So I need some help deciding which car to take on my summer trip starting at the end of may. This will probably be a long post but any responses would be appreciated. For the past year My girlfriend and I have been planning to take a once in a lifetime trip starting in Los Angeles and traveling up the pacific coast highway, onto Seattle and Vancouver, throughout British Columbia Canada, the Canadian Rockies and some of the American Rockies. We have budgeted for fuel, food and hotels and have allotted a nice amount of the summer for the trip.

Now to the decision I have to make..... I have to decide between taking my 2009 997-turbo cabriolet or my 2011 Audi a3 tdi. At first glance most of us on here would immediately jump on the opportunity to take the Porsche and as of now I am leaning that way but I would like to hear some other opinions. I own both cars outright and I know that both cars can mechanically make the journey. I need to book an auto shipper to deliver the car to L.A and that means I need to make up my mind on which car to take. On one hand the Porsche is all wheel drive, freshly serviced with new tires and brakes and has navigation. The Porsche is a convertible and has a serious fun factor on its side. It is not a garage queen and has 23,000 miles on it as of now. The two of us will be packing very lightly and space is not much of an issue because the rear seats hold a lot as well as the front trunk. I have a radar detector and wifi going to be put in whatever car I take. The Porsche also has decent fuel mileage on highway and takes gasoline instead of diesel, which may be hard to locate in remote areas.

On the other hand I have a 2011 Audi a3 tdi. It is my everyday car and has been a great car for that purpose. It does not have built in navigation but has a dual clutch transmission as opposed to the porsche's 6-speed setup. The thought of taking this amazing trip that will transverse over some of the worlds greatest roads in an economy car doesn’t sound nearly as awesome as doing it in a cabriolet Porsche turbo but it does have its advantages. It has a lot more space, its very under the radar, it gets 42mpg highway and my girlfriend feels comfortable driving it herself. I am worried about attracting unwanted attention in the Porsche but at least it is not something more exotic like a Ferrari or other flashy exotic. It’s in cream white so that tones it down a bit as well. We are both so excited for this trip and we just booked the flights to L.A for May 20th. Everyone should do a trip like this once and I am glad I will be doing it with the girl I love and at a time where I do not have extreme work pressures or deadlines. Thanks in advance guys.

As a side not both cars are still under warranty and are covered by roadside assistance in the U.S and Canada

 

no spare tire in the Turbo might be a deal breaker if you think about it.

 

Sounds like an awesome trip! As gmoney mentioned, if you are really off the beaten path no spare tire could be of concern. BUT my goodness what an opportunity to take the turbo on some great roads...even possibly with the top down.

I personally would take the turbo.

Ken

 

Porsche

 

Porsche

 

Take the car that's most fun to drive. Which one would that be?

 

If your not concerned about packing the miles on the Porsche. Then go for it. I would most likely take the A3. Who knows what the roads, parking amd valet situations will be. Why worry about the car in some hick town. Too much attention.

Have a great trip. Sounds like a blast. Make sure you have a good camera.

 

Take the porsche, when I bought my car from socal , I drove it home to Seattle on the coast Amazing trip ! plus depending on the day you get to Seattle you could meet up with some of us from up here. Send me a pm if interested.. We have a huge exotic meet every saturday weather permitting of course...

 

well congrats on being able to realize and make one of your dreams come true.

I recently flew to LA to move my GF to NY. We had a great time and the whole drive (3100 miles) was just full of awesome..... One wish was every once in a while I'd be driving (we were driving her car back, a new nissan versa hatchback) and thinking damn this would be so much more awesome in my turbo.

That alone says it all... take the TURBO! You will have so much more fun and believe it or not, the attention will all be good. People around the rest of the country arent as bad as they are in our neck of the woods.

Have fun, enjoy the trip and take as many pictures as you can and post them up here! Which means now you MUST TAKE THE TURBO, lol. Safe travels.

 

The choice of Porsche seems obvious but I am leaning towards Audi. Love my Porsche baby and it's the better *sports* car obviously, but my humble opinions:

1. Be kind to your girlfriend and take the Audi. From my personal experience, it is *no* fun to be in a Porsche as a passenger for the many hours you will be driving. Some people do get nauseous, depending on your driving of course; it's noisy & stiff. It's harder to carry a conversation, and girlfriend/wife likes you to be able to hear them talk, I think.

2. You probably won't be driving at high speed with your girlfriend in the car right? This does negate a lot of what's fun about the Turbo. You probably will be worrying about the parking and will be driving in a strange cities while listening to the GPS and looking for locations. It just seems like a hassle to me.

3. When traveling, I prefer to concentrate on the wife/family, the travel, the scenery, etc., and not the car. I think taking a car that you/we love so much detracts from the traveling experience and the companion. This probably is the most important point for me.

I guess it comes down to whether you consider this to be a car trip or a travel-trip. It just seems flexing the Porsche's muscles, especially for such a long trip, is better done without a lady in the passenger seat. Good luck and have a safe and fun trip!

 

Oh man.
Dont be rational, be emotional. Take the Porsche. Once in a lifetime experience.
I have promised to myself that I will take a tour of the South of France with my TT. With the wife. And she is equally excited with the prospect. Its all about selling your dream to the one you are partners with. Easy sell my friend.

We are forced to take rational decisions everyday of our life in soooo many things. In those that dont matter much, go with the gut.

Whatever you decide, enjoy!!

 

I've driven most if not all of your planned trip at one time or another. Driving up the coast of California is an epic, unforgettable event. Highway 1 has some great sections, and I'm sure you'll miss the Porsche dearly.

I own a 997TT and a modified TDI as well. Even with Koni yellow suspension and a 50% increase in power, it can't hold a candle to a Porsche.

As said before, your girlfriend should probably be the deciding factor. Is she comfortable in the TT? Does she prefer the TDI?

You will not have a problem finding diesel. I'd be more concerned about finding quality fuel for the Porsche--not that it would stop me.

This sounds like a trip of a lifetime, don't go 90% in!

 

Thank you all for the feedback. I have to say that I am really leaning towards taking the turbo. As for not having a spare, I guess that the fix a flat and the air compressor are going to have to help me out of any potential flats. I also have roadside assistance so I guess it wouldn't end up a total disaster.


What type of tdi do you have? Any videos of it?

 

Thank you all for the feedback. I have to say that I am really leaning towards taking the turbo. As for not having a spare, I guess that the fix a flat and the air compressor are going to have to help me out of any potential flats. I also have roadside assistance so I guess it wouldn't end up a total disaster.


What type of tdi do you have? Any videos of it?


2002 Golf TDI 2 Door. 5 Speed. <100k miles. Just try and find a clean, low mileage example for sale. Had to fly to Texas to pick mine up. Makes find a Porsche seem easy!

 

That is a sweet daily. I have the new 2.0 tdi motor which is quite modern and smooth but doesnt do that well on mpg in the city. I can get like 28 city 40 highway. Still much more fun then any hybrid. I am going to get a new set of tires on the turbo this week and maybe do the spark plugs. Then book shipment for around the 10th. I will update everyone of my trip on a new thread.