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TheFoo

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Saw the new 992 in-person for the first time this weekend, amidst dozens and dozens of other 911s from every generation. Great opportunity to contextualize.

Yes, it still looks like a 911 and no one can honestly say it isn’t attractive, but I think it is a solid step-back vs. the 991 when it comes to aesthetics.

The worst issue is bloat. The 991 is, of course, considerably bigger than the 997 before it—but it also, for better or worse, has a very different overall shape. While one can validly prefer the 997 for it’s tidier, more vintage-accurate size, the 991 is sleeker, more aggressive, more taut and tense, and more refined in the details (see the tail lights and signal markers, for example). Give-and-take. However, when it comes to the looks of the 992, there are no incremental gains. It just looks like a 991 after a very salty, carb-heavy holiday meal (or two).

Then there are the details. The weird way the front line of the hood doesn’t quite align with the lines of the adjacent fender panels. The toothless, gaping, black plastic maw. The fidgety retracting door handles that are shaped to look “fast” rather than be useful. The light bar is more a matter of subjective taste, perhaps, but it doesn’t help that it looks taken off a Panamera or a Macan.

I didn’t get to sit in the interior.

Oh well—just makes me happier with the prior gen car.
 

Texasmade

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The rear end of the 992 looks horrible. Everything else on the 992 I like or can live with but the rear just looks bloated and ugly.
 

otc

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Benefit of city life I guess...I'm trying to find an independent mechanic to start taking my car to as it is due for its first oil change (at least by my metrics...not gonna run it out to 10k like the book says).

All of the contenders are by a train station. No need for a loaner.
 

Piobaire

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So does "car guy" status mean one has to use an indie mechanic and not a dealership for service?
 

clee1982

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So does "car guy" status mean one has to use an indie mechanic and not a dealership for service?

speaking of which I have "free" oil change coming but I only have 3k mile on it so far... guess I'll wait until it hit 6k...?
 

TheFoo

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Benefit of city life I guess...I'm trying to find an independent mechanic to start taking my car to as it is due for its first oil change (at least by my metrics...not gonna run it out to 10k like the book says).

All of the contenders are by a train station. No need for a loaner.

Can you ask what guy other enthusiasts in the area use?

So does "car guy" status mean one has to use an indie mechanic and not a dealership for service?

Depends on how much you care about your car. If you’re leasing or buying/selling every few years, the dealership will suffice.

Which also tells you why others may not want to use the dealer.

Independents are preferable to dealerships because they're not bound to those corporate recommendations. They can follow the real advice from the engineers that the manufacturer suppresses.

It’s funny that you think this is funny.

My mechanic specializes in 911s. He fixes Cup cars, restores vintage models, races himself, and has a good relationship with the factory. For example, while Porsche dealerships have to go through Porsche North America for parts, he can get stuff directly from Porsche in Germany, which is often much quicker (weeks sometimes). Also, yes, he knows what oils work best for each engine. One of the largest Porsche dealerships in the region outsources work to him when it involves a 911 or Boxster/Cayman.

In contrast, the service guys at my dealership in the city barely know anything about my car and don’t give a ****. The service manager kept insisting it had turbochargers. From their perspective, my car might as well be a Macan on a two-year lease. After all, most of the cars they work on are Macans, Cayennes, and Panameras—owners of which tend to have different expectations and priorities (e.g. convenience and cost over quality).

Downside to my mechanic is cost and time. Everything seems to cost 20-30% more, take twice as long, and you have to wait longer for an appointment.
 

Piobaire

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I want a mechanic that specializes in scheduled maintenance and gets his oil filters at only the best OEM warehouse distributors.
 

otc

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Can you ask what guy other enthusiasts in the area use?
The forum enthusiasts all suggest a literal guy who works from a shared bay or his garage or something...I want a little more formality than that.

There are a few German oriented shops that seem well liked...I just have to pick one. They all suggest more frequent oil changes.
 

TheFoo

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The forum enthusiasts all suggest a literal guy who works from a shared bay or his garage or something...I want a little more formality than that.

There are a few German oriented shops that seem well liked...I just have to pick one. They all suggest more frequent oil changes.

You have a BMW M car, if I recall? I’d think there must be a place that specializes.

I don’t know what to think about the oil change issue anymore. On the one hand, manufacturer engineers and insiders, mechanics, other enthusiasts, and my own basic mechanical understanding tell me that more frequent oil changes are beneficial, or at least can’t hurt.

On the other hand, Piob and one or two other dudes on a men’s clothing forum who lease a new luxury SUV every two years (to get the higher-res screens) think it’s stupid.

Torn.
 

vdubiv

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I want a mechanic that specializes in scheduled maintenance and gets his oil filters at only the best OEM warehouse distributors.
Not sure if serious,

If you're worried about scheduled maintenance, and you want car guy status, and care enough to use OEM quality parts then I suggest doing the maintenance yourself. Get an extraction pump for oil changes, and you can change air filters, belts, wipers, ect while it pulls the oil out. Spin the old filter out, new one in, refill and you're done. Then you know what brands of oils/filters and so on are being used.
 

RedLantern

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Independents are preferable to dealerships because they're not bound to those corporate recommendations. They can follow the real advice from the engineers that the manufacturer suppresses.


They can also repair things rather than replace them. Several years back, one of the battery connections (the wiring harness) corroded on my wife's car. The dealership wanted to replace the entire wiring harness at multiple thousands of dollars. The local independent repaired it for like $120.
 

patrickBOOTH

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They can also repair things rather than replace them. Several years back, one of the battery connections (the wiring harness) corroded on my wife's car. The dealership wanted to replace the entire wiring harness at multiple thousands of dollars. The local independent repaired it for like $120.
This right here is why my father's business does so well. He routinely does repairs no dealer or even other independent mechanics would. It saves customer's money, but in a lot of cases it also saves time.
 

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