“Options” are the extra features you pick when you order a Porsche from the factory. They can change how the car looks and how it works.
Concept
overspend
The host is talking about spending too much money on extra features. He thinks people do it because they’re worried they’ll regret not choosing something.
A grounding short is an electrical fault where a wire or circuit accidentally connects to ground (the car’s chassis/negative reference) when it shouldn’t. Because the speaker says it was “somewhere in the dash,” the fault likely caused the dash electronics and PCM to lose power when the car hit a bump.
PCM is the car’s main computer for the engine and powertrain. In this case, the computer would turn off and reboot when the electrical problem showed up.
It means the car’s electrical system isn’t properly “grounded,” like a bad connection to the metal chassis. When that happens, the car’s computers can get confused and act weird.
CAN bus is the car’s communication system—basically the wiring network that lets different computers in the car coordinate. If there’s a problem in that network, lots of features can act up.
Lemon law is a consumer rule that helps if a new car keeps having major problems. If the issues don’t get fixed after enough attempts, the law can force the company to refund or replace the car.
The sunroof seal is the rubber strip that keeps rain from getting inside around the sunroof. If it’s not put back right, water can leak in and cause problems.
If the car locks the transmission into one gear, it’s usually a safety mode. The car limits how it shifts so you can drive to a shop without causing more damage.
A buyback process is when the company offers to buy your car back. The price is usually calculated using things like how old the car is and how many miles it has, not just how much you personally drove it.
Porsche North America is Porsche’s regional office for customers in North America. Here, they’re the ones running the process to buy the car back and figuring out the offer.
In this context, “depreciate” means reducing the buyback offer based on the car’s loss of value over time and usage. Even if some miles were driven by someone else (like service transport), the formula can still treat those miles as part of the car’s total mileage.
“Service miles” are miles the car racks up while it’s at a shop—like being driven to and from service. Even though it wasn’t your driving, those miles can still lower the value in the company’s paperwork.
Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control is a system meant to keep the car from leaning too much in corners. The host’s point is that it costs a lot, and unless you drive extremely aggressively, a 911 can already handle so well that the extra money may not feel worth it.
The Porsche 911 Turbo S is a high-performance variant where Porsche’s chassis tech is more likely to be standard or more prominent. Here it’s used as the comparison point for PDCC, with the speaker claiming the suspension-flattening benefit is most relevant on the Turbo S.
The Porsche Cayenne is Porsche’s SUV. It’s heavier and sits higher than a typical sports car, so it drives differently—especially in how it turns and feels on the road. It’s often mentioned when people compare what kind of Porsche fits their needs.
This is a suspension system that can react while you’re driving. Instead of just letting the car lean in a turn, it helps push back to keep the car more level.
Term
DV8 stitching
DV8 stitching is an interior option where you get decorative stitching on parts of the cabin. The host paid a lot for it to make a black interior look more interesting, but says it wasn’t as dramatic as they hoped.
A two-tone interior means the car’s cabin uses two colors instead of just one. Here, they’re saying it helps a black interior look brighter and more visually interesting.
An allocation is basically your turn/slot to buy a limited-availability car. If you have allocation, you can go to the dealer and choose options for the car you’re allowed to order.
The Porsche 911 Carrera T is a special version of the 911 meant to be more driver-focused. The host is saying it already comes with a lot, and then he explains which add-ons actually change how it feels to drive.
Rear wheel steering means the back wheels can turn a little too. That helps the car change direction more easily and can make it feel more stable when you’re driving fast or turning.
A “sports exhaust” is an upgraded exhaust system. It’s mainly about getting a louder, more exciting sound (and sometimes a slightly different feel when you drive).
Sport Chrono is an option that makes the car feel more “performance oriented.” It usually adds extra driving modes and helps the car respond more sharply when you drive it hard.
Resale value is how much the car might be worth when you sell it. The host says don’t pick options just because you’re worried about what the next owner will pay—pick what you’ll enjoy driving.
Configuring your own Porsche means picking the options and colors through the online ordering tool. The host says it can be overwhelming, but you can still get a good feel for what you’re building.
Carbon bucket seats are racing-style seats made to keep you firmly held during aggressive driving. They can feel great on track, but they’re often less comfortable for normal everyday driving.
“Couch seats” is the speaker’s nickname for the more comfortable, regular seats. They’re basically saying the bucket seats are more hardcore and less comfy.
“18 ways” means the seat can be adjusted in lots of different directions. The host is contrasting that comfort/fit flexibility with the more fixed, racing-style bucket seats.
The “halo effect” is when something famous or highly praised makes people think it’s the best option for them. The host is saying GT3 hype can override real-world usefulness.
“Tracking” means taking the car to a race track event. The host is saying that on track days, GT3s sometimes end up being driven more carefully than you’d expect.
Term
wide wheels
Wider wheels usually mean wider tires, which can help the car grip the road. But on rough roads, that setup can also make the ride feel louder or more jarring, which is what the speaker is describing here.
RPM tells you how fast the engine is spinning. The speaker is saying the GT3 can be pushed to very high revs (around 9,000), which is exciting but not always the most comfortable way to drive every day.
The Porsche Boxster 981 is a specific generation of Porsche’s roadster. “Base” means the standard, less hardcore version, and it’s mentioned to reinforce the idea that everyday usability matters.
They mean that moving to a higher trim can cost a lot more, but the extra enjoyment you get might not increase as much as you’d expect. So it’s worth thinking about what you personally value in the car.
A locking rear diff helps the rear wheels work together instead of one wheel spinning faster than the other. That usually means better traction, so the car can accelerate more confidently, especially on slippery roads or when exiting turns.
The Porsche Cayman is a mid-engine Porsche sports car. Here they’re saying that even the less expensive version can be fun because you have to drive it more to get the best experience.
The Tesla Model S is an electric car in sedan form. It’s known for being very fast and for having advanced technology. People sometimes talk about it because a top performance version can set expectations for what the whole model line is “supposed” to feel like.
The Porsche 911 GT3 is a more track-oriented 911. In this conversation, it’s associated with revving the engine high, which can make driving feel more exciting and involving.
A manual transmission means you choose the gears yourself using a clutch pedal and a shifter. The host is saying the Carrera T is slower than other 911s partly because it’s set up with a manual gearbox.
