Vette vs. Porsche
06-08-2018, 02:55 PM
#61
Melting Slicks
Originally Posted by mark4cam
Long time PCA member here, multiple Porsche owner, and I've tracked them all hard. They are fantastic cars, over-engineered for everything, and can really take a beating. Contrary to what some have said, I see them exercised hard all the time, and they just don't break. Maintenance is also not that expensive, not really much more than the Corvette in my experience...except for the 928. Holy cow those are expensive to run. The 911 engine sounds incredible, multi-tonal depending on your exhaust setup. And the steering will put any Corvette to shame - so direct, full of feel, and the front end moves so quickly.
They do take a different driving style, slow in fast out, but are incredibly agile. Once you get the hang of it, not much will touch them under braking or powering out of a corner. Do not lift mid-corner unless you really know what you're doing. I learned performance driving in a 911 and it took me a while to get comfortable with the Corvette!
All that said, I have really enjoyed my Corvettes. Very different from the 911, more of an axe to the 911 scalpel. You have to grab the vette by the scruff of the neck and wring it out, where the 911 rewards precision and smoothness. But the vette is rewarding too, just in a very different way. Excellent handling and very stable under power, easy to control, but the front is totally numb in comparison.
You drive a 911 with fingertips and fine throttle control, using the imbalance to your advantage under braking and cornering. You drive a Corvette with a hammer foot and wrestle the front end in a controlled power slide, managing the angle with your right foot. Both are a blast to drive.
They do take a different driving style, slow in fast out, but are incredibly agile. Once you get the hang of it, not much will touch them under braking or powering out of a corner. Do not lift mid-corner unless you really know what you're doing. I learned performance driving in a 911 and it took me a while to get comfortable with the Corvette!
All that said, I have really enjoyed my Corvettes. Very different from the 911, more of an axe to the 911 scalpel. You have to grab the vette by the scruff of the neck and wring it out, where the 911 rewards precision and smoothness. But the vette is rewarding too, just in a very different way. Excellent handling and very stable under power, easy to control, but the front is totally numb in comparison.
You drive a 911 with fingertips and fine throttle control, using the imbalance to your advantage under braking and cornering. You drive a Corvette with a hammer foot and wrestle the front end in a controlled power slide, managing the angle with your right foot. Both are a blast to drive.
06-11-2018, 11:03 PM
#62
I hate porsches and would never buy one. overpriced vw's. the germans have bamboozled the American public to think that European cars are better. I love modded Corvettes. how can you lose with a professionally modded Corvette. I rape a german car every chance I get. Mercedes suck too. Only the black forrest model or the slr are worth anything but they are completely out of anybody's price range. stick with the american car and to hell with those **** cars.
06-12-2018, 08:30 AM
#63
I hate porsches and would never buy one. overpriced vw's. the germans have bamboozled the American public to think that European cars are better. I love modded Corvettes. how can you lose with a professionally modded Corvette. I rape a german car every chance I get. Mercedes suck too. Only the black forrest model or the slr are worth anything but they are completely out of anybody's price range. stick with the american car and to hell with those **** cars.
I bought a 3 year old Mercedes E350 for about the same price as a new Camry, and it was a better car in every single way. Several years later and people would ride with me, thinking it was a brand new car. While I think their new prices are ridiculous, they depreciate like rocks and are amazing CPO buys. Also had multiple Porsches and I guess you either like them or you don't. But the quality is way way way above a Corvette. On track? Depends on the track, but they are pretty equally matched overall, model for model, which makes the Corvette the best performance bargain out there, no question.
I guess it depends on how you define "better" which everyone does differently. I love my C5 and will keep it and modify it over time. At $15k it's simply the best performance car out there. But at $30k? I would probably have bought a 911SC or early Carrera.
06-12-2018, 10:19 AM
#64
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I hate porsches and would never buy one. overpriced vw's. the germans have bamboozled the American public to think that European cars are better. I love modded Corvettes. how can you lose with a professionally modded Corvette. I rape a german car every chance I get. Mercedes suck too. Only the black forrest model or the slr are worth anything but they are completely out of anybody's price range. stick with the american car and to hell with those **** cars.
The huge downfall is reliability, overengineering with proprietary systems that fail more often, requiring special tools to service, and high cost of parts. This is why they depreciate so fast.
