Sad about Plaid? Attention past or present Porsche 911 Owners!

[easyev]

Any 911 owners out there that want to talk about their experience in this iconic car? I’m an older guy, almost 60, love hassle free performance and I embrace technology. So naturally, I went from 2015 P85DL+ (0-60 2.7 1/4 10.9) to a 22 Plaid. It’s a great car, it really is. I love to drive it, can’t get enough of it, and deliberately take detours and even double back on road trips to spend extra time in it.

But I got thinking. My wife’s Hybrid needs replacing and I’m looking at a Y. It’s in my other thread Considering a Y, have some Q’s. (sorry that’s not the root link of the conversation) Anyways, i’m going end up with that, and have 2 EVs to drive. Nothing wrong with that, but what am I missing out on, if anything?

My wife and I drove a 2018 Porsche 911 S4 cabriolet on the weekend, and wow, it was nice! I don’t know if it’s the top down make eye contact with the driver, the changes how people treat you, but one yelled out @NICE Porsche!” Numerous people let us in that wouldn’t normally. We felt really special in the car, and the attention was kind of nice.

So my question is:

Did I make a mistake buying the Plaid, and should I have gotten a 911 that’s just going to go UP in price. Then enjoy the technology of the new Y has to offer and give up on the crazy Plaid performance that I really don’t use much anyway. It’s more bragging rights but not even that it’s just nice to know “she goes.” if money were no object I’d get a 911 Turbo S in frozen grey / modegrau / Fashion grey…omg what a car!

My wife really dislikes gas cars, (God I love this woman lol) and wants to go all EV. I get it, but what am I missing out on the 911? The EV version will be 2030? Maybe? Who knows with Porsche! So slow to move on anything.

Kind of kicking myself I didn’t buy a 2008 roadster for $90,000 when I had the chance. They are 250+ US if you could even find one

Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked here but that’s my question in bold above.

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the replies and kind words I really feel at home here with you Tesla guys, you’re my boys!

 

[f308gt4]

Former 911 owner (2009 Targa 4S). They are great cars, no doubt about it. Probably the best car I’ve ever owned. But I decided to go electric and sold mine for my Model 3P, and just recently got an S Plaid. Which is an amazing car in itself. But, I will say, it’s very different from the 911- bigger, heavier.

There is no guarantee that the 911 will go up in price. Prices have been crazy recently, and eventually things will go back to normal.

Finally, if you do want a Porsche, there is the Taycan now, which is a beautiful car. And in 2025, they are supposed to come out with the electric Cayman. That won’t be a 911 either, but will offer a similar sports car feeling.

 

[easyev]

Thanks for your reply. I almost got a Taycan Turbo just couldn’t find the options that suited me and couldn’t get over the range, I’m a bit of a numbers guy. It’s true there’s no guarantee the 911 will go up but years ago I had a chance on a 2008 turbo that was modified with check engine, light firing left right and center. I really wish I had a purchased it for the C$52,000 selling price and put it back to stock, or just fixed it. The same car is selling for 120+ now.

 

[Yelobird]

Can only say after paying $1700 for a simple Porsche water pump I learned feeling “special” wasn’t worth the cost of ownership. As you are shopping for “feeling special” I highly doubt any feedback here will be of value.

 

[electricar]

The happy Porsche owner is the Porsche owner who leases. I tried owning out of warranty ( twice because I'm hard to convince ) - never again.

 

[bkcyk]

What data do you have that shows which models are going “up” in price?

The only ones that matter are the specialty, Andreas Preuninger dept 911s and those are usually shifted manually. The 99x gens have ADM baked into them already. If you actually use these like you would an MSP, you get hit with depreciation because they are cars and coffee type vehicles.

There is no free lunch. But overall agree with the overall sentiment and fact that EVs have a much shorter shelf life than cool ICE cars. It’s like buying an iPhone. An expensive one.

 

[teko]

911 is a great and iconic car. There is no other car like it. If you are into pride of ownership and appreciate that and perhaps into signals that owning 911 sends, then its a fantastic choice for driving 2 people. It will hold value very well and depreciation is not going to be 50% in 2 years which is what MS and even Taycan are looking at.

