8)
So today I went over to the Porsche-Audi dealer to have a look at their stock. They have some very nice cars there, 997 6spd & tiptronic, 50th Aniversery Boxster S, which looks very nice, lots of Cayennes :roll:, 996 turbo (very nice), and a couple of 996 Cabrios, of which two were C4S. The salesman seemed to really like the black C4S they had (now I know why
), even though it was used, it was better than the brand new one sitting next to it. It had a bunch of options that I didn't care about, except for one...some kind of exhaust bypass valve
...
At first I was not too exicted about a Cabrio (heavier, not as stiff, blah blah), but I figured hey, its still a Porsche; and when he offered to let me drive it, I definitely wasn't going to say no.
8)
Well, we started off with me in the passenger seat (I was glad it was that way, I didn't want to have to drive an $85K Porsche right off the bat). The first thing he did was show me the difference between the exhaust on the 'queit' and the 'loud' setting, holy crap that is worth every penny! Then we put the top down, and pulled out. As soon as we got a little window in traffic...we rolled out, and got up to about 2500 or 3000rpm, and BAM he floored it, and holy shit
that thing
pulls! It really puts you back in the seat...you can feel the torque. He went all the way to the top of 2nd gear and then some of 3rd, that thing is freaking
fast.
Another thing you notice...Cabrio+exhaust valve thingie=really, really
awesome sound. Whew, that car is planted, and the sound is just amazing! Even though I used to be somewhat anti-Cabrios; my opinion has definitely changed...it's pretty sweet to be in the open air and hear the engine at full throttle.
We drove some more, and then came the important pull-off...time for me to drive this beast. Right after I got into the driver's seat;
"You've driven a manual before right?"
Hahah, fortunately yes I had. The seating position is nice, the gear shift is in easy reach, the steering wheel feels great, and of course the tach is just about the
only instrument you see...the way it should be. 8) The pedals were a little close for my taste, but the clutch was a nice effort, not too much, but enough to feel like it was a powerful car (324hp to be exact
). It was kind of a dicey place to pull out and do my first start-off, but I managed. I of course was pretty easy, and shifted around 2500rpm up into third...which brought some objections from the salesman;
"Come on, see what it can do."
I dropped it down to 2nd and floored it around 2500rpm, it started pulling, slowly at first, and then with more force once it got some revs...at which point the sound became incredible and the car
really started moving, and didn't stop all the way to 6500+rpm!
Of course I caught up to some silly person driving along slowly, but luckily they turned off, so I could drop it into 2nd gear and floor it to hear that amazing exhaust note! I even found a bridge to echo the sound off of...holy crap! The sound gets even better once you get past 5000rpm; there is no need for aftermarket exhaust on this baby. 8)
I didn't get to go around many corners, but I did hit a few, and it felt like the car wasn't even making an effort, I really like the 'planted' feel the car had, gives you a great feeling of security. I got a few more chances to run it up to 6000+rpm...I just can't get over how well it pulled, and the sound it made.
Sorry guys, no pictures, so no proof, but it was either, come with a camera and take a couple pics, or come with a purpose and go for a test drive, so I hope you can understand...
Also, hopefully this is a good section to put this in.
Hey, if anyone wants it, its only $85,450.
2004 Porsche C4S Cabrio Test Drive
Threaded Mode