Carrera T: The PERFECT Porsche Nobody Talks About?

😁 Phil's honest owner review of his 2018 Carrera T, which he chose over every other 911 variant as his daily driver. This isn't about peak performance - it's about perfect engagement.THE CARRERA T PHILOSOPHY: ✅ 370HP naturally aspirated flat-six ✅ Manual transmission only ✅ Weight reduction through subtraction ✅ Pure driving experience over luxury ✅ The art of automotive minimalism🚀 Watch This Next: https://youtu.be/xVjIC-WDAuk

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This this car feels like a little bit more sharper, like like this is more like uh like a stealth bomber. And that car was more like a tank that's gonna run you over and then come kill your family after.

SPEAKER_03 0:11

This is 2018 portion of rarity. 370 natural aspirated horsepower PDK transmission and a philosophy that's all about driving purity over vanity specifications. While everyone's chasing portion DT3s and turbos, what many considerable 911. Two years later he's convinced that he made the smartest portion possible. But here's what's interesting in a world obsessed with more power, more tech, more everything, the career goes the opposite direction. It's lighter, simpler, and somehow more engaging. So today, while Phil drives, he's sharing with us his honest owner review. Right, Phil, so tell me your car background. What it what kind of interesting cars have you had in the past before this team?

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Well, mostly Porsches, so the last I guess 20 years started with a Boxter 986 Boxster S, which I had for about 10 or 12 years. Didn't really care about the brand or going to the track or cars and coffee or any of that stuff. And then all of a sudden, it did matter. So I I ended up getting my first 9-11. I was, yeah, it was kind of weird. I was having a just going through a rough time, and I saw that Magnus Walker video, Urban Outlaw, and I thought, yeah, this is anything I've ever doubted or hesitated on, this guy just went and did it, and it's like, why am I not doing it? So I called up a friend of mine who was a collector. He pointed me in the direction at the time, this was like 2015 or 16. Get a 997.s, uh dot two s.

SPEAKER_00 1:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:54

So, and they were, you know, they were reasonable at the time. I told them I'm just gonna have one car, it's just gonna be, I'm gonna drive it every day, like not talking track stuff. I didn't even know about the track, it wasn't even in my mind. Yeah, and then I got that, and then I started subscribing to some magazines, reading on online, learning about the brand, and then I discovered the 996 turbo. I was like, and they were like dirt cheap at the time, so I was like, I gotta go check it out. So I went and test drove one, fell in love with it, literally sold my 997 right right there after again. In my mind, just having more than one car didn't make sense, I didn't understand. And then one day I said to my wife, hey, Pfaff has an air cooled car for sale. We should just go sit in one, see what they look like. Of course, I came back owning an air-cooled car that day, and then it just became a slippery slope. So I've owned yeah, probably 10 or 12 cars since then, and that's in the last six, seven years. Wow. Uh so I'd, you know, buy one, have fun with it, fix it up, sell it. You you know, I started getting into the track with the turbo. So that was kind of my main everyday car, my track car. So then um, yeah, so the turbo, I kind of as I learned uh to drive at the track uh and got better, the turbo either needed heavy modifications or I needed to move on. And around that time uh the GT3 entered my life, the 996 GT3, and I thought, okay, this is a kind of a fair trade. I could get pretty much the same money for my turbo. So it was a long, hard battle internally because I love the turbo and I put so much into it. But after seven years of driving it and really driving it hard, I was able to almost break even after doing all the upgrades and everything. So there's there's Porsche in a nutshell. If you buy right and you could really do whatever you want and not get hurt too badly, whereas other brands, you're paying for the upgrades, and the upgrades could just get passed on. So yeah, the deeper I got into it, so then it was like the spider came along, that was like a brand new, only new car I ever bought, and it was like it was almost like a surreal moment like, could I do this? Can this happen? And at that time you needed to be on a list, and then you had to wait and see. So I wasn't even sure if I was gonna get it, and then the phone rang, and I was like, shit, I guess I'm getting a brand new car. So I spec'd it super low. And uh my wife and I did the Euro delivery. We flew over to Germany, drove all around the Alps into Italy, had a wonderful time. I put 2,500 kilometers on it before it even got home, dropped it off in Leipzig, and they they did the rest of it for us. And that was a great, great time. And all of a sudden, I just became, I guess what you'd call a portionphile because I'd visited the factory, I'd done the the museum, I've you know owned a number of cars over different generations, you know, air-cooled, the the latest, greatest, and everything in between, and then um all the reading, like the magazines I've read and the books I've read. It's like it's like I stopped reading them because it's like, yeah, I already read this shit. I already know about this stuff, right? So I mean there's always more to learn about. So towards the last number of years, it's been a combination of buying. I'm almost regressing to a cheaper, funner, more carefree experience.

SPEAKER_03 5:18

So was that where the Carrera T came in?