But, what I found out is that there is nowhere you can explore this car potential except going to the track and who has time for that? Driving locally on the streets, you are not scratching surface of this car's fun. In that case whether you drive MS, Taycan or 911 makes no difference except in how you feel about owning particular car. If you have family and want to take even just 2 people with you, that's not possible. If you get overly protective you will drive it only when its dry outside and you will not want to get the car dirty. It will spend more time on trickle charger than on twisties.

But some people drive the crap out of them and use them as daily drivers. These are in very small minority. Most trickle charge them.

 

[suyoungman]

I own both the 23 S Plaid and a manual 997 C2S. Different cars with different purpose. Porsche for the handling and Plaid for the thrill of the speed.

 

[etekberg]

If you want a 911, I say get it while you can. The writing is on the wall and ICE vehicles are (unnecessarily if you ask me) going the way of the dodo bird. Halo ICE cars will probably go first. And when they do stop making the halo gasoline cars you can bet they will appreciate in value.

Electric cars will likely only get better in the future, and thus existing ones will continue to depreciate fast.

 

[Richbot]

I've tried and failed to like almost every generation of 911, I haven't tried the 992 or the 930 yet, but I've tried at least one trim of the rest and we just don't get along. I like them, I'd rather have a 911 than a Camry, and if the only "fun cars" available on earth were 911's I'd still find a way to enjoy them, but I'd rather have a lot of other cars first.

by contrast, I've loved every Boxster/Cayman I've tried, from 986 2.5 to GT4.

Anyway, the only way to know if you're missing out is to go drive whatever you're wanting to not miss out on. You may find you're not missing anything at all

EDIT: I think the demise of the ICE cars is going to be postponed indefinitely, at some point, and I think you'll see full-line manufacturers offering a full spectrum of drive technologies for the foreseeable future.

 

[nsxpert]

You can get a 2008 roadster for about 100-150k... 250+ is only for the rare & ultra low mileage examples. It's a fun car but I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone! They are difficult to live with


Hold out for the electric Cayman that's in the works : https://www.motortrend.com/news/202...18-boxster-cayman-ev-sports-cars-future-cars/

 

[Richbot]

I am watching the electric boxster/cayman with a great deal of interest. If it's available in a reasonably fun, rear-drive, sub-3500lb package, I think I'm going to fully enter my midlife crisis era. I don't need 10 second 1/4 miles but I do want somebody besides Tesla and BMW (Mini SE) to take a real swing at a relatively reasonably-priced sporting EV

 

[easyev]

What data do you have that shows which models are going “up” in price?

The only ones that matter are the specialty, Andreas Preuninger dept 911s and those are usually shifted manually. The 99x gens have ADM baked into them already. If you actually use these like you would an MSP, you get hit with depreciation because they are cars and coffee type vehicles.

There is no free lunch. But overall agree with the overall sentiment and fact that EVs have a much shorter shelf life than cool ICE cars. It’s like buying an iPhone. An expensive one.

Oh the hard data guy lol

It was actually a 2004 (can't seem to edit my org message to correct) Porsche 911 Turbo S, that I think was heavily modified. My co-worker found this machine and we went for a long drive to Simcoe County (108km away, 1h12m away) to look at it, at a Chrysler dealership. It was $47,000, probably priced below market at that time. Now it's a fair bit more for a similar vehicle. What turned me off were the constant check engine lights requiring a battery terminal pull to reset. The SA did this twice. This scared me off, but I now feel I should have purchased and kept it. Other than the error codes, I didn't like the colour, and lack of tech surprized me, but man did that car GO! It spun all four wheels with my wife and co-worker (stuffed in the back). It was crazy fast.

 

[DayTrippin]

I grew up on Porsches, 911's and 914/6's (shouldn't have sold that last 914/6). I kept on buying them up through the Turbos and alternating with the BMW M cars and an occasional AMG Benz. About 10 years ago I realized the only german cars I ever wanted to own again were the ones with factory warranty left.

I think it really comes down to how you want to use it and how long you plan on keeping it. I don't know how to describe it but it seemed that more and more pricks over time were driving them. I go to PCA events and I was surrounded by more and more people that I just couldn't tolerate. I bought the cars because I enjoyed them, not some rolling symbol of my wealth.

With higher miles come higher repair costs. Few things have matched my Porsches in repair costs when they break. If I were to get back in to Porsche, I'd go with a Cayman instead of a 911 now.