Naturally aspirated means the engine doesn’t use a turbo to force extra air in. The hosts are comparing those engines to turbocharged ones and how the power numbers are presented.
Horsepower is a number that describes how strong the engine is. They’re saying the official horsepower numbers Porsche lists may be lower than the real output.
The Porsche 911 GT3 is the Porsche 911 you buy if you want the most track-focused, enthusiast-approved driving experience. In this discussion, they’re basically saying a tuned non-GT3 911 might surprise people—power-wise—and could even change how you think about GT3 being the top of the lineup.
Horsepower is how much power the engine makes. The host is warning that if you push the power too high, you can start putting extra strain on parts like the transmission.
PDK is Porsche’s type of automatic transmission that shifts very quickly. Instead of you rowing gears with a clutch pedal, the car handles the shifting for you—often with faster results than a normal automatic.
A 2017 Carrera S is a Porsche 911 variant. Here it’s the example car the host uses to compare two ways of shifting: manual versus Porsche’s PDK automatic. The point is how different the driving experience feels between the two.
Torque is the engine’s “pulling power.” If an engine has less torque, it may feel weaker unless you keep the revs up. The host’s point is that PDK helps you stay in the right rev range so the car feels strong more often.
A turbocharger forces more air into the engine, which often makes the car feel stronger and more responsive. The host is saying that turbo cars tend to deliver that push differently than non-turbo cars.
The Porsche 993 is a specific older generation of the 911. The big idea here is that it’s an air-cooled, more old-school car—smaller and more “hands-on” to live with and repair yourself.
A cabriolet convertible is a car with a roof that can open. The host is saying they don’t like the idea of owning an open-top 911 because it doesn’t fit their personality.
The Porsche 928 is a different Porsche model the host previously owned, and they mention it to explain their financial mindset before buying the Porsche 993. The key point is that owning the 928 “cost” them money, so they weren’t ready to spend a large amount on the 993 at the time.
“Air-cooled” means the engine is cooled mainly by air moving over it, not by circulating coolant. The host is using it to explain why the car feels more old-school and less forgiving than newer cars.
“Analog experience” means the car feels more connected to the driver—less like it’s using computers to correct mistakes. The host’s point is that you have to be more deliberate because it won’t automatically bail you out.
“Body work” means fixing the car’s outer damage—like dents or scuffs on the panels. The host is saying their 993 still needs that kind of work and a new paint job.
A jump start is how you get a dead battery working again by borrowing power from another battery. The host is using the other car to provide enough electricity to start the car with the flat battery.
An accessory belt is a belt that powers important parts of the engine. If it comes off, the alternator may stop charging the battery, and the car can eventually shut down.
The alternator is what keeps the car’s battery charged while the engine is running. If it stops working, the battery eventually runs out and the car won’t keep going.
Term
utility belt
A utility belt is a belt in the engine bay that spins important accessories when the engine is running. If it’s off or not seated correctly, the car may not run properly or may not charge the battery.
A dipstick is the simple stick you use to check how much engine oil is in the engine. You pull it out, look at the oil level marks, and it tells you whether you need to add more or drain some.
They’re talking about cars that aren’t popular at first, but people end up loving them once they experience how they drive. They mention a couple classic Porsches as examples.
The Porsche 944 is a classic Porsche from the 1980s. It’s a sports car that’s less talked about than the 911, but people who drive it often love how balanced and fun it feels.
LIVE
I'm Derek, this is 11 After 9, and I am so excited for my guest this week. I have my good friend Nick
Murray from the aptly named Nick Murray YouTube channel. I've known Nick personally for a few
years now ever since he was good enough to take my 1972 911T for a drive, affectionately named
Birdie, and we had a great time together. But I personally feel like I've known Nick
for, gosh Nick, maybe 15 years because that's how long everyone's favorite YouTube Kiwi has been
making content for us on all things BMW, Porsche, helicopters, and I feel like I've known him forever.
So Nick, number one, thank you for coming on the 11 After 9 podcast and welcome to my podcast.
How you doing? You're doing well my friend. Thank you for inviting me. Yes, I don't know that I'm
everyone's favorite YouTubeer, but people that want to like me, that's great. I think that you
have a way of capturing people's hearts because you are very wonderfully self-deprecating and you
don't take yourself too seriously. Oh, and can I just mention this because I know, having known you
for a bit that you are a geek of old cool things and so I am wearing my calculator watch today
and I know that that means something to you. That does mean something to me. I am a lover of
calculator watches. I have over a hundred in my collection, which I'm now trying to sell off.
It's gotten completely out of control, but yeah, my whole life as a teenager was what's the next
calculator watch that Casio are going to produce? It was sad times. I think that everything old is
new again and everything that was uncool becomes ironic cool and then becomes cool again. So I think
you're like deep in the coolness right now, Nick. You're good. I'm glad you think so. I think you
are, but now that we've captured our Casio calculator watch audience on 11 After 9,
I was hoping to talk to you about a couple things. I mean, as always with these podcasts,
I have way more questions than I know we have time for and so what I was hoping I could do is for
those people that might not be aware of you or people that have caught you maybe in the last
five years or 10 years, I was hoping we might be able to go back to where I discovered you
and that was when you purchased a 2013 991.1 and you had issues with it and I remember coming
across a video of you and it was you sitting in your driver's seat of the car. I think you had
just gotten bad news from Porsche like they were going to try to screw you over on something that
had broken again and you just had this like honest conversation with the camera about like your
frustrations and how you want to love this car and etc etc and ever since then I was hooked
because I had never seen anything like that. People talking out against the great you know
brand and this car wasn't amazing in every way, how could that be? So it was an O13 Carrera
ass and I think it was blue and what happened? Can you refresh my memory and everyone out there?
