Pca

[70Sixter]

PCA (Advocate Bob Purgason and friends) just completely reworked the PCA Boxster Register. Recommend joining. New website. Cayman Register already done and also worth joining. As I did just to keep an eye on them! Both are free and PCA members only.

PCA website re-work is either not done or not done well. I think they promised the Tech section was going to evolve/improve.

[Gator Bite]

Thanks for the vote of confidence Mike. We've worked really hard on those Registers, in an effort to add value to being a PCA member. We are very proud of what we've accomplished, and I believe we are still in our infancy. Lots of great stuff to come.

[litteng]

i left the title blank because i just wasn't sure i could convey a nice message in one line... it takes a bit to describe the frustration of an organization such as PCA. they have a forum but you can't get to it unless you are a member why would i want to be a member until i own a porsche?( the bmw moa is just as asinine) if you were in my position, (7 hours drive to the closest region) and were interested in buying a previously loved porsche, it would be nice to see the classifieds section in the forum, but its all under lock and key...

to me the organization smacks of elitism, nose high in the air, i have no time for that. before the internet became what it is, the pca or bmwmoa both provide a valuable resource... but when you can find an internet board like this one, pelicanparts and renntech, what does the pca really provide?

yeah i was pissed,

[Gator Bite]

Originally Posted by litteng

i left the title blank because i just wasn't sure i could convey a nice message in one line... it takes a bit to describe the frustration of an organization such as PCA. they have a forum but you can't get to it unless you are a member why would i want to be a member until i own a porsche?( the bmw moa is just as asinine) if you were in my position, (7 hours drive to the closest region) and were interested in buying a previously loved porsche, it would be nice to see the classifieds section in the forum, but its all under lock and key...

to me the organization smacks of elitism, nose high in the air, i have no time for that. before the internet became what it is, the pca or bmwmoa both provide a valuable resource... but when you can find an internet board like this one, pelicanparts and renntech, what does the pca really provide?

yeah i was pissed,

litteng,

I am the guy who created both the Cayman and Boxster Registers. I run the Cayman Register. I helped the Boxster Team get the software up and running and remain an advisor to them. I have also been a PCA member since 1995, and on and off between 1990-1994. Because of this, I think I am in a pretty good position to reply to your comments.

'Elitist' is not a word that I would use to describe anyone I've met through the PCA, or the club itself. It's a volunteer club, so the leaders are usually really hard core car enthusisasts. This can vary from region to region of course, and I'm sure there are some reall buttheads in the club, like any work place or friendship circle.

So why did we lock down the Cayman and Boxster registers? Not to be elite. We did this to protect our members privacy. We've found that many of our members don't post or share pictures because they don't want to put private information on the worlde wide web for the whole world to see.

Example 1: At my 2nd track event ever, I saw a guy tapping up his license plate. I couldn't figure out why, so I asked him, "Hey man, why you doint that?" He pointed at the camera hanging around my neck and said, "That's why. You see how many cameras there are at these events....? I don't want a picture of my car on a race track landing on the internet."

Example 2: I video record my track sessions, so I can reflect, review and learn from them. I always ask my instructors if they are OK with that. One time I was told, "I'd rather you not. The last thing I need is a video of me instrictuing on the internet."

Example 3: One time at another open forum we organized a group ride through the mountain roads of the Catskills. We had 30+ Porsches signed up to participate. We posted the maps of our route in the forums, where we would meet, when, where we would stop, when, etc.... I'll be damned if the cops weren't waiting along our route for us. They pulled me and a group of 5 others over, for just being there. They hassled the hell out of us. We didn't get tickets, but we had to do the rest ot that ride super slow becuase we never knew where the next ambush might be. I was wondering how the heck they knew we were coming. Then it dawned on me. Our route and time tables were online for the world to see.

I can go on and on with examples. There are many reasons why our private forums add value to our members. We can freely post pictures and videos, routes and time tables. No one needs to worry about their boss finding out that their last sick day was spent at the track. They don't need to worry that their insurance company will discover that they are driving their 'pleasure vehicle' on a rack track. They don't need to worry that the police will know where and when they will be driving by.

Access to the forums is literally the tip of the PCA iceberg. It's a benefit, but a small one. You get a magazine, the Panorama. You get access to so many events, nationwide. You get discounts from Porsche dealers, sometimes up to 30%. You get special invitations from Porsche, invitations that only PCA members get. You'll never convince me to drop my membership. I've gotten so much out of the club, I'll be a member for life. What's it cost? $46 a year... I renew for three years at a time, so I paid $40. That's less than the cost of a tank of gas, and the knowledge that I've gained from the people I've met has saved me thousands.

