Treffen is a Porsche club event—basically a big get-together for Porsche owners. This episode is focusing on the North America version and how it’s about the whole experience, not just driving.
VIN means Vehicle Identification Number. It’s like your car’s unique ID number, and it’s often needed when signing up for programs or verifying ownership.
PCA.org is where you go to learn about and join the Porsche Club of America. The host is telling non-members to check it out for membership and Porsche test-drive opportunities.
Car
BMW convertible
The “BMW convertible” is mentioned as the prior car they didn’t drive much, which led to selling it. While the exact model isn’t specified, it provides context for Marcia’s entry into Porsche ownership. It’s also a reminder that lifestyle fit (how often you actually drive it) often drives car decisions more than specs.
“Porsche 996” is a specific generation of the 911. Here, they’re talking about a 2004 manual 911 that Marcia couldn’t drive comfortably because of knee problems. So even if it’s the “right” car for enthusiasts, it still has to work for your body.
A “manual” transmission means the driver shifts gears using a clutch pedal and gear lever. In this story, the manual 2004 996 became difficult because Marcia’s knees were starting to cause problems. It’s a practical example of how transmission choice affects comfort and long-distance drivability.
PCA is the Porsche club in the U.S. A “Treffen” is one of their big event weekends where you go on organized drives together and then hang out at the destination.
This is a meeting of club leaders for a specific “zone.” They coordinate responsibilities and planning, which matters because the way events were run depended on who was hosting and managing the logistics.
Here, “parade” means a planned club event with a lot of logistics. The host region or zone had to run most of it, while the national group mostly provided guidance.
“Sponsorship” means companies paying or supporting the event. The point here is that sponsors used to have a bigger say in what happened during the parade.
Term
Hampton Inn
They stayed at regular, affordable hotels like Hampton Inn. It’s mentioned to show the early Escape events were more budget-friendly and experience-focused.
Term
Holiday Inn Express
They used common budget hotels like Holiday Inn Express. It’s part of the story about how Escape kept things simple and affordable.
They’re saying the event costs more, and that higher cost is part of what makes it feel more special. They’re also comparing it to other events that are run for profit and may be cheaper.
Concept
for profit
They’re comparing the Porsche club event to other events run by companies that make money. The idea is that the goals and incentives can be different, which can change the experience.
Concept
tickets, quote unquote
They’re talking about getting in—like tickets or registration—but it’s limited. People get stressed because you can’t just sign up for everyone.
Concept
Disney World shuts its gates
This is an analogy for capacity management: once a venue reaches a certain limit, it restricts entry to avoid overcrowding and preserve the guest experience. In the context of Treffen, it supports the idea that limited access helps maintain perceived value and enjoyment.
A “bucket list destination” is a place many people dream of visiting. Here, the Porsche Club trip is planned so you drive there and also get a great vacation experience once you arrive.
“Spirits and wine” refers to alcoholic beverages that are part of the social side of PCA events. Mentioning them reinforces that Treffen includes hospitality and shared meals/drinks, not only driving.
This is about the “audience fit” problem: some car events are heavily centered on cars, which can make them less appealing to partners who prefer social activities. The episode frames Treffen as a solution by mixing driving with dining and attractions.
Concept
road trip route planning (California → Salt Lake City/Boise → Bend, Oregon → Yellowstone/Glacier/Teton/Badlands)
This segment highlights how owners plan long-distance routes to combine a club event with major scenic destinations. For sports cars like the Cayman, route planning affects comfort, fuel stops, and how you pace the drive over multiple days.
The Porsche Cayman is a sports car made by Porsche. It has the engine placed toward the middle of the car, which helps it handle nicely—great for driving events and road trips.
“Burner car” is slang for a car you plan to use for a limited time or a specific purpose, then sell afterward. In this context, they’re describing the Cayman as a temporary trip car rather than a long-term keeper.
Term
American club
They mention an “American club” as a different place or group for the Porsche event. The idea is that these trips can happen in different regions.
Term
rent a Porsche
Sometimes people rent a Porsche instead of driving their own. It’s useful when you’re traveling and want the event experience without putting miles on your personal car.
Turo is like an Airbnb, but for cars. People can rent a car from an owner, which is why they mention it as a way to get a Porsche for the trip.
Term
CSC
CSC is referenced as an organization or group that’s “doing a better job” with how they manage the event experience. Without the full expansion in this excerpt, it’s best treated as an internal club acronym rather than a specific car component.
They mean that owning a Porsche is about more than just driving the car. It’s also the community and events—like the Treffen—where people connect and share the hobby.
Term
sweep
“Sweep” refers to a club-run support role during an event drive—typically a vehicle or team that stays near the back to help participants who fall behind or need assistance. It’s a safety-and-operations function that keeps the group together and addresses issues without disrupting the main pace.