I'll be one of the first people to admit, my Plaid may not be as "engaging" as a Porsche/Ferrari/McLaren, but I can't beat it as a daily driver and being more engaging doesn't always equate to more fun. I'll always keep something that is ICE powered around but it will likely be motorcycles. I am all in on EVs for my cars at this point. If I lived in the mountains, and drove those roads every day, I'd probably buy a Cayman or Miata. Since I don't my Plaid is the best thing going for me at the moment.

On the flip side, I don't give a damn about what people think about what I drive or if I impress anyone or not with my wheels. I buy what I like and am willing to live with, not for someone to melt over.

 

[Unclepaul]

Comparing a World class iconic sports car to a mass produced 4 door sedan is always going to be a challenge.

While pricing of new Porsche have been going up, the Tesla Model S Plaid have been going down. Right now, purchasing a standard Model S with tax credit is an amazing value. Most feel that the latest Plaid is significantly under priced for the performance it provides.

 

[jr-gator]

I'm 61. I owned a 2014 911 S, then traded it in 2017 for a 911 Cab S. Both are great cars and a ton of fun to drive, but my wife hated driving in either due to the low seats and sports car feel (getting in/out, sport exhaust, etc). I thought I would meet in the middle with a Taycan. My wife loved that car; driving was almost as much fun as the 911. But then came the range issue and the charging network. Deal killers. So I took a bath on the Taycan (14 months old) I got a 2023 Plaid.

The Plaid is not quite a Taycan (fit, finish, braking, and handling the corners), but pretty damn close. But it's stupid fast - STUPID FAST. Range and charging have made it as usable as my ICE cars. But all said, I do have days when I miss the 911. I can see a day when I go get a 2nd car - 911 Cab again, use when the temperature isn't too high or low, and the sun is shining. Put the top down and enjoy the ride. The rest of the time, I'll be in my stupid fast, yet comfortable Plaid.

 

[strider]

Funny story to share.... At my last company, a 911 owner was always giving me (playful) crap about my Roadster. Well, one day we happened to be leaving the office at the same time. We left the parking lot together and pulled up side by side at a stoplight. I looked over at him and yelled if he wanted to go. He yelled back, "it's not warmed up yet." Then the light changed and he disappeared in my mirrors. He didn't give me crap any more after that.

Here's my $0.02. Porsche builds a fantastic machine but you can't use any of it on public roads. With the Plaid, you can use that quickness (acceleration and instantaneous response) regularly. It was the same when I moved from my Corvette to the Roadster. I had way more fun driving a Tesla on public roads than I did a high-performance ICE.

 

[easyev]

I grew up on Porsches, 911's and 914/6's (shouldn't have sold that last 914/6). I kept on buying them up through the Turbos and alternating with the BMW M cars and an occasional AMG Benz. About 10 years ago I realized the only german cars I ever wanted to own again were the ones with factory warranty left.

I think it really comes down to how you want to use it and how long you plan on keeping it. I don't know how to describe it but it seemed that more and more pricks over time were driving them. I go to PCA events and I was surrounded by more and more people that I just couldn't tolerate. I bought the cars because I enjoyed them, not some rolling symbol of my wealth.

With higher miles come higher repair costs. Few things have matched my Porsches in repair costs when they break. If I were to get back in to Porsche, I'd go with a Cayman instead of a 911 now.

I'll be one of the first people to admit, my Plaid may not be as "engaging" as a Porsche/Ferrari/McLaren, but I can't beat it as a daily driver and being more engaging doesn't always equate to more fun. I'll always keep something that is ICE powered around but it will likely be motorcycles. I am all in on EVs for my cars at this point. If I lived in the mountains, and drove those roads every day, I'd probably buy a Cayman or Miata. Since I don't my Plaid is the best thing going for me at the moment.

On the flip side, I don't give a damn about what people think about what I drive or if I impress anyone or not with my wheels. I buy what I like and am willing to live with, not for someone to melt over.

Thanks for your message, this is the kind of thing I'm looking for, replies from those with actual ownership experience. "Engaging"...okay maybe, but you must admit your '22 Plaid is pretty damned "engaged" when you stomp on the accelerator! Can't call it loud pedal anymore! An Italian friend of mine just bought a Ferrari, and he's in heaven. I asked him for a ride in it, he told me to swing by, so stopped by his shop, and he told me it was too late in the day, needed more time, had a whole list of excuses. Zero interest in my P85DL+, that we all know could give him a damn good run lol.