SPEAKER_01 5:20

No, no, this was before I came to that country. So this was uh yeah, the tea came because uh it started the more I read about it, because like when it first came out, I remember it came out. A friend of mine got one. I thought, who would ever buy that car? Like it's a lot of people thought that it was. Yeah, like it would yeah, because it's five grand less than an S. Yeah, and it's like nowhere near as fast as an S. So why would I like like everybody? I was late to the game, late to the party on this one, right? Yeah. So the more I dove into what's my preferences, what do I love about the brand, the more I like the rest of the world, we all woke up at the same time, the T's a special car. It's kind of like if there were if the RS moniker wasn't used in the GT world like it used to be, this would be the continuation of the RS model.

SPEAKER_03 6:08

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 6:09

Base, lightweight, driver-focused, sport-focused experience. Yeah. So if you think of the 964 or the you know, the the SC RS versions, that's basically what they were. They were like not that much horsepower. Yeah, they were just stripped down and uh you know, dialed up in suspension. So um, yeah, so that so this was kind of like I had an opportunity to buy a brand new one, the 992. Right. And by the time you spec it out, and this isn't even a spec I want, I like less is more in this particular car. It that's what the car wants, that's what the car asked for. Right. But that you know, the dealerships were in a position at that point where you gotta have $30,000 in options to get the car. Right. Then you're gonna pay a luxury tax and you're gonna pay all the HST, uh, you know, the sales tax, and you're at almost $200,000. I'm like, that's crazy. This is still a base motor. This isn't a I mean, when I started in 9-11s, you could get a GT3 for that price.

SPEAKER_03 7:12

Right.

SPEAKER_01 7:13

So, you know, this is a long way from a GT3. So uh I started looking around at used ones, and they were uh they were the only model of the 991s other than base during that coming out of COVID period that actually had some depreciation on them. This was selling for 20, 30 grand less than the guy paid for it. Right. I was like, that was that's not what everything else was doing, right?

SPEAKER_02 7:37

Oh no.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

So I you know I dove into it a bit further, found this one, it had 19,000 kilometers with all the options that I would have got, probably more so. There carbon bucket seats, the ceramic brakes. I don't know if I would have gone for that, but they're nice to have.

SPEAKER_03 7:54

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

And I'm glad I have it. And then the rear steering, which is something I probably would have gone for. Well, I like the options on it, and I like that it was in Quebec, which a lot of people are afraid to buy from Quebec because there's a reputation for dialing back mileage and all these sort of things. So I, you know, I kind of that was to my advantage because this same car in Ontario was $25,000 to $30,000 more than what I paid. So I I I checked out the dealership that was selling it, and it traced back to an Ontario owner who had taken it to Quebec, and this guy traded in at this dealership for a GT3, which made sense. You could see this car had been used at the track, so even though it had super low miles, right? It wasn't beaten or anything, but you could just you could sense that this was used at the track a couple of times. So uh it fit the criteria. It was a I thought a decent price and a very nicely spec's uh car.

SPEAKER_03 8:50

So if you were would have been purchasing this car and optioning it, how would you have optioned it differently knowing what you know now?

SPEAKER_01 8:59

Um I mean, I'm a cheapskate, so I probably wouldn't have gone for the seats, right? But knowing what I know now, I would say this is a must-have, especially in this car. Like in my spider, I went for the cheap seats and they're fantastic, there's nothing wrong with it. But again, that's a kind of a special car, and these seats would have really amplified that experience. My hesitation with these seats initially was I've heard horror stories of people with back problems and not being comfortable. A lot of guys do it all the way back just to get in and out, but I'm like, I gotta do that, I'm giving it. Right. And uh so when I bought it, this was in Quebec, I had to drive it seven hours to get it home, and I was thinking I'm gonna have to stop every hour and take a break and stretch my back out. Yep. And then I drove seven hours straight, and I was like, I could actually drive back to Montreal. These seats are so damn comfortable. I want them in every car I ever owned going forward. And they're they're a bargain. I think at the time this was an $8,000 option. Like you go buy them on the used market or even from the dealership now, they're $15,000. So it's like it just adds to everything, the experience with the car and the resale, like everything, it's part of the package.

SPEAKER_03 10:06

People compare this car to a Carrera S. So you wouldn't have even considered a Carrera S as an alternative to buying this car at the time?

SPEAKER_01 10:14

It didn't speak to me at that time. Like I wouldn't, if it was just 991.2, get something cool, like I wasn't even looking, it wasn't on my radar. The T, you know, because this opportunity came to get a new one, it kind of landed on my lap as an idea. And if you're anything like me, you got a little OCD, you can't stop thinking about it, and then you gotta have it, and you find a way to make it work, you know. So the the other thing with these guys in Quebec is they they gave me a better deal if I financed it with them. Okay, and the financing I just had to have open for a month. Yeah, I was like, so they gave me a $5,000 discount for doing the financing. Obviously, they're getting a commission good for that. I don't care, right? But I was like, it just made it so easy. I literally put 10 grand down and bought the car and I deal with the paying it off later, which unfortunately I'm still dealing with, but we'll get to that.

SPEAKER_03 11:03

That's right. So this car is a PDK, yes, and um so I know that most of your other cars, most of your other Porsches have all been manual. Yes. How do you like the PDK in this?