But to say they "suck" is childish. There is more to a sports car than just sheer performance/what's on paper.
06-12-2018, 10:25 AM
#65
Safety Car
I hate porsches and would never buy one. overpriced vw's. the germans have bamboozled the American public to think that European cars are better. I love modded Corvettes. how can you lose with a professionally modded Corvette. I rape a german car every chance I get. Mercedes suck too. Only the black forrest model or the slr are worth anything but they are completely out of anybody's price range. stick with the american car and to hell with those **** cars.
"Better" is subjective. If you just look at these cars on paper, they don't seem to be better in any way as most of the performance stats are similar and one would ask, what is the real difference? Honestly, it goes much deeper than that. The intangibles on these cars are what make them better. The steering feel, shifter feel and driving experience really put them on a different level. With that said, I drove a C7 not too long ago and they have come a long way and are a much closer competitor now, at least in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, the Corvette is a great car and I enjoyed mine, but that doesn't mean there aren't other options out there as well. Drive several cars and see which one speaks to you the most. It may be the Corvette, it may not. But at the end of the day, if you're closed minded about it, then you may be missing out and not even know it
06-12-2018, 10:30 AM
#66
Safety Car
European cars DO have the best styling and quality of materials, design both interior and exterior.
The huge downfall is reliability, overengineering with proprietary systems that fail more often, requiring special tools to service, and high cost of parts. This is why they depreciate so fast.
But to say they "suck" is childish. There is more to a sports car than just sheer performance/what's on paper.
The huge downfall is reliability, overengineering with proprietary systems that fail more often, requiring special tools to service, and high cost of parts. This is why they depreciate so fast.
But to say they "suck" is childish. There is more to a sports car than just sheer performance/what's on paper.
06-12-2018, 02:07 PM
#68
Melting Slicks
Originally Posted by Black 02
If you know how to work on cars, this makes them awesome bargains. You aren't kidding on the tools, I've had to buy several, but aftermarket tools for the job exist that are reasonably priced, and most can be resold when you're done with them if you desire. Parts are definitely expensive, but can be found online for decent bargains if you look around enough. Is it worth it? To me, yes. If I couldn't work on cars and always had to go to the dealer or independent shop? Probably not.
06-12-2018, 02:35 PM
#69
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St. Jude Donor '05
Good point about being able to work on them or knowing their issues.
Trick is knowing which yrs/ model German cars are worth getting.
To own about any Corvette or German car you better know someone, have deep pockets or be a good wrench.
I cant really see how anyone can compare the two they are completely different cars. You like what you like, & most Porsche fans probably arent worried about "whats cheaper".
Trick is knowing which yrs/ model German cars are worth getting.
To own about any Corvette or German car you better know someone, have deep pockets or be a good wrench.
I cant really see how anyone can compare the two they are completely different cars. You like what you like, & most Porsche fans probably arent worried about "whats cheaper".
06-12-2018, 02:51 PM
#70
Safety Car
They definitely seem to be engineered with servicing in mind. It's nice that common fastener sizes seem to repeat themselves throughout the car. My E46 and 997 have both been fairly easy to work on, definitely no harder than GM vehicles and in many cases, easier (cough fuel pump cough).
06-12-2018, 08:34 PM
#71
Melting Slicks
Long time PCA member here, multiple Porsche owner, and I've tracked them all hard. They are fantastic cars, over-engineered for everything, and can really take a beating. Contrary to what some have said, I see them exercised hard all the time, and they just don't break. Maintenance is also not that expensive, not really much more than the Corvette in my experience...except for the 928. Holy cow those are expensive to run. The 911 engine sounds incredible, multi-tonal depending on your exhaust setup. And the steering will put any Corvette to shame - so direct, full of feel, and the front end moves so quickly.
They do take a different driving style, slow in fast out, but are incredibly agile. Once you get the hang of it, not much will touch them under braking or powering out of a corner. Do not lift mid-corner unless you really know what you're doing. I learned performance driving in a 911 and it took me a while to get comfortable with the Corvette!
All that said, I have really enjoyed my Corvettes. Very different from the 911, more of an axe to the 911 scalpel. You have to grab the vette by the scruff of the neck and wring it out, where the 911 rewards precision and smoothness. But the vette is rewarding too, just in a very different way. Excellent handling and very stable under power, easy to control, but the front is totally numb in comparison.
