Are Porsche owners spending thousands more for performance they can barely use?
This week on ElevenAfterNine, I sit down with Manny Alban, former National President and current Technical Director of the Porsche Club of America, to talk about why the "base" Porsche may actually be one of the smartest and most enjoyable cars in the lineup.
Manny has driven an enormous range of Porsches, from base Carreras and Boxsters to GT cars, Turbo S models, the 918 Spyder, and just about everything in between. His take surprised me. When Porsche sends cars to PCA for testing, the base models are often the ones everyone wants to drive.
We get into what happens when you start adding horsepower, all-wheel drive, rear-wheel steering, carbon buckets, center locks, Sport-Tex, PASM, Porsche Sport Exhaust and other expensive options. At what point are you improving the car, and when are you simply buying more Porsche than you can actually use?
We also talk about two used Porsches Manny believes are up and coming.
IN THIS EPISODE:
- Why Porsche doesn't actually call the Carrera a "base 911"
- Why PCA testers often prefer the least expensive version
- Base Carrera vs Carrera S vs GTS
- Why lower horsepower can make a Porsche more fun
- Rear-wheel drive vs all-wheel drive
- Which Porsche options Manny always recommends
- Why carbon bucket seats may be the wrong choice
- Manny's problem with Sport-Tex and Alcantara steering wheels
- Why he thinks Porsche center locks make little sense on a street car
- The story behind PCA's 60th Anniversary Club Coupe
- How modern stability systems make today's Porsches easier to drive fast
- Why modern Porsches may simply be too fast for public roads
- Why the 991.1 Carrera may be one of today's best Porsche buys
- Why buyers shouldn't automatically fear an early Boxster
- Manual vs PDK
- The one Porsche Manny would choose if he could only have one
CONNECT WITH MANNY AND THE PORSCHE CLUB OF AMERICA:
Porsche Club of America:
https://www.pca.org/
PCA Insider Podcast:
https://podcast.pca.org/
PCA Insider on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/porsche-club-insider/id1599573815
PCA YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/porscheclubofamerica
PCA Tech Tactics:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCZmxzg99WQxxBgFOwP1r5O6yfBGTRIsA
CONNECT WITH ELEVENAFTERNINE:
Website:
https://elevenafternine.com/
Porsche Buyer Consulting:
https://elevenafternine.com/consulting.html
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@ElevenAfterNine
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/theelevenafternine
Listen to Eleven After Nine:
https://shows.acast.com/eleven-after-nine
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eleven-after-nine-a-porsche-culture-podcast/id1887344928
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0fpVL61pWEZDkaygT7cGZh
CONTACT:
11afternine@gmail.com
QUESTION FOR YOU:
Would you rather own a well-optioned base Carrera or spend the extra money for a Carrera S or GTS?
Let me know below. I'm especially curious to hear from anyone who has owned both.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Meet Manny Alban
01:50 - What Does "Base Porsche" Actually Mean?
03:13 - Why Manny Loves Base Models
04:54 - Building a Carrera T Before the T Existed
07:28 - Base Panamera vs Turbo S
09:55 - Why 95 Horsepower Can Be More Fun
11:43 - Rear-Wheel Drive vs All-Wheel Drive
16:13 - Which Porsche Options Are Actually Worth Buying?
20:52 - Comfort Seats vs Carbon Buckets
22:56 - The Problem With Sport-Tex and Alcantara
24:47 - Manny's Problem With Porsche Center Locks
28:33 - Inside the PCA 60th Anniversary Club Coupe
33:37 - Behind the Scenes With Porsche Designers
35:07 - Are Modern Porsches Too Fast?
39:29 - The Undervalued Porsche Manny Would Buy
42:42 - Why the Early Boxster Deserves Another Look
44:45 - Manual vs PDK
47:30 - If Manny Could Own Only One Porsche
49:01 - Driving the Porsche 918 Spyder
50:34 - Why Every Porsche Doesn't Need to Be the Fastest One
#Porsche #Porsche911 #Carrera #CarreraS #Porsche991 #PorscheBoxster #PCA #PorscheClubOfAmerica #ElevenAfterNine
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