SPEAKER_01 11:15

I think it's fantastic. Um I mean, again, Porsche, I really feel like they went PDK early in the mid-teens, you know, when the first 991 GT3 came out, and then they reverted backwards because of the backlash from their customer base, which is mostly North American. But Ferrari and everyone else told everyone, you don't like it, don't buy it. We don't really care. And I kind of wish they stuck with their guns a bit more in that regard, because you know, they don't need to kowtow. What are they gonna sell a few more units because this is better than that? I mean, to me, the Porsche, the billion-dollar company I saw, the factory that I toured, you know, the engineers that I did meet. I don't know better than them. I know that for sure. So whatever they think is the best for this car, I mean, this car, this car, this particular model came with a choice. I bought it used, so it came with this transmission. Um it's phenomenal. It's faster than it's it's a double-edged sword. It's a little heavier than the uh standard, but it's also faster than the standard. And it can outthink me. Like I've already it's already demonstrated that on, especially when I take it to the track. It's down gearing into gears I would never go to and never have gone to. And it might only be for three or four seconds, but it it's meaningful if you're you know being competitive or driving in a competitive way. Uh so yeah, it's I mean, I think moving forward, it's hard to argue. And the fact that like 80% of their sales are PDK says a lot. I mean, I again I it I find it odd that they reverted back to a stick shift in certain models, you know, because of the backlash from the average customer, but the average customer isn't buying a stick shift. Uh yeah, the PDK was a question mark back to your earlier question. I'm not sure if I spec this car brand new, I would have done this. Got it, yeah. Uh, but the fact that all my other cars are manual, I didn't mind it, you know, coming in as a different experience. And now that, you know, driving around the street, of course, it's more convenient. If you're in traffic all the time, which I am, yes, it's more convenient. If you take it to the track, it's a night and day different experience. It doesn't, I don't know if it necessarily makes me a better driver, but I feel like I am because it thinks way faster than I do, and it downshifts into gears I would never go into. So, like intern five at Moshport, for example, this old down gear into second gear. Right. I've never done that in any car, and it's only for a few seconds, which goes to show how fast it's thinking ahead and how fast it's prepared to get back on the throttle and start moving again. So, yeah, it adds a bit of weight, which is the downside, but it also adds performance. And I think in the zero to sixty, it's I think two or three tenths of a second faster than a manual. Because you just can't shift that fast. You can't shift that fast, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:06

Did you do much research ahead of time before you pulled the trigger on this T?

SPEAKER_01 14:10

Or is it just you kind of heard about it, you want to check it out, and now you had to Yeah, I think just once that slippery slope started, like that call from the dealership, do you want a T? Like, I mean, I gotta change my phone number so they can't call me, you know what I mean? But it's like, yeah, it just I think once I learned that it's special and that it's unique and that it kind of suited my personality a bit more than and again, there's nothing wrong with an S. Like down the road, you know I I had my 9N7 was an S. It was an amazing car, it blew my mind. Uh, you know, but you know, and this isn't a limited number, but as we talked about earlier, it wasn't a big selling car, so therefore, it does make it kind of funky and special, right? It's like it's got a story to it, it's got a character to it, it's got a personality, like and the SL sells the base, you know, like something like 10 to 1. So there's you know, they're a dime a dozen. Again, not to knock it, there's nothing wrong. Sure. If I only had one car, that would probably be the car or something like this. Like, yeah, it's just kind of ticks all the boxes, and you know, I don't know if it's gonna have a collectibility to it, but it could. I mean, I'm I'm not buying it for that reason, but yeah, you could see this being attractive down the road as cars get more, you know, crazy power, no more automation and more technology. This still has a fair bit of technology, but it's nothing compared to the newer cars that you see at the track.

SPEAKER_03 15:32

So this car also has ceramic brakes and it has the rear-wheel steering.

SPEAKER_01 15:36

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 15:37

So what do you think of that?

SPEAKER_01 15:38

Uh it's all good stuff. Uh the brakes are. I know some people don't like it in the racetrack environment, but um I think it's mostly because of the cost. Probably the cost, yeah. The the uh but on the street it's it's uh it's incredible. Like this thing, like even just on a windy road, I'll you know, late brake, like at the last second, only for a fraction of a second, and it does exactly what you need it to do. They never get hot, you know, you're never burning break dust all over the place. True, they're very well behaved.

SPEAKER_03 16:10

What about the rear-wheel steering? When do you notice that?

SPEAKER_01 16:14

Um, yeah, I think in a tight turn, like I don't really feel it turning on or anything like that, but it just that this thing's got incredible grip. I mean, last time I was out, I brought a series of different instructors out with me just to get their opinion. Like, what do you think of this, right? Yeah, and uh they're like, yeah, the grip is incredible. Like you can, I mean, I'm nowhere near pushing it to its limit or or coming, you know, coming close to my limit with this car. It could, it would take me years to get to a point where I can even master this. And with with a base engine with all these, you know options that it has, right? It's you know, you gotta, you know, you know what it's like when you're you think you're good, then you go out with a pro or even an amateur racer. It's like, whoa, okay, I got a lot to learn.

