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<td class="storyHeadline">Porsche 911 Carrera S Second-Quarter Update </td>
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<td class="red_18_b">Superior Attitude; and why not?</td>
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<td><span class="storyByline">By WES RAYNAL [/quote]

<em class="black_11">AutoWeek[/i] | <span class="updatedStamp">Published 01/09/06, 9:35 am et[/quote] </td>
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<span class="classifiedsHeader">Second-Quarter Update[/quote]
MILES DRIVEN (QUARTER/TO DATE): 6119/14,542
FUEL MILEAGE (QUARTER/TO DATE): 18.82/19.06
FUEL COST (QUARTER/TO DATE): $997.04/$2,070.20
DAYS OUT OF SERVICE (QUARTER/TO DATE): None/two
MAINTENANCE: None


Our favorite long-term test car, the Basalt Black Porsche 911 that arrived in May, screamed through the second quarter with little drama.

Here’s the bad news: The clutch pedal squeaks intermittently, and the fan switch shows signs of wear. That’s it. We have no other problems to report. The Carrera spent zero days out of service, a pleasant surprise. We will have the clutch pedal addressed when we visit the dealer for the first scheduled service, at 20,000-miles.


Indeed, there is very little not to like about this car. We’re done regretting not adding a navigation system when we ordered the car. Almost. Some of us are under the evidently mistaken impression that if an automaker puts a “nav” button on the dash it should be connected to something.

Whatever. Besides the flawless reliability, there is a whole lot to love: The seating position is wonderful, and the seats comfortable and supportive. Steering feel and feedback are superb, the flat-six’s sounds are beyond compare. There is an inherent rawness to this car that is rare in this world, and we love it.

As one staffer put it, “I can almost see why some people get an attitude about Porsche drivers and owners&mdash;the car does give you the feeling that it is superior to anything on the road&mdash;and backs it up.”

Amen.

Our 911 remains the purest driving experience in our long-term fleet. It is also an expensive one: With premium gas prices nearing $3 a gallon, we spent $997 (how appropriate) to cover 6100 miles. But it was worth it: The 997 is a hoot to drive and is proving a preposterously good, reliable car. Yes, it is slightly hard core, but that’s good news for those who felt the 996 had lost its soul.

Good to see. Maybe there is some merit to all those recent reports of Porsche being very high up in initial quality. Come to think of it I really haven't heard of very many problems with the 987/997 lineup at all. Even the most recent Cayennes seem to have a lot of their bugs worked out now.

My 997 had two pronounced squeeks, as well as a hood latch that was impossibly tight, which I had adjusted. Sad, but reality. Rattles are pretty high on my short list of gripes. Still, I have little doubt that it would have been a reliable daily driver (as long as the Sport mode can be avoided, it's best for track days only).