Yeah sure so it was a crazy moment in time for me as well because it was an extraordinary amount
of money that I was spending and right from the beginning it was an interesting process because
what I discovered and what I think a lot of people know these days is that you know Porsche
salespeople and I was dealing with this this older gentleman who doesn't work for Porsche anymore
luckily who was my salesperson and I had I'm a technical person so I had a thousand questions
for him because you know there's there's over a hundred options on these cars and I was like
what does this do? What And to my surprise once I got the car
almost all of the advice he'd given me was wrong like he just genuinely did not know
anything about the car. So that was a little disappointing and I was a little suspicious
to start with and and to be frank I'd overspeak the car which first time Porsche owners often do
because it's just it's all about anxiety like what happens if I don't get this option like
is my car going to be ruined am I not going to be able to sell it you know this is the
normal anxiety that people go through which I try and be crap in five years. Yeah I try and cure
these days like it's just not necessary to get any option at all so don't don't overspend.
So yeah I'd a little bit overspent on this car with some silly options and just out of the gate
it had some problems. The major problem it had was that there was a grounding short
somewhere in the dash so when I went over a bump the whole dash including the PCM
would just shut down and restart and that was so easily demonstrated that I could film it
and I could take a Porsche service person out for a drive and demonstrate it over
and over again so there was no question there was a problem. The car went in and obviously
it's a grounding fault like some some wire somewhere is not grounding or or grounding on
something a bump like that that's easy to replicate but hard to find and so they spent some time
working on that and that was fine I'm not a type of person that throws a fit just because something
wrong with a new new product I expect something to be wrong with every new product but what ended
up happening was that in the disassembly of the whole interior trying to find this grounding
fault I think there was something else that went wrong because they had to order a whole lot more
parts for the bus the the the can bus that goes around the car that you know you'd press a button
it tells the computer to put the window up type of thing. Yeah all the wiring in the computer as well
so it stayed in the dealership a lot longer than anticipated and I hadn't even I wasn't even really
aware of lemon law stuff at that point I was just happily going about my day driving loaner cars.
I was just gonna say I mean there's a certain beauty in not devaluing your car and just driving
Porsche's free cars for a time. It was fine it was fine I was not stressed in the least but
what ended up happening and I don't know what happened in the background but I got a call
from Porsche that my local dealership saying come and pick the car up it's ready to go
and I was wait on you said it was going to be another six weeks how come it's suddenly ready to go
and reading between the lines and to be frank I don't know that this is 100 true but I believe
speaking to people in the aftermath that it had reached you know 39 days or one day before the
lemon law no and so they wanted to get me back on the road to reset that timing I got something
along those lines because I picked up the car and it was not ready like there was water coming
through the sunroof because they hadn't put the seal back on the sunroof and you know I got I left
the dealership and there were lights coming on and smoke coming out of the dashboard and
the transmission locked into one gear and you know I just pulled over and called the
the Porsche people and they came and picked up the car and I was what is going on like
oh at that point yeah clearly gave me a broken car back and the steering wheel was held on with
duct tape it's like yeah that's when they started back pedaling and saying look
they realized they'd given me a dangerous car and like we're gonna we're gonna buy the car back
from you and I was okay that's fair enough and and that's when things went off
the rails because I got I got contacted by Porsche North America for the buyback process
which is pretty straightforward and and they have a uh some sort of calculation they do
like if you spend $150,000 in the car and it's a year old we're going to in this many miles we're
going to give you 130 whatever you know it's like a pro read it calculation yeah and um
and so the lady called me and she said yeah we're going to you know the car's so and so many weeks
old and it's got this many miles on it uh we're gonna depreciate it by you know $9,000, $10,000
and I'm like but hang on a minute I've only done like 50 miles in their car and you're
saying the car's got a thousand miles on it like I didn't do those miles so should I really be stung
for the mileage those are service miles yeah yeah the service miles because somebody for some reason
drove it to New Hampshire and back while it was in service and I didn't do that and so um
so yeah it picked up a whole bunch of service miles as well to be fair living in the great
state of New Hampshire I can understand why someone in Connecticut would want to come up
and visit in a beautiful blue Porsche well I think I think the service rep that looks after
my area also looks after Nashua, Porsche and and that area as well and so I think they took my car
I don't know anyway the underlying argument was I'm not completely sure that I should be
10 grand for miles because it was miles the calculation that I never did I said how about
we split 50-50 I think that would be fair and they were like no that's not how it works and
that's when I did the video and the video was a tricky thing to do because no one on earth gives a
damn about some loser that's got a problem with their Porsche right it's just not gonna go down well
like who cares about you and your fancy car right not too many bleeding parts for you no one's gonna
care right so I had to approach it from the point of view that um well I just had to approach it
from an honest point of view like this is what's going on I don't expect anyone to care but this
is you know this is a big chunk of money for me and I genuinely think I'm kind of being screwed
over a little bit here and and that video to be frank was a terrifying thing because it it
ballooned out of control and that was never my I was never intending to hurt Porsche I was just
trying to ease them into doing the right thing yeah yeah of course and um
and it blew up now I mean it blew up was millions of views in the first few hours
and it was crazy and my I remember I was in a meeting at work and I wasn't looking at my phone
I was actually presenting and I finished presenting I look at my phone and there's
thousands and this is just waiting for me I'm like oh what has happened
yeah even there was even a radio station from New Zealand that wanted to interview me about it
you know it was it was insane but um it had the desired effect of Porsche came around and
they they looked at the whole file and said yeah turns out we didn't believe you Nick
but it turns out we did give you a broken car back and then we tried to screw you for miles that we
put on the car so let's and they were they were really gracious about it and they gave me my money
back and and all's all's good and uh and I've had a good relationship with them ever since but um
but you know what Nick like I 100% can sympathize with you because I people reach out to me all the
time um and especially folks that have saved up for like 20 or 30 years it's always their aspirational
purchase to buy a new Porsche not a pre-owned Porsche they want a new Porsche they want to
spec it they want to make it theirs and of course the price point you know back in the early teens
versus now I mean it's even more expensive to you know realize that dream and I 100% understand
that you spent all this money and you get your baby and it immediately doesn't work and then you
