So I finally drove a 911 (and an RX-8) (plus a bonus rant about life)

"SkyNet" (skynet-z28) 12/06/2015 at 11:36 • Filed to: None

9

25

So I’ve been in the market for a new (to me) car for about 8 months now (aka, since the date I bought my ATS) and I’ve been flirting with a lot of things, two of which are a used 911 (late 996 or early 997) and an RX-8.

Now, before everyone starts politely explaining to me that a 911 and an RX-8 are not even in the same “sport” much less the same “league.” Please don’t. I know. I don’t care. I like both cars (on paper) and, until last Saturday, I hadn’t driven either.

I realized that despite the fact that I am a lifetime car lover and a huge 911 and rotary fan, I’ve never driven a 911 nor a rotary powered car. Despite this, I’ve basically been set on my next car being a 911.

Please allow me to explain why. As a youth (also known as about 2.5 years ago), I never liked 911’s. I couldn’t understand why anyone would pay a premium (both in purchase as well as maintenance costs) for a 911 when a Corvette, M3, Mustang, or Camaro can be had for less or the same price and offer equal or greater performance without the fear of having to transfer a kidney to the Fatherland for all but the most basic repairs/maintenance.

However, as I have gracefully aged, I’ve started to understand the appeal. Corvettes are obnoxious and not classy. No other car (an Audi S4 gets close) nails the “classy/understated performance car” formula like a 911. This has become more important to me as my career (law & finance) has progressed, and I moved from the midwest to the Northeast (Southern CT) the importance of my “image” has increased in lock step.

Among other things (clothes, etc), I sold my previous car (2011 Camaro 2SS/RS) because I found it a little childish in the sea of 3 and 5 Series’ I was swimming in. I bought an ATS because I thought it was the only car I could reasonably afford (I hate having debt so I don’t like to finance much, if any of an auto purchase (yes, I know this is stupid from a use of capital perspective but I sleep better at night not making car payments)) that still kept some semblance of my love of performance cars whilst maintaining my “image” needs and serving as a practical family car. I have regretted this decision for quite some time.

Life has a way of throwing curves and life recently threw me a big one. I had been working hard for years in my career with a goal of making money and living on the East Coast. This summer I considered my goals achieved. I was making pretty good money, I had recently started as a VP investment banker in Southeast Connecticut, about a 50 minute train ride from NYC. My first weekend on the job I went to Lime Rock Park for an automotive pilgrimage of sorts. I had finally “made it.”

A few weeks later I started not “feeling right.” I had lost my drive. My short term memory was non-existent. My fine and gross motor skills began to suffer. My muscles were twitching uncontrollably and my hands often trembled. I had horrible headaches. I was detached, distant, and miserable. The list goes on. It was impacting my job and my family. When I finally decided to go to the doctor, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. My continuing battle with this horrible disease is for a different post on a different day but I promise I am getting to the 911 and RX-8.

When I first got sick but before being diagnosed I thought I was just stressed so I took a long weekend in the Florida keys (lots of family there). Because of work I got to Miami a few days after my family arrived (don’t become an investment banker). Of course, my econobox rental car was unavailable and I managed to bamboozle my way into a free convertible upgrade. I had a few choices: Mustang v6, Camaro v6, and NC Miata. I had never driven a Miata because it had four fewer cylinders than I was typically accustomed to and due to its portrayal in the Academy Award Winner for Greatest Movie of All Time: Corky Ramano. But, the Oppo’s love Miata’s so I decided to try one out.

Within moments of getting on the highway and dropping the top, I started feeling something weird: happiness. The car was slow, much slower than my previous Camaros and slower than my ATS, but I didn’t care.

<-Me.

I could not get the smile off my face as I zipped through traffic at what felt like ludicrous speeds (aka, the speed limit). I hadn’t felt that alive in months. I didn’t care what people thought about me. I was happy. I was awake and alive for the first time in months.

As I have had the ups and downs of my continuing treatment and various setbacks (both health and professional), I believe I have begun to gain a sense of clarity as this disease has slowly poked holes in both my sense of self, my priorities, and my “reality.” Ultimately, that long weekend in a Miata helped me realize what is important in life: Happiness . Work-life balance is more important than money, family is more important than money, and happiness is more important than money. Although you do need money to have or do the things that make you happy, balance is the key . All the toys in the world aren’t worth it if you don’t have the time to use them.