Walkie talkies let the cars in the group talk to each other while driving. That way the lead can warn everyone about turns or problems and keep the group together.
They’re saying the event is organized so that if someone gets a flat tire or has an issue, the whole group doesn’t have to stop. Volunteers and assigned roles handle the problem so the drive keeps flowing.
A flat tire means the tire loses air, and the car may not be able to drive safely. Event organizers plan for this so someone can help without stopping everyone.
They’re explaining that the Treffen isn’t only about driving. It’s also about the people you meet, the activities you do, and how the club experience feels bigger than just a road trip.
Concept
meet people and then you see them over again
The idea is that car events aren’t just one-off drives. You meet people, build friendships, and then you get excited to see them again at the next event.
They’re basically saying these Porsche meetups aren’t just about the cars. It’s also about building friendships, and when people see each other again at the next Treffen, it feels like you pick up right where you left off.
This is the North America version of the Treffen meetup. The hosts are emphasizing that it’s the same community, so friendships and car talk continue when people meet again.
Concept
regional president
They mention someone who leads a regional Porsche club group. That role usually means organizing meetups and activities, so the conversation includes planning—not just cars.
They’re saying their Porsche club is really busy, with lots of meetups scheduled throughout the year. It’s not just one or two car events—it’s frequent.
They’re describing the kinds of places the group visits on the tour—like Savannah and Charleston, including a plantation. It’s part of the fun of the event, not just the drive itself.
The hosts describe a “tour day” as the core daily activity during Treffen—organized driving with a planned departure flow, staging area check-in, and a destination itinerary. It’s essentially the event’s main “drive” component, but with club-style coordination.
A staging area is where everyone gathers before the group drive starts. They stagger when people check in so not everyone leaves at the same time, which helps avoid chaos.
A “drive program” is a planned route for the group. It usually includes where you stop to rest and where you eat, and locals help pick the best roads and spots.
The hosts describe tours as destination-focused experiences—scenery, museums, and food stops—rather than just driving time. This is a key part of how club events create a “whole day” experience for participants.
“Back roads” are the smaller roads instead of the main highways. They’re often more scenic and fun to drive, but you may have to pay a bit more attention to directions and traffic.
“Group splits up” means the cars don’t stay together the whole way back. Everyone takes their own route and drives at their own pace, so you’re responsible for getting back.
Autocross is a driving event where you steer through a cone course. It’s usually shorter and safer than a race track, and it’s great for learning how your car handles.
An entrance fee is the cost to participate in the event, and in this case it includes breakfast/buffet. This matters for attendees because it clarifies what’s covered versus what you’d pay for separately at the hotel.
The Porsche Carrera GT is a very fast, special-edition sports car made for performance. It’s the kind of car people talk about because it’s rare and built to feel exciting to drive. Podcasts may mention it when discussing major Porsche events or the brand’s most impressive cars.
Concept
motorsport Porsche models
“Motorsport Porsche models” points to Porsche vehicles developed with racing heritage or track-oriented setups. That can include stripped-down trims, performance-focused tuning, and components designed for repeated high-load driving. The segment uses this to highlight that the event isn’t just about normal road cars—it’s about Porsche’s racing DNA.
Porsche has made engines that cool themselves in two different ways. Some use air cooling (heat is removed by airflow), and others use water cooling (coolant carries heat to a radiator). This matters because it’s a big part of how different Porsche eras feel and sound.
“Spring Treffen” is a Porsche Club of America (PCA) gathering/event format where members meet, socialize, and often drive together. In this segment, the hosts discuss how the location choice and setting make the experience memorable. It’s presented as more than just a drive—more like a destination and community event.
They’re talking about the resort where the Treffen happened: Montage Palmetto Bluff. It’s in South Carolina near Savannah. The point is that the location makes the event feel special, not just the cars.
Concept
on-season
“On-season” just means the best time of year. In this case, spring is when the weather and scenery are at their nicest, so more people want to be there.
Topic
Jackson Hole
They mention “Jackson Hole” as another place they went for a Porsche club event. They’re using it to talk about how the season changes what you see and how the trip feels.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a famous scenic road in the mountains. People like it for road trips because the driving is beautiful and there are places to stop and take in the views.
Skyline Drive is a scenic road in Virginia’s Shenandoah area. It’s popular for drives because it has lots of curves and great places to stop and look around.
Term
95
“95” is shorthand for a big highway called I-95. It’s a common route for getting from one East Coast city to another, though traffic can vary.
A dedicated wash station is a specific area where people can wash their cars during the event. It helps remove dirt and pollen so the car looks better and doesn’t get worse while you’re there.
Griot's is a company that sells car cleaning and detailing products. If they sponsor an event, it often means there are good supplies available so people can wash and polish their cars.
The Treffen website is the event’s official hub for information like schedules, check-in details, and logistics. For attendees, it’s the best place to understand what’s planned on-site (like parking, wash stations, and activities).
