. It includes deviated stitching and some other visual things. Personally I like that interior a lot even though it is pricey.

My thinking is it goes something like this:

"This is the 911 cab I'd like, I built it on the configurator."

"I've got one in stock, pretty close, but it's got the Communications Package. Adds an extra $30 a month to your lease payment, but you can have it right now."

"Sure, that's fine."

And having said that, some of the Porsche options are pricey, but at least they aren't bundled. It'd technically cost more to get your key painted body colour like that as an aftermarket thing than just ordering it from Porsche. They will charge you to the hilt, but they will build pretty much anything you want.

I don't think it goes like that.. I could not imagine buying a Porsche and not ordering exactly the spec I want. Having the ability to get one just the way you want (no bundles, many options), is part of the appeal of Porsche to me.

I think you underestimate the number of people that buy 911s because they have the money and we like them this much, while they might not be quite so passionate or fastidious about this long-held dream of owning a 911.

[johngenx]

at DFC in Toronto

I bought my turbo from them.  Of course, that was 20yrs ago, but the service was excellent - in another league compared to how crappy I was treated here.  Edmonton must have some of the worst car dealers in the country - I've bought several cars from other cities thanks to their crap service.

[Fobroader]

This is a great car, power, looks good, makes all the right noises....but completely the opposite way I would get a Porsche. I would prefer a 2wd, manual with the most track oriented suspension I could get. Yeah yeah, "but you can use it in winter".....nope, I would not use one here, even with awd and the best set of winter known to man, so awd really to me would not be something I would be interested in....same with that PDK gearbox, I know it shifts faster and there is less power loss blah blah blah....gimme a clutch pedal and a 7 spd manual.

[OliverD]

This is a great car, power, looks good, makes all the right noises....but completely the opposite way I would get a Porsche. I would prefer a 2wd, manual with the most track oriented suspension I could get. Yeah yeah, "but you can use it in winter".....nope, I would not use one here, even with awd and the best set of winter known to man, so awd really to me would not be something I would be interested in....same with that PDK gearbox, I know it shifts faster and there is less power loss blah blah blah....gimme a clutch pedal and a 7 spd manual.

I agree 100%. Give me a red GTS coupe with the manual.