know the person who you bought it from goes well that's kind of your problem a guy I understand
the frustration and it really kind of made I think the public kind of fall in love with you
when they were like oh this I know it's like a champagne problem for the masses
I get that but at the same time you know what from a visceral point of view like no one likes to see
the little guy get pounded by the big guy you know what I mean yeah yeah um so it was it was a delicate
balancing act because yeah no one's really ever going to feel sorry for a new Porsche driver
but then after that you stay you stuck with the brand and you ended up getting a 991.2
Yes so so you you love the car you just had a bad experience yeah and I'm not someone who's you know
fall on their sword you know shit happens you know yeah and yeah and then that was the tough
that was it's been tough for me ever since is that I became known as this guy that can win against
Porsche or sometimes other brands and so I was for years just inundated with
emails from people going Nick I own a such instance I own a Ford F-150 and the gas gauge
always shows you know quarter more gas and so on so or the radio doesn't quite one speaker
doesn't quite work and I've been trying to lemmon Laura what can you advise and I went oh my god
Nick you became the um the Aaron Brockovich of Porsche yeah yeah yeah or just just like every
person with a problem came to me and and honestly sometimes I just wanted to strangle these people
and go yeah things go wrong take it back to the service department and get it fixed just because
one little issue it doesn't mean the world is coming to an end for you you know yeah but yeah
there was also people with genuine problems that wanted advice and and the tough part was
trying to convince people that had genuine like had had real issues like I remember one and one guy
had the transmission on his brand new the PDK had completely eaten itself in the first three months
and the car had been in the in the shop for for you know a couple months and I was like
this is a perfect lemon law case like yeah but he he wanted to get lawyers involved and so forth
I was like no it's just not necessary lemon law process and practically every state is
straightforward and it requires you know you getting lawyers involved just makes Porsche
fight harder and loses you money you can just fill out the form the government site form it's very
straightforward they look at the the receipts from the service department say oh yes it has been
in for more than 30 days for the same problem no problem you're getting your money back it's really
straightforward so I spend a lot of time trying to convince people not to overreact yeah that if
they have a genuine problem and it's met the minimum requirements in your state it's actually a really
easy process and you don't need illegal uh advice they're just going to take more money off you
um but then there was also even more people that were like one switch has been faulty on
and off and I can't replicate it or get a video of it but I assure you it's the case and why won't
they lemon law it for me Nick I'm like oh my god I know it was a bit of both two things you said
there um the first is I I like you whenever I'm going to make a purchase it doesn't even have
to be an expensive purchase but certainly any expensive purchase I research the heck out of it
I kind of feel like that's a Porsche thing I feel like one of the reasons why you've been very
successful in YouTube and why people enjoy 11 after 9 is that from a technical standpoint people
go out and they want to research whatever car they're looking at um and god knows I do it for like
like a toaster you know I'm going to research the best toaster and I want to find out you know
all the intricacies but then you go into the dealer and you talk to a salesperson that's supposed
to know more than you but you know more than them it's an experience that lets you down but you
did say something that you overspec your first car and I would love to talk about that real quick
because um while we certainly can't spec a 991.1 new now the god man the prices on these are like
continuing to go up and people are going after the 991s the last of the normally aspirated
six cylinder motors and they're they're they're getting as much of a cult status I feel as 993s
have and I'd love to ask you when it comes to specking what did you put on there
that was complete bunk that you wouldn't have done again on my first 9-11 yeah yeah a number of
things um I put um uh what's it called ppdcc pusher dynamic chassis control
what a complete waste of money that is like that was an expensive option and I researched it
extensively not that there was any information from anyone especially the dealership um it's the
suspension flattening um technology that's standard in the um I think it's only standard
in the turbo s and for the most part it is an expensive waste of money because the reality is
that Porsche 911s handle flat anyway and so you really have to push the car to extreme to see
what happens and the second problem is and I found I only found out afterwards is that
the small change it does make to the handling makes people cast sick oh really I didn't realize
that like this is a pop more popular option and say uh Cayenne or you know a heavier
top heavy vehicle where it does make a noticeable difference so it essentially locks the roll bar
so when you're taking a turn it no it actually puts oil pressure into the opposite so it's actually
active and it's suspension management oh okay yeah it's it does it's it's an active system um
so it'll push as as the car leans into the corner it'll push oil into that side of the the shock
or whatever and and push the car the other way um so you don't have any lean but that yeah
and it is a very clever system however in this in the 911 I would always question whether it's
any value because they handle so flat anyway the natural handling of a 911 I think gives you better
feedback if you're tracking the car then the system as well but yeah the unexpected and something
which I started to cotton on to was that like my girlfriend at the time complained of getting car
sick when she was in that car not that she liked that car to start with but and maybe she was exaggerating
but then I started to definitely driving yeah it might have been my driver yes um but then I started
to look into because people were complaining to me about other models with that option
particularly chians and saying my kids are always car sick and my question would my first
question would always be do you have the dynamic chassis control yes we do I was go to the dealership
and have that disabled and come back to me and tell me whether your kids are still car sick
there you go um so I don't know whether they've solved that issue and it's not it's not everyone
that has that issue but it's it's there's enough people that have talked to me about it that I'm
like okay I'm pretty confident this is this is a underlying not a not a serious issue but you
know this is an underlying so that's one option that I had on that car which I was like wow that was
thousands of dollars wasted but then there was lots of little um cosmetic things like I got the
the the eliminated door cells this this the where it lights up yeah um I would have to say
that that made zero difference to my life and no one ever noticed it and I was just
oh my god I spent eleven or 1200 dollars on this stupid and there was lots of
shit like that like being a first-time Porsche owner you know I just made a lot of silly mistakes um
and I spent a fortune on DV8 stitching because I had a black interior and what I have subsequently
learned like I speaking a new Carrera T I you know you're stuck with a black interior
so you have to do DV8 stitching but you don't want to do white on black it just looks too plain
you want to you know put a brighter color there so I've done sort of gray on black in it it just
didn't lift the interior I don't know what I can't remember how much I spent I've probably spent
close to ten grand on um DV8 and DV8 stitching oh my gosh and it was it was nice to have but it made
