Wow, thanks for taking all the time to make these write-ups of your cars, I'm really enjoying reading them, they are a nice change from the usual car-magazine stuff. :D

Nice pictures too. 8)

:twisted:

Re: Having a good time yet?
 

We are a family of dedicated car enthusiasts here that have oil running through our veins thats the difference between JW and some of the other car forums on the net.

Anyway glad you like it here and keep on posting :D

Thanks Michael for the pictures, IMO the green and orange color suits perfect to the Lambos.

I guess the 3 guys on the SLR pics are the "flies on the dog poop" :mrgreen:

Great writeup, have to clean my keyboard from drooling :oops: :mrgreen:

Land Rover Range Rover HSE vs Porsche Cayenne Turbo
 

Since there seems to be a lot of various people from all over the world on this JW forum thread, I was wondering if some of you could give me your opinions or first hand knowledge of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. I just read somewhere that they boosted the HP up to 520 hp and it's second in hp to only the 997 Turbo. Did I read that right? Secondly, how does the car drive, does it have a decent amount of room in the interior, how are the other ammenities and do you think it would be a better, more fun SUV than the Range Rover? I've had Range Rovers since the late 80s and I love them. Very minor problems every once in a while and I was just wondering if it's time for a change? I've never really looked at a Cayenne to closely because I think in looks it's just OK and I've been totally satisfied with the Range Rover. Should I just stay where I'm at? Thanks guys, Michael :D

Ask St-Anger he know it ALL about Cayennes and Porsches in general :wink:

^^^That would be the Cayenne Turbo S you are talking about, V8, 520BHP, infacts it's more powerful than the 997 Turbo. The Porsche SUV seems to get good reviews amongst car magazines in general, question is could you learn to live with it's hideous looks ?? :p

I guess that means you're not going to be buying one anytime soon? :hmm:

the looks of the Cayenne/Toureg have been growing on me as of late. its still not as good as what Land rovers look IMO... but everything i hear first had about the Cayenne Turbo (the s isn't available til fall 06 as a MY07 i think) points to it being both a capable SUV; and amazing on paved surfaces concidering its hight, and bulk.... this is only coming from men so far... the women i've seen driving the Cayenne turbo seem to almost always have a cell in thier ear :lol:

there is already a powerkit option for the 955; i think it bumps it near 500 hp; and the S is 520 hp running a few more bar.

http://www.motorworld.net/forum/showthread.php?t=16472
^^^^^
st-a's index to find nearly everything you could want to know about the P cars

http://www.motorworld.net/forum/show...=138048#138048
^^^^^
model specific about the Cayenne turbo MY 05

I know St-a loves the Cayenne, and for a while was driving a Cayenne S with the 6 speed manuel. this was his daily driver after he sold the 7 series, and 350Z; which he also loved qutie a bit.

drop him a PM, he is an absolute wealth of information, and a stand-up chap :)

^I see you got the major links on JW already :wink:

and yes, it's the new Turbo S which has 520hp, second powerful Porsche after the CarreraGT :D


Personally I never drove a Cayenne :bah:, I can't give you a review. From the reviews, car magazines etc. the Cayenne gets good critics. For sure you'll get Porsche quality :good:, maybe the car is less "offroad"-oriented than a Range Rover <-- maybe because I never saw a Cayenne in the mud so far :lol: .


I see a lot of Cayennes in St.Moritz (if you don't know St.Moritz, it's called the Aspen of the Alps or vice versa :wink: , and there one can spot many Cayennes :) .
Among the regular Porsche models, there are mainly two tuners which have the Cayenne in their brochures.

I guess you are not interested in a tuned Cayenne: just in case you would like to browse their sites

SPORTEC
http://www.sportec.ch/pages/frame.cfm?dom=2
Cayenne brochure
http://www.sportec.ch/upload/docs/PD...sche_Cay_T.pdf

RINSPEED
http://www.rinspeed.ch/pages/porsche.../frames_e.html

direct link
http://www.rinspeed.ch/pages/porsche/cay/pore_cay.htm
pics
http://www.rinspeed.ch/pages/porsche/dwn/pore_dwn.htm

I drove the standard Cayenne Turbo, and personally, if I had the cars you do, I just wouldn't bother with an SUV. The sensation just isn't there.

Having said that, to haul dogs and family around, it does the job quite quickly.

