Porsche964FP

Well it's now been 9 months without my 964.

My 964 is a weekend toy really. Living in London I just simply can't be arsed - what with traffic, lack of parking and white vans that are ever so refined in their driving etiquette. So the bus and tube suits me just fine.

However, I have needed a car from time to time. So I play the family card, besides any excuse to **** off a sibling right? Fortunately she has to love me and so lends me her family car. It's a sponge. Let me explain, it's a Mercedes saloon car (reminds me of a mini cab minus the wonderful aromas of sweat, passenger vomit and cigarettes). It's very quiet, very soft and does good mpg.

But it's made me into a rather bad driver (not that I'm Alan Prost or anything - well sometime when I close my eyes whilst not driving and no one is looking). I feel completely disconnected to what is going on around me. I can't feel the road surface, so I find it hard to judge grip/ conditions and if I do feel something by the time it's communicated to me it's too late. But hey I'm all comfortable and on a silk carpet ride like Aladdin minus Jasmin which sucks because as far as Disney girls go she's high on my list just after Ariel - not that, that would work...

The brakes also lack feel and progressiveness. They're either on or off. Nothing really in-between - still surprised I don't look like Miss Piggy with my nose crushed against the windscreen. So again I can't feel the road surface, how much pressure I'm applying to the pads and so judging my braking distances is - let's not be pessimistic here; as difficult as convincing a starved Jaws it's not dinner time after I've had a Sunday roast.

Also, I can't judge the size of the damn thing. There's so much around me. With modern safety standards being what they are, I can't see the end of the bonnet or boot. No wonder mothers with school run 4x4s wreck our cars when parking.

To boot the car has no torque from it's 1.miserable Kompressor engine, so little that I genuinely think it's more dangerous. I can't over take swiftly. Or speed up and move out of the way when tail gated by an actual mini cab.

Ok so modern cars are reliable right? Wrong - the sponge's OBC tells me wrongly the tyres are deflated. Which results in a wonderfull symphony of ear piercing sounds. The rear left indicator light bulb has blown three times in three months - always when on the few occasions I'm driving it . And I can't figure out how to replace it - because now a days cars are built in such a way that nothing is accessible.

Anyway I digress, the point is I am absolutely sure that due to the lack of feel this modern/ comfortable car has reduced me to being a bad driver. Although I'm now soothed by this disconnected drive and good fuel consumption. I now fear I'll have a serious shock when I do one day get my 964 back.

Damn these first world problems.

All this to say that we are very lucky to have such greatly communicative cars that allow us to be better and safer drivers.

Navaros911

Frank,

I haven't read every post from you so must ask: where is your car now?

I understand what you say... my wife has a Saab 93 turbo (they all are turbo)... whenever I'm driving it she tells me: this isn't the Porsche... normally right before a sweeper as I'm setting the car up for that mild dip.

Love the 964... it's comfortable enough and let's you know what's up.

Hope you get the 964 back soon!

Babalouie

I agree, Frank! In the 964, I'm not paying any attention to the radio (or it's off), and the restless ride and steering has me focussed on the road ahead, planning gearshifts to be smooth (never easy in a 911!) and mentally calculating my road position to maximise acceleration bursts/induction noise opportunities for corner exits and overtaking, punctuated by perfect downshift blips and double declutching All the while, I'm calm and relaxed because a 911 is compact, agile and gives you excellent visibility.

In my other cars, I'm fiddling with the satnav, looking down at the myriad of buttons on the dash to work out which one makes the rear cabin warmer (and then realising the missus has changed all the settings), cycling through the iPod or radio stations looking for 80s music or trying to work out how to make the sunroff simply close instead of closing and then tilting

And then the steering is so feathery light, that I'm weaving all over the road and running over the reflective dots. And because I'm looking down at the forest of buttons on the dash most of the time, my driving is punctuated by sharp stops as the traffic concertinas suddenly in front of me, or sharp lurching bursts as the auto box shifts down 3 gears in one go, as I try to change lanes and squeeze into gaps at the last minute...aand I'm constantly raising my hands to apologise to other drivers, for nearly steamrollering over them in my huge family truckster. Because in any modern car all the pillars are 8 inches thick, and the boot and beltline are so tall, that you can't see anything behind or beside you, so the 3/4 blind spot is big enough to hide an apartment block. And I'm constantly parking with about 1metre of the car's butt sticking out, because the nose on new cars is so damn long, that I'm worried that I'll scrape the chin spoiler on those concrete blocks at the end of parking spots.

I feel like a terrible driver in any or my modern cars, it's amazing

peterC2S

Very astute observation all round. In the 964 I enjoy every minute and all the senses are engaged. In the mazda I'm just getting from A to B and its too easy to be lazy.

Interesting point is that in the MkV gti I'm about half way between the 2 which I guess goes some way to proving the point.

Guess I'm not alone in waiting for Frank's first post after getting Betty back - I can sense.... its going to be EPIC !!!

