My new 2008 C2S (Long)
#1
12-27-2011, 03:13 PM
My new 2008 C2S (Long)
This is my first post and I apologize if it's a bit long. I wanted to share the details of that wonderful day when I officially became an 997 owner!
Cheers!
My sweet wife and I finally got to go on our honeymoon, a short eleven months after our wedding (that’s a story for another day). We returned from beautiful Italia after three glorious weeks of overindulging in history, culture, food and wine, only to find the AC on my BMW 335i blowing warm moist air. This was certainly not what I was expecting to come home too; as the mercury in Arizona was still hovering near ninety degrees. After a day at the dealership and a new evaporator (the second for this car) I was back in business and happy as a lark…that’s until four days later. Thursday morning, as I went to crank over the engine it made a sound not unlike a dozen bolts poured into a blender on the “whip” setting. Crestfallen, I limped into the dealership on safe mode, got reacquainted with my service advisor and slid into the very same loaner I’d had on Monday. Hours later, I learned that my injectors had failed. Really?? Should this happen on a 2009 BMW with 40,000 miles? (It’s important to note that this otherwise fantastic car was no stranger to the dealership as it had had twelve unscheduled dealer visits in the two and half years).
By 3:00 pm the repairs were complete and I was back in the driver’s seat. This time, however, instead of pointing the car south on the 51 towards the office, I found myself on auto-pilot headed northbound. As the SR51 met the SR101, I turned east and continued on to Scottsdale Road and finally Porsche of North Scottsdale. It was a bit surreal actually; as I truly didn’t intend to end up in Fantasy Land…it just sort of happened that away. “When in Rome....” I thought to myself as I got out of the car and proceeded to kick some very beautiful tires or tyres as Jeremy Clarkson would say. Soon a nice salesman approached me and asked if there was anything he could do to assist me. When I replied, “Yes, I’m interested in a 911”, I was startled by the matter of factness of my response. It was as if I was buying a pair of Levis. “Sure, why not, I buy 911’s all the time!” I was now officially a passenger on the insanity train.
At first there was a small ray of hope when I slid into a white 2007 C2 tiptropnic and realized that there was ACTUALLY no love connection. Same thing with a beautiful blue 2009 Carrera TT…simply because I didn’t have 110K burning a hole in my pocket. Then it happened, I saw her….a 2008 slate gray Carrera 2S with a proper 6 speed transmission and an all black leather interior. Best of all, it only had 5,200 miles on the odo! Things only got worse when the salesman fired up the engine and it roared to life with that distinctive Porsche growl…you know the one. By then the insanity train was well on its way to Ludicrousville; as I happily agreed to take it for a drive, silly grin and all. Yes, it was just as good as I’d remembered from my days in the 996…only better and faster! To sweeten the deal, as I pulled back into the lot, the nice salesman told me that Porsche would be more than happy to provide me with virtually free money at 1.9 percent interest. Oh, how nice of them to join me in Ludicrousville!
The spell was only broken when I received a text from my wife asking about my day. Holy $%^&, I thought to myself, my wife is going to kill me! What am I doing here?! Sheepishly, I told the salesman that while I loved the car I had a VERY urgent appointment which required my IMMEDIATE attention. Before reluctantly getting back into my, now much less than perfect, BMW I took a few pictures with my phone to serve as reminders of what could have been. I drove a few miles down the road and stopped at a coffee shop for a shot of the good stuff. While waiting for my large Americano, I sent my wife a random picture of the 911 goodness – no words – just a picture. Then another and another. A few minutes later, as I enjoyed my brew, I got a text from her asking if I was at the dealership. I replied in the negative and then she asked if I HAD been at the dealership (she knows me pretty well). When I replied “Perhaps” she asked, “How much?” To that I said, “Cheap!”, and she replied, “Do I have a Porsche in my future?” Too stunned to reply, I just stared at the screen in bewilderment. Then my phone vibrated again, a new message! I had to read it three times to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating, “Let’s go to Porsche North Scottsdale so I can meet her.” It appeared my wonderful wife was now riding the insanity train too! In order to grasp the magnitude of this occurrence, you must first understand that my lovely wife is many fine things, but a car aficionado she is not. She comes from a family who believes that cars are merely appliances which you drive until the wheels fall off and occasionally (every 10,000K to 15,000K) change the oil. Gasoline is a necessary but annoying maintenance expense and the definition of a car wash is any rain storm which lasts longer than 3 minutes.