^ maybe you missed that he's driving a Range Rover as a daily car ...
the question is more New RangeRover or Cayenne ?

you dont really need to leant to live with the looks. u just need to get a techart magnum

http://www.cecwheels.com/images/medi...t_seitlich.jpg

saw one that was a modified cayenne s at work. sounds amazing, and damn does it have presence.

yes yes, i know you like more...stock cars. but like u said eariler, perhaps time for a change?

oh, and did i mention they have tuning stages to take the cayenne turbo over 600bhp :twisted:

http://www.cecwheels.com/images/medi...ayenne_pg1.pdf

What did I say :D

magwheel, one thing to say, I WANNA BE like YOU WHEN I GROW UP :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: you have an impressive collection, I collect cars since a child (scale models) and my dream is to have some of them in real life, I know it consist in lots of work, dedication and sacrifice to have that kind of things, but what the hell, im not going to die before havin my own collection, i swear!!!!!!! :wink: :wink:

you are only missing a yellow C6 Z06, a Silver SLR, and a Range Rover Sport or Cayenne Turbo!!!

Congrats, really, right now, you are my total inspiration!! I wanna have that kind of collection!!

homepage
http://www.techart.de/homee_gesamt.htm
http://www.techart.de/techart/frame.asp?prog=44&lang=en
this one I saw recently
http://img438.imageshack.us/img438/3...71775tt.th.jpghttp://img438.imageshack.us/img438/8...71806lt.th.jpghttp://img438.imageshack.us/img438/5...71811dt.th.jpghttp://img438.imageshack.us/img438/2...71828xq.th.jpg
http://www.techart.ch/fahrzeuge.php?...ne_magnumblack

No, I didn't miss that bit. But I think that boosting power to 520 will make the Cayenne into an enjoyable ride for me.

It's a good relaxed pimp mobile, but... I just don't find it exciting like a two seater does.

Now....now....now kids.... let's not fight. I really need an SUV because of Winters here in Ohio. If we didn't have all the snow and such, I'd probably buy an Aston Martin DB9 and pretend to be James Bond for a while! When I had the BMW Z8, because of the Bond movie, I think my plate on that read 'NOT BOND'! I really appreciate all your suggestions. I guess I'm really trying to ascertain (I love big words - just wish I knew what the hell they meant) if the Cayenne Turbo S is a lot more fun for the $20K or more sticker.

The Range Rovers have been.... berry....berry.... good to me! One advantage of the Range Rovers is that the Ohio dealership comes and picks the car up and takes it back to Akron, Ohio when any kind of service is needed and doesn't even charge me for the loaner they leave. I'll be leasing 3 this Fall .... Oh yeah, of course, I forgot to mention that I get the 'EX' a new Range Rover every two years too. I had been with her for a total of 30 years between dating and then marriage and she gave me four beautiful children and took good care of me for most of those 30 years...... so I feel a strong moral obligation to continue to take care of her in return! The Porsche dealer whom I would get the Turbo S off of, in Sewickly, Pennsylvania, (had a bad experience from the local dealer here in Boardman, Ohio when I bought the GT2),I don't think does that kind of service ammentity. That means a lot to me! So this is my present quandary. Help guys! I need your input on looks (the car - not me!), the performance, every day versatility and personal driving pleasure. :?

You mean I'm kinda like your 'American Idol'? I'd really love to take credit for all that I have achieved over the years...... and I've said this before......BUT if it wasn't for my Father, I'd probably still be driving that 1956 Chevy I had as my first car. The only thing I can honestly lay claim to is that I loved my Father and Mother very much and would have taken a bullet for them any time in my life!! (Oh, there may be a few more but none as important to me as the last.) You're unfortunately going to have to do it the hard way like millions of people before you. A good education, a beginning steady job and then branch out into the world hopefully into a job position with somebody or even on your own to where you be able to attain the wonderful things you've always wanted in life!

I wish I could give you some astute advice for your future, but I'm hoping these little tips from the 'spoiled brat' will inspire you to say someday..... Damn, that Magwheel was right, I did it on my own and I apprecite it that much more. Good luck kid and I hope you reach all your dreams someday! Mags :clap:

^^

Well...from what I've read, the Cayenne is quite capable both on and off-road, but has a harsher ride than the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. The 4.5L V8 is a gem especially in turbo form, but several reviews I've read of the new Turbo S make it out to be a marketing exercise more than anything else. Truly, a large SUV that'll tackle the 0-60mph dash in around 5-and-a-half seconds is quite nippy especially if it tops out at 165mph. The S's performance gains for the 70bhp advantage aren't that spectacular and probably aren't worth the extra money.