SPEAKER_03 16:59

Yeah, that's that's exactly it. So a couple other unusual things about this car is the glass from here back, the side windows and the the back window are lightweight glass. Yeah, there's no defroster in the back glass. No. Um, so what's your opinion of that? Is it like how necessary do you think that is to the essence of the tea compared to marketing hype?

SPEAKER_01 17:22

Uh I think it's a cool set of features. Like it's a conversation, like it's not just the glass, like even the exhaust. In the exhaust in a regular 9-11 is is on each end, each side, right? And in the T it's in the center, right? Which is a throwback to you know the 60s and early 70s.

SPEAKER_03 17:40

Exterior. Anything in particular appeals to you about the exterior of this car? Like, I noticed that the mirrors, for example, are slightly different color than the actual exterior of the car.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 17:50

Does that appeal to you?

SPEAKER_01 17:51

Just because the wheels and the mirrors and uh the there's a decal on it. Yeah, that's kind of cool. I mean, it it it I it's here nor there with me. It doesn't make or break the car in any way.

SPEAKER_03 18:05

So when you say decal, you mean the stripe along the bottom, yeah, right? Yeah. Yeah. So so that, yeah, that's again, that's part of that retro feel to it, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:13

Yeah. One of the things I do like about the look of this car is it's a narrow body. And I've always been a fan of even the air-cooled old cars. I love the narrow body, and especially when they're hot rotted out, and they just maintain that narrow body look. And this is the last narrow body. Anything after this is all wide body. So I feel it's unique in that sense as well. I love the look of it uh that way. Like even my 997 was a narrow body as well. And uh that's just me, that's just a personal preference. But it just has a nice sleek design at the back, and as 911s always have and always have been known for. They gotta have the exhaust, the way it's positioned, you know, just the little things like that, the little kind of Easter egg stuff that the average person would never notice. But if you're a uh you know addicted to the brand like I am, you notice these stupid things, right?

SPEAKER_03 19:04

So, Phil, 370 horsepower, not the most horsepower you've ever had in a Porsche. How does that compare? How does it feel slow?

SPEAKER_01 19:12

No, um, it's to me it's more than enough. It's uh it's interesting. I mean, the the the more I get advanced as a tractor driver, the the I'm more attracted to even perhaps less horsepower, which probably sounds crazy, but it's what's what more important, I guess, is the way to describe it is usable power. When it's beyond what you can actually use, it's of no use to you. Uh so on the street, this is more than enough to get yourself in uh all kinds of trouble if you want to do that. And then on the track, I feel like it's also more than adequate. I mean, again, the there's the perception of uh those that don't go to the track that you're gonna be driving fast all the time. But when you take a track like Moshport, for example, there's 10 turns and four kilometers, you never really get to a crazy speed. So I mean it's faster, of course, than anything you've ever done on the street, but it's not what you think it's gonna be. It's it's it's much more controlled. So um, yeah, I think it's if anything, I'd like to dial it back a little bit in and as I go on in my uh you know driving experience and and as I learn to be a better driver, I feel like I can go faster with less power by handling the car better, perhaps. And that becomes the goal for me. Uh I think the draw to higher horsepower cars is either you're that much more advanced or you're just a hobbyist and just like that number and it's part of the package.

SPEAKER_03 20:41

Bragging rates.

SPEAKER_01 20:42

You know, what humbled it for me was when a girl in a Honda Civic, mind you, a race car Honda Civic, and a girl though, mind you nonetheless. Uh not that there's anything wrong with that, but she passed me in my GT3 and I couldn't catch her. Wow. And I was like, I was like, I learned a lot of things that day. Like, but most importantly, I learned is I'm not the fastest driver in the world, and I got a long way to go, and it does the car's secondary.

unknown 21:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:05

I can dial in the Honda Civic and be a really fast car driver on the racetrack, and therefore a fast driver on the street if I want to be. But you know, this, you know, I used to hear all these things when I watched early videos, like even the Magnus Walker stuff, and it was like all about suspension and tires and and the right seat. I'm like, what are they talking about? What about the horsepower? They never talk about that. And then you find out Magnus Walker's famous 277 car isn't even 180 horsepower, but the thing looks like it's gonna rip the tarmac off, you know? Yeah, it just looks fast. I mean, the old turbos were only you know 275 horsepower, and again, they look fast standing still, is the famous line, right? And that's so true. So, but then you get you know, around some masterful drivers, like guys that instructors are or instructor trainers, or even the club racers. Yeah, and it's like, no, they're they're driving Caymans, they're driving 944s, there are GT3s, of course, and that. Environment and these guys are seasoned guys, like they know they know what they're doing, and they therefore they can use the power. And I mean for me, I've taken it a step backwards. I got this, I had my GT3, and now I got this K-min. And the K-min is 100 horsepower less than anything else I own. But I to me it'll be a great street driver, but it'll also be a great track car that I can tone it down, turn it back a page, and really learn the skill a little bit better at a slower pace. And then when I bring a car like this out or whatever my next track beast is gonna be, with more horsepower, I can, you know, maybe engage the car a bit more. Another bit tidbit of advice I've had along the way before adding horsepower and back to these seats is getting a race seat if you're gonna try to perform a bit better. You know, not being sliding in a seat, being positioned and being part of the car as opposed to in the car or on the car, you know, gives you that different advantage. And then all these things about the suspension and all these things I've heard have come true for me in my you know journey in track driving and just as an enthusiast of the brand. So, yeah, the next thing would be bring a race car driver with you or a really experienced someone you respect and get see how far you can push the car. Like maybe my fears inhibiting me from hitting the limit. Maybe, you know, who knows what, right? I mean, these guys are 10 miles ahead of where I am in terms of experience. And that was from my mechanic. He's like, you know, bring a race car guy with you, pay a thousand bucks, hire a pro. It's like, yeah, he goes, they'll they'll drive your stock car ten times more than you can even think it's possible. Yeah. So therefore, yeah, you could go crazy with the mods and the horsepower and everything else, and if that's your hobby and that's what you want to do.