Topic
Low Country
“Low Country” is a region in the southeastern U.S. In this episode, they’re talking about it as the place where the Porsche club trip happened.
They’re describing the roads as fun to drive—lots of curves and turns, with trees along the sides. That usually makes the drive more enjoyable and scenic.
They visited Magnolia Plantation, which they describe like a botanical garden. It’s an example of how the trip includes sightseeing stops, not just driving.
They’re saying that if you pack too many cars onto the road at once, it stops being a fun group drive and turns into slow, crowded driving—like normal city traffic.
“Toro” sounds like a nickname for a car they’re talking about for the trip. The exact meaning isn’t clear from this snippet, but it seems like they’re referring to a particular vehicle they already have lined up.
A “Treffen ticket” is basically your official spot in a Porsche Club event. They don’t want people buying from scalpers, because the event has limited space and sells out fast.
The “backup in case it sells out” strategy means selecting multiple tour options during registration so you’re not blocked if your first pick becomes unavailable. This is especially relevant for limited-capacity events where inventory can disappear quickly.
“Sold out” means there are no remaining spots left for the event. And if the waitlist is also sold out, that means there’s no backup option left either.
Concept
all inclusive
“All inclusive” just means the main stuff is included in the one price. You don’t have to keep paying for each individual activity separately.
The Ryder Cup is a big, famous golf tournament where teams from Europe and the U.S. play against each other. They’re saying the Porsche event was timed so the location still felt like it had just hosted something major.
They’re mentioning a luxury hotel in Sonoma. The point is that Treffen trips can include really nice places to stay, not just car-related activities.
Company
events manager
An events manager is the person who organizes the event details—scheduling, planning, and keeping everything running. They’re basically the organizer behind the scenes.
Concept
trust the process
“Trust the process” here refers to how event organizers plan: they research multiple candidate sites, visit them, and only then make a final decision. It’s an operations concept—reducing the risk of a bad venue by doing due diligence.
“French Lick” is where they stayed for a previous Porsche club trip. They’re using it as an example of how a destination can turn out great after the club actually goes and checks it out.
“Super unleaded” is a type of gas with a higher octane rating than regular. Some performance engines need it to run smoothly and avoid pinging/knocking.
Topic
Porsche Club of America (PCA) cruise takeover experience
They’re talking about how a Porsche club trip can feel like a real Porsche community, not just a normal vacation. The key idea is that the event is organized so members feel like they’re all part of the same thing.
This is about a cruise where most of the people are from one Porsche club. When that happens, it feels like the whole trip is “Porsche-themed,” not just a normal vacation with a few enthusiasts.
Topic
Truffin SC with 900 people
They mention a big group drive called “Truffin SC.” With hundreds of people, it feels more like a community event than a normal drive.
They’re talking about a trip where you spend a week on a ship with other Porsche fans. It’s less about driving routes and more about hanging out with people who like the same cars.
“Pre-war era” means cars from before World War II. Collectors care about them because they’re older, historically important, and often have unique designs you don’t see on newer cars.
Concept
foreign (cars)
Here, “foreign” likely means cars from other countries, not the local brands. At big collector events, people often spotlight these because they can be rarer and have interesting histories.
Jay Leno is a well-known automotive media personality who hosts car-focused content and interviews. Mentioning that Donald Osborn does a lot with him signals Osborn’s credibility and reach in the car world.
“Detailing tips” are practical advice on how to clean and care for a car so it looks its best. It usually means washing safely and adding protection so the paint stays nice.
“Treffen at sea” is a Porsche club meetup where people go on a group trip by boat. The point is the whole experience—hanging out with other Porsche fans—not just one stop.
They’re talking about a planned route where the group travels from Vancouver to Los Angeles. It’s an example of how these events are set up as longer trips.
“Swag” is event merchandise—branded items given away or sold at gatherings. In this context, it’s Porsche Club of America (PCA) insider-branded items like decals, shirts, and mugs that help attendees feel part of the event.
A “Treffen” (often shortened to “trefins”) is a Porsche club meetup. It’s not just driving—people come together, meet other owners, and make it a whole event.
LIVE
Welcome to the Porsche Club Insider, your one stop for all things Porsche and PCA.
Here's your host, Vu Gwin, and the Insider crew.
Welcome everyone to episode 216.
Today we're going to talk about a program that rivals the Taylor Swift concert tickets.
We're going to be talking about Treffen's North America program, but
before we get into it of course we want to thank our sponsor Pirelli. Pirelli
tires have to achieve the highest levels of performance, safety, noiselessness, and
grip on the road surface. Innovative tires that can satisfy even the most
specific mobility needs of the end consumer. I want to thank all of you
that are listening. If you aren't currently a PCA member and own a Porsche,
what are you waiting for? Be sure to have your VIN handy and for those of you
that don't currently own a Porsche, check out our test drive program. Just head
over to PCA.org and take care of your membership. Across the table we've got a
full table today. We've got Manny Albin at the end of the table. We've got Damon at
the controls and our guest today, Chesapeake Region President Steve Bus, as well as
Chesapeake Region's registrar, Marcia Bus. Welcome guys. Thank you. I think you
guys have been members for roughly like eight or nine years. Eighteen? 2018?