Then there's the styling. I may well be exposing myself for some flamage here, but I don't particularly care for the Cayenne's looks. To me it looks a bit like Porsche tried to lay the "fried egg" headlights and swoopy bodywork of the 996 on an SUV and it's not very effective. The rear end is alright I suppose, rather bland actually, but the nose is pretty hideous IMHO. The interior quality will likely be quite good and functional, but nothing to write home about whereas, I'm sure you feel like you're sitting in the lap of luxury in the Rangies you've got at the moment. The interior accoutrements in the Range Rover product line is substantially superior.

In addition, it sounds like you've had a wonderful ownership experience with the Range Rovers you've got now, especially with customer service, and that in and of itself is an important consideration from my point of view, as if a company doesn't want to deal with you as a customer, then it's probably best to avoid giving them your business...(rule 1: The Customer is always right. rule 2: If the customer's wrong, see rule #1 etc...etc...)

Anyway, I've been spouting magazine-like opinions, but hopefully they're at least somewhat helpful. Your best shot would probably be talking to st-anger, he's our resident Porschephile and has had some experience with the 955.

My review of the 2005 F1 Ferrari F430
 

My living experience with the 2005 Ferrari F1 F430. After I purchased the 575 Maranello in late June of last year, 2005, I immediately fell in love with Ferrari. I originally wanted a F430 but when I asked the salesman (Mike Finneran of MAG - Midwestern Auto Group in Columbus, Ohio) if I could get one of them, he chuckled politely and said there was at least a 2-3 year waiting list. But then he mentioned that they had a brand new 2004 Ferrari Maranello demo with only 110 miles on it. I asked why such low mileage and he said the owner was driving it as his demo and since they had 15 other brands of cars, he changed demos brands frequently, thus the low mileage. So we struck up a deal and I had my first Ferrari. Whoa Daddy!! It was all downhill from there! I was instantly a Ferrari addict! That's when I knew I had to have the F430! So my search began.

Since I didn't know where to look first, I thought, how about eBay? Well..... isn't that where you find everything you always wanted? After a couple weeks of searching, I found one at Scottsdale Ferrari in Arizona. She only had 117 miles on her but it was listed as used.... not a demo. This is where I begin to have trouble with Ferrari. They are SO much in demand that there's this outrageous game the dealers play. The following statement is MY belief and NOT a substantiated fact! They get someone to buy the car new and put say 200-400 miles on it. Then this person brings it back to the dealer who in turn buys it back (I'm guessing after giving the first owner the FULL purchase price AND a couple extra K dollars for his trouble). Don't you feel sorry for this poor guy? The dealership then sets the price to whatever the market will command because it is now a used car (usually something insane)! I've been told that Ferrari Proper does not allow Dealers to sell their cars above the Factory sticker. Thus the GAME! The sticker on my car read $187K but I had (well, they really weren't holding a gun to my head!) to pay $260K or else buy a Mattel Hot Wheels F430 model. You just can't get them unless you're on the 'so called list'! As the great comedian W.C. Fields once said: "Sometimes a man has to grab the bull by the tail and face the situation!"

I picked this particular F430 because of its low mileage (all the others on eBay had at least 400 miles or more). It also had the F-1 Transmission, Ferrari Red brake calipers, the Scuderia Shields, Carbon Fiber interior trim panels, rear Leather Shelf, the Leather Headliner, CD changer and the leather seats also had Red stitching AND Red piping to match. I actually didn't buy t it off eBay auction but called the dealer and hammered (yeah...RIGHT) out a deal. After closing the purchase, they arranged the shipping and I waited and waited and waited. Then I was told, all of a sudden, that the shipping was going to be a little more. All in all, it took close to a month to get my F430.

I had the trucker bring it to a small plaza in Poland because there was plenty of room for him to unload the car. BUT... the room wasn't the big problem.... the car's dead battery was! We couldn't even start the car to back it off the truck since it did have a dead battery. Wonderful! After much brainstorming and lots of swear words, we decided to manually push it back a few feet so he could open the side door of the car hauler and I was able to open the passenger door of the F430 and crawl into the car and take the passenger firewall kick plate off so we could get to the dead battery. Good thing he had one of those portable self contained battery chargers. I then touched the cables to the battery posts and BAM... a few sparks flew. Scared the hell out of me! Well, we got it started and backed it out of the truck. Then a small surprise arose..... the speedo was screwed up! It read 55.555 miles or something crazy like that. I was afraid that I had just zapped the electrical system! Great, just great!

I got her home that night, put a Battery Tender on and two days later after the battery came back to full charge, I read the owners manual and decided to try and reset the car's security system code. Bingo, the speedo was back to normal! Phew!