SPEAKER_03 23:52

So, in terms of the Carrera T, what is there anything that makes it that driving experience uh feel unique?

SPEAKER_01 23:59

Yeah, it's uh well right away, like the first time I drove it, I felt the nimbleness of it. I felt the lightness of it. I know that I already knew the facts of the numbers. Don't ask me what they are. My memory's not what it used to be, but they're it was lighter than the base model. Um but yeah, it just it felt like a I mean, I'm sure they all feel great, but this maybe it's psychosomatic, but when I got in it, and I mean the time I got in it was the first time I drove it. Like every car I've ever bought, the first time I drove it was when I took it home. I was like, wow, this car, whatever it is, I don't know if they're all like this. This is everything about it is special. The seats, the drive, the the handling, the the smoothness, the the confidence that it inspires. Like it's all there.

SPEAKER_03 24:47

So this is uh the second car Porsche you've had that's a turbo. Yes. How does this turbo compare to your turbo that you had previously?

SPEAKER_01 24:55

So yeah, so my 996 turbo was uh I mean they described that car when it came out as a super car killer, right? And it was I think it was the fastest or one of the fastest production cars at its time. So it was like 420 horse, uh 420 foot pounds of torque, which for 2002 is pretty amazing, really. So uh that car felt a lot more grunt, and you could feel the turbo lag, not in a dramatic way, but it was there. This I don't notice it at all, and I I know some have commented that they do notice a turbo lag in the newer three-liter turbo. I can't tell. I'm not that tuned in, but uh this car's faster in almost every respect, but that car felt faster in some ways. I think because the torque was higher, and um it just was uh also a fairly small car compared to even this one, much smaller than the 992. Just not that much bigger than a than an air-cooled car, actually. So you felt that in that car, the size, everything else, but uh this this car feels like a little bit more sharper, like like this is more like uh like a stealth bomber. And that car was more like a tank that's gonna run you over and then come kill your family after. It was like it'll take you out and everyone you know basically at the same time, you know. So this is a little more sleek and and refined, it it feels like to me. So you track this car, right? Yes, I have.

SPEAKER_03 26:31

First time you took this on track, what did you notice different about this car?

SPEAKER_01 26:36

Um, grip. I love that you just press a button, everything tightens up, gear ratios shorten everything. Sport plus? Sport plus, you it just locks you into that mode. Like, is there room for improvement? Sure. If I was a race car driver, perhaps I'd want to augment the suspension to another level. I think where I'm at, I'll never be able to maximize this car, what it already offers.

SPEAKER_03 27:02

Uh I guess did you notice the rear wheel steering on track?

SPEAKER_01 27:05

Um, only in the sense that it just hugged the corners. Like it feels like more of a go-kart. Like compared to the turbo, uh, like my 996 turbo, this is a much more phenomenal track car. Yeah. Uh the grip, the lightweight, like right away you notice in turns, you know, the the four or five hundred pounds lighter that it is, it's just like, you know, it's got your back all day long.

SPEAKER_03 27:27

Um so yeah, it's uh what about the carbon ceramic brakes?

SPEAKER_01 27:32

Yeah, I mean, it's definitely I mean the track's a whole different animal with brakes, you know, compared to driving on the road. Like if you're in a regular car, you have to have race pads at the very least. So this is uh I would say an equivalent or heightened version of really good race pads on really good race discs, but they're just stock, you know, came with the car. So you don't have to change that. Uh on the street, I would say it's much more aggressive than any regular braking. Like you could break super late and always have this confidence you're gonna stop on a dime basically.

SPEAKER_03 28:10

Uh so, but what about on a racetrack? On a long straight, yeah. You could theoretically accelerate longer because you're gonna uh decelerate or break in a shorter distance.

SPEAKER_01 28:21

Yes, yeah. I mean, uh I I always compare this more to my GT3 than to my turbo. And uh the GT3 had race brakes, and I would say this is yes, it there's a lot of confidence in going into a fast environment with these brakes, and there was with those as well. Um I don't know if I'd say it's better. It's better in the sense that there's less shit to clean after, like the the wheels are clean, like there's no dust. One time I was driving with my wife, and I had forgotten that I didn't have a stick shift, and I went to do the clutch and I hammered the brakes, and she she almost went through the window, man. I was like, sorry, like it stopped so aggressively. You know, it was like unbelievable.

