hp1000
Well-Known Member
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It is finally happening. I am ecstatic beyond words and I wanted to share this news with you guys. This forum played a big part in my decision, hence my long post (length disclaimer). I have been a certified gearhead since I was a child. Growing up I had my toy cars and pictures of cars in my room. I remember, when I was 12, I used to call the automotive companies and tell them I am buying a car, so they will send over free brochures to me. Yes I am a bit obsessed(Fyi, this was before the internet) Then at the great age of 16, I got my driverās license. It was pivotal change in my life. These objects that I have marveled over, I can legally drive them. Just mind blown...
Over the years I had a wide array of cars. However, I had to take a few years away from performance cars (10 years) to focus on competing priorities. During this time, I tried to mask my feelings/emotions regarding high performance cars and enthusiastic driving by watching hours of YouTube videos, spending time on the forums to fulfill the void. I always had a list of cars on my mind at all times. Really, I mean ALL THE TIME, it could be a sickness. I can officially say hiding it only made it worse. In the end of 2015, I decide to embrace this disease. Made the decision that I need a sports car /high performance car. My initial timeline was in 3-4 years. I started browsing for a non-daily car. My list is as follows:
ā¢ A blast to drive
ā¢ Car that can handles
ā¢ Track focused, nothing crazy, depending on my schedule (2-3 sessions a year, I live in the north-east so 2-3 sessions in season)
ā¢ Ageless lines
ā¢ Need a back seat. I have 2 kids and as a father I would love to introduce them into this world
ā¢ Had a preference for naturally aspirated( had an modified STI years ago, while fun, got tired of the power delivery)
ā¢ That āitā feeling. Car needs a soul. As humans are always drawn towards the intangible experience. There is always going to be something faster, but will it give you that grin, that feeling of āman this is worth itā?Or is it going to just going to give you that āinstaā feeling and leave you empty
Started my shopping:
My first option was the F80 BMW M3, always been a fan of the lineage with E30 & the E46, so that would be the obvious option. I specd out what I wanted. While this as a forced induced car, I felt I could put that behind me. It was during this time, the press on the GT350 started hitting all the feeds and perked my interest. However, I was not ready to change my mind. I had my mind set on either a Yas marina or Silverstone F80 M3.
A couple weeks later, a buddy of mine took a pic of an F80 M3 sitting right next to a GT350 at a cars and coffee. Well... that sealed the deal. At this time I decide to tighten my timeline of 3-4 years. As the years pass I am only aging, I are not getting quicker and life is short. What am I waiting for? Thank God I have a very supportive wife that understood and she was on board. Personally, I was not ready to pull the trigger yet. There were a few personal things I had to take care of first and needed a few more months before buying the car. I figured during this time I can spec out what i wanted. I was torn with what color. Initially thought I want Race Red with No Stripes, a couple of week later Grabber blue with black stripe, switched that to White with Blue stripes, then to Lightning Blue with white stripes, that change that to Avalanche grey with white stripe... as you can imagine, all over the place
It was December of 2016, still no decision made, I started to ponder about Porsche. Yes.. I knowā¦ stick with me here. Always loved the GT3 since its inception. I knew for me financially, getting a 997 GT3 would be a squeeze and no back seats was a deal breaker. However my thought was, why not consider a 997 Carrera S? This led to a Carrera S for a test drive. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was very refined loved the steering and shifter. It was very precise. I loved how nimble it felt. It evoked all of the intangible feelings, decided to make the switch again. Started my research, knew the obvious about higher operating cost. However, there was something in me saying, its not it. This led to me creating bpr/workflow diagram of my needs/wants (first world needs) in a car. The end product with the list of the cars I am consider. All of the results indicated a GT3(if I picked 2 seats) and GT350 (more than 2 seats).
Finally, before Christmas, my mind was made up. GT350 or bust.
Now the hard part, color, options and I donāt want to pay over sticker. After months and months of deliberation, mind made up 2017 Grabber Blue with white stripe with base option. This is not a daily, I did not see the benefits for me to get the electronics package. I would rather use that money towards my Xpel wrap and tires. Never have enough money for tires.
I have been watching one with these same specifications on cars.com. This dealer was charging 3k over sticker and they have had the car since early November.
