CLASSVT
Veteran CEG'er
It's hard telling people you're a car guy, then when they ask what you drive you tell them a Ford Contour BUT IT'S AN SVT... Well, I'm fortunate to have a well-paying job. I could afford a new sports car, and some day when I have a bigger garage I will absolutely start a collection, but for now I'm focused on paying off the rest of my wife and I's student loans, pay the mortgage down, etc.
Long story short, my colleague took the plunge on a 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S. He and I had talked about those being our ideal compromise between power, weight/size, and handling, and that being one of the last (?) years to get it with an actual manual. He just happens to be less of a tight-wad than I, and went for it.
So being a nice guy, he let me drive it! It's a 2006 so the interior isn't amazing, but the seats were incredible. The handling was ridiculous. Even with him driving somewhat aggressively you could tell we were nowhere close to anything resembling a limit. Just flat, and responsive. Awesome.
The power was great, but I was surprised as I thought there would be more under 4k rpm. Once at 4k or above, it pinned me back in the seat with ease. The exhaust note was always something I felt the 911's lacked. This was no different. Very little engine noise and not much exhaust note that I remember.
All in all, it was about what I expected, but what a cool experience. He said he test-drove a newer 911 turbo and it was too fast, like laughable and just dangerous fast. Is it the car I would choose for myself? I don't know now. I feel like I would want more power, maybe a V8 (GT350?). Some day, not too soon though.
The whole experience did really make me miss my Contour. It's in the shop, having the motor rebuilt after something started making a knocking/tapping sound. Metal in the oil filter isn't good. But the paint is new, the interior is pretty decent for it's age, and with the upgrades I've done (3L hybrid, big brake kit, lowered/suspension, exhaust/headers, tune, etc etc) the car is significantly better than anything I could find for the $4-5k it will cost to get the engine rebuilt and back to purring. Plus I have to be honest, the 911 has nothing on the exhaust note on these with a good cat-back.
Anyway, that's it. I felt like sharing. I still love my Contour.
Long story short, my colleague took the plunge on a 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S. He and I had talked about those being our ideal compromise between power, weight/size, and handling, and that being one of the last (?) years to get it with an actual manual. He just happens to be less of a tight-wad than I, and went for it.
So being a nice guy, he let me drive it! It's a 2006 so the interior isn't amazing, but the seats were incredible. The handling was ridiculous. Even with him driving somewhat aggressively you could tell we were nowhere close to anything resembling a limit. Just flat, and responsive. Awesome.
The power was great, but I was surprised as I thought there would be more under 4k rpm. Once at 4k or above, it pinned me back in the seat with ease. The exhaust note was always something I felt the 911's lacked. This was no different. Very little engine noise and not much exhaust note that I remember.
All in all, it was about what I expected, but what a cool experience. He said he test-drove a newer 911 turbo and it was too fast, like laughable and just dangerous fast. Is it the car I would choose for myself? I don't know now. I feel like I would want more power, maybe a V8 (GT350?). Some day, not too soon though.
The whole experience did really make me miss my Contour. It's in the shop, having the motor rebuilt after something started making a knocking/tapping sound. Metal in the oil filter isn't good. But the paint is new, the interior is pretty decent for it's age, and with the upgrades I've done (3L hybrid, big brake kit, lowered/suspension, exhaust/headers, tune, etc etc) the car is significantly better than anything I could find for the $4-5k it will cost to get the engine rebuilt and back to purring. Plus I have to be honest, the 911 has nothing on the exhaust note on these with a good cat-back.
Anyway, that's it. I felt like sharing. I still love my Contour.