The F430 is absolutely the easiest of all my cars to drive. It's almost idiot proof (perfect for me!) You turn the key, put your foot on the brake, push the red start button, push the reverse R button on the console, back her out of the garage, touch the right upshift paddle for first gear and you're off and running! I like to keep her in the Automatic Mode. It's comfortable as heck and there's plenty of interior shoulder and leg room and the rear visibility is near excellent (probably the best of all the cars I have). The F1 shifts pretty smooth but sometimes in the AUTO mode, it tends to hold on to the Rs a little too long. The interior leather quality makes you feel like you're sitting on a King's throne! Absolutely stunning workmanship! The dash is laid out beautifully with red stitching everywhere and very easy to read gauges and a huge Yellow (in my car) RPM gauge. The radio is fairly easy to operate but the station digits and setting buttons are a little too small to see if you wear reading glasses (like ME) and don't have them with you. I also have the leather rear shelf and headliner plus the carbon fiber dash panels which really help to dress up the interior even more.

Then there's that that ENGINE..... oh my God!! It screams like a dozen hornets nests that were just broke open and they're all right behind your head chasing you ass wherever you go! Even if you get on it just a little, she whines and screams with an intensity that's hard to imagine. You absolutely have to hear it to believe it! There have been several posts elsewhere on the web that have said "forget the Tubi and other aftermarket exhaust systems, the F430 factory exhaust is absolutely perfect." Boy are they right and not kiddin a bit! Not only does she sound great, she flies with the 'greatest of ease'. The F430 just wants to try and chew up anything in its way. Touch the throttle and she jumps like a beautiful woman that's just been goosed! I'm telling you, this car is a rocket ship in the true sense of the word!

I've read various road tests all over about how fast the Murcie , the Carrera GT and the Ford GT are and you and I both know they're true. BUT, I think the F430 may be able to tickle their asses a little and give them a surprise. One thing you must remember: I personally haven't thrashed any of my cars yet because of needed break-in mileage. Although in reality, I usually don't try to set any Land Speed records anyway. IMHO, the F430 is a fantastic car that any owner would be proud of and never regret purchasing. Plus, I'm pretty sure their resale value will retain the highest percentage of the purchase price of all the supercars I own. That's certainly worth a little smile anyway.

There may be SLIGHTLY faster supercars cars (acceleration and top speed) around, but none that I think are so easy to drive and enjoy. The F430 is the true meaning of the phrase 'Let's Rock and Roll!' p.s. I accidentally forgot to put on pictures of any of the previous car interiors. Starting with this F430, I will do so and hopefully I can send the other interior pics to TT and he will put them on for me in the Gallardo and Murcielago reviews. Sorry about that! I hope you enjoy this review and the others (the Ford GT, the Porsche Carrera GT and the Ferrari Maranello) will follow shortly in a day or two.

I forgot to mention the rear picture of her with the license plate X HIPPIE. I purposely took it with the car running and the exhaust smoke surrounding the plate. Kinda looks a little psychedelic, doesn't it? Now you know why I picked that plate! :lol:



http://img133.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...ri_430_001.jpghttp://img128.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...ri_430_002.jpghttp://img130.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...ri_430_003.jpghttp://img7.imagevenue.com/loc24/th_...ri_430_004.jpg
http://img12.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...ri_430_005.jpghttp://img133.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...ri_430_006.jpghttp://img141.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...ri_430_007.jpg
http://img14.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...ri_430_008.jpg
http://img134.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...ri_430_009.jpghttp://img45.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...ri_430_010.jpghttp://img140.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...ri_430_011.jpghttp://img45.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...ri_430_012.jpg
http://img46.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...ri_430_013.jpghttp://img101.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...ri_430_014.jpghttp://img143.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...ri_430_015.jpg

Yeah the game that you mentioned is a well known fact where certain buyers flip their cars after driving it for <1000 miles and sell it at cost to the dealer who then can sell it at a mark-up to other buyers. The flippers are favored by dealers and always land up early in the waiting list of every new model that comes out.

There are three ways to handle the Ferrari situation, buy new at MSRP but be prepared to wait for X years - in the meantime by a older model to keep you satisfied till the new one arrives or Option B, bite the bullet and buy a flipped car at a premium, or lastly option C, wait 2-3 years till there is a hint of the new model coming out and then pick up the current car at a depreciated price.

The 360 Modena is a good example. When it came out it was flipping at 250K for some time - people who bought the Spider paid 300K for it which is a amazing 100K premium. But now you can pick it for 150K for car in really good condition.