2018? Eight years. Yeah. And you'll never work in a car that will
get some people's age. And I think the first time we really hung out was
fairly at the beginning of your PCA membership when we were in Vermont
together. Absolutely. That was a fun trip. That was an awesome trip. So today
we're going to be talking about Treffen, the North America program specifically.
But before we get into that, let's talk about you guys. You guys are Maryland,
your Chesapeake Region members. I want to thank you first and foremost. PCA has
over 3,500 events a year. And the only way that's possible is because of the
volunteers. And Manny knows he's kind of gone through the whole cycle of starting
in the region, volunteering at the region level, going to national. But none of
the events, very few of the events, would even possibly be happening if it wasn't
for our volunteers. So thank you so much for dedicating so much of your time and
energy in making these events happen for us. It's our pleasure. We enjoy it.
So had you always been... Actually, I do want to ask this question that I did
notice. So, Marcia, you are the primary member. Yes, that's true. So are you the
car person initially? No, what happened is that I saw Treffen
vamp advertised. And I said, Steve, I want to go on this trip. I didn't realize
it was already sold out, but I joined the PCA. To go on the vamp trip? Yeah.
Really? That does not seem that long ago. Yeah, I know. That's what I'm saying.
I was like, how long have they been around? 18? Yeah. So we didn't get to go on
that one. But the very next one, which was Vermont. That was your first one.
So again, when did you get your first Porsche? Just before that.
2017. 2017. Okay. And what led you to coming into the Porsche world?
It was actually an interesting story that we had a BMW convertible and didn't
get driven that much. And I said, let's just sell the car. And six months later,
Marcia goes, I missed that convertible. And it just happened that one of the
program managers that worked for me in my California office, her husband was
selling a 2004 Carrera 4S. And I took a picture of it and said, Marcia, will this
do? And she goes, yes. But I was in Hawaii at the time, working there. And that
got me back from Hawaii. That's what it took, getting a Porsche to bring me back.
But that wasn't the car that you took to Japan? No. You had another car? We did.
We had the 997. Yeah, yeah, that's right. So the 2004 996 was a manual and
Marcia's knees were starting to give her some problems and she couldn't drive it.
And I said, well, he bought this car for both of us to drive and use and have fun
with. So we sold that and bought a 997 automatic. Okay. So your stint in the
first one was probably a year or two. Yeah. And then you got into the 997. Well,
I know you had a lot of fun in Vermont with it because you guys were on every
tour and just taking it all in. Yeah, we went off the day with you. I remember
off to the farms. So you joined PCA specifically wanting to go on a
Treffen program. I did not know that. Yeah, I didn't even think about it until
you asked us to come today. And I said, I think that was the reason why I joined
the PCA. Oh, okay. And then I put Steve as my co-member immediately.
Yeah. I do have to give a shout out to the people who formed Treffen. Yes. David and
Jenny O'Neill. Yeah. Before then it was called escape. It was nowhere near the
level of refinement, if you will, four or five star resort type. It was a whole
different, more like parade, but just the tours. Yeah. And David came to us and
proposed this idea and it was like any new idea. I was like, it'll never work.
Our members are not going to spend that kind of money. And two weeks later, I
went on a Potomac overnight drive and dine at a five star resort. And I saw
how much fun my wife had because I could go on the tours with friends and she
could stay back at the spa, great restaurants, everything. And I thought, I
get it now. I get what David's trying to sell to us and not really sell to us, but
convey his idea to us. And when I got back, I wrote to the executive council and
I said, this is going to work. I saw everyone. They'd never talked to a price.
That was experience, everything experience. So yeah, shout out to David and Jenny.
They're no longer involved with Treffen, but they left a lesson imprint on our
That's a great legacy. Yeah, exactly. But I think we'd be remiss if we didn't rewind
even further back, right? Because the Crown Jewel event for PCA is Porsche Parade.
And you bring up a name of the event, which Treffen used to be, which is
Escape. Maybe you can share a little bit how Escape came about.
Zone rep Tim, unfortunately, is not with us anymore.
Tim Fleming. Tim Fleming, yep. He was going to be the national secretary before
he passed. But anyways, I was, I was at the time, it was my final year zone two
rep. And we were down in Fort Worth. We had a zone rep meeting every time I
went to EC met. And I was moaning about how much of a pain it was to chair
parade because back then we didn't have the whole national structure that we
have now. Each region or zone, whoever was hosting a parade for that year was
responsible for parade, the whole operation. The national staff was basically
oversaw. It was advisors. And so anyways, I was complaining. I said, boy, I wish
it was an event where we didn't have any RPM or not to mean RPM, the great
competition for those PCRs. There was no sponsorship because everything is
the only we've done at the time when parade was going on. We were enslaved into
what the sponsors wanted. That's changed a great deal since new took over.