So, I’ve realized that life is simply too short to not try to make yourself happy (within reason). Considering that I have been obsessed with and loved cars since as long as I can remember, not smiling as much as possible when I get behind the wheel seems to be a major missed opportunity on the road of life. I have decided I need to go back to having a car that really makes me happy, even if there are compromises. The key is to do this with minimal financial impact considering my precarious employment situation (they think I am an idiot because the Lyme has basically made me one). So now we come to the whole reason I started writing what has turned into a soliloquy: my first time driving a 911 and an RX-8.

It was with great excitement that I confidently waltzed into the Greenwich Porsche dealership with a mission to convince a salesperson that I was willing to spent about 25k more on a car than I really wanted. I have not lost my “gift of gab” so, despite my trembling hands, this was not difficult. The car was a 2008 Carrera 4s w/manual transmission, turbo wheels, heated seats, the sport chrono package, and a few other bells and whistles (one of which was not bluetooth). I took it for a very spirited test drive (with the salesman nervously saying “tricky corner ahead” on several occasions) on some fairly twisty roads by test drive standards.

^ Credit Porsche of Greenwich.

I was really impressed with how roomy and airy the cabin was. The engine sounded nice and had a certain “drama” about it. It actually sounded best when I first started it and it filled the cabin with a certain appealing mechanical anger. I was immediately excited and a little nervous that I was going to fall in love and then have the uncontrollable desire to blow my budget completely. However, once it warmed up and I started driving the car, those fears were alleviated. The shifter was good, but not amazing. The steering, while very good, was not the earth shattering experience I was expecting. It was certainly heavy and very responsive but, once again, not the “you are one with the car” sensation I was expecting. The car was pretty quick, but not earth shattering. It certainly “felt” slower than my my last, and second to last, Camaro. That said, it did have a certain sense of drama to it and it is definitely a better experience than a C6 Corvette, which is basically a really fast tractor. So I left the Porsche dealership liking, but not loving, the 911 and certainly not being willing to spend over $50k for one. Frankly, I was wondering whether I wanted to spend $30k for one. So, on to the next dealership to test drive the RX-8.

The car in question is a 2009 R3. According to the dealership it has a number of features including an “in dash clock,” “rear bucket seats,” and a “0” in the box next to the “number of cylinders.” When I started the RX-8, it provided some drama, but not at the level of the 911. Oh, and by “drama” I mean “the smell of oil.” As I walked around the car and poked around the interior while waiting for the warm up redline lights to climb to 9000 I found myself somewhat impressed by the interior quality. It is better than my previous Camaro(s) and not much worse than the Porsche. It’s not a luxury car but it appeared to be well made and full of cubby holes and storage.

^Credit Lexis of Greenwich.

When I drove the 911 I had a period of awkwardness as I got used to the clutch, shifter, etc. I’m sure part (most) of it was a mental “OMG I’M FINALLY DRIVING A 911” thing but it happened nonetheless. For whatever reason, when I got in the RX-8 I was immediately comfortable and within a few turns and lights I felt like a “pro.”

As far as cars I have driven, the RX-8 is the closest thing to a Miata-like experience I have found in a car with 4 seats, much less four doors. The steering was lovely, the shifter was lovely, the “experience” was lovely. Like the Miata, the RX-8 is just a “fun” car that, for reasons unknown to science, just felt like it wants to be driven. It felt like an organism with a personality, not just a fast machine. It was a car that is best described with consecutive sentences about “feelings” and heavy use of the word “lovely” as opposed to numbers.

Yes, it has less torque than almost every car, and potentially lawnmower, I have owned. Yes, it is probably not much faster in a straight line than my first Camaro, a 1992 Z-28, a car that transformed gasoline into noise without the side effect of horsepower. No, I didn’t care.

I had more fun driving the RX-8 on the same streets as the 911 despite, or perhaps because, of the fact that I was going slower. The engine just begged to (and needed to) be revved and made wonderful noises throughout the RPM range. I could really see myself enjoying a boring drive to work in the RX-8 more so than I would in the 911, although not as much as a Miata.