very little difference to you know I needed I needed to get a two-tone interior and that's
that's what I did in my next 9-11 and it really you know brightened the interior brought it up
was it you wasn't as fancy as I thought it would be Nick um I'm trying to remember
I I personally have the opinion that when you start adding leather to surfaces a lot of it you
can't see you'll never appreciate but I do really love the leather this is so geeky dude the dude
this is so geeky I really love the leather on the steering column because I feel like you look down
on that all the time is that and it's currently unavailable for any 9-11 right yes I found that
out because I gave that advice to someone recently and you can't do that at the
moment no um I was wondering if maybe I got that opinion from you maybe a decade ago because I do
you believe the same thing yeah so I pushed it hard for people because um particularly in the
9-91 models it's it's very obvious the the the contrast between the leather that you see around
the dash and this plastic large plastics but right in front of you obviously it's third world first
world problem like oh there's leather on my um but yeah it is it probably is the most noticeable
plastic surface in the car on a 9-91 less so on a 9-92 I think like not as critical on a 9-92
but interestingly that is the only option that's currently unavailable for how long I don't know
if you are speccing a new car right now people listening to this are
they got their allocation and they're going to go down to the dealer and and spec something out
what are your top three must have options you think should go into a 9-11 or a Boxster came in
something like that you know I reviewed just yesterday a brand new Carrera T which is a model
that I would personally like to buy myself if I was not unemployed right now um and the owner of that
car did such a good job in making sure he took no options I like he got he got the uh he his car
was blue and so he got the Carrera blue interior so you get blue stripes on the seats and that was
8000 dollars and it was just it just picks up the interior on the Carrera T if you've
got an exterior color that can cope with the blue interior like if you're getting green you can't
put blue inside etc so he did that and he did the bow stereo and I think that was it like that was
it um and but keep in mind that the Carrera T comes with a lot of options already you know it
comes with the sports exhaust it comes with the sport chrono it comes with the rear wheel steering
it comes with a bunch of um shit that you don't need as well um but yeah I people ask me this all
the time and and obviously it's a personal taste thing but I don't have a top three must have or
highly recommend because there is nothing there is not a single uh option that I think is a must
have now there are very popular options like sports exhaust is obviously an extremely popular option
and sport chrono also an extremely popular option and I'd say if you can afford it and it doesn't
bother you definitely get sports exhaust and sport chrono it is almost a standard in most of sports
Porsche sports cars but once again if you don't have either of those options I don't think your
driving experience is going to be massively affected and it's those two options are also options that
dealerships will push and say you must have this otherwise it's really going to impact your
resale value and I don't believe that to be true either um but you know
configuring your own Porsche is such a daunting task but it doesn't need to be you you can get
such a good feel from the configurator and you personalize it to your own taste yeah and I
recommend people not worry about what the next owner is going to think you know too many people
write to me and go I don't really want the such and such but I'm really worried you know that
that's going to affect the resale value and no one's going to buy this car and I'm like
stop worrying about the next owner worry about this is your car if you don't want sport chrono
don't get it it's not going to make a difference can I give you a perfect example on that neck
where I have people reach out to me especially if they're buying a GT car and they feel compelled
that they have to get the carbon bucket seats yes they do you know and in four and then make their
freaking nightmare to drive oh it's like a torture device iron maiden like
but they are told by the dealer they're told by the forums on the internet they're told
by Porsche that like you have to get these seats and in practice there's very few people that I
know that are so happy that they went with the carbon buckets over what they call the couch
seats or the 18 ways which are just the normal seats for those out there that don't know what those are
yeah it's a good it's a really good point and it kind of leads to a wider discussion on the GT3
or the GT cars as to what the hell do people use them for these days anyway they've become so
outrageously expensive and they continue to be the least usable 911 and so they've got this halo
effect you know ah it's the best model blah blah blah you know I'm going to say if Porsche gave me a
free GT3 I would sell it immediately and buy a lower down moth I have zero interest in ever owning
a GT3 because I want to drive my car every day and I just find the lower models more enjoyable so
the GT3s are magnificent cars no question and I love having to drive them for an hour on my
YouTube channel sweet like I love it sure but would I own one no way like they're just so
outrageous the expensive and they become more of a well obviously every Porsche car is a bit of a
show-off vehicle you know yeah I've got in my driveway you know there's no question about that
you know but it's a sliding scale the GT3s have really become yeah I'm gonna wipe it down with
a damp diaper each day and and maybe take it for a 15 minute thrash but I'm not going to do much
more else with that because they're you know you know they're really you just don't see well
the few times that I've taken my cars tracking and seen GT3s they're the slowest car on the track
because they're nannying around the track now I'm not saying that's true for everyone I've got a
couple of friends who've got GT3s that thrashed the shit out of their cars on the track they are
definitely definitely out on left field you know they are not the norm for GT3 owners the GT3 owners
these days and often just you know I want to own the top of the line model but I'm not really in
there and so they just don't put the miles on it and don't get the use out of it which I personally
and it's each to their own fair enough do what you like with your car but for me I want to
palm my dogs don't take them walking drive it every day as I do I've got an old 993 it gets
driven every single day rain or shine because I enjoy you know being in my low down supports car
and enjoy getting some use out of it use it as a car use it as a car yeah there's a certain beauty
to that it's funny that you went there with when it comes to the GTs and I have to say I agree with
you in large part Nick GT3s are beautiful cars I I like when the touring came out because it looked
less outrageous and from a because I'm more of a maybe a little bit more of an undercover type
of guy personally but if you were to drive a GT3 on the roads especially up here in New England
with the potholes and the expansion joints and the gravel all you hear is ping
ping ping with the really wide wheels and then you get yourself into a Carrera T like you described
or you get yourself in an ace in an s or a base and you go well this is fast and this is fun
but this is a lovely place to be because it's more car than race cars yeah yeah it's just
it's I'm not going to argue you taking the GT3 engines up to 9000 rpm it is a thrill
but that's their party trick right and the other 99% of the time it's a little bit of a
tortured device where I'd rather have you know a car that is 100% enjoyable and so I'm not putting
down GT3 owners I love the cars and I respect the people that own them but for me personally I would
always take a lower down more usable more comfortable more affordable model 911 well
