xsboost90

today i got my current issue of Excellence magazine. I read the article about porsches under 20k and was alittle ticked about the repesentation of the 968 in the article, so i wrote in to excellence mag and said this...


> It was obvious in your "Super Porsches for 20
> > > Grand" story, who the winners would be before
> made
> > > it through the first page. Among the cars
> compared
> > > we have a "track prepped" 911SC, a 986 w/ Row
> > MO30,
> > > and a stock 968. He goes on to say that there
> was
> > a
> > > nicely prepared 968 available but it wasnt
> pretty
> > > enough i guess. Hmm. Then Pete goes on and on
> > about
> > > how soft the suspension on the 968 is and how it
> > has
> > > glimpses of understeer and is "soul-less"
> compared
> > > to the others. Hopefully the next comparo you
> guys
> > > do, you make it a level playing field and bring
> > some
> > > non-biased drivers.
the author of the story wrote back...

Funny that
> you
> > should say that, considering the FACT
> > that *I* didn't know how it would turn out before
> > all
> > was said and done.
> >
> > Sorry you weren't happy with our findings and take
> > on
> > things...
> >
> > pete

i tried to explain my frustration with...


i thought the story was good, well written and
> very
> > informative and true- especially the part about
> the
> > quirkyness of an SC and how nimble and great the
> 986
> > platform is. The 924-968 body has proven itself
> very
> > "porsche" on the track, as well as being reliable
> > and fun. I just thought that by the end it seemed
> > like it was more a compo of the 986 and the 911-
> and
> > the 968 would not even be considered. I have a 944
> > turbo and a 924s. i have several friends that own
> > 911's, boxsters and 968's etc...i love driving
> 911's
> > because of the raw muscle feeling you get from it.
> I
> > like the boxster as well- its a great fun car. I
> > guess what i missed was the comparisons point. Had
> > it been "what car could you rather drive to work
> > everyday" or "best bang for the buck" i would
> think
> > personally it would have been the 968. Had that
> car
> > been up to par w/ the rest of the group, they may
> > have had more to say about handling and feel of
> the
> > car. In the end, a car is a car and an opinion is
> > just that.
> > Love your magazine and articles, i just felt
> > compelled-for some reason- to say hey! give credit
> > where credit is due. Dan.

and he replied back -very nicely i may add-

Totally understand your point.
>
> And that's why we're clear about the fact that this
> was for "heart strings" up front -- not about the
> all-around living aspect. We state clearly that this
> test is about driving the cars on the kinds of roads
> Ferry intended his cars for on the "good" days up
> front in the article.
>
> If you go back and read the piece from the 2/3s
> marker
> forward, you can see that the 968 drops out of the
> contest at about this point -- and that we note
> picking the non-M030 suspension 968 was a mistake.
> From there on, it IS 986 vs. 911, and the fact I
> chose
> the car I don't own (but have in the past, before
> picking the one I drive now) should say something...
>
> I love 944 Turbos, 968s, and I *REALLY* have a thing
> for 924 Carrera GTS Clubsports. And I came very,
> very
> close to buying a 968 before I bought my first 911,
> a
> really nice SC. Sold the 911 primarily because the
> day-to-day liveability wasn't enough. It would have
> been had I chosen the 968, I'm sure. That said, I am
> certainly surprised to find myself considering a
> 1987-89 Carrera 3.2 as a replacement for my 986...
> the
> G50 and a few other refinements might be *just*
> enough
> to get me into one...
>
> Again, I very much appreciate your writing in and
> completely respect your views. They are well-founded
> and accurate. Just remember, this wasn't a typical
> all-around comparison. It was a "on a good day,
> which
> one?" test. And, if anything, I suspected the
> Boxster
> or 968 would outshine the 911.
>
> Didn't turn out that way...
> > pete


i'll have to say that i may have taken the story the wrong way at first- i just felt strongly that the critisizms were alittle harsh. Sitting awhile and thinking about it i can see Petes point about all three cars. IM glad he spent the time to reply and explain himself, the story and their conclusions. What can i say, maybe if i had never bought a 944 and instead found a 3.2(not an SC sorry) then I would not find the story objectionable at all. Either way, i feel that every Porsche rolled off the assembly line has SOUL, weather it be a Boxster, SC, 3.2, a Ceyanne or a 968.

89magic98

Many of their articles are a step below. How about when they took the pristine '89 they had and ripped out the A/C. I think a lot of people buy the mag for the advertising.

Did they try to fit someone over, say, 5'8" in the 911 or the Boxster.

I'm 6'4" and couldn't fit in either.

xsboost90

they did say the owner of the 968 was 6'5" and he fit in the 986 fine...haha.

yellowline

If that 911 had a 915 transmission, I'd laugh off the comment about the shifting. Those have a pretty bad rep- I don't see 944 threads about selecting 2 gears at once.

In fairness, the Boxster is more modern than the 968.

89magic98

Kind of like how big people fit in roller coasters - a lap belt isn't even needed, your knees hold you in place because they're pressed into the seat in front of you.

xsboost90

Thanks for writing me back Pete, its not every day that you get to share an opinion or "constructive" criticizm with a writer. Hope you take it as just that. Dan.

streckfu's

Are you refering to Exce911ence?

Did the 968 have M030? If not, there's no way an original base 968 suspension compares to those two.

Typical.

xsboost90

the 968 in the comparo did not have MO30- he did refer later on in the story that perhaps the other car available for the comparo WITH MO30 should have been used- which was my gripe about the whole thing.

tifosiman

I guess the article was sorta real-world, as many 968's don't have M030. It would have been more interesting if they had ALL bone stock cars, or had ALL cars that were moderately track-prepped or M030 (or similar) equipped, and then maybe had non-porsche people (like some other marque enthusiasts) drive them and then give their opinions.

In Excellence's defense, they are about the least 911-biased mag out there and have had some great watercooler articles over the year.

I agree with what was said about the 915 trans above, though. That's the only thing that ruins the driving experience for me in an SC, after having driven a G50 equipped Carrera there is no comparison.

Darwantae951

My dad has the 915 Gearbox in his 911 and had to replace a cracked shift fork when he got it stuck in reverse. Now, in order to get it into reverse, he must push the lever as far right as possible and keep pressure on it, or it might engage an extra gear...

Guns951

Well also in Excellence's defense, I told them of my project and they seemed very happy and wanted to be kept up to speed on the 951's progress to possibly cover it next year. And the guy I talked to was Pete Stout, editor in chief.

JonH

Tough to compare Porsche models against each other, but seems to always make print in the mags. I have a tough time reading Panorama and Grassroots as it is, I let the Excellence go, but they all have done comparisons. As for me, I'm pretty geeked about all the models, but I don't fit well in the boxster, and I like the 911 for different reasons that the 944. The boxster engines seem to be developing longevity issues, and the 915 gearbox is far from good. It was cool to read your editor responses though, xsboost90, looks like we are all just car guys that spend way to much time thinking about P-cars!
Porsche kool-aid for all

Fishey

Why doesn't excellence have a super porsche tuner shootout and include older cars into it. I am not talking about company tuners but private individuals cars. When they do that I will find it far more intresting then the current repetitive articals..

Vaino

Perhaps they should refresh their collective memory. They did an article comparing a Non-M030 Boxster to the ROW equipped M030 Boxster a few years back. I recall them calling the stock Boxster feeling vague and soft.......

xsboost90

apples and oranges- apples and oranges...