You're Probably Buying Too Much Porsche | PCA's Technical Director

Are Porsche owners spending thousands more for performance they can barely use?

This week on ElevenAfterNine, I sit down with Manny Alban, former National President and current Technical Director of the Porsche Club of America, to talk about why the "base" Porsche may actually be one of the smartest and most enjoyable cars in the lineup.

Manny has driven an enormous range of Porsches, from base Carreras and Boxsters to GT cars, Turbo S models, the 918 Spyder, and just about everything in between. His take surprised me. When Porsche sends cars to PCA for testing, the base models are often the ones everyone wants to drive.

We get into what happens when you start adding horsepower, all-wheel drive, rear-wheel steering, carbon buckets, center locks, Sport-Tex, PASM, Porsche Sport Exhaust and other expensive options. At what point are you improving the car, and when are you simply buying more Porsche than you can actually use?

We also talk about two used Porsches Manny believes are up and coming.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why Porsche doesn't actually call the Carrera a "base 911"
• Why PCA testers often prefer the least expensive version
• Base Carrera vs Carrera S vs GTS
• Why lower horsepower can make a Porsche more fun
• Rear-wheel drive vs all-wheel drive
• Which Porsche options Manny always recommends
• Why carbon bucket seats may be the wrong choice
• Manny's problem with Sport-Tex and Alcantara steering wheels
• Why he thinks Porsche center locks make little sense on a street car
• The story behind PCA's 60th Anniversary Club Coupe
• How modern stability systems make today's Porsches easier to drive fast
• Why modern Porsches may simply be too fast for public roads
• Why the 991.1 Carrera may be one of today's best Porsche buys
• Why buyers shouldn't automatically fear an early Boxster
• Manual vs PDK
• The one Porsche Manny would choose if he could only have one

CONNECT WITH MANNY AND THE PORSCHE CLUB OF AMERICA:

Porsche Club of America:

https://www.pca.org/

PCA Insider Podcast:

https://podcast.pca.org/

PCA Insider on Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/porsche-club-insider/id1599573815

PCA YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/porscheclubofamerica

PCA Tech Tactics:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCZmxzg99WQxxBgFOwP1r5O6yfBGTRIsA

CONNECT WITH ELEVENAFTERNINE:

Website:

https://elevenafternine.com/

Porsche Buyer Consulting:

https://elevenafternine.com/consulting.html

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@ElevenAfterNine

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/theelevenafternine

Listen to Eleven After Nine:

https://shows.acast.com/eleven-after-nine

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eleven-after-nine-a-porsche-culture-podcast/id1887344928

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0fpVL61pWEZDkaygT7cGZh

CONTACT:

11afternine@gmail.com

QUESTION FOR YOU:

Would you rather own a well-optioned base Carrera or spend the extra money for a Carrera S or GTS?

Let me know below. I'm especially curious to hear from anyone who has owned both.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Meet Manny Alban

01:50 - What Does "Base Porsche" Actually Mean?

03:13 - Why Manny Loves Base Models

04:54 - Building a Carrera T Before the T Existed

07:28 - Base Panamera vs Turbo S

09:55 - Why 95 Horsepower Can Be More Fun

11:43 - Rear-Wheel Drive vs All-Wheel Drive

16:13 - Which Porsche Options Are Actually Worth Buying?

20:52 - Comfort Seats vs Carbon Buckets

22:56 - The Problem With Sport-Tex and Alcantara

24:47 - Manny's Problem With Porsche Center Locks

28:33 - Inside the PCA 60th Anniversary Club Coupe

33:37 - Behind the Scenes With Porsche Designers

35:07 - Are Modern Porsches Too Fast?

39:29 - The Undervalued Porsche Manny Would Buy

42:42 - Why the Early Boxster Deserves Another Look

44:45 - Manual vs PDK

47:30 - If Manny Could Own Only One Porsche

49:01 - Driving the Porsche 918 Spyder

50:34 - Why Every Porsche Doesn't Need to Be the Fastest One

#Porsche #Porsche911 #Carrera #CarreraS #Porsche991 #PorscheBoxster #PCA #PorscheClubOfAmerica #ElevenAfterNine

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