So anyways, I was complaining that the fun part of planning parade wasn't there.
And I think we had an event that took all that stuff out to be fun again.
And so Tim came up with the idea of a white paper about an idea.
I don't know if he called it escape then, but it ended up being escape, which
was the first one was escape to one country. But once again, a whole
different view of what you know is trefing now. We stayed at a budget hotel,
like Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express. And then David and Ginny came into
the picture and they chaired a couple escapes. And he had the foresight to
see what the future could hold. And I think the fact that you guys have been
to so many says that they came up with the right recipe.
Yeah, the concept, I think, just got further and further refined. Really,
it was something to provide to members sort of opposite bookends to parade,
but not be competitive and just just fine dining and tours and totally relaxing.
And then it kind of came into its own as the O'Neill's dialed it into sort of
the four and a half five star experience. And our members, it's not for
everyone because it is a higher price tag. Just like, you know, porches are not
for everyone. There's a higher price tag. And but you do get something very
different. But still a lot less expensive than.
Oh, yeah, for sure. Competitors outside of PCA that are for profit,
much less expensive. Yeah. And so how many, how many have you guys been on now?
12. 12.
Traffins. And have you just came back from low country.
Exactly. We'll talk about that one later. That's that's impressive that you
got tickets, quote unquote, to 12 of them. And I know it's stressful.
It's stressful. And here's the thing, people that are listening, people that
might be upset that they haven't gotten into Treffen before and they maybe
they've tried. We can't have it unlimited, right? And we'll talk a little
bit about this later. But it ensures that the people that do get to go have
a wonderful experience. I think Manny is the one that put it even Disney
World shuts its gates once it gets to a certain amount because it doesn't
want to diminish the value that people are going to get when they when they
go. So if for how would how would in your words, Marsha, how would you
describe Treffen to someone that's never heard about it before?
Just like you said, it's a four or five days of
meeting each other because we've made friends over these last 12 years.
So, you know, we met friends from Kansas City, from California, Florida,
Texas. I mean, so it's just awesome.
But then it's just driving and then great dinners at night.
And the hotels have been, you know, five stars hotels like the Greenbrier,
the Homestead, Mount Washington, the American Club, Sun River in Oregon.
Yeah, a lot of a lot of four seasons in Jackson Hole.
The event organizers, you know, currently Barry and Denise, you know,
they go and they look for and the staff here at HQ look for bucket list
destinations. And, you know, some of them you might know and it might be
obvious why you're going there. But I think the most recent one here in the
spring that you guys went on might not have been on your radar.
But the team knows that you need to go there.
And so hopefully you'll share with us later that it did turn out to be a
bucket list, but not only do you get to go to these bucket list destinations,
but we also, being PCA, we try to bring the value to that.
You're going to go there in the price point.
As Manny said, if you went with other organizations that are kind of for
profit, it would be at a much, much higher price point.
Absolutely. And that's one of the selling points because you're going to
have great hotels, meeting great portion of people, spending the day driving.
You wrap up at lunchtime, then you're on your own.
You can take back roads back.
You can continue to drive for a while.
You can go and visit another destination.
You can come back to the spa.
There's all kinds of things you can do.
And then there's happy hour, then there's dinner and you wake up the next day,
do it all over again.
I mean, PCA members, yes, we love the cars, but we love dining.
We like, like spirits and wine.
And I think many of you that are listening, it's probably not a hard
guess to think that you would enjoy that too.
And I would say that Treffen a lot of times is the easiest quote unquote
car event to encourage your significant other to go on.
Because sometimes let's face it, a car event is so car focused that if your
significant other isn't into cars, like they're not too excited to go.
But I would say probably most of your significant others is in
defined dining, going to beautiful places, going to museums, going to,
I think when we were Vermont, we went to these cheese making places.
And it's, uh, it's maple syrup.
Oh, yeah, of course I did.
We also went to vinaigres.
So who's not going to want to go in.
So it's easy to convince your significant other to go on these types of trips.
So, and I think it's good too, because it also exposes, um, lightly to the car side.
Like I love to drive, not all, all of the spouses like to drive, but I love to drive.
And so that, in fact, I did, I think probably more driving than Steve did this time.
Now, have you, have you driven your car to every single Treffen or have you done
a Treffen without abortion?
Oh, that's a great question.
Um, so we have not driven our car to a Treffen.
Well, we bought one in California.
Oh, really?
We bought a 2016, uh, Cayman night one and Jovi to your 70 cross through the mighty
five up to, uh, Salt Lake city and Boise over to Bend, Oregon for the Treffen.