SPEAKER_03 29:07

What about the Alcantara steering wheel? Somewhat controversial?

SPEAKER_01 29:10

Yeah, this is a must-have because my GT3 had this, and I didn't know. Again, when I bought my spider, I just got the leather GT wheel and the you like this better than the this is much better, yeah. Much better. Yeah, I'm easier grip, it just sticks a little better.

SPEAKER_03 29:24

So this car has three modes normal mode, sport mode, and sport plus mode. Yes. When do you use those modes?

SPEAKER_01 29:30

Uh I use sport plus when I'm in uh when I'm at the track, and it that shortens the gears, yeah, drops the uh suspension, tightens it up a little bit. I don't ever use the sport mode, I've never really felt a need to use it. So it's been like uh street driving, I just have it in regular mode. Track, I'm in sport plus. I should do some research. I'm sure there's a reason for the sport mode, but I haven't really discovered a reason to use it yet.

SPEAKER_03 29:57

What about the exhaust note? Do you notice anything different with the exhaust note uh when it's in sport or sport plus? Or I know you've also got the uh sport exhaust. Do you notice anything different?

SPEAKER_01 30:08

Well, it's definitely, I mean, it feels louder when it's in sport plus, and it just seems to be like almost more like a straight exhaust. Uh, in the sport plus, it does gurgle and make a little bit more noise, which is again the only couple times I've ever tried that.

SPEAKER_03 30:35

So you've had other 9-11s that had rear seats. Do you miss those rear seats?

SPEAKER_01 30:41

No, no, I think it's I feel like ripping the backseats out of every car I own for now on. It's like uh I always say that there's an Uber. You know, we'll meet you where we're gonna go, it's not a big deal. I mean, I had back seats in the other cars. Yeah, they they might get used once or twice a year for a short, very short distance. Uh I don't miss it. I mean, it was a bit weird when I saw this car and it didn't have any, but I I used to own boxsters and I have a Cayman and I have my spider, and you know, there's no need, really. I mean, let's face it, 99% of the time you're in a car, you're in by yourself. And maybe there's three or four percent more where perhaps your partner, wife, or friend or whatever is with you. I mean, I suppose when you're younger this would be a bigger deal. Yeah. Like you're going out with your friends or whatever, but or you've got a family. Yeah, or you got a family. Young family. Young family, but again, they all have an Uber, like the kids can meet you there, and you know what? Don't let them ruin your fun, man. Do you consider this your daily driver? Yes, I would say this is my daily driver.

SPEAKER_03 31:41

It's um And if someone was considering getting one of these as their daily driver, what compromises might they have to make other than the back seat?

SPEAKER_01 31:50

None. No, it's a phenomenal experience. I mean, like the turbo was before this, if you like feeling adrenaline and your blood pumping every time you get in a car, this is what you get. You do you'll you'll look for excuses to go for a drive. Don't worry, honey, I'll go to the grocery store and get the roll of toilet paper. It's like I'll go do it. They need a ride to the airport? No problem. That was never me before I owned a Porsche. Okay. I was like, I'll pay for you to go to the airport, but I'm not driving you. Now all of a sudden I'm looking for reasons. I think Jerry Seinfeld said it best. Food starts to taste better. Your eyes are a little bit brighter, you see things a little bit more clearly. Like your life is being lived, you're engaged in something that's beyond yourself, that is a simple thing. Like, I mean, you know, people could criticize it as being a materialistic thing. I disagree. You know what? My life sucked without one of these in it. Period. Now it's much better that there's one in it. You have a bad day, I jump in the car, go for a drive.

SPEAKER_03 33:06

So when trying to explain this car to non-car people, uh, is it difficult to explain the lesses more philosophy?

SPEAKER_01 33:13

All of it's hard to explain to those that aren't in the car world. Yeah. Like why you'd have more than one, why you'd go to the track, why you do any of these things, right? Yeah. Why I would drive 10 hours to go to a rally in the Carolinas.

SPEAKER_02 33:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:27

You know, why do we do anything? But yes, I think it's a it's I think when you compare what the T is, which is a throwback to an the original T, which is back in the late 60s and early 70s, uh, it becomes a much more clear picture that those were cars that were obviously simpler, like all cars back then. Yep. And therefore a throwback to that, you know, more analog experience. Now I wouldn't call this car 100% analog like a 996 or a 997 would be, but I would, in that ilk, call it a driver-focused car. I think that's a good description. Like it's, you know, it's maybe not a perfect daily driver for every person if you're not a car enthusiast. If you're a sport car guy and you don't want something that's gonna, you know, make your jaw shatter every time you get in it, this kind of fits that bill, right? Like it is comfortable enough to drive every day, it is practical enough to use for most things.

SPEAKER_02 34:31

So, what about when you try to explain this car to Porsche people, Porsche owners? People in the Porsche Club, do they get it?