There is a membership that you can get if you don't have a Porsche. It's called the Quest membership. You get access to the magazine, the national calssifieds ('The Mart'), and access to the forums too. Any region I've ever been to is more than happy to have guests attend their monthly meetings too.

Don't knock it until you try it.

[litteng]

thanks for you response... i can understand the lockdown on the sub groups except for the classifieds.

because of my great distance to any regional group, the membership to the PCA boils down to the magazine, non of the other benefits have been apparent...

i will investigate it thee guys who just opened a dealership

and thanks again you were a gentleman in your response.

[Beelzy]

There must be a lockdown on the Regions info page too, I can't access it to see about the Sequoia Chapter.

[Gator Bite]

Originally Posted by Beelzy

There must be a lockdown on the Regions info page too, I can't access it to see about the Sequoia Chapter.

Shouldn't be. Try this link: http://seq.pca.org/

[Gator Bite]

Originally Posted by litteng

thanks for you response... i can understand the lockdown on the sub groups except for the classifieds.

Actually, we have no classified section in the forums. We figured why recreate The Mart (that's the PCA classified section, found on the PCA website and in the back of the Panorma). Every PCA member has access and can place I think 2 free ads a month. There's lots of good stuff in there. Good parts, and good cars. In my experience the cars listed for sale there are more expensive than most outside sources, but you know you're getting an enthusiast owned car.

[Mark_T]

I thought joining the PCA was a great idea when I first bought my Boxster - discounts, magazines, all kinds of good stuff, and I like most of the people I met at club meetings and functions.

Unfortunately I will not be renewing my membership when it next expires. As a matter of principle, I will not belong to an organization where not all members are treated equally but are charged the same fee to join. I am referring to the raffles. The prize is an American spec car that must be picked up from an American dealership, basically excluding Canadian members from participating. Yes, there is a cash equivalent prize, but it is worth nowhere near the value of the actual prize. I sent a letter about it to the PCA administration and the response I got was basically "Too bad, that's the way it is". Perhaps if there is ever a Porsche Club of Canada I will consider re-joining.

[Gator Bite]

Originally Posted by Mark_T

I thought joining the PCA was a great idea when I first bought my Boxster - discounts, magazines, all kinds of good stuff, and I like most of the people I met at club meetings and functions.

Unfortunately I will not be renewing my membership when it next expires. As a matter of principle, I will not belong to an organization where not all members are treated equally but are charged the same fee to join. I am referring to the raffles. The prize is an American spec car that must be picked up from an American dealership, basically excluding Canadian members from participating. Yes, there is a cash equivalent prize, but it is worth nowhere near the value of the actual prize. I sent a letter about it to the PCA administration and the response I got was basically "Too bad, that's the way it is". Perhaps if there is ever a Porsche Club of Canada I will consider re-joining.

Uh, dude... Seriously....? You want out because the raffle cash prize is worth less than the car costs in Canada? Did you win the raffle and then get burned? Or did you know this before buying a raffle ticket? Is there a reason you can't take delivery of the car in the USA, and take the car to Canada?

The PCA is paying for that car,. The price and number of tickets being sold is dependant on knowing the final cost. Usually there is a surplus on the raffle sales. But the PCA is non profit so the amount of that surplus must be known before hand, and there must be a plan in place on how those proceeds will be spent on member benefits.

How about looking at it like this. Instead of seeing it as a $50 raffle to win a Carrera GTS + $25K, look at it as a $50 raffle to win $150K.

[Mark_T]

The value of the prize is irrelevant. The issue is that Canadian members are not treated equally to American members, and yet it is supposed to be one big organization. Like I said, it is a matter of principle. I will be a second-class member in no-one's club.

[Gator Bite]

Tell you what. If you'd like to have a look around the Boxster and Cayman Register, you can be my guest. You are welcome to log in to either of them using the following credentials:

User Name: TestUser1
Password: GatorBite

I'll leave credentials in there for a week or two. With this login you'll be able to see everything a member sees, but you won't be able to post. I'm curious what you guys will think.

The Boxster Register is here: http://BoxsterRegister.org

The Cayman Register is here: http://CaymanRegister.org

Make sure you check out the articles section. We've got some really great stuff in there.

If you want to see the best darn history of the Cayman anywhere, check this out: http://caymanregister.org/faq.php?faq=models I'm very proud of this.

-----------------------------------------

Dear Moderators,

If sharing these links is not acceptable here, please delete my post and accept my sincere apology. I didn't see anything in your rules forbidding this. We are fine with it at our place, but I understand that not all forum owners feel the same way we do. Try this at 6Speed and you'll make enemies real fast.