It was a wildfires.
There was a little smokey, uh, but again, beautiful area.
And then we left there and we did some more national parks at Yellowstone, uh,
Glacier, Teton's, Badlands.
Yep.
And, and drove it home.
And I was, it was going to be kind of like a burner car.
We were just going to sell it when we got home.
Cause it was my fourth Porsche and I don't need four.
A burner, a burner Porsche.
Well, that's the first time I heard that one before we get, before we get hate mail.
Yes, you do need one for every, it's like tools, right?
You don't, you don't just have four tools, right?
Exactly.
Yeah.
So, uh, but I, I fell in love with driving the car so much.
You don't have to sell it.
I said, okay, we'll keep it.
Well, you must have been, cause I know Nathan, Nathan and Susie Mercer,
or they love Treffen as well.
And you may have spoken to him or you may have gotten that idea.
Cause he does, he does that too.
He's like, where are we going?
Where are we going to Treffen next year?
He's like, oh, and then a couple of months before they
starts looking for a car in that area, he flies in, picks up that car,
does Treffen and either, I think, I think there's been a time where he sold
the car before he even went home.
Uh, or he drove it home.
He did that for Wisconsin.
Yeah.
He did the American club.
He bought one here, I think, and drove it there.
So exactly.
Exactly.
So it's great.
So, and then if, uh, if, if we don't drive, we'll look on Turro to see if
we can rent a Porsche.
So, um, I don't want to, I don't always, we've always had, we've always had a Porsche.
But did he sell out people to come in just with the regular rent a car?
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
We kind of put them in the back of the line.
That's what the CSC is doing a better job.
It's not because we don't like them.
It's because we want the photos to look like a lineup of horses.
That's why it's over aesthetics.
Poor segregation.
And, and Marsha and I volunteer at the Treffen.
So, um,
Yeah, tell us a little bit about that.
You, you definitely understand being, you know, coming up the ranks in the
regions as volunteers, you understand the value of what volunteers do for the regions.
But what does it, why for you guys?
Like, why not only volunteer at the region level, but you were one of the first
people I see raised their hands when they needed folks to volunteer at the
national level and at Treffen.
Yeah.
Um, well, before I became president and before Marsha became registrar, we were
a social committee chair.
So we're very social people and we get along with the crowds very well.
And, and the Porsche experience just brings it out in us.
So it's a lot of fun.
Um, I don't know.
Do you have a comment to that?
No, I was, I was just thinking that, uh, that was one way that, uh, we could show
our appreciation for these Treffens ask if there was any way we could volunteer.
No, so we sweep.
Okay.
So we're sweet.
I explain what sweep is for people.
Okay.
So on the tours, there's a lead and then 15 cars at the most.
And then the sweep and the sweeps carry a walkie talkies.
We can communications with the lead driver and make sure everybody gets
through the, the intersections and, and we keep together.
Um, if someone breaks down, you pull over and help them out, that kind of thing.
It's funny and Treffen, they called that a sweep and club racing.
We call that dead layer sweep.
Sounds better.
Here's the thing.
Right.
So we were at the, the last truck as sweeps.
And I said to Barry and Denise, if you need anything, Marsha and I are here a
couple of days early and he goes, so we actually helped with a registration check
in as well.
So we were double duties on this one.
Which is a great way to thank you.
Thank you.
Just enjoy the people and we're social people.
Like I said, so it's, it's enjoyable.
Registration is great.
Cause you get to see everybody come in 25% because we had four groups.
Oh, what I wanted to make a comment on, on the sweep comment is as an attendee,
if you haven't volunteered before and you go to a PC event and you go on these
tours, you kind of just think, okay, well I fall in line and things just kind of
happen and, and, and it's, but it's, it's a, we have a very specific recipe for how
we do everything in PCA.
It's very structured to make sure that people have fun, but more importantly,
have a very safe experience.
And the reason why we have leads, we have mids and we have sweeps is to make
sure that no one falls behind and should some, someone need assistance.
You have someone that is well experienced at the end to come and give you a hand.
You're never going to get, you're never going to get lost and, and left by
yourself unless you try to do that, you know, purposely.
And the whole a lot of cars, we aren't going to pull over.
Right, right.
It's very structured how it's done.
Yeah.
And I think that's what a lot of people don't realize that PCA, we plan for all
of this well in advance so that everyone can have fun.
If someone has an incident or someone has a flat tire, you know, the whole,
the whole train of cars doesn't have to stop.
There's somebody that can tend to the one that needs help and people can move on
and things just flow.
And as I said, people that are not in the know, just, oh, I just magically happens.
No, no, it's, it's not that it magically happens.
It's because there's a lot of planning.
So that's why I'm always so thankful for volunteers like yourself and the chairs
that put all of this together.
Now, had you guys been in clubs or volunteered for things prior to PCA?
