Should I buy a used Porsche 911 and drive through Europe?

[doodab]

Doesn't the fact you are doing it in a 911 make part of the excitement?

IMO, having toured various parts of Europe by car (winter and summer, but never in a 911) I suspect the fact you were doing it in a 911 would actually detract from the fun once the initial thrill of driving one wore off. In the winter the mountain passes will be closed, the roads will be snowy and icy and the winter tires will only be rated for lowish speeds, so the point of having a 911 is more or less completely obliterated.

In the summer it's a different story, but the famous mountain passes are unforgettably spectacular whatever you are driving, and if you want to "press on" a less capable car will allow you to scare yourself at lower speeds which is arguably more fun, especially when you can get your mountain bike and camping gear in the back as well.

[beaker]

Doesn't the fact you are doing it in a 911 make part of the excitement?

Yes, that's the whole point!

Wasn't planning to head off in the middle of winter - might wait until Autumn. Agree that a 4WD model would be the way to go (CS4 or Turbo). Enough room for the missus in the front, a mountain bike on top, some bags in the back and a couple of illegals underneath...

[EternalOptimist]

Dont even ask, just do it

and if you are going into the mountains, get 4wd or winter tyres at least

oh, and check out the etap.

[doodab]

Yes, that's the whole point!

Wasn't planning to head off in the middle of winter - might wait until Autumn. Agree that a 4WD model would be the way to go (CS4 or Turbo). Enough room for the missus in the front, a mountain bike on top, some bags in the back and a couple of illegals underneath...

Where do you plan to go?

If you must have a 911, consider a roofbox as well.

[darmstadt]

Where do you plan to go?

If you must have a 911, consider a roofbox as well.

And look like a dick, why not get a trailer as well? The whole point of doing it in a 911 is to (try) and look good, therefore you would just put enough clothing in the (front) boot, stay in decent hotels and buy things when you need them.

I would go for it, it doesn't need to be a Porsche but does need to be decent, in fact something a bit more cooler than a Porsche but never mind. I do this now and then in the Alpina (just as fast as a Porsche but more comfortable and a bit more space) and you'll get the thrills of bombing down German autobahns, twisty curving roads in the mountains, twisty curving up and down roads along the coast. Great fun, do it...

[ChimpMaster]

Why not the 997? Too expensive? Just the C2S etc I mean.

And I presume you're taking the wife and kids too?
Oh what's that you say, you're not lumbered with that kind of responsibility yet?!

[AtW]

If your looking for a bulletproof 911 to do a run like this in, go for a 993 - reliable and can take the punishment.

Maybe it is reliable but it's way too old - might as well go for Ford T model.

[minsky1]

Maybe it is reliable but it's way too old - might as well go for Ford T model.

Not really, if I was given the choice between a 996 and a 993 I would go for the 993 every time...... your right, they are a bit agricultural compared to the later cars, but definitely beats the 996 hands down for the fun factor.

[doodab]

And look like a dick, why not get a trailer as well? The whole point of doing it in a 911 is to (try) and look good, therefore you would just put enough clothing in the (front) boot, stay in decent hotels and buy things when you need them.

He's already got his bike on the roof so looking cool has gone out of the window (along with the aerodynamics).

It really depends if you want to make a proper tour of weeks or months with significant time spent doing things other than driving, or if you are organising the whole trip around the driving experience.

If it's the first then you are probably going to want to take more than a weeks worth of clothes and a camera (especially if you have the wife along), you will probably want to buy things and not throw them away (cases of wine for example), and you are going to struggle for space in a sportscar.

If it's the latter then it's worth remembering that the odd bits of driving that are fun will be surrounded and punctuated by quite a lot of long motorway stints, sitting in traffic, and driving around foreign cities with comedy one way systems trying to find somewhere to park. That's not such an issue if you are, for example, going to Switzerland for 10 days to drive some mountain passes, but if you plan to spend a month or two at it you will find driving becomes tiresome quite quickly whatever car you are in. You may also find your other half considers the whole thing incredibly tedious.

[doodab]

Not really, if I was given the choice between a 996 and a 993 I would go for the 993 every time...... your right, they are a bit agricultural compared to the later cars, but definitely beats the 996 hands down for the fun factor.

It might be fun on a twisty road but 90% of the journey will be dull. In a 993 it will also be fairly uncomfortable.