Jan 9th Dealer dropped their price to $600 under sticker. The wife and I touched base and decided to make moves. Dealer, so far, was excellent to deal with. It was all done via phone, email, and text message. Dealership is 4.5 hours away and they offered to ship the car for a really good price. I should get delivery of the car in a couple weeks, just trying to hold my excitement down and trying very hard not to think about it. In the meantime have watched every GT350 video on YouTube video like a 100 times. The dealer sent some pics, see below. I hope to keep this journal up to date. Wanted to say thank you to the forum:cheers:
Over the years I had a wide array of cars. However, I had to take a few years away from performance cars (10 years) to focus on competing priorities. During this time, I tried to mask my feelings/emotions regarding high performance cars and enthusiastic driving by watching hours of YouTube videos, spending time on the forums to fulfill the void. I always had a list of cars on my mind at all times. Really, I mean ALL THE TIME, it could be a sickness. I can officially say hiding it only made it worse. In the end of 2015, I decide to embrace this disease. Made the decision that I need a sports car /high performance car. My initial timeline was in 3-4 years. I started browsing for a non-daily car. My list is as follows:
ā¢ A blast to drive
ā¢ Car that can handles
ā¢ Track focused, nothing crazy, depending on my schedule (2-3 sessions a year, I live in the north-east so 2-3 sessions in season)
ā¢ Ageless lines
ā¢ Need a back seat. I have 2 kids and as a father I would love to introduce them into this world
ā¢ Had a preference for naturally aspirated( had an modified STI years ago, while fun, got tired of the power delivery)
ā¢ That āitā feeling. Car needs a soul. As humans are always drawn towards the intangible experience. There is always going to be something faster, but will it give you that grin, that feeling of āman this is worth itā?Or is it going to just going to give you that āinstaā feeling and leave you empty
Started my shopping:
My first option was the F80 BMW M3, always been a fan of the lineage with E30 & the E46, so that would be the obvious option. I specd out what I wanted. While this as a forced induced car, I felt I could put that behind me. It was during this time, the press on the GT350 started hitting all the feeds and perked my interest. However, I was not ready to change my mind. I had my mind set on either a Yas marina or Silverstone F80 M3.
A couple weeks later, a buddy of mine took a pic of an F80 M3 sitting right next to a GT350 at a cars and coffee. Well... that sealed the deal. At this time I decide to tighten my timeline of 3-4 years. As the years pass I am only aging, I are not getting quicker and life is short. What am I waiting for? Thank God I have a very supportive wife that understood and she was on board. Personally, I was not ready to pull the trigger yet. There were a few personal things I had to take care of first and needed a few more months before buying the car. I figured during this time I can spec out what i wanted. I was torn with what color. Initially thought I want Race Red with No Stripes, a couple of week later Grabber blue with black stripe, switched that to White with Blue stripes, then to Lightning Blue with white stripes, that change that to Avalanche grey with white stripe... as you can imagine, all over the place
It was December of 2016, still no decision made, I started to ponder about Porsche. Yes.. I knowā¦ stick with me here. Always loved the GT3 since its inception. I knew for me financially, getting a 997 GT3 would be a squeeze and no back seats was a deal breaker. However my thought was, why not consider a 997 Carrera S? This led to a Carrera S for a test drive. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was very refined loved the steering and shifter. It was very precise. I loved how nimble it felt. It evoked all of the intangible feelings, decided to make the switch again. Started my research, knew the obvious about higher operating cost. However, there was something in me saying, its not it. This led to me creating bpr/workflow diagram of my needs/wants (first world needs) in a car. The end product with the list of the cars I am consider. All of the results indicated a GT3(if I picked 2 seats) and GT350 (more than 2 seats).
Finally, before Christmas, my mind was made up. GT350 or bust.
Now the hard part, color, options and I donāt want to pay over sticker. After months and months of deliberation, mind made up 2017 Grabber Blue with white stripe with base option. This is not a daily, I did not see the benefits for me to get the electronics package. I would rather use that money towards my Xpel wrap and tires. Never have enough money for tires. I have been watching one with these same specifications on cars.com. This dealer was charging 3k over sticker and they have had the car since early November.
Jan 9th Dealer dropped their price to $600 under sticker. The wife and I touched base and decided to make moves. Dealer, so far, was excellent to deal with. It was all done via phone, email, and text message. Dealership is 4.5 hours away and they offered to ship the car for a really good price. I should get delivery of the car in a couple weeks, just trying to hold my excitement down and trying very hard not to think about it. In the meantime have watched every GT350 video on YouTube video like a 100 times. The dealer sent some pics, see below. I hope to keep this journal up to date. Wanted to say thank you to the forum:cheers:
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