Whether one chooses option A,B,C it doesn't matter - you get a fabulous car and that is all that is important.

The good news is that the flipping premium on the 430 coupe and spider has deflated a bit now. So that is good for future buyers.

Great review of your 430 BTW ...

woooww .. justt ... wooow .. you have super awesome exotic cars collection!! :shock: :shock: :shock: :D

wow, beautiful reading after wake up :D

you mentioned the murcie review aswell, which I missed :oops: so I'm going to do it now :D thank you for these, looking forward to read the others! your writing style is so nice, understandable (don't forget English isn't my first language and many other's eighther :wink: ) and in some parts funny :) . I'm saving your reviews for each car and downloading your pics - just excellent, magwheel, excellent!!!

Thank you for taknig time for us and letting us "live" your experience with you :clap: :D

edit: can I be little bit fussy? is it possible to have pics in zip files with each cars? :drool: PLEASE!!!

just read all of your reviews .. gotta say ... they are really really cool ... the read is good, entertaining and a bit funny:P and makes perfect sence all the way lol ... all theres left for a perfect review is some track action :P 8) 8)

sorry :wink: , got your sentence wrong...

totally agred with saadie. Thanks for reviews and waiting for others.Last year I watched a Fifth Gear episode about Vicky Butler Henderson's mom drived a Murcielago with E-gear and she drived very well for a supercar virgin. And Vicky said "Yes it is too easier to drive this e-gear murcielago than old manual gerbox lamborghinis" . Your Gallardo has e-gear.What are you saying about that is this is to drive gallardo too?

Thank you.... thank you..... thank you! You know what's nice is that I appreciate reading your responses to my reviews of the cars as much as you enjoy reading the little 'stories' themselves. Every purchase of those cars actually did have some small drama and a little bit of comedy behind them. Now I think I know how 'Dear Abbey' felt reading all the letters and answering them. For me it's really exciting 'talking' to people all over the world!

Now I have to claim the title 'Dummy of the Day!' Our friend, TT, has been the one responsible for uploading or downloading or sideloading or whatever the proper term is for inserting the pictures of my cars. Maybe he can answer the question of yours about having the pics as 'zip files'. I tried for days, even with all their help (Jabba too), to learn how to do it and I flunked the course. It's almost the same scenario as when I first went to college at Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio U.S.A. After only spending two quarters there, do you believe they kicked me out of college with a three five average? Of course it was a .35 average!!! Yeah... the second quarter I didn't even buy the books for classes. I used the money for all night carousing and eating hamburgers and drinking Coca Cola every night at a famous (all night-I think) restaurant called the 'CHAR BAR.' Had a great time though! It was a little tough coming home to Mom and Dad and trying to explain what happened. See.... I told you I was kinda a 'little spoiled brat' at ONE time in my life.

Honestly, thanks guys for all the compliments and I kook forward to doing the next car review. How about the Porsche Carrera GT sometime today? As the Terminator once said, "Hasta la Vista . . . baby!" and "I'll be back". You'll see why I used these famous Terminator's quotes in the next installment! Michael :snipersmile:

:drool: can't wait to read the CGT review :D

In my review of the Gallardo and Murcielago, I hope that I mentioned the Gallardo is a 6 speed and the Murcie is a E-gear. It's really nice to have the different transmissions for comparison sake. The Gallardo being a little smaller and more nimble, seems to be a perfect fit for the 6 speed. The Murcie's E-gear is a real pleasure to drive and makes it a easier to hook up with those 'millions and millions' of horsepower under the hood!

Can't wait for your next review about CGT (probably my most favourite in your collection) and your quotes :robot: ALBIBAK and Hasta La Vista :robot: :D

Thanks for you're suggestion but I really don't seem to have such a good history in "Institutions of Higher Education'! They just can't 'learn' me anything. See... see what I mean!

Didn't do too much better job wise. Once had a job at Lordstown, Ohio which is a GM manufacturing plant. After a week on the assembly line, I almost had a nervous breakdowm trying to stay up with the line output. I'm still convinced all those other guys on the line with me were really robots cause they just hummed along like nothing was bothering them, My Father once jokingly (I think) accused me of being a lazy bum and said that he thought that I thought 'Manual Labor was the President of Puerto Rico'! Dad was always good at busting my ass and calling it like it was. Think he was right?? :silly:

Manual Labor .... thats funny :lol:

Damn :o Another ass-kicking review :faint:
I can feel and imagine what is to be in f430 as you describe it! :drool:

Reading all this, M3E30 is not that expencive as I thought it is 2 weeks back :mrgreen: Interesting how your(my) point of view changes as you(me) read it :P

BTW do your parents still with us? Just curious :wink:

I'm glad you can feel yourself in the Ferrari F430. That makes me feel that at least I can do something halfway right. Dad would be proud of me! No, unfortunately, Mom passed away in 1987. She came here as a young immigrant from Russia as did her whole family. My Father just, and I say just cause it feels like only several months ago, passed away in September of 2003 only 3 months after being diagnosed with lung and brain cancer. But, I can thank God that he didn't suffer at all! It was all so quick. He was 84 and lived a very good life. He certainly deserved it. It's unreal. Every time I talk about or mention my Mother nad Father, tears of love come to my eyes. Kinda like now and in a post I made a few days ago. I guess it means I loved them more than anything is this world. Thank you very much for asking about them. Michael :wink:

p.s. I just backed the Carerra GT and the F430 out of the garage and took some more exterior and interior pictues of them. I think you're really going to enjoy the review of the Carrera GT which I'm going to start on very shortly today after I send the F430 pictures to TT so he can put them on the F430 post.

I hardly wait the CGT review, ok im droolin so hard that i dont see on my screen 8)

Thanks for your reviews :P

how you speak of your parents, and in particular, your father... it reminds me quite dearly of my own grandfather, who passed away in October of 2003 @ 83 years old. The man had not one single bone in his body that could harbor ill feelings about another; he was always trying to help... even as he grew older, and more feeble. we were extremely close... and unfortunate family circumstances allowed that to happen when i was growing up. Everybody loved him, and looked to him for guidance; and like you... it still feels like it was only a few months back.

your buying experience of the F430 seems very much like how I have heard its' done; even here in MI where people know exactly how much thier cars are worth; Ferrari's dont exactly follow suite. the few times i've seen an F430 on the road (twice so far) the sound was spectacular; and seemed to crave revs... even at downtown speeds of 25 or so MPH... the car commands presence, like not even the 360 can... if only by its engine note.

by your review, it seems ferrari really did re-create "the greatest car in the world" that many reviewers thought the 360 modena failed at being.

thanks for the review :D

:D nthfinity, You're certainly welcome and thanks for the great words on my parents. I'm finishing up the review on the Carrera GT right now and it should be on in under a half an hour or so. You're definitely going to love this review even if I have to say so myself. Michael

Pics of the 430 added :!:

magwheel, that is just a truly amazing set of cars you have there, i have just one question as you have the means to answer it...... the best supercar you have 4WD or 2WD which in you opinion is the definative drive......??as you drive them regularly on the same roads in differing conditions..... down a twisty road which car gives you the, i've just cracked it feeling or popped the cork out the bottle feeling....

Ahhh, now it's time for the Terminator, the fabulous Porsche Carrera GT. Here's the story. I had just purchased the Ford GT in January of 2005. I was very happy, sitting at home and quite satisfied with the Ford GT and my ass kickin 2003 Yellow Porsche GT2.

So, one day I'm talking to a friend of mine at a restaurant and he mentions that he just saw an outrageous car up in Cleveland at a Porsche dealer. He says it's a called a Carrera GT and it's unreal. Oh yeah, I tell him, I've seen that car online and in magazine pictures. It looks like a spaceship on wheels. He gives me the dealers name and I tell my girlfriend that night that she and I are going to go to Cleveland one day to JUST look at it. Yeah right! Why is it that every time somebody mentions a neat car to me, I hear a lot of oh damn, look at his eyes!

Well, I was eating my guts out wanting to see the car so guess what? We went up two days later. The salesman takes us over to see the CGT and UH O...... I'm in trouble! There's drool running down my face, my girlfriend's talking to me and I don't even know she's there and on top of that, I just wet my pants! You gotta be kiddin me! Is this thing real or is it a concept car that NASA developed?

He sits down inside the car and starts it up. Revs it up and up and up and then asks me what I think? Huhhh.....? I'm busy catching flies with my mouth wide open. I close my eyes and imagine that I'm in the movie 'Grand Prix' with James Garner and Yves Montand or in 'LeMans' with Steve McQueen!!!

My head is spinning and I got this s _ _ t eating grin on my face. How the hell can I somehow manage to buy this car? He asks me if I would like to sit down and try and work out a deal (we drove the 03 GT2 up there to show them we weren't pulling their chains about being serious on the car). Nah, I don't want to try and work out a deal just like I don't want to make love to Pam Anderson, Elle McPherson, Jessica Simpson and Jessica Alba all at the same time!