A half hour later we were gazing upon 3.8 liters of German perfection. Ever the practical car person, my wife wanted to know about frivolous things like insurance, gas mileage and safety ratings (I should point out that this practicality does not extend to art or jewelry where she quickly loses all sense of perspective). One critical question and possible deal breaker was whether our seven year old son Haydon could fit in the back seat. Now let’s be honest, the back seat of a 911 is about as hospitable as the surface of the moon and slightly less comfortable than an Apollo Lunar Lander. Thankfully, my wonderful stepson shares my love of all things automotive and quickly grasped the importance of this crucible. Slowly and deliberately, Haydon contorted his body in ways only a seven year old is able, before settling gracefully into the deep well which Porsche purports to be a back seat.
Finally my lovely wife turned, looked me in the eyes and said, “If you really want this car let’s consider it your anniversary gift from me.” I was speechless, humbled, jubilant and terrified….all at the same time. The next two hours were excruciating as I singed document after document promising to transfer a substantial amount of personal wealth to Germany every month, agreeing to Lo-Jack protection and new window tint. Of course, all I wanted to do was jump into my new rocket and blast off! As the magic moment finally approached, my gleaming machine was now parked on the showroom floor looking every bit as good as the brand new 2012 Carrera sitting next to her. With an ear to ear grin, I slid into the driver’s seat, strapped on the seatbelt, turned the key and she roared to life.
It’s been two months now and I am still absolutely over the moon. Every time I settle into the soft leather seats and turn the key; I smile at the wonderful growl of the flat six coming to life and the invisible force of gravity as the revs climb higher and higher on the tachometer while the world blurs quickly by.
Cheers!
My sweet wife and I finally got to go on our honeymoon, a short eleven months after our wedding (that’s a story for another day). We returned from beautiful Italia after three glorious weeks of overindulging in history, culture, food and wine, only to find the AC on my BMW 335i blowing warm moist air. This was certainly not what I was expecting to come home too; as the mercury in Arizona was still hovering near ninety degrees. After a day at the dealership and a new evaporator (the second for this car) I was back in business and happy as a lark…that’s until four days later. Thursday morning, as I went to crank over the engine it made a sound not unlike a dozen bolts poured into a blender on the “whip” setting. Crestfallen, I limped into the dealership on safe mode, got reacquainted with my service advisor and slid into the very same loaner I’d had on Monday. Hours later, I learned that my injectors had failed. Really?? Should this happen on a 2009 BMW with 40,000 miles? (It’s important to note that this otherwise fantastic car was no stranger to the dealership as it had had twelve unscheduled dealer visits in the two and half years).
By 3:00 pm the repairs were complete and I was back in the driver’s seat. This time, however, instead of pointing the car south on the 51 towards the office, I found myself on auto-pilot headed northbound. As the SR51 met the SR101, I turned east and continued on to Scottsdale Road and finally Porsche of North Scottsdale. It was a bit surreal actually; as I truly didn’t intend to end up in Fantasy Land…it just sort of happened that away. “When in Rome....” I thought to myself as I got out of the car and proceeded to kick some very beautiful tires or tyres as Jeremy Clarkson would say. Soon a nice salesman approached me and asked if there was anything he could do to assist me. When I replied, “Yes, I’m interested in a 911”, I was startled by the matter of factness of my response. It was as if I was buying a pair of Levis. “Sure, why not, I buy 911’s all the time!” I was now officially a passenger on the insanity train.