and that's the other thing my friend but you know that what's really interesting is there has been
I feel like sometimes I'm a little bit of a contrarian on my youtube channel
and certainly on the podcast where I've had many s's and I've had many bases and right now in my
garage I have birdie my 72 that you drove I have a 2005 997.1 base and I have a 2014
Boxster 981 base and I have done a bunch of videos where I think the base is better than the s
because of just how much you can use it and this is ad nauseam for people listening but
essentially I can I can use 80% of that car where I'd use 60% of an s or 50% of an s and I get
some people that are very pro that nick but I also get a lot of people that tell me to go
Pound Sand because they don't I don't understand that s is just better in every way and I wonder
if that kind of speaks to your point you know is GT3 that same thing yeah and everyone has to
everyone has to be careful of you know always gate protecting the model they own you know
obviously is always the case and I'm guilty of that as well always going well my model the one
that I got is definitely the best because I've got it right type of thing and so and and you know
each to their own and there's definitely as you go up the range is diminishing returns is what I'd
say in enjoyment and is there an argument as to base versus s being better you know probably as
you've probably said yourself as you know the base you just have to drive it more because
you know you you've got less power so you it's and and that to me is a lot more enjoyable
actually going through the revs and having to think about what you're going to do with the car
but on the flip side you know the s is more capable and so if you you know and often the s model has
the the locking rear diff which makes a big difference to the traction and so forth and
that has a lot more power and a few more standard parts so you know there's a strong argument in
both ways and I'm never going to say you know the base is better than the s or the s is better
than the base because it comes down to your skill set how you use the car and when people
people buy a base 911 or Cayman or Boxster or whatever and they come to me you know hoping
that they've done the right thing um always you definitely did the right thing sure you know yeah
um yeah it's you don't feel that you've bought a lesser model you've just brought a model which
more suits your driving style or your needs and you know just like uh I did a review a while back
of the the current base 911 my god what an incredibly capable vehicle that is and so much
more enjoyable to drive than a turbo s any day any day I'm sorry turbo s owners I have nothing
but admiration for the enormous uh performance potential and and striking looks of a turbo s
but man you are light footing that car all day long yep because it's just so it's so easy
a child can drive a turbo s fast and therein lies the problem in that it's just yep it's just no fun
once you've gotten used to the you know talk in the back of your seat the rest of the time you're
doing I'm already doing 120 miles an hour I need to slow down you never you never get
chance to push it um whereas if you bought a base you're like oh yeah giving it giving it the beans
and really you know it's it's more of an interactive experience in my opinion I think that the phrase
giving it the bean should be used way more often in common parlance personally I'd love that phrase
Nick I call it the plaid effect I feel like the Tesla plaid put this up for most of us to see
where it was like touted right in bright lights about how fast this car was how amazing it was
you get in it you do a couple rips and you're sick to your stomach and then you never do it again
and I have my friends have the plaid and they've done it a handful of times and they've never done
it again and I wonder if that kind of fits into what you're saying about the GT3 and taking it to
9000 rpm all the time maybe you do there's a few that do but not everybody but even more specifically
as you're describing the turbo s if you're if you're at 10 throttle 15 throttle all the time
and you do a couple pulls like does that get old after a while I don't know but but you know it
also depends what you what you own the car for and people have to be honest with themselves about
what they own the car for and so many Porsche owners own the car not to drive it but as a statement
and that is perfectly fine as well you know and and a turbo s is definitely a bigger statement
than a base model Carrera you know and so that's perfectly fine as well but yeah it's um
so I never I never say oh you've got the wrong car it's just finding the car that best suits
what you want the car for and what if you're honest about you know why you purchase this car so yeah
all the best for anyone buying any model yeah just don't be a jackass like that's the big thing right
just don't be a jackass oh you know um something I talked about in my latest video um that I just
recorded was and this is going to upset a lot of people what is currently the slowest model Porsche
911 because officially and if you look at the Porsche website it's the Carrera T right because
it's got the base engine with the manual transmission so looking at the numbers it is the slowest
exhilarating car and the slowest top speed 911 but it's not really because two things
they just grossly understate the turbo engine models not the naturally aspirated engine models
for some reason I don't know why there is that marketing difference between them and what I'm
saying is do you mean understate like they're like the numbers like how fast they truly are yeah
both the both the horsepower numbers and how fast they are like grossly understate them sometimes
like they say the the base model the current 992.2 base model Carrera or the Carrera T are both
388 horsepower there is no way they are 388 horsepower they are way over 400 horsepower
all day and that is easy showing and the same for the for the s and even the the gts all grossly
understate it however and and because they've got the old gts engine in them just I'm talking about
the base and the Carrera T now yeah with a simple 1500 dollar stage one tune that just releases
just releases the hold on the on the turbo so it just allows the turbo to spin up to what it's
designed to spin up to those engines produce 560 to 570 horsepower all day long with no
modifications no extra strain on the engine designed to do it right oh my god and so because
the base and the the Carrera T and the s all can so easily produce over 560 horsepower very easily
that makes them way more powerful than a GT3 and this is what's going to be very upsetting to a lot
of people because it's such a halo car the GT3 but it might actually be the slowest car in the range
these days so that I see what you did there and I love it because that is a great hook
because if the GT3 is the slowest car out there you can certainly say how important it is for
other reasons in terms of it still maintains the ethos of Porsche normally aspirated right it's
still the purest driving experience the purest track car no question about it I'm not saying
that you're going to see base model Carreras go around a track faster than a GT3 because that's
not going to happen but in a straight line drag race right hmm I I wouldn't want to be in the GT3
but what do you I don't know just goes back to what we were talking about a minute 560 horsepower
that is that is a great way to get into a lot of trouble really quickly yeah and it's just shows
the remarkable amount of performance that is so easily attained without you know putting air filters
or any of that other stuff that you can do to ease more and more you know you know that engine
is totally capable of over 600 horsepower with a couple of very minor modifications but you're
starting to get into the into the dangerous zone of stressing parts of the transmission or whatever
you want to keep it within design spec so that you know you're not running any chance of damaging so
I'd always recommend anyone tuning their base their T or their S to keep it at a stage one
so that it remains a completely reliable and usable car but once again you know what I do it I don't