SPEAKER_01 34:37

I think they do now. Like me, I think a lot of people didn't understand this model when it came out. And I think, yeah, I I think it's got a lot more respect now than it ever has, and it's definitely people in the Porsche community know what it is, and they'll always want to ask questions about it and see it. Because you don't still don't see that many around. I think I've only seen one other one at the track, and even downtown driving around all the time, I've maybe seen one other one on the road.

SPEAKER_03 35:08

So this car has thinner glass and the that's behind us on the sides and on the back, no defroster at the back.

SPEAKER_01 35:15

So that's a cool little thing. Um, I think the plastic windows are cool. Like it's I mean, if you think of air-cooled hot rod, you know, the first thing you're gonna do is rip out those side windows and put those louvered air ones in. And this kind of already has that from the factory. Yeah. So I think it's it's a real, in terms of how they designed it, what they did from a factory point of view, I think they really spoke to that hot rod enthusiast who might have done something like that in the past. Here it's like kind of done already from a factory, which in my opinion always makes it uh a far superior set of changes. Like, you know, you start modifying a car, uh, who knows how that's gonna turn out, right?

SPEAKER_03 35:59

And how long is it gonna last?

SPEAKER_01 36:00

Yeah, and it's like what's the next guy gonna think about it or who did the work and all the rest of it. But when it comes from the factory, you know, like a GT car, like you can do all the things you want to this car. It's never gonna be a GT car like one from the factory, you even if you put all the same stuff in it. Yeah, so there's just you know, factory cars are like that that's the truest it can be and the best it can be, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_03 36:22

Less sound insulation. So is the extra noise a treat or a burden?

SPEAKER_01 36:26

For me, it's I don't even notice it to be honest. Like I it uh non-issue. It's a non-issue. My other cars were way louder than this. As I mentioned earlier, my when I got my 997 convertible, the you know, a convertible is quite loud compared to anything with a roof on it. Of course, yeah. And uh, you know, she asked if it was always gonna be that loud. And I was like, yes, it will always be this loud. So this is like, you know, I can't make phone calls. That's right. You can't make phone calls. Yeah, that's that's right. I mean, it's the closest thing to having a motorcycle without it being a motorcycle. When you get a Porsche, you can't take calls, you can't listen to the bullshit. You're free.

SPEAKER_03 37:05

So the exhaust note, the sound of the exhaust is uh is you know, car guys are really into that.

SPEAKER_01 37:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:10

Um do you like the the sound of the exhaust on this car?

SPEAKER_01 37:14

I think it's just right. Like that car that just went by would annoy me when they're that loud all the time. Like this is like, yeah, if I want to turn it up, I turn a knob to Sport Plus or Sport, and it gives me a little bit of extra this. But under normal circumstances, like I love firing this car up because it gives a nice growl. It warms up, it's get it's got an aggressive sound, and then it simmers down when the RPMs drop when it gets warm. And it's like, yeah, it's very adequate, you know, it's without being annoying.

SPEAKER_00 37:52

Yeah, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 37:54

My turbo had straight pipes, and I mean I love that too, but like literally you couldn't take a call in that car. Like it was you had to pull over. And the neighbors actually complained. Oh, they're you know, and I'd go to the track and leaving at 5 30 in the morning, I'd wake up the whole street.

SPEAKER_03 38:08

By the way, if you uh like this uh video, I encourage you to subscribe to my YouTube channel, and uh there's a lot more video content like this, honest owner reviews, and a lot more other stuff. Phil, are you a subscriber? I am excellent. Great to hear. So, Phil, you paid 120,000, 125,000 Canadian for this car, which is a little over 90,000 US dollars. On Bring a Trailer, currently I see cars like this, T's and about the same age, about the same mileage, uh, going for around uh hundred thousand US dollars. Yeah. Um does that sound about right? Yeah, and uh so you're making money.

SPEAKER_01 38:42

Yeah, I mean it's uh it's the classic story with Porsche, right? If you buy the right, you know, if you buy at the right price, which takes a little bit of you know homework, and uh you know the market, uh you usually end up okay. Uh either maybe making a little bit or not losing much or breaking even. Like I feel this will be the same. This will be, you know, something who knows how long the price stays up, what the market does up and down. I don't pay too much attention to that. I've learned, you know, if I want to make money, I invest in Google. You know what I mean? This isn't an investment for me. Yes, it's nice if you get that out of it at the end of the day, that's a nice recovery. But if I don't get that and I lose a little bit of money, I'm okay with it. You know, I've had fun, man. It's like, you know, I like I say, you when every day you get to get into this, no matter where you're going, you already are winning.

SPEAKER_02 39:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:41

It doesn't matter what the world throws at you, you've already won for today. There's nothing they can do. And even if they do piss you off and break you in the day, at the end of the day, you're getting back in this car to go home and you're okay, man. It's all okay again.

SPEAKER_03 39:54

You know, and so if you were a Porsche salesman and you had a career a tea that you were selling, what would be the sales pitch?

SPEAKER_01 40:01

If you want to love every minute of your life, when you wake up to the time you go to bed, you buy one of these. That's how you do it. Don't wait. I run one of my favorite ads I ever got from Porsche, because like I say, from 2006, I just got my first boxster. So almost 20 years now, and I got a postcard from them in the car in the mail, and it said, You've wanted one since you were a kid. Time to grow up.

