Factory Visit

[mogsyman]

Wednesday 4th July 2003. The day I pick up my new C2 Cab from Germany, excited or what!

Has anybody collected their car from the factory and what can I expect?


Migration info. Legacy thread was 4089

 

[911UK]

Wow - enjoy. People I've spoken reckon it's a great experience, lots and lots to look at, rare variants and the like.

Migration info. Legacy thread was 4093

 

[James Ball]

Cool. Collecting a new Porsche from Germany must be one of life's great experience.

Migration info. Legacy thread was 4094

 

[Dunc]

Thats got to be a great day, hope you get good weather for the trip - should be a blast!!

Enjoy

Dunc


Migration info. Legacy thread was 4110

 

[mogsyman]

5 days and counting (who needs sleep?)

I have now had the tickets and the trip consists of the following:

Flight (Economy) from LHR to Stuttgart, taxi to hotel

One night half board in a reasonable hotel

Taxi to the factory

Tour of the production line/museum

And finally. take off.........

Euro Tunnel back to Blighty

£740, is it worth it? I'll report back next week assuming my wife can prize me out of the car!


Migration info. Legacy thread was 4116

 

[JamesL]

lol mogsyman ... hope in your original post you meant 4th June ..... or else you could have a long (though undoubtedly enjoyable) factory visit :wink:

you'll have to give us a blow by blow on your return.... and please take some pics

Jim


Migration info. Legacy thread was 4122

 

[mogsyman]

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

You're right - it should be the 4th June....phew!

Camera is at the ready.

Thanks anyway.


Migration info. Legacy thread was 4128

 

[James Ball]

Is it worth it? In financial terms - of course not. But as a "life experience" - definitely!!!! Worth every penny.

Migration info. Legacy thread was 4155

 

[jay jay]

A totally enviable trip that ! All of Life's best things are involved here : Porsches & travel & an intercontinental sunshine trip in a C2 cabriolet & the smell and "feel" of a new car & excitement. Please take some pics......and enjoy !!

Migration info. Legacy thread was 4158

 

[mogsyman]

2 Days and counting.......

So far the tickets and travel Documents have all arrived. The last few days seem to have dragged on and on and on and on and on and on..................

Sleep deprivation rules ok!


Migration info. Legacy thread was 4160

 

[mogsyman]

Right, here goes.......

Flight to Germany and taken to an ok hotel. Nice food that night, nothing exciting, but edible. Don't sleep all night and wake up before I've gone to bed. Get up several times during the night, the clock seems to be going backwards, wife threatens to kill me if I look at the clock one more time. Breakfast and Taxi to the Porsche factory. Had a look around the museum, ok if a) you like Le Mans style cars and b) can multi-task and think of your car being somewhere in the building ready to be picked up and view the exhibits at the same time with some interest. Taken by English speaking German on factory tour, spent too much time looking at the engines which were quite interesting, but you can have enough of pistons. Interesting though that your Porsche engine is made from start to finsh by one bloke (with dodgy haircut normally) and when it is complete it is bench run not only cold but at full whack hot. Should the BHP be 1 less than the stated amount (e.g 320) it is rejected and should it be more than 5% above it is also rejected. I tried to bribe the tour guide with a couple of Euros to have a 10%er placed in my car....no luck, not even a smile.

Finally saw the finished article being made, did you know for example that the gearboxes are from Mercedes and the body panels are pressed by BMW? well now you do!.

Get taken to the pick up area, feel like a child at Christmas. The car is there, looking fantastic and you are given a guided tour of the switches etc. ***** that, I've had a Boxster so no one can tell me anything new, give me the keys and goodbye.......

Just about to scream out of the factory and I am reminded that I have lunch waiting. I breath a huge sigh and trot off to the guest canteen. Expecting a funny shaped sausage in a roll made of leather. I am impressed, the food is fantastic, free wine/champagne which the wife decides to drink slowly.........

Finally (again) I get the keys to the car and drive home. The trip back to the UK is about 600 miles and we decided to stay at a French Chateau which was fantastic (www.etoges.com). Back through the tunnel the following day. Nothing over 5000rpm all the way (130mph in 6th though!)

Was it worth it?

To do it once is a great experience. Bear in mind that the price of a new car includes the delivery charge and I had to pay £740 on top of that. In my experience Porsche GB could learn from Porsche Germany, the attitude was refreshing. For example upon arrival in the UK my local dealer had forgotten I was coming back and bits were not ready for me (mats, tax etc.), and when I had to ring them again later that day with a minor problem I was asked by the service guy where I bought the car from, implying that I had just imported it cheaply and was pestering AFN for help. I soon told him what was what!.

If you get the chance - do it, if only once.

Pictures up soon.

Mogsyman.




Migration info. Legacy thread was 4569

 

[jay jay]

Ace report, Mogsy...... surprised about 2 or 3 things though.....

Mercedes gearboxes (manual) are rubbish - so how is it they are chosen to supply porsche ?? That one blew me away.

And £740 over & above the ready paid standard delivery charge ? WOW !! I believe Merc used to offer a factory collection in the deal !! But, then : everything PORSCHE is a premium deal so i guess i shouldn't be surprised.

Great report, enjoy your motor!


Migration info. Legacy thread was 4572

 

[mogsyman]

The gearbox company is a joint Mercedes/Porsche venture and I just shut my eyes when paying for the extra collection cost.

Migration info. Legacy thread was 4574

 

[Dunc]

Yes sounds like a great experience, I'd have thought that you'd probably have forgotten most of what you saw up until getting the car as excitement would take over!!

Migration info. Legacy thread was 4587

 

[mogsyman]

A few pics of the car/museum etc.

/images/migration/UploadedForumImages/DSCF02861.jpg


/images/migration/UploadedForumImages/DSCF02871.jpg


/images/migration/UploadedForumImages/DSCF02891.jpg


/images/migration/UploadedForumImages/DSCF02821.jpg


/images/migration/UploadedForumImages/DSCF02791.jpg


/images/migration/UploadedForumImages/353B002011.jpg

Mogsyman


Migration info. Legacy thread was 4618