know because I quite like having less power I know it sounds crazy but it's more like I couldn't
believe how enjoyable the current uh Carrera T is to drive it is it's a lovely thing isn't it
magnificent car I was just I was so emotional filming that car because I was like I knew this
was going to be good but I had no idea it was going to be this good and I've driven everything I've
driven them all yeah and I genuinely believe the best all-round car in the range right now is a
Carrera T you know they always suffered a little bit from having the base brakes they fixed that
they suffered from having the base engine or the fixed that it's now got the the old gts engine in it
and a few other shortcomings which have all been addressed and so it's now a performance monster
with the most gorgeous manual transmission you've ever used I mean it is really wow I didn't think
that they were going to improve on the transmission from the 992.1 but they definitely have um yeah
it's an incredible machine that sounds great and has way more performance potential if you
wanted to unlock it um yeah it's just such an amazing package it's nice only the only downside
is the dark interior and it's also nice to know that Porsche hasn't lost the script I mean I do
I do hold a personal grudge against Porsche for moving so far into PDK only for all their models
except for the T or the GT3s I feel like it's gonna hurt not you and me it's gonna hurt the people
that are looking on the secondary market 10 years from now when there's just no options to drive a
yeah you know it's it's you know Porsche pretends to be listening to their customers
and maybe they do a little bit but they're just a company to make profit at the end of the day
and people need to remember that and not take it personally you know it is you know most people
want to drive a PDK and there is actually no problem with that you know the PDK is a magnificent
magnificent mind reading transmission that you know for years I had my 2017 manual transmission
Carrera S and my buddy down the road had the same exact car but in a PDK and we would swap
cars on a regular basis and we would both be wow I actually prefer your car like I would go from
my manual transmission car to his PDK and go Jesus Christ this transmission is so incredible
and so mind reading and it really bangs through the gears and make this car feel so much more
powerful and you know performance geared than my manual transmission one but he would jump
into my manual and go wish I'd got the manual you know it's just so much more involved yeah
yeah it's what you don't have and you know I people I had an email from a viewer just this
morning going you know I can't decide between manual with the or the PDK Nick what am I going
to do and I'm like there's no wrong option here you know I'm never going to look down on a PDK
car or look down on a manual transmission car because they both have their their place in the
in the world and you know I would say and this is probably a bad thing for me to say on a podcast
you know 90% of Porsche owners are buying it to show that they've got a Porsche in the driveway
and don't give a damn about how it drives you know so PDK all day long it's a PDK yeah
beautifully when it comes to those 3.0 turbocharged motors I do feel like the PDK is
such a great transmission I did a video on that comparing the PDK to the 991.1s normally aspirated
motors versus the .2s and kind of the feeling of the car it's a completely different car with
PDK in both so made it perfectly to those 2017 and newer motors yeah I agree with you yeah it is
it is really and and to be honest I think it's the transmission to get for the the four-liter
Cayman and Boxster really yes because that engine is such an interesting engine it sounds so great
but it is so lacking in torque that you really have to be on your game gear wise
to keep the car and within a range a rev range which gives you any power and that's where the PDK
saves you every time but yeah that that is such an odd engine that everyone loves and I'm not
the hugest fan of that engine do they love it because they feel like they should love it
because it's a four-liter and it's yes yes but the reality was you know it it's designed to do
what everybody asked them to do you know this is what this is a mistake that car manufacturers
make is that they they they do what everyone's asking them to do yep and then they go and then
people that buy them go you know and I had so many people buy that the G that talk to me about
their GTS or their you know any of the models you know they had that four-liter engine
and I remember someone this guy walking up to me at a car meet going I got you know I got this
I saw your video you drive it blah blah blah it's just so gutless though Nick is there a tune that I
can put on it and I'm like no that is a naturally aspirated engine going to feel gutless after your
turbocharged 3-liter 911 because there just isn't the torque and sure there's a tune you can put on
it but it's 2% more type of thing it's not going to make a noticeable difference it's the difference
between a naturally aspirated engine and a turbocharged engine and so many people coming
out of turbocharged engines now and going into a naturally aspirated expecting to be up to be in
fourth gear and put their foot down and feel their surge of power that's not going to happen in a
naturally aspirated engine and so oh Nick what a great point to make I mean in a weird kind of way
is everyone so conditioned having driven turbocharged cars for the last you know eight years
that when the NA comes back they go well I don't know if this is any good I mean they're coming
out of a 2.5 liter turbo four cylinder that has more that feels like it has more torque than a
four liter six cylinder and they're like this is crap that's exactly right and and for a lot of people
that that are just day-to-day drivers they're not they're not you know race car drivers they're not
you know highly experienced that's a big disappointment
yeah um speaking of cars that have lower horsepower but are fun to drive
can we just talk about your 993 convertible for a minute
yes um four thing no it's a wonderful thing it gets a daily beating no you drive it Nick
with the top down all the time and you don't care what the sun does to your car because your dogs
are in it and I think there's such a beauty to that um and you've had that for gosh what four years
now seven years seven years yeah so you got it when and please don't take offense to this you got it
when 993s were really taking off the coupes but the convertibles people were still turning their
nose up to because they didn't and I think they still do yeah you know there's there's a definite
um 100 you know $10,000 difference between a comparable 993 coupe and a convertible and I
get it you know it's I never wanted to own a cabriolet convertible 911 not in my wildest dreams
I ever want to own one of these things because it's just not me I don't want to be showing myself
look at me and my convertible like it's just not my personality type yeah um but I did definitely
want a 993 um and this car there's a whole story behind how I got it but um needless to say I got
really cheap and it was very banged up and I just lost a lot of money um owning a 928
and so I was not in the frame of mind to spend a 100000 dollars on the 993 that I
actually wanted and so when this car came along and I think I paid like 24 or 25,000 for it
uh it was just too cheap to give up to let go I was like okay well this is a no risk to purchase
right 20 something thousand dollars for a 993 sure it's in a banged up condition but
there's just no way I'm gonna lose money on this so I purchased it and and I can say that it has
been such a love affair for me I just oh that's so pretty every every day I walk out and see
those funny looking headlights and I get in that tiny little car and it's a personal experience
because unlike a modern 911 they are significantly smaller the air cooled cars yep um and it's a
completely analog experience like it's not gonna save you if you do something wrong and um and