My main complaint about the RX-8 was the brakes. They seemed to stop the car fine, but the pedal lacked feel. I don’t know if this is common for RX-8’s or specific to this car. Also, the ride quality bordered on “painful.”

In short, the RX-8 just felt special to me and I left the test drive really wanting to risk immediate death upon returning home with a unapproved car purchase. I kept looking back at the RX-8 as I walked away, I can’t say I had either feeling after driving the 911.

Of course, buying an RX-8 would fly in the face of part of the reason I got rid of my Camaro. It’s a little (lot) juvenile. It’s not terribly handsome. It’s not classy. It certainly doesn’t scream “investment banker” or “lawyer” or “early 30’s well educated urban professional.” I’m sure I would feel a little embarrassed in the sea of 3-Series’, 5-Series’, X-3’s, and Q5’s (and 911’s) otherwise known as Southeast Connecticut. However, I am starting to think that, when driving with vigor, I might be wishing I had an RX-8 if I bought a different car. I also think I would be inclined to drive an RX-8 with vigor more often compared to other options. Finally, I wonder if I would like a 911 or some other car more than I would like an RX-8 plus several thousand new dollars in my investment account.

Naturally, I will probably go back and drive both cars again as well as drive another E-90 M3 (another car I really liked but ultimately didn’t “love”) before I pull the trigger. Hopefully, I’ll come back with my senses slapped into me giggling to myself about the time I seriously thought about buying the slowest car I’ve owned in over a decade over a fine piece of rear-engined German engineering with a very satisfying “thunk” when the door closes. Until that happens, I’ll be researching RX-8’s and losing sleep thinking of all the reasons Mazda should put a Wankle into a Miata and thinking of ways such a lovely motor could be improved to work in modern times.

I’m sure I would have immediate regrets if I buy an RX-8 over a 911, an M3, or whatever else piques my interest. But then again, I’m beginning to think that the life of the car enthusiast is one of regrets. The nature of our hobby (or obsession) is the fact that the grass is always greener, or at least the fact that there is other grass which, although brown, may be fun to roll around in(or mow, fertilize, and water) for a while. The key, dear reader, is to roll nonetheless. Life is too short to not drive something you love.

iSureWilll > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 10:46

1

Great read! I always try to keep my work/home balance good. The key to life is happiness!

Chasaboo > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 10:49

1

You lost me at Camaro over 911. I do not own gold chains however.

SkyNet > Chasaboo 12/07/2015 at 10:50

0

Haha I know its not apples to apples and believe me, I’m not in the market for another Camaro. I just meant from a performance perspective, particularly straight-line.

Edit: and let the record show that I have never, and will never, own a gold chain.

jjhats > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 10:52

1

question on the lyme disease. what were your primary symptoms. ive had persistant back acheness/tightness for the last year and doctors haven’t been able to see anything. I do get tired earlier but never saw it as an issue. idk what was the thing that seale the deal that there wa something wrong with you and is it fully treatable? sorry for asking personal questions that are very googleable.

Future next gen S2000 owner > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 10:53

4

Drive what you want, other be damned. Life is to short to worry about what others think about your car.

SkyNet > jjhats 12/07/2015 at 10:56

2

No worries man. I would absolutely ring your doctor’s bell regarding the Lyme just to be safe. It manifests itself in different ways for different people. I certainly had a lot of neck and other joint (although not back) stiffness.

The “red flag” for me, i.e. the thing that made me actually go to the Doctor, was that my face and tongue started falling asleep/tingling, my jaw and neck were killing me, and I started struggling with fine motor functions. I also started getting extremely emotional, like crying uncontrollably.Prior to Lyme, I never really used to cry except for really serious stuff, like when dogs would die in movies.

Scary__goongala! > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 11:01

1

Don’t let your work colleagues’ boring cars sway your decision. As you said the right car can make a boring work commute fun. That’s how I feel in my NA at least.

Admiral-cb > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 11:03

0

Are you planning on trading in the ATS or just buying a separate car?