So we sit down and pound numbers and then I say the heck with it. I give him a number I think is right and tell him if he can get the deal to that number, he's got a sale. He asks me to give him a day and he'll get back to me. I'm waiting the next day with my head down on my desk crying cause he hasn't called me back yet.

OK, well then I'll just call other dealers to get a quote and to keep him honest on top of that. I call Columbus, Ohio, Byers Automotive Group, talk to Michael Kirkham and he along with his GM are pounding numbers left and right. They get within a few dollars of where I want to be and I say I have to give the Cleveland dealer one last chance to give me his price. Just for the heck of it, I also called the Cincinnati Porsche dealer and they want time to work out a deal. I DON"T have time..... I want that car RIGHT NOW! You guys know what I mean, don't you?

That afternoon, Cleveland calls and gives me a price. Good but not there yet. Anyhow, to make a long story short, Cleveland and Columbus are battling it out to make the sale. Columbus gets to the price and even below and I'm happy. Cleveland ain't and they try and make another offer. I'm having a mental breakdown answering my cell phone every 5-10 minutes. Finally, I tell my girlfriend I'm done, I can't take it any more. You make the final deal. Whatever it is, I'm OK with it. I not talking to anyone else! Honest!

She makes the deal at 3 or 4 that afternoon and Columbus wants to deliver it that night! Huh? OK with me!

They deliver her in an enclosed trailer around 7 p.m. that night. I guess they were worried I might change my mind. Felt good though getting approved on a $443,800 car in only an hour or so..... Thanks again DAD!!

Well, we're trying to unload her with regular aluminum ramps and 12-14 ft wooden extension 2 x 12s. First try, craaaack, the wooden boards break in half. After close to an hour or so, we finally get her off the trailer. Damn does she sits so lowwww. Anything taller than an ANT on the road better get the hell out of the way!

This machine is unreal, honestly! It really IS a race car on the street. You try and get in.... of course it's easier if your related to Harry Houdini cause you have to be a contortionist to have a chance of sitting down. Well almost.... I have the XT or XL seats which means they're made for us fat ass Americans. I almost fit... just gotta lose 50 or 75 lbs. Just kiddin...... they really hug your butt. If you're claustrophobic, this is not the car for you. If you and a passenger are in the car, don't both of you turn toward each other at the same time or one of you will wind up with a broken nose! I guess I'm trying to say, the cabin is certainly cozy. The gearshift lever in the middle of the upright console is surprisingly easy to operate and has a great feel.

The instruments are easy to read. The radio is pretty good, but unless you've got reading glasses of about 5x, you've got no chance of seeing what the hell you're doing or what station you're listening to. The car's leather seats and dash are of excellent quality. Great seating position. You put the key in, start the car (hope I remembered to wear my diaper) and ohhh my good God! What I have I got in my hands. Darth Vader doesn't have anything on this ride.

You start to back her out of the garage and then hey..... what's going on. There's nothing behind me. That's because you can't SEE squat behind you! The only car with worse rear vision is the Ford GT. Women, children and pets, run for your lives!

When I first tried to drive the car, I remember reviews telling me not to give it gas at first but to just slip the clutch and as she starts rolling, then give her some fuel. They were right! 2 to 3 times in the first few weeks that I drove her, I stalled it in heavy traffic making a turn. Really makes you look like an ass and scares the hell out of you! I think I've finally got it down pat now, but it's still in the back of my mind and haunts me. The gas and brake pedals are floor mounted, which may contribute to the lack of ease starting out because it's a different feeling for me.

The ride is pretty firm and the first time we took it on the road, we both looked over at each other because neither of us could hear the radio and had to speak fairly loud to be heard owing to the fact of the road noise and engine whine. I guess we're use to it now.

This car is 'stupid fast'. If you're an idiot you'll be in trouble very quickly! One night coming home from our restaurant, some jerk off was playing with me and since I had a few drinks in me, I said like in the movie 'Network', "I'm not going to take it anymore." We're going over a freeway bridge at the time and I goose it and she starts going sideways a little. Whoaa Daddy! Brilliant! That took care of my desire to be Evil Knievel.

As you'll see in the pics, there's carbon fiber everywhere. Seats, door sills, dash, rear wing struts and the complete belly pan. They said don't run over anything bigger than a pebble or your insurance company is not going to be too happy replacing the belly pan to the tune of $30-40K! (That's what the dealer told me)

Other than the clutch, the only other minor pain seems to be that the transmission is a cold bugger.... especially in Winter. She takes at least 2-3 miles or more to warm up so you don't have to granny shift to avoid grinding some gears.

