Gary, I joined the PCA a few weeks back, and have already received an email for dinner with the mardi grad chapter down on metairie rd. for this wednesday. I hope to attend, but I will probably have a meeting that afternoon that will prohibit it.
Louisiana crew, count me in for a get together. I have a company golf tournament, a day at the fairgrounds, a baptism for my baby, and my sister flying in town all within the next month and a half, so whenever we plan it, I would have to work out an appearance.
Now, as far as driving impressions of the ride, the car is quick compared to the 2.7, with much more power for merging and passing. The ride and sound with the lowering kit (haven't investigated the brand) and exhuast is almost identical to a bad plane landing or a 1970s pickup truck with no exhuast. I stalled the car 5 times when starting to move off gas pumps and food joints by letting off the clutch too soon because of the sound. The shift pattern might take me a few journeys too, because I had 5 speed.
I took some time on the turnpike rest areas for cornering, and the rear seems to get loose easier on this car. Maybe due to power, maybe due to weight ditribution. At the same time, there is 0 roll with the low suspension and low profile tires.
The low (4 inch) ground clearance at the front bumper makes for a "back-up only" parking scenario. Even then, the mufflers would hit if you went all the way into a spot.
The car is far less practical than my boxter.. It is too loud, too rough, too low, and too unrefined to sit in New Orleans traffic. It would not make it down ANY N.O. CBD streets. I don't think it would even climb the incline to my parking garage. It is cumbersome to drive it slowly the way it is set up.
To elaborate on why I would "torture" myself into driving it.. I put 4k miles on my boxster in the last year and it is by no means a daily driver. I want the garage queen to be beautiful, to be impractical, to speed, to make noise, to explore the winding back country roads North of Mandeville at high speed, and to take my baby girl out for ice cream. This definetly fits the bill for me, even though there will no such thing as "sneaking" out for ice cream.
I am in no rush to sell the boxster though, and will plead with my wife that I need to keep it until mid summer, when it will be too hot to drop the top. For now, it is at my mother's house under cover because my old house only has one garage space.
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