housemaster said:
It does make me smile when I see it compared to a Scooby however, no matter how good the Litchfield device is, and I am told its very special, but guys, a 911 in any of it's forms is sod all to do with Evo track times and what 20 years olds think is cool for most of us who own 911's.
I started looking for a new car last June, with the intention of purchasing early 2007. I did all the usual suspects but to keep it short, I'll mention 3 that stood out for different reasons. After driving the RS4, I paid my deposit on the spot (deposit slip and order form, with a loaf of bread next to it, on request if need be). Utterly smitten and ticked all the right boxes. Then I started to waiver a bit as I had a test drive booked with Porsche Centre Chester...two cars (2nd hand). A 996 Carrera 4S in Basalt Black and (in all honesty, would have stretched me financially) a 997 Carrera S in Midnight Blue (best colour I think I've ever seen on a Porsche) with the aerokit. Now here is my moment of shame...I had never driven a Porsche bar a friend's Boxster and a Cayenne, both which left me feeling disappointed after spending years reading about the Porsche experience.
Maybe I had built my expectations even higher for the 911, afterall, it is *the* porker, right? I can't explain what happened but I left deflated and actually a bit sad after an extended drive of both. I think that what I really needed to experience was the 911 Turbo, but with only one 996 available to drive two weeks later, my interest waned and it never happened. So, to make it clear, any points I struggle to make in this post are only applicable to the S and 4S, *not* the Turbo.
Then Iain finally had the Type 25 ready to test and I drove down to Tewkesbury, in the scoob, so I could make a quick comparison. If you check back on the link I gave in my post in this thread, you'll see I enjoyed it. Actually, I needed it. This was before any track times had published, any performance figures measured etc...it did not matter. The noise, the balance and the speed was enough to convince me to forfeit the £500 on the RS4. In my eyes and my humble opinion, had I taken the Audi, I would have taken a lesser car.
I'm sure this may cause great scoffing and milk flowing from nostrils, but it's how I felt. Badges and pedigree mean nothing, I mean nothing, to me. Again, sniggers from the back...I drive a BMW so wtf? If there was an equivelent diesel made in Korea from wood and aesthically designed by a troop of 14 year old Max Power readers, I'd gladly take it if it was £1 less than the 330d. Actaully, that might be slightly exaggerated, but stay with me.
Point is, laughing quietly to yourself at a Jap-tin toy / teutonic quality rocket comparison is, well, slightly snobbish. Granted, as stated before, I have not had the pleasure of driving a 911 Turbo, nor for that matter a GT3 (though there was a stunning silver left hooker at Litchfields when I was down there, so hey, I've seen one !1!!). By your post, I would assume you have not driven a Type 25.
housemaster said:
Unlike the people who are miles away from owning one who think the only reason people want a Porsche is to show their wealth or for the pose factor, most who buy them choose a 911 for being about as
good AND practical as a sports car gets. There a plenty of tuned cars costing 30K quicker than my GT3 but you know what...I DON'T CARE!
I understand the last point but how is the Type 25 any less practical than a 911? I also agree to a degree with the first sentence, but with any marque of prestige, you will and do have the knobs who just have to have the right badge.
housemaster said:
If you are talking about 'tuning' a car there are very few cars that will tune like a Turbo and remain reliable, powerful and quick around bends as well as on the straight bits. The 911 Turbo is the baseline; the Litchfield Impreza is the end game bar 1 or 2 specials. Move to the 911 end game and I think you can well imagine where it ends, bye bye Mr Japan. Oh, and people buying a Turbo or high end 911 don't really care about how fast it is for how little it costs, they tend not to need to because they more often than not have other priorities in life.
The Type 25 is not the end game. Litchfield can take the Type 25 a lot further. a lot. Of course, this comes at a cost both financially and mechanically, the same with a 911 Turbo. Probably best not to enter into the bang for buck arena or warranty issues with either cars when it comes to upgrades I would have thought. What the Type 25 offers at it's basic level is an everday, reliable saloon that, should you choose to, play ball with exotica.
Horses for courses, I'm sure you'll agree. I don't think that the Type 25 is a "lesser" vehicle than a 911 though, each has its merits.
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Gibbo, you seem to have your heart set on one, so enjoy the research. Like most of us (I'm guessing), we all belong to our specific vehicle make/model forums and bring back the info here. As there is not an abundance of 911 owners (whatever happened to the guy who had that tasty Gemballa?) here, housemaster's idea seems the best...check out pistonheads, or
http://forums.rennlist.com,
http://www.911uk.com,
www.flat-6.net,
www.roadfly.com etc. Good luck.
I'm not sure about the 996 turbo but the modern tiptronic 2006 997/911 turbo (3.7s) can destroy pretty much everything on the road. God I love that car.
. I will also refrain from pulling your points apart line by line as I feel this tends to end in a slanging match and life is to short. I have only good things to say about the Type 25, I suggest you actually read my post again and you are right, I have never driven one though I have owned and driven many different Scoobies, which might put my comments and your inference to my snobbery in context. 