You drive a 911 with fingertips and fine throttle control, using the imbalance to your advantage under braking and cornering. You drive a Corvette with a hammer foot and wrestle the front end in a controlled power slide, managing the angle with your right foot. Both are a blast to drive.
They do take a different driving style, slow in fast out, but are incredibly agile. Once you get the hang of it, not much will touch them under braking or powering out of a corner. Do not lift mid-corner unless you really know what you're doing. I learned performance driving in a 911 and it took me a while to get comfortable with the Corvette!
All that said, I have really enjoyed my Corvettes. Very different from the 911, more of an axe to the 911 scalpel. You have to grab the vette by the scruff of the neck and wring it out, where the 911 rewards precision and smoothness. But the vette is rewarding too, just in a very different way. Excellent handling and very stable under power, easy to control, but the front is totally numb in comparison.
You drive a 911 with fingertips and fine throttle control, using the imbalance to your advantage under braking and cornering. You drive a Corvette with a hammer foot and wrestle the front end in a controlled power slide, managing the angle with your right foot. Both are a blast to drive.
06-12-2018, 10:42 PM
#72
Melting Slicks
Originally Posted by friou
Like your write-up and totally agree. Love both Vettes and 911's. As I said before, completely different animals, and act completely different. I enjoy both, love the raw V8 power of the Vette and love the precision and fit and finish on 911. The steering on my 911 is best described as almost telepathic, think it and it just seems to happen. The V8 roar and the flat six scream, great sounds out of both, just different. I will say that after decades my 911 is still squeak and rattle free, doors still closing like a bank vault. Like I said in an earlier post, love 'em both! Actually I can find something endearing in just about any kind of performance car. Best wishes!
06-13-2018, 12:28 AM
#74
Racer
I've liked Porsches for a long time, but never owned one. I do believe that a Porsche is more difficult to modify than a Corvette. Upgrading the Porsche's stereo system, for example, is prohibitively expensive. I suspect Porsche power train upgrades are similarly expensive, and there are few alternatives from which to choose if you did modify one.
I also wonder whether the owner of a Porsche can do much of the routine maintenance (beyond changing the oil and filter). Of course, many Porsche owners may have the scratch to let someone else do it.
A Porsche in stock trim is apparently sufficient for most Porsche owners. That wouldn't do for many Vette owners.
So...while both are sports cars, the different expectations and behaviors of each car's owners are likely substantial.
Just my perceptions.
The Lizzard
I also wonder whether the owner of a Porsche can do much of the routine maintenance (beyond changing the oil and filter). Of course, many Porsche owners may have the scratch to let someone else do it.
A Porsche in stock trim is apparently sufficient for most Porsche owners. That wouldn't do for many Vette owners.
So...while both are sports cars, the different expectations and behaviors of each car's owners are likely substantial.
Just my perceptions.
The Lizzard
06-13-2018, 08:11 AM
#75
I've had two 914s, a 73 I built into a track car, and another 73 that was turbocharged. Both are flat-out the best handling cars I have ever owned, able to out-corner and out-brake anything. In the track car I could keep up with 911s with nearly twice the power just due to the handling. I surprised a Ferrari 348 with the turbo car one time on an on-ramp, kept pace with him while he nailed it. Got a big thumbs up for that one.
06-13-2018, 10:07 AM
#76
Melting Slicks
Originally Posted by mark4cam
If you have to pay a dealer for an oil change then I got nuthin for you. But consider this, most 911s have a very large oil capacity, something like 8-9 quarts. Air cooled cars are dry sump and water cooled cars use an integrated dry sump. Your average backyard mechanic might not understand that system (not that it's hard, just different). Between the large capacity, high-grade oil, and sorta-specialized knowledge, oil changes will be more expensive. You also don't have to do them as often.I've had two 914s, a 73 I built into a track car, and another 73 that was turbocharged. Both are flat-out the best handling cars I have ever owned, able to out-corner and out-brake anything. In the track car I could keep up with 911s with nearly twice the power just due to the handling. I surprised a Ferrari 348 with the turbo car one time on an on-ramp, kept pace with him while he nailed it. Got a big thumbs up for that one.
06-14-2018, 05:19 AM
#77
Safety Car