Not really, not like this.
And that's not, that's that's we're immersed, I guess.
Yeah, it's not crazy life changing.
PCA brought that out in you, right?
Like you probably rewind 15 years ago.
And if I told you, yeah, you're going to be going doing a car club thing.
You're going to volunteer, you're going to travel.
You probably said, oh, no.
Yeah, I don't know.
That's not us.
It's so many people say that pretty true.
Right. So many people say that's not me.
I don't do that.
And I get it.
No, we were volunteers for the, you know, the high school and you were a Cub
Scout pack leader.
And yeah.
So I didn't get to get the picture in the uniform, right?
Now, I know the answer to this and you alluded to this a bit earlier, Marsha,
that, you know, volunteering makes you make friends and you get to see everybody.
But sometimes people don't know that, again, that have prior to coming to
PCA never volunteered everything.
Does volunteering take away from the experience?
Like, do you find yourself too busy or are you too stressed?
Just the opposite.
Yeah.
Yeah, I say just the opposite.
Right.
Yeah, right.
I think so too.
Yeah.
And I really think it enhances that because you get to meet people and then
you see them over again.
And one couple that we're very good friends with from Kansas City, Steve
met one of the treffinities.
Oh, OK.
In the ocean.
Oh, yeah.
We're just hanging out in the ocean talking.
It's an hour later.
And we're starting to struggle.
That's not awkward as Steve floats to.
Hey, buddy.
Yeah.
And we, you know, we became friends and went out to dinner and then saw
each other at the next treffin and saw each other at the next treffin at sea.
And that's just one example.
There's there's numerous examples of people that we've met over the years
that we look forward to seeing at the treffins.
And we always ask, are you going?
Yes, I'll be there.
So it's a it's a great social environment and a great place to connect.
Yeah.
And like you said, even if you're not staying in touch with the people
that you've met at treffin, you know, after you've gone back, it's sort
of like a soap opera.
Once you see them again at treffin at sea or treffin North America, you just
pick up from where you left off.
Exactly.
Right.
And and how the kids do it and all that.
Seriously, it's get to that level of friendship.
And what about the cars and the conversations around the table?
Are you still talking about cars?
Are you finding yourself just doing treffin stuff?
Oh, that's a good question.
You're president of a region, so you have a lot to talk about.
And we're not a region that does like events every quarter.
Right.
Yeah, every week, every week, sometimes twice a week.
We have over 60 events on the calendar this year.
Sometimes twice in one day.
All right, so no, it's not all cars.
Yeah, in fact, maybe it's only like a quarter, 25 percent of the time
we're talking cars.
The other times we're talking about how was your tour that we went on.
There's four tours.
So you only get to do two of them.
So there's always two tours that you didn't do that when you have your
navigator day off, so you can do one of these other tours.
So you always like, how was your tour?
How was lunch?
What was, you know, where was your destination?
We have the destinations are always a lot of fun, especially when we were
down at the low country.
So we had historic Savannah and then up in Charleston at a plantation.
Just, you know, those are the types of things you get to do in Treffen.
Besides staying at a nice five star hotel, which ordinarily we wouldn't do.
So run through a typical, we'll talk about your recent one here shortly,
but talk about a typical day at Treffen.
That's a tour day.
Like how early are you getting up?
I know you got, you guys meet at a tour departure area.
So start us from wake up, go get breakfast.
Then what happens for the rest of the day?
Yeah, wake up, go get breakfast and get your car and drive over to the staging area.
Is it all early in the morning or this is all early?
Although they, they arrive at staggered times because you're checked in at the
entrance to the staging area.
So you don't want a line of not everybody goes out at one time.
Exactly.
So they'll have two, four, four groups.
So every half hour they bring in another group.
But as, as sweeps, I, we try to get there early to help out, do whatever.
And then it's another time to socialize.
And then you meet the local people who are leading and doing the tours.
So you drive and you end up at a halfway point for a break, usually 30, 20, 30
minutes or so and then you end up at, at a lunch destination and we all get
together and have, have, have some lunch and snuff McDonald's.
Yeah, no, you do get some nice and you bring up the locals.
And that's what I think is very special about the trappings is because not only
do the national people look for a bucket list destinations, but they reach out
to the local region who knows the area, knows all the good spots to eat and knows
the good roads and they work with the local region to come up with these drive
programs.
Yeah, they're passionate about it.
They're very passionate about because they're showcasing their region.
This is, this is my territory.
Exactly.
And no better just like when I travel, like I love landing somewhere and having
a local say, you're going to do this, this, this and this.
Like I don't have to worry about where do I need to go?
What do I need to see?
I will go wherever a local tells me.
And that's what PCA does in advance for you.
So when you go on these tours, sometimes people are very adamant, like they want
to do this, that or the other, but every single tour is going to be special because
the locals hand, hand turns them off.
Right.