SPEAKER_03 40:25

So if you sold this car right now and you got a hundred or a hundred and ten US for it, yeah. What what could you what would you use that money for? What would you buy with that money?

SPEAKER_01 40:35

In that same ballpark, I like the GT, the first gen GT4, the 981. I think that's I've never driven one, but they look very attractive to me. Um they only came in sticks, so you have no choice on that regard. Uh there's other, I mean, even the newer Ts, perhaps they're probably a little more expensive than that, I would guess. I'm not, I mean, I don't want to shit on new models like everyone else does. I'm sure they're fantastic, but there is something charming about the smaller car. Um yeah, I mean the problem is what do you get? There's not much to replace it with. Like, you know, like I mean, I suppose if I was getting out of the T moniker, I would probably look at an S. The S seems to be good value for the money, you know. Again, more power than you're ever gonna use, but pr perhaps more comfort as well. Like, I don't know. Um I mean, I love the classics too. I could see myself going back into a 996 GT3. They seem to be around that price. Um I'd love to find a 996 GT2, but they're you're not gonna find one in that price range.

unknown 41:46

No, no.

SPEAKER_03 41:47

Going if you went to a Carrera S or a loaded Carrera S or something like or a turbo. Yeah. A loaded turbo. So there's a lot of tech in those cars that you don't have in this car. Are you missing out because of that?

SPEAKER_01 42:00

I don't think so. I mean, I think I think the tech is I don't know, it's gimmicky to me. Uh I don't like all the bells and whistles in a car like this. Like a sports car should be raw, should be simple, should be, you know, man against machine. You know, there's that kind of throwback. I mean, yes, it helps you go faster, I suppose, and it's probably there's probably some safety gizmos that make it a little safer. Um I just don't I'm not into changing technology. Like technology to me is uh I'm too old for that shit, man. Like I I feel like I'm past that generation.

SPEAKER_03 42:39

You're definitely not an early adopter.

SPEAKER_01 42:40

No, I'm not an early adopter. I mean, I I mean I love my air-cooled carts. It doesn't even have power steering. You know, it's like they didn't do power steering until 1989. I mean that's something I love about Porsche. They're they're slow to change, but it seems in the last couple of generations they've been in equal pace with change, you know? Like you see the new ones, they got all these screens. I'm sure they're fantastic cars. I'm not gonna argue that they're not good cars or anything like that, but it just I I school's out for me, man. I don't want to learn new tricks, new buttons I gotta press. Like this one's got enough. I can barely figure this one out.

SPEAKER_03 43:17

So if you were to describe the ideal situation or the ideal owner for this car, how would you describe that, Chris?

SPEAKER_01 43:27

Uh I think someone that's looking for something that's not what everybody else has, something a little quirky. It's a little special. Um, I mean, they're all special in their own way. But this is, you know, because it was misunderstood when it first came out and wasn't a big seller, I think there's something there, you know, just in that in itself. Also, you don't want to blow your brains out spending money. Like, I mean, you could easily spend two or three times the value of this car to achieve, I'm sure, a different experience. But how different would it be? I always use this 80-20 rule. Like, I mean, you're having 80% of the fund for 20% of the money, or vice versa. But like, you know, for example, the new GT3, which is a 300,000 Canadian. I don't know if it's three times the experience, though. You know what I mean? Like, it's three times the worry in my mind. Like, a lot could go wrong that is gonna make this look like a like a beginner car, you know what I mean? Like when those repairs come in, they're they're not gonna be cheap.

SPEAKER_03 44:33

So could someone buy this car and keep it forever?

SPEAKER_01 44:36

I think so. Yeah, and that's my intention. I can't ever see selling this car, like the there wouldn't be anything to replace it with unless I was just getting out of it completely.

SPEAKER_03 44:47

So if you were wanted to offer one bit of advice to someone considering a Carrera tea, what what advice could you offer? Or what didn't you know now that you or didn't you know before you first uh bought it or owned it, drove it, that you know now? What is that piece of information you'd like to share?

SPEAKER_01 45:06

Uh I think my advice would be to keep it to what its intention is, which is low, low options. I'd go for these seats or at least sports seats. Uh you know, a lot of people throw the back seats in again, a lot of people throw all the stuff in it, sunroofs and all that. You might as well just get a nest. Like you do, why'd you do that? You know what I mean? This car comes with the limited slip differential. You know, they all come with the rear steering in the new ones now, but if you get the rear steering and get the sport stuff, like the stuff that matters in the performance of the car, not the stupid frills. Like uh to me, that's taking away from the intention of the car.

SPEAKER_03 45:42

Now, after this ride with Phil, I think choosing his 2018 Carrera T is like choosing a beautiful Swiss-made Tissue watch over an Apple watch. The Tissou does one thing perfectly well, that is telling time in an analog way, and looks great. If this analog versus digital perspective changed how you think about sports cars, hit that like button and subscribe for more honest owner car reviews. Click here to check out my honest owner review of another modern more analog hero, my 718 Porsche Spider, and I'll see you there. Any questions or comments? Add them down below.