The wife texted me when she got to the hospital today and told me one of the doctors she works with had just bought a new Porsche yesterday. She was in a hurry to get in, so all she could tell me is that it was yellow at the time. I brought her dinner and managed to make it there before the doctor left for the evening, so when I pull in I catch a glimpse of a fairly new 911. So I go ahead and go in, then my wife mentions to him that I was drooling over it and he says "Would you like to take it for a spin?"
Of course I said absolutely. He hands me the keys and I get out to the parking lot, only to discover that it's a 2007 911 Turbo!
Once I figured out how to unlock it and let the seat back, I managed to get it without too much effort, but it still was a bit awkward considering i'm so tall. I have never driven a Porsche at all, so this was a new experience for me. The ignition switch was in an odd spot, which was on the far left side, behind the steering wheel. I started it up and was really surprised how simple the controls were inside of it - all of the switches were easy to locate and operate. Putting it in reverse was a bit odd at first, but growing up around VW's I already knew it was up and left, it still took a minute to figure out how to get it in reverse.
After I got used to that though, everything else was cake. The clutch was even fairly easy to operate, which really surprised me for a high end car like this. I drove it out to the main intersection and waited at the light to turn onto the main highway that goes through our city. Once I got the slow PT Cruiser out of my way, I had an opening and decided to let it rip. HOLY HELL WAS IT FAST. This thing lays down 0-60 in 3.7 seconds and I believe it. The thing that really shocked me though is that it didn't really scare me... It didn't try to get loose, it didn't shove me in the seat, and it didn't feel like it was trying to kill me. It just grabbed and took off, without any fuss really. I felt it get tail happy for a split second when I layed into it for the second time, but even then, no real fuss - just simple and raw power.
The gear box was tight and easy to operate. It wasn't really a stiff ride, or really load either, even when it was opened up. I didn't really have enough time to throw it through any corners, plus it was dark and it wasn't mine, so with that kind of price sticker i'd rather not push it
After getting back, I spoke with him a bit more about it. He said he just bought it last weekend and this is his first 911 Turbo, but his third 911 that he's owned. He said that they've all been surprisingly reliable too - other than oil changes and very basic maintenance, he's never had a problem out of any of them. This one had 38k miles on it and it was in better shape than most new cars i've been in.
Overall I was really surprised that for a high end car - I felt completely right at home in it. Other than maybe a little more legroom, it was fairly comfortable and was very nice inside. I wish I could've seen it in the daylight though, so I could've learned a little more about it. It was hard to really examine it in the pitch black dark, but hopefully i'll get to take another look at it one day soon. It's definitely not bad for a "Souped Up Beetle" though
My day will come when I can rip 160 in a high end sports car