because I've got the opportunity to fix it you know when you become really as you are aware yourself
you become a lot more um emotionally attached to a car that you have worked on yourself
and that is the case because the 993 is so easy to work on even a goddamn more unlike me
can fix a lot of things and I have and they're just like like the the the switch for the window
needed replacing it you know 30 dollar part put it in the the one headlight didn't work you know
trim needed replacing I had the leather done professionally um and I've sort of left it
like that like the body work the car needs a repaint but you stand back just you know a few feet
and it looks fine but once you get up close it's like oh my god this paint has been through the
warning us um and so yeah it's it's it's a easy car for me to love and own and even though it's
convertible which is not ideal my dogs love that you know my dog Smudge who's a Boston Terrier
will sometimes go out and sit in the car at night like I think he was to be taken for a drive but
he's just happy sitting out in the garage in the car that's awesome yeah so yeah it's been a and and
and it has been unquestionably the most reliable pusher of the how many pushers have I own five
or six that I buy miles like it's had no problems no never left me stranded I have screwed that car
so many times like I what damage have I done to that car I one day I was late for an
appointment and one of the things that I used to do to my McCann I've got a McCann S is if you
leave the key in the slot the battery runs flat and occasionally I'll be in a flap with the dogs
or whatever and I accidentally left the key in the key slot and the batteries run flat and I was
late for appointment this one day and I went out to the car and oh the key was already in the slot
and the battery's dead and so I had to jump start the McCann because I was going some distance I
didn't want to do it in the convertible jump start the McCann from the from the 993 and the
good shape so I have to start the 993 in order to produce the amperage to get the McCann which
is a big three-liter engine started and that day I was in such a flap that I didn't realize I hadn't
turned off the engine on the 993 and so I left the house and closed the garage and went out for two
hours leaving the 993 running in the garage completely in clothes stop
and it was a hot summer day and so that car just cooked itself in the garage
and I don't know how long it ran for but when I got home I opened the garage and all the smoke
came out of the garage and I'm oh my god my house is on fire it looked like a prince video
what's that it looked like a prince video yeah yeah so and the the car I don't know what caused
the car to stop in the end it had thrown the um the accessory belt so that the um the the
the alternator wasn't running so I think it ran ran dead on the battery but the car like the temperature
in that it was it was I don't know what the temperature but it was almost plastic melting
temperature in there and the you know some of the um sound dampening stuff in the engine bay
had all fallen off because of the temperature and I was like oh I've ruined this car I was such a
shame I have to get a new engine blah blah blah anyway I sat it in the garage I put the
utility um belt back on recharged the battery closed my eyes turned the key started started
first time and I'm like oh my god and then another time I went to New Zealand and left the car sitting
for a month or two months I think it was between my my father and my brother passed away and so I
was away in New Zealand for a long extended period of time and I got back and you know 993 is drip
oil just constantly on the just you know a drip a day or whatever nothing little no no just drips
but but because I'd not driven it for months there was a like a pool of oil on the garage floor
and so I thought I'd better top up the oil before I drive it for this time and in my mind the amount
of oil that leaked out was way more than what I put in and so I put way and you know putting oil
in a 993 is a uh unknown science that who knows you know the black man there's a little there's a
little gauge it tells you and the the dipstick is you know I had a new oil in it so I was really
having trouble reading it on the dipstick and I was oh no it needs more I know it needs a little
bit more oh no it needs a little bit more and I way overfilled the engine with oil and so I drove
down the road and there was just smoke bellowing out the back and the whole engine got um become
installed because it just couldn't cope with too much oil in the engine uh yeah I just smoked out
the whole neighborhood and I had to go to the car and drain oil out of it and I was like oh wrecked it
I've wrecked it no drain a bit of oil out starts up no problem yeah there's no killing that car
Nick it's like this German Teutonic like engineering and I feel like it's that way with a lot of air
cooled that I maybe it was a mechanic that told me this once but like an air cooled engine or the air
cooled Porsches in general they never just like don't work like a modern Porsche like you know like
that uh electrically it won't start or throw an error they cannot run great but they'll always run
unless until you literally seize the motor but outside of that they'll generally almost always
run even if they're in a my car's got 160,000 miles on it now and no problems dude I'm so happy for you
when it comes to that because I feel like I love cars that aren't loved that people
love and then they become loved and I feel like with 944s it's like that with uh 993 cabriolets
and there's a couple other models that when you drive them you just realize like how amazing they are
and it's funny I actually when you got yours I remember like a year later there was one for sale
up by a lake by me here in New Hampshire and it sat on the the dealer and at that time it was probably
twice what you paid maybe even more maybe almost three times and I was like oh should I should I go
in should I try that like that you kind of inspired me because it's like no like give it a try so
I'm really happy that you like that and my friend I've kept you on for a little too long today
Nick I I just want to say thank you it's great to see you again
my pleasure I hope I contributed something to your to your podcast
yes you did you did my friend and um I'll uh I'm gonna twist your arm to have you back on uh
sometime in the future yes yes anytime because I do believe that you dropped a couple bombs
in this podcast that uh people will uh respond to so it'll be it'll be nice to go from there
I hope I haven't offended anyone everybody each to their own it's just you know uh be realistic
about what you want each to their own just don't be a jackass that's good that's gonna be the the
takeaway from the podcast Nick thank you so much enjoy your Sunday my friend I'll catch you
thank you Derek later and for everyone else um we'll see you next Tuesday bye now
About this episode
Nick Murray’s Porsche story kicks off with a 2013 991.1 that kept shutting down and restarting over bumps due to a grounding fault, then spiraled into CAN-bus parts, lemon-law timing, and a returned car that was allegedly broken—plus extra “service miles.” The dispute escalates after a viral video, and Porsche ultimately refunds him. Around that, the hosts debate GT3 hype versus usability, why 991.1 naturally aspirated cars are rising, and how manual-focused Carrera T and even a 993 cabriolet/DIY ownership can feel more rewarding than chasing options.
Nick Murray joins ElevenAfterNine for a conversation about what's actually worth owning in the Porsche lineup right now — and his answer just might ruffle some feathers in the GT3 community.
We get into the Lemon Law saga that put Nick on the map, why most first-time buyers over-spec their cars, the options that are a complete waste of money (PDCC, we're looking at you), and why Nick says he'd sell a free GT3 to buy something he'd actually drive. Plus: why the current Carrera T might be the most complete 911 Porsche makes, the truth about the understated horsepower numbers on the turbocharged cars, and a 993 cabriolet love letter that'll make you rethink the "coupes only" crowd.