Maybe just keep the ATS for during the week and look at an old Cayman or Boxster for the weekends. Hell, maybe even a rx 8 or a Miata for the weekends.

nerd_racing > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 11:04

0

I want an RX8 too. I bought a 1 series last year and I kind of regret not trying harder to find an RX8 to test drive too.

Chariotoflove > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 11:05

1

As a daily RX-8 driver for 11 years, I approve of your write up. I’ll also reassure you that it is a very practical daily car. The only thing I disagree with you on is the ride. I find it quite comfortable on all but the worst roads.

I also park it daily in a garage full of Porches, Beemers, McLarens, Jags, etc., and the doctors that drive them like to admire my car. It’s different. Yeah where you live is very image conscious, I know the area. But screw ‘em. They’re not driving your car.

Good luck on your recovery. Lyme disease is nothing to take lightly.

Raymundo > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 11:09

1

Life is too short to not drive something you love.

If ever you are pacing through your own thoughts when making the decision to purchase a vehicle, remember your closing statement. Also, a vehicle should be an extension of you, not the prescribed image of you. Of course that’s a relative statement considering I work in a world where I can drive my jalopy Honda or my lope-y Mustang that vibrates the walls of buildings while it drives by, and my professional image isn’t based on my automotive choice. I suppose I don’t know what it’s like to have to consider the image my car creates about me; for that, I’m thankful.

Let us know what you end up with.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 11:20

1

The reviews are a great read, thanks

Wow... the parallels are scary.

I am a huge fan of both Porsches, and Wankel rotary engines, although I have never had the experience of either one. (still in the midwest, haven’t moved to the coast...) I can only imagine what a Porsche 914 Wankel test prototype was like, or a 912 with a rotary conversion...

I have an NB Miata, and know exactly what you mean about that car just putting a smile on your face. That combined with Rotary, is one reason FC-3S is on my short list of project cars that would be cool. FD-3S is gorgeous, but might be slightly too demanding a mistress.

I often think about ways to make Wankel rotaries better... laser igniters with sapphire apertures rather than spark plug cavities that allow blow-by past the apex seals, internal rotor seal oil supply or direct oil injection for lubrication. Direct fuel and supplemental air injection for stratified burn cycles and more precise AFR control... ceramic thermal and anti-friction coatings... and even series-parallel hybrid drive to use it as a power generator at low ground speeds with torquey electric traction motors, and a switch-over to engage the wankel directly to the final drive at sustained higher speeds. Mechanical turbine compounding, and supercharging are also interesting, or twin-charging with a single big turbocharger, underpinned by a Rotrex variable-drive supercharger instead of a smaller anti-lag sequential turbocharger.

I also quite like the idea of turbo-supercharged rotary-powered small aircraft, with better performance and fewer moving parts and fewer failure points than a piston engine, but not as much expense and complexity as supporting a turbine. Wankels are great at making power at sustained RPMs if the cooling and lubrication systems are up to the task, with no exhaust valve to burn up.

Wankels are arguably as much better than a piston engine at sustained high RPM use, as it is worse at meeting piston-oriented emissions tests, and low-RPM, low-oil pressure traffic slogging. Driving a rotary car like you stole it is actually better for the engine than lugging it in traffic.

Also, not even a full hour ago, the movie Corky Romano came across my mind...

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 11:25

1

I fully agree with your conclusions on life/work balance. I’m struggling with a bit of the work/life happiness thing right now, and it’s nice to hear other people affirm my feelings.

Anyway, as for the cars. I really want a 911, recently coming into my own maturity as well in this regard. But I can’t absolutely see the appeal of the RX-8 over it, although not having driven either. It’s that notion of a “cheaper” well-made and fun sports car. The added bonus with the RX-8 is that you likely won’t worry over it as much as the 911, because well.. it’s not a Porsche. haha

Now, I’m going to do my due diligence as a Toyobaru owner, and ask if you’ve considered a BRZ? I own, and prefer the FR-S, but the BRZ is a bit classier and the interior is a little nicer. Plus no Scion badge makes it automatically a more mature car, I’m sad to say. haha Although the community may come off as very boy racer-ish, a point that occasionally makes me reconsider my purchase, it’s a car that doesn’t necessarily exude boy racer. I actually think RX-8s give off a bit more of that image, more ricey in an OEM sort of way. Toyobarus often get mistaken, by non-car folks, for MUCH nicer cars; Porsches, Maseratis, and the like. Now, of course, those people are idiots and it really doesn’t look like one of those to the educated enthusiast eye, but it’d likely be enough to trick the guys in the 3-series at work that you spent at least as much as they did. Not to mention, Subarus tend to be held in pretty high regard as nice cars by just about everyone.