Anyway, the point I'm making is I don't want to make a big deal of things, just get in in go. My '22 Plaid's suspension is so good, it corners so flat, feels so connected, I absolutely love love love it, even in comfort mode. "Who would want a car controlled by an ipad?!" Ummm me, that's who. Who hates ipads? Those things OWN the tablet segment. When my Plaid's mirrors don't unfold, I tap settings and before I can hit the mirror icon, they unfold. What a great car. It really makes me smile. My iphone on wheels. But I miss my sunroof and more of an open air feel while is why I was thinking 911 Cab. That 2018 was beautiful, can only imagine it in a better colour, I'm big on the colour fitting the car, and me.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

A 911 is a good car right to buy right now from a depreciation perspective. But a Porsche that is as bad as it gets for depreciation is the Taycan! Anyone upset with Elon about Plaid depreciation would be absolutely crying at the insane depreciation of the Taycan.

If you need more room than a 911, the absolute best SUV to buy right now from a depreciation perspective is the Lamborghini Urus. You can drive that all you want, have Audi Q7 reliability, great performance and sound, lots of panache, and have very little depreciation. I always say if I had to do it again, I would have spent double to buy the Urus and saved 10's of thousands in depreciation.

 

[easyev]

I'm 61. I owned a 2014 911 S, then traded it in 2017 for a 911 Cab S. Both are great cars and a ton of fun to drive, but my wife hated driving in either due to the low seats and sports car feel (getting in/out, sport exhaust, etc). I thought I would meet in the middle with a Taycan. My wife loved that car; driving was almost as much fun as the 911. But then came the range issue and the charging network. Deal killers. So I took a bath on the Taycan (14 months old) I got a 2023 Plaid.

The Plaid is not quite a Taycan (fit, finish, braking, and handling the corners), but pretty damn close. But it's stupid fast - STUPID FAST. Range and charging have made it as usable as my ICE cars. But all said, I do have days when I miss the 911. I can see a day when I go get a 2nd car - 911 Cab again, use when the temperature isn't too high or low, and the sun is shining. Put the top down and enjoy the ride. The rest of the time, I'll be in my stupid fast, yet comfortable Plaid.

Great reply, thank you very much. We've been loaned a few Taycans, and she loved the attention the car brought, said the range was fine, and really wanted the Porsche, but I decided on the Plaid. I couldn't stomach getting a '21 car with less range than our 2015, with a lot less features as well. I like all the tech features, the available upgrades (EAP, FSD etc) and the big touchscreen control is so straightforward it's ridiculous. The buttons and interface on the Taycan...did you guys ever get used to them? The charging network felt so 2015 as well. One DC charger up in Barrie, couldn't find any in Peterborough (I'm sure they're there somewhere!), not much in Collingwood.

I must admit feel a little relieved you traded the Taycan in on the Plaid. I was having buyer's remorse a few days after getting the Plaid, and wondered if I should have gotten the Porsche. But as time goes on, and the more we drive it, the more I want to drive it and the more I like it. Met a friend for a coffee last night, and choose a place 20km out of my way as it was a favourite place of mine, and I love driving the car so much. I stepped on it on the highway for the first time...it's difficult to describe how hard the car accelerates at speed! I went from 100km/h to, well, I'm not going to say, but I was shocked! It disabled AP for the trip (oops, forgot to disengage) until I could put it into park in some stop and go way down the road. AP is AMAZING for HW stop and go, a game charger for me. It feels somehow power limited to control wheelspin up to 100km/h then it opens up and launches like it's going to fly off the road, it's unbelievable! Very hard to put into words...

I hear you on the 911, that's the car we're considering as well. What's with those dash mounted cup holders that pop out above the glove box? Or is that just the 2018? We drove through a Starbucks looking for a place to put our drinks....where's the cup holders?! Maybe they're in the back?! Hahaha but seriously driving thar car around, felt really nice. Maybe the top down aspect and more of a connection to those around you, they can make eye contact, and let us in, several times, like Moses parting the Red Sea.