ChaseN

If you think that about a compact Mercedes sedan (c-class I presume from the engine size?), I can't imagine what you'd think about my Land Rover!

stinkydog

My opinion is: owning something like a 964 won't make you a better driver, but better drivers may be more inclined to drive a 964. And by "better driver", I assume we're all talking about safer street driving, rather than track driving (although I'm sure that the unique 964 dynamics can certainly make a better race driver).



#1 it's a collectible Porsche, and you want to keep it in great shape, of course.

#2 It's an old school manually operated vehicle (besides the ABS and the extra C4 stuff) that gives a lot of mechanical feedback and requires some delicate/deliberate inputs.

#3 The rear weight bias really does make for unique driving characteristics.

I drive pretty damn defensively in my 964- my head is on a swivel all the time; I keep the window cracked so I can hear the exterior noises (tires, exhaust, etc.); I keep an eye on the gauges and have a good feel for when the oil temp should rise, etc... I know what noises the heater blower should make, and when to let go of the sunroof rocker switch.

That being said, my primary transportation mode is by bicycle (mainly running kids to/from school, etc.)... so I am by nature, super alert and defensive.

Porsche964FP

That's exactly it! We're on the same page. You're right the thick pillars are blind spot death traps. I'm glad it's not my driving skills going down the toilette - I was starting to think I would be dangerous when the 964 is back.

alexjc4

I think Frank will look like this when he gets black betty back

stinkydog

Of course, you would be better drivers if you learned to stay on the correct side of the road.

Porsche964FP

Lol

Vast improvement.

Cheeksyboy

For 1 thing no one so far has compared apples with apples (or more precisely 1990's 911's with 2010's 911's).

Having said that, the same applies and Frank, Babalouie, etc you're all correct (especially the A pillar thing).

The 964, in comparison to even a modern 911, appears to 'demand' to be driven. Although perfectly capable of getting from A to B without drama, its size and exploitable performance seem to enable it to fit like a glove around you and carry you down the road almost telepathically....a bigger, more modern, 911 needs you to think that much more about it, and not what you want to do, that you don't enjoy the experience as much (though you go much faster and much further in the same time).

Modern 'daily' use cars are excellent at what they do. My Golf TD is quiet, comfy and very economical....which is what I want to get too and from the office. It's reasonable agile, has grip and its (what feels like electric) steering is completely without 'feel'.

I think what has happened is that as cars have become more cosseting and safer, people take more chances in the way they drive (bit like F1 drivers taking more risks with overtakes than they did 10 or 20 years ago), and I do think that makes for worse drivers.

to quote Stinkydog....

boxsey911

Car manufacturers continually strive to make their cars safer and better. They call it progress. I call it dumbing down. There are now too many distractions in new cars and they do too much for the driver to keep it on the road. The result is that most people now forget that they are responsible for driving a car safely because they assume it will do most of the driving for them. Therefore, they're free to spend that wasted period of time between points A and B (as they see it), on the phone, on their ipod, tinkering with the sat nav and talking to the kids in the back. There's no need to focus their attention on the road in their eyes. So, I agree that modern cars make worse drivers. People seem to have forgot that they are operating something that could be very dangerous to themselves and others. Luckily, it won't be long before the car makers reach the point that a driver is no longer needed and a car will only take passengers. That will suit most people but will definitely not suit 964ers!

ras62

Horses for courses and all that, my V8 Mercedes can't even come close to giving the thrills I get in the 964 but in defense of the old girl, there is something quite beguiling about driving a big engined Mercedes. Torque, speed and a relaxed calmness that is quite unique in its own way much like the 964 is unique in the way it drives.

PaulW_964

Good one Frank. I would tend to agree, modern cars are generally easier to drive, safer and smoother, aiding in (some) drivers becoming complacent, lazy and at times completely unaware to potential hazards ahead. The 964 connects you much more to the road and to the way the car is behaving, which really keeps you interested, on your toes and mindful of your surroundings.

I would never say I am the greatest driver around, but I have undertaken some advanced / defensive driver training, so I like to think I am 'aware' in any car I drive. I don't drive much these days, as I generally work from home and I really hate driving in rush hour, when all the idiots hit the roads. However, I do own a BMW Mini Cooper as an A-B car which is also great fun to drive, but in a very different way. We also have a Ford Focus (mainly wife's car), which is also actually quite a good car to drive and does what it does pretty well.

Another +1 on what Stinkydog said

JLJ11

Its very true..ive had a lot of experience with the unique driving charactaristic of the 911 over the past few weeks.. I lent it to a friend when i was out of town for a week because i needed it off the road... crashed in a slow speed slide.. can never underestimate how hard they are to manage for people used to front wheel drive modern cars. Whilst its getting sorted i'd borrowed a 968, so another old ish porsche but wow is it easier to drive. Quite relaxing in comparison. Can carry more speed into corners, more forgiving in many ways. Steering is great and feedback is good. Just way less of an event, not challenging and whilst not as fuzzy as modern car could still make returning to a 911 require a refocus of concentration.