Also, from my own experience and what you’ve described, I expect the ride in the BRZ is just like what you’re looking for. Perhaps the power will bug you, coming from V8s, but the cars handle phenomenally and you do get that “connected to the car” feeling. As a performance metric, the FR-S/BRZ run in the same class as the RX-8 for autocross and are very evenly matched, despite the power difference.

Might be worth a test drive. Just think about it. ;)

random001 > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 12:10

0

Well said. Very very well said.

SkyNet > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 12/07/2015 at 12:38

0

It’s definitely on my list of cars to drive and I am considering one. I like them but I don't find myself really wanting one. Maybe that will change after driving one.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 12:39

1

Mazda brakes, especially the fronts, have always been a problem area. On ALL their cars. They eat front brakes for some reason.

TheNeonDriver - Now with More BMW! > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 12:53

1

Why not try Merc C63 (used) (possibly heavily) or the newer Chevy SS?
I have heard mixed things about the SS, but the 2015’s and up have a sweet combo of the 6speed, the magnetic ride, and a V-8 which you can make sound how you want. Looks are subjective, but it is very.... understated.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 14:19

1

Happiness . Work-life balance is more important than money, family is more important than money, and happiness is more important than money. Although you do need money to have or do the things that make you happy, balance is the key . All the toys in the world aren’t worth it if you don’t have the time to use them.

Well-stated! Good luck on your decision.

And when you drive that E90 M3 again, make sure to keep the revs above 3500! =)

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/whatever-it-is…

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 14:50

1

I highly recommend test driving one. Not because I necessarily think it will convince you to buy it, but because it’s one of those cars where if you really get it/want one you will be able to tell pretty quickly.

Sounds like you know how to test drive cars properly, so I’m sure you’ll get a good idea of its capabilities. haha

SkyNet > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 12/07/2015 at 17:43

1

I will. If anything, just to check it off my automotive bucket list.

SkyNet > TheNeonDriver - Now with More BMW! 12/07/2015 at 17:58

0

I checked out the C63 when I was considering an M3 (I also checked out an S4) and ultimately settled on the ATS for budgetary reasons. I disliked it very much for whatever reason.

I was never super crazy about the styling, it was automatic and had a somewhat detached driving experience. More of a muscle car than a sports car from a “feel” perspective. I also wasn’t crazy about the interior. Ultimately just not for me.

On the SS, I understand the appeal but its not really on my list. I don’t like the looks because it is both not classy and not sporty. Also I’m looking for more of a sports car vs a bigger muscle car.

SkyNet > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/07/2015 at 18:05

1

Nice article as well.

I noticed that with the 911. It really liked to be shifted at 4k.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 18:27

0

Thanks.

Shift at 5k+ in the M3! Seriously, drive it like you’ve got two S2000 engines slapped together if you really want to experience it properly. Wind that sucker out!

SkyNet > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/07/2015 at 18:34

0

My fears with the M3 are similar to the 911...potentially catastrophic maintenance and repair costs. Its hard to be happy if I’m afraid to push the car out of fear of breaking it. How has yours been?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > SkyNet 12/07/2015 at 21:50

1

I definitely don’t take it easy on my car, on the road or track. But I get where you’re coming from. I got mine with some remaining factory warranty, and thankfully caught a bad AC evaporator soon after I bought it. I did buy an extended warranty with a big deductible, but have only used it for tire replacement a couple times. Only other out of pocket that wasn’t maintenance was for a sensor that went out (was a few hundred). I’m sure when the time comes to replace rotors or a clutch, I’ll feel the pain, but the joy is real, and it’s been more than worth the cost of ownership so far!