My First Porsche Test Drive

So we purchased a new car (new-to-us car) from a dealer just over a month ago. I head down to the dealer to make our next payment. I see they have a new acquisition for sale: a 2005 Porsche Boxster S approximately $27,000. I've got some extra time and half-jokingly (ok, really only about 5% jokingly) I ask if I could take it for a test drive. The dealer himself was on vacation and his assistant said sure! She asked me a couple times if I was really serious on wanting to drive it. I'm not going to turn down the opportunity to drive a sports car, especially if it's free.

So she had someone get a dealer plate and pulled it 'round front. It's this little tiny 2-seater and I'm practically laying down. In order to even use the clutch my foot is scraping against the side of the well. But I adjust to the cramped quarters quickly.

I've never driven a sports car before. I've sat in a small handful but never driven. I pull gently out of the dealership and I'm now in 2nd gear. Now I know what Porsches are made for: speed. But never having really felt it beneath my right foot before I wasn't really prepared.

My brother told me once that a friend of his took him for a ride in a Porsche. He was told, "Just try to keep your head off of the seat." He was right. From maybe 8 mph in 2nd gear, I'm at 45 before I know it. Unfortunately, that's the posted speed limit and I'm coming up to traffic. Eventually I hit a 35 and I'm not even sure what is the best gear to be in; I've never been in a 6-speed.

Finally, I hit the highway. I slow down and let the traffic thin a bit and I floor it. By the time I looked down, I was in 3rd and doing 80 maybe 5 seconds later! Rather than get pulled over I decide to test the brakes a bit and bring it back to a reasonable 65 (the posted limit).

Now I've heard a lot of bad things about Porsche. Like how it's not really all the sports car that it could be and there's better things to buy with the same money but you know what? I don't care. These are the same people that test Bugatti's, Lambo's, & Ferarri's. I'm sure given the choice they'd look past the little Porsche. I'm also sure that if I had $27,000 of expendable cash (plus another $1 million for insurance, tires, & gas) I'd spend it on something else. But to have the experience of having 280 horses at your disposal is a wonderful thing.