At first there was a small ray of hope when I slid into a white 2007 C2 tiptropnic and realized that there was ACTUALLY no love connection. Same thing with a beautiful blue 2009 Carrera TT…simply because I didn’t have 110K burning a hole in my pocket. Then it happened, I saw her….a 2008 slate gray Carrera 2S with a proper 6 speed transmission and an all black leather interior. Best of all, it only had 5,200 miles on the odo! Things only got worse when the salesman fired up the engine and it roared to life with that distinctive Porsche growl…you know the one. By then the insanity train was well on its way to Ludicrousville; as I happily agreed to take it for a drive, silly grin and all. Yes, it was just as good as I’d remembered from my days in the 996…only better and faster! To sweeten the deal, as I pulled back into the lot, the nice salesman told me that Porsche would be more than happy to provide me with virtually free money at 1.9 percent interest. Oh, how nice of them to join me in Ludicrousville!
The spell was only broken when I received a text from my wife asking about my day. Holy $%^&, I thought to myself, my wife is going to kill me! What am I doing here?! Sheepishly, I told the salesman that while I loved the car I had a VERY urgent appointment which required my IMMEDIATE attention. Before reluctantly getting back into my, now much less than perfect, BMW I took a few pictures with my phone to serve as reminders of what could have been. I drove a few miles down the road and stopped at a coffee shop for a shot of the good stuff. While waiting for my large Americano, I sent my wife a random picture of the 911 goodness – no words – just a picture. Then another and another. A few minutes later, as I enjoyed my brew, I got a text from her asking if I was at the dealership. I replied in the negative and then she asked if I HAD been at the dealership (she knows me pretty well). When I replied “Perhaps” she asked, “How much?” To that I said, “Cheap!”, and she replied, “Do I have a Porsche in my future?” Too stunned to reply, I just stared at the screen in bewilderment. Then my phone vibrated again, a new message! I had to read it three times to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating, “Let’s go to Porsche North Scottsdale so I can meet her.” It appeared my wonderful wife was now riding the insanity train too! In order to grasp the magnitude of this occurrence, you must first understand that my lovely wife is many fine things, but a car aficionado she is not. She comes from a family who believes that cars are merely appliances which you drive until the wheels fall off and occasionally (every 10,000K to 15,000K) change the oil. Gasoline is a necessary but annoying maintenance expense and the definition of a car wash is any rain storm which lasts longer than 3 minutes.
A half hour later we were gazing upon 3.8 liters of German perfection. Ever the practical car person, my wife wanted to know about frivolous things like insurance, gas mileage and safety ratings (I should point out that this practicality does not extend to art or jewelry where she quickly loses all sense of perspective). One critical question and possible deal breaker was whether our seven year old son Haydon could fit in the back seat. Now let’s be honest, the back seat of a 911 is about as hospitable as the surface of the moon and slightly less comfortable than an Apollo Lunar Lander. Thankfully, my wonderful stepson shares my love of all things automotive and quickly grasped the importance of this crucible. Slowly and deliberately, Haydon contorted his body in ways only a seven year old is able, before settling gracefully into the deep well which Porsche purports to be a back seat.
Finally my lovely wife turned, looked me in the eyes and said, “If you really want this car let’s consider it your anniversary gift from me.” I was speechless, humbled, jubilant and terrified….all at the same time. The next two hours were excruciating as I singed document after document promising to transfer a substantial amount of personal wealth to Germany every month, agreeing to Lo-Jack protection and new window tint. Of course, all I wanted to do was jump into my new rocket and blast off! As the magic moment finally approached, my gleaming machine was now parked on the showroom floor looking every bit as good as the brand new 2012 Carrera sitting next to her. With an ear to ear grin, I slid into the driver’s seat, strapped on the seatbelt, turned the key and she roared to life.
It’s been two months now and I am still absolutely over the moon. Every time I settle into the soft leather seats and turn the key; I smile at the wonderful growl of the flat six coming to life and the invisible force of gravity as the revs climb higher and higher on the tachometer while the world blurs quickly by.
#2
12-27-2011, 03:21 PM
Congratulations on the car. Awesome story to read. That is what makes the purchase that much more fun. The story behind it.
If you don't mind me asking how good of a deal were you able to get? What were they asking and what did you agree on? Only reason I ask is because I am looking at getting one soon and am doing research.
Thanks
If you don't mind me asking how good of a deal were you able to get? What were they asking and what did you agree on? Only reason I ask is because I am looking at getting one soon and am doing research.
