Howard, looks like you brought a new word into the conversation.. EXOTIC..? (-:
As is my habit I like to just think in type to pass some time... (-:
As ever relativity might play a part here, as that which might be one man`s exotic, might be another mans hum drum..?
My guess it is whether the owner finds "IT" to be exotic that matters in the first instance, followed by how long he continues to think it`s exotic once it has been owned for a while.. ? I suspect if you get to the stage where you walk away from it without looking back, you might be loosing some degree of attraction, similarly if you feel some level of added excitement when you decide to choose to use "IT" for a journey as opposed to your daily, then the magic is perhaps still there... ? (-:
I guess if public reaction suggests "IT" might be treated as exotic in terms of some reaction being sensed almost every time it is driven, then that may well lessen the chance of the owner just taking it for granted in time...?
My perception is in general that the name Ferrari is more exotic than Porsche, but Porsches record in motor sport took it to a level of appreciation amongst sports car buyers and held it there for many years, as per the old adage, win on Sunday, sell on Monday..? Somewhat unfortunately it seems the marque for whatever reason became the icon related to the "loads a money" city traders and suchlike over time which became a growing negative aspect to ownership for me.. Pity, but then that is one of the reasons that brought me to Morgan ownership...(-:
Ferrari were ever an obvious sign of wealth at a time when the man in the street might not even know what a Porsche was, let alone how much it cost..? There was a time when could have had a 400i with an engine that was a wonder to behold, but everything else about the car was so not what the name Ferrari meant to me, other than... expensive parts..! The 400i was thought by me to be an ugly thing in the extreme. If a Ferrari does not have curves, and even with a V12 under the bonnet, it is just not exotic enough in my book on a potential cost benefit analysis... (-:
A big turn off for ME in times past was that that others might think that I thought I was superior as the result of whatever I might be behind the wheel of.....The "feeling" that was most important to ME, was entirely down to the sense of MY personal achievement in terms the vehicle I currently owned at any period of time.. Most of which may have been one time thought of special sports cars, that I brought back from the dead.. (-:
One of the reasons I gave up on Porsche in the 90`s, is along the lines of that which Simon typed of ,relative to his trip as a passenger in a Ferrari. It seemed that driving a Guards Red 911 brought out the Neanderthal in just too many folk to the extent that a degree of the pleasure of ownership was diluted to the point I decided to look for a different sports car, in time deciding on a Morgan, though which Morgan....? (-:
As for prioritising horsepower or torque, I have to say I liked the idea of perhaps finding an old a 4/4 in need of care and attention, with the possibility of fitting a Lotus Twink in it, was very tempting for the roads I enjoy the most, yup, just the right gear for every corner was ever likely to provide quite the best feedback for me for each and every corner on a trip, not that I managed that every time....(-: A four pot was just that which I was more used to, and at the time a Twink seemed a bit more special than the lump out of some old Rover derivate in a +8... But the advice was that the +8 was probably my best bet, and when Kevin decided to sell his nut and bolt rebuild +8, it did not take much convincing that Kevin`s Mog would be the one for me..(-: Touring was never part of my Morganeering plans but when Mrs Luddite suggested to sample touring in the new Mog, I was comforted by the thought of that old Rover lump rumbling along entirely unstressed for hour after hour, as opposed to a tuned up Twink revving it`s nuts off would more than justify the decision to go with the +8 as the Mog to own and enjoy.. .. (-:
My old Mog still fits all the reasons behind my original purchase of it to some degree, it`s just that I am twenty years older, stiffer and feeling the cold far more than I did back then... pity.
When it came to choosing a tin top to extend my sports car enjoyment in cooler weather and perhaps with a little less effort required to steer and stop it... I suspect a 964 or 993 might have been a good fit as they had leaped forward from my 911SC in terms of adding servo brake, power steering, redesigned suspension systems in an attempt to reduce the tail happy 911 experience for the then new customer base in the 90`s all that and increased interior comforts too, but at the time of my search a couple of years back, both 964 and 993 were now circa 30 year old cars, no doubt with old car problems that I had been sorting out 30 years ago myself, and had no intention of getting back in amongst myself today..FAR les so paying Porsche prices to others to resolve for me..!!!
Oh well, if I wished to own one last Porsche, it seemed the choice would ideally be one that could be insured against the "issues" that seemed possible in water cooled 911 derivative Porsches for far too long, and when what seemed like a possible candidate appeared at a dealership in just the right colour, trim, engine and drive spec, Also that Mrs Luddite approved.. I dived right in.
Insurance, by way of Porsche extended warranty, for cars up to circa 15 years old and perhaps 150k miles, would hopefully cover any potentially really expensive engine issues that might occur. The car has been great and Mrs Luddite REALLY enjoyed driving it, which helped justify it`s initial purchase to a considerable degree.. (-: I did experience a reported potential engine cooling issue, which was fortunately covered by the extended warranty I had bought into...No big deal just down to a change over valve operation being sensed as non-op and flagged up on the dash. No water temp oil pressure or engine temp issues showed up while driving.
Yeah the 991.1 has pushed way ahead of the air cooled and is capable of providing even more of an insular driving experience that either the 964 or 993, but I suspect far more suits the old man I have become...? (-:
For sure while others and even owners might see the machine as a symbol of status, I suspect for 99.9% of the time it is all about the machine and whatever I have been able to put into owning and driving it.. (-:
As for the other .1%, there was never a better calling card than that experienced when touring with the old Mog, it almost guaranteed acceptance anywhere on the Southern European adventures that Mrs Luddite was so skilled at organising... (-:
Enjoy whatever you can and while you can seems to be a reasonable way to go, be that in the automotive sense or otherwise..?