Probably the funniest thing I've been told is this girl that I eventually met at a later time said she saw and heard me coming down the street in her Porsche Boxster's rear view mirror and didn't know what the heck it was. She said as I flew past her, she STILL didn't know what the hell just zoomed by.... but she told me she definitely heard it! This CGT sounds just like a F1 in the right rev zone at speed or when revved up at a stand still. Wanna be just like Michael Schumaker someday? Start saving your shekels cause this is the car you want!

I think the plate ' ILL B BAC' fits her perfectly...... how about you? Michael

p.s. Couple things I forgot to mention. First the letter T on the back of the car is off. I was drying the car off one day and a string on the towel snagged the letter and pulled it off. It's stuck on with something like double sided tape. You'd think they would mount it better. Cheap ass car!!

Secondly, The lugs that hold the wheel on are spinoffs. Notice the difference in the color of the spinoff on the right vs the left. Again this is so dumb asses like me don't screw things up.

Lastly, TT had asked me to send some cutom pics to verify I was a true owner of these cars. After we got things straightened out, I started thinking..... hmmmm..... custom pic. Well, you'll see one pic of 'the Terminator' between trees to kind of give it that artistic look. What do you think? Let's see now..... if I buy another dozen cars or so and do write-ups and pics of them all, I'll bet I could get pretty good at my literary skills and my photography excellence. Ernest Hemmingway and Ansel Adams...... lookout ! 8) :snipersmile: :lol:

http://img45.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...he_CGT_001.jpghttp://img111.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...he_CGT_002.jpghttp://img40.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...he_CGT_003.jpghttp://img20.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...he_CGT_004.jpg
http://img18.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...he_CGT_005.jpghttp://img111.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...he_CGT_006.jpghttp://img107.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...he_CGT_007.jpg
http://img144.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...he_CGT_008.jpghttp://img103.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...he_CGT_009.jpghttp://img20.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...he_CGT_010.jpg
http://img135.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...he_CGT_011.jpghttp://img23.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...he_CGT_012.jpghttp://img13.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...he_CGT_013.jpghttp://img102.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...he_CGT_014.jpg
http://img142.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...he_CGT_015.jpghttp://img12.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...he_CGT_016.jpghttp://img44.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...he_CGT_017.jpg
http://img145.imagevenue.com/loc24/t...he_CGT_018.jpghttp://img28.imagevenue.com/loc24/th...he_CGT_019.jpg

Another thrilling read! Especially the first part :good: tge CGT like the SLR and others, is a good car to try and have a good deal! Still, I don't think there is another CGT owner who got such a quick deal and the car at home right away :D

Are we having fun yet?
 

Thanks TT, without you I just be another P in the pod! Getting ready to send the Terminator pics to you. Aren't you glad I didn't turn out to be a phony SOB. You're devoted member, Magwheel

Well, to be honest, I think you are a top notch "cool supercars owner"! And you must know how rare the ones of your kind are on the net! Either too busy or totally internet-illiterate!
You have great cars, you have time to share your passion and you are posting like mad on a new forum you just discovered! We can't ask for more honestly :D

Waiting for the pics BTW :)

Oh yes, I have a question: even if you don't drive them a lot, do you take part in meetings/drives/etc? Do you have pics of your cars elsewhere? :) not that the driveway pics aren't my likings, but I am a real pictures freak, so the more, the better ;)

You had to ask?
 

TT, I'm kinda a homebody. I don't like to fly because I'm afraid and I have 5 dogs, a cat and a wild rabbit (broken legs) that I saved from the hawks flying around. I usually can go anywhere where I can be back in 4 or 5 hours at the most because of my dedication to my pets. It males it tough to go the large meets in major cites. That is something I do miss though. Michael :(

Re: You had to ask?
 

I see, and well, if it's just because your heart is too big, I guess it's ok :) hoe could we argue :D

What about putting together a meeting like the Crystal Cover car show in your driveway? So ppl will come at you and you won't have to move at all :P

Can you make any videos, onboard or sound of the CarreraGT :D

I love it! :D

Amazing car

Huh???
 

I'd love to but I don't know how! If someone can give me some hints, I'll be more than happy to oblige your request. Michael

Great write ups! I find it hard to believe you ahve all the time to spend on JabbasWorld. I know its a great place, I'm highly addicted to the site as well.. but then again, I dont have your line up of supercars ;)

Are you able to stretch your cars legs even in the Winter with out any problems? I'm sure you'll be out more once the summer months start coming a long..