Thanks
#4
12-27-2011, 03:45 PM
Thanks for the kind words....it was a great day! The original price was 82K and I ended up paying 72K. Not the best deal ever had but it was a CPO with low miles and as you have read - an impulse buy. I'm sure you can do better with some leg work. Good luck, you won't regret it!!
#5
12-27-2011, 04:09 PM
Congrats! Went through a similar story very recently. Got married this year and picked up my first 911 a week ago. Great feeling indeed. Thanks for the story. Enjoy the car and post some pics!
#6
12-27-2011, 04:23 PM
Congratulations and thanks for the great story. My wife and her family are similarly inclined, but fortunately she let's me fuel my car indulgence every once and a while.
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#8
12-27-2011, 05:03 PM
Great read and congratulations. I think we all go through something like that with these cars at one time or another.
I'm entering year two next week and I'm still on my honeymoon w/my C2S.
I'm entering year two next week and I'm still on my honeymoon w/my C2S.
#11
12-27-2011, 06:12 PM
Great story. Bad for BMW. If we took a survey on this site, how many ex-BMW owners are on this site? I can think of two right now.
How about this one? I went to a Porsche Dealer looking to purchase my first Porsche as well. Every Porsche I was looking at was>80K (911, 911s, 9114s, Targa 4s). I little too expensive for my hobby. I have been a German car fan almost my entire life owning BMW's. While at the dealership I noticed a 2008 BMW M3 Coupe with SMG and 7500 miles. I purchased the car that night. I told the dealer I would be back in 2 weeks to pick it up and give them my down payment via wire transfer. I returned disappointed that I did not purchase a Porsche. It was an impluse purchase. I paid 45K for the Bimmer. The dealer said he would let me get out of my purchase if I purchased a Porsche. Unfortuneately for me, the dealer would not sell me the Targa 4s for the price I wanted to pay. So I drove the m3 for 2 days. One the 3rd day I decided to visit anothe Porsche dealer where I found a terrific 911s, 18K miles, almost fully loaded (no satellite or Bluetooth -- bummer), 6 speed for $57K CPO. The car just had OEM tires, brakes, and rotors installed plus recommended service was just completed. The 911 also had the sport tuned exhaust -- rumm rumm. The only words out of my wife was, you bought another car! No.....No.....my car is not sitting in the drive way.
How about this one? I went to a Porsche Dealer looking to purchase my first Porsche as well. Every Porsche I was looking at was>80K (911, 911s, 9114s, Targa 4s). I little too expensive for my hobby. I have been a German car fan almost my entire life owning BMW's. While at the dealership I noticed a 2008 BMW M3 Coupe with SMG and 7500 miles. I purchased the car that night. I told the dealer I would be back in 2 weeks to pick it up and give them my down payment via wire transfer. I returned disappointed that I did not purchase a Porsche. It was an impluse purchase. I paid 45K for the Bimmer. The dealer said he would let me get out of my purchase if I purchased a Porsche. Unfortuneately for me, the dealer would not sell me the Targa 4s for the price I wanted to pay. So I drove the m3 for 2 days. One the 3rd day I decided to visit anothe Porsche dealer where I found a terrific 911s, 18K miles, almost fully loaded (no satellite or Bluetooth -- bummer), 6 speed for $57K CPO. The car just had OEM tires, brakes, and rotors installed plus recommended service was just completed. The 911 also had the sport tuned exhaust -- rumm rumm. The only words out of my wife was, you bought another car! No.....No.....my car is not sitting in the drive way.
#12
12-27-2011, 06:37 PM
Seriously, I congratulate you on your new car and your taste in women. I got my Porsche two years ago last November when the dealer crashed Cindy's NSX while it was in for service. After we struggled to save it for a few weeks, she said "Give up. It's your turn now. Let's go get a Porsche." So we did. The test drive and purchase were much like yours. And the result is imminently satisfactory 25 months later. (Uh... the Porsche I mean. Cindy has had me for 50 years now. I wish you the same good fortune. With both.)
Gary
#14
12-27-2011, 07:41 PM
The BMW is paid off and not a bad idea to keep the 4 door beast
#15
12-27-2011, 09:11 PM
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Very nice story. Great wife. Congratulations. Welcome to Porsche ownership. It's not just the cars, it's the people.