Yeah.
And then so they, they are part of the drive.
You go to destinations to look at your scenery, look at museums, look at, you know,
a food venue and typically you drive how many hours in a day?
Maybe what, two, three hours?
Yeah, two to three.
Two to three hours.
And then you come back, relax.
You come back, however, they, they will, they will provide you directions back if
you want to take the fast way back, but if you want to take your back roads back.
Okay.
You, a lot of times we'll get two or three or four other cars and we'll say, we're
going to take a drive back.
We're going to take all back roads.
And so on the way back, you guys, the group splits up.
It's on your, on your own to get back.
Yeah.
Okay.
That's cool.
So, so you have that freedom if you want it.
Exactly.
And then if you don't, um, I believe if you are unable, because believe it or not,
just because you got into Treffen, you may not necessarily get into all the tours.
So, um, they, they, they provide directions.
And if you want to go by yourself or go with a couple other cars,
you can get to these destinations on a drive your own kind of situation.
They do that.
But I would recommend if you don't get signed up for it, get on the wait list.
Yeah.
But that's true with anything PCA.
Right.
Get on the wait list because wait list gets cleared.
And I try to do my best as president and, and Marsha as registrar, they call her Magic
Marsha because she clears that wait list.
Oh yeah.
Um, you've heard all the, the fleeing, right?
Marsha, but this will be my last autocross of the year.
Can you somehow get me into this?
I didn't say it.
I didn't say, I'm just saying other people might have said it.
Yeah, maybe, but you have to sign up.
Yeah, you have to sign up.
So real quick, before we get to dinner for the breakfast, is that provided by Treffen
or you just hit the hotel restaurant?
No, it's part of your entrance fee.
So that's a beautiful buffet.
So that's where really the socializing begins right at breakfast, right?
We start there.
Yeah.
You're going to sit down probably with somebody.
Sit down at a table of 10 and you don't know these people and you introduce yourselves
and what region are you from and yeah.
So that's a good point, Manny.
Your meals, is that, that's all inclusive?
Like when you register?
Yes, it's unlike parade.
It's all inclusive.
It's all inclusive.
That's, yeah.
I love the social aspects that me, why it would do at Treffen.
Don't lie, you love the food.
Yeah, like you don't.
And the happy hours.
Anyways, the social part of it to me is what really separates this from a
for-profit type of tour.
And I think people miss out who do the for-profit multi-marked because
like you said, you've met a lot of people that you may see.
Well, yeah, Treffen, not anywhere else.
Just like parade.
We see so many people.
We see just that parade.
Yep, exactly.
Finish to see each other.
It's like you saw each other yesterday or the week before.
Yep.
Very easy to catch up with that.
Yep.
And then dinners.
I think dinners are the sort of the high point every, I love the driving and the tours,
but on Treffen events, the dinners is its next level.
Yeah, they'll have a happy hour for an hour prior to the dinner,
and then they open up the doors and sit down and get served a really nice meal.
Yeah.
In a nice hotel or resort.
I remember Vermont, we had.
That was special.
That last meal was not only did you get to have lobster,
but they came back and they said, would you want another lobster?
I'm like, what?
Yeah.
That's when you don't want to be in a GOP medication.
Or you need to double down.
All right.
Well, let's talk about your most recent one.
But before we get into it, I want to recognize our April PC Insider sponsor.
And by the time you've listened to this, you've heard from those folks at Harper Porsche and Porsche
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performance news, e-brake news, and Mark Fresh.
It's all free.
Now, Spring Treffen was one of those locations that I had never heard of.
We had not either.
Yeah, which is what makes Treffen so cool.
Yeah, but you know, because it's a Treffen brand,
it's going to be a location that you don't want to miss.
And hopefully, it was called the Palmetto Bluff.
Montage.
Montage Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina.
Yep, just outside of Savannah.
Okay.
And so what was it like?
Why was it so special?
I heard it was incredible, but what is it?
Southern hospitality.
It's just a beautiful resort.
And is it a new resort?
Is it old resort or?
About 10 years, I think.
Yeah, it's not old like the Homestead or the Greenbrier.
It's historic, not old.
Proper terminology.
Yeah, it's a beautiful resort, beautiful grounds.
Oh, at this time of year, it was great.
It was Spanish moss.
And all the azaleas were blooming.
It was just a terrific place for a springtime event.
Did it have a southern old-school charm to it?
Even though it was fairly modern build.
Yeah, it looked old southern for sure.
Columns.
Yeah, the white colloves and this special place.
It's interesting.
I always thought we went to these resorts in the off-season,
but this time of year seems to be the on-season
because you don't want to go in two or months.
It's going to be so humid and hot.
Right, but that's...
But what we did, Treffen and Jackson Hole, and that was in the fall,
all the aspens were...
Is that the worst node one day?
It did, it's node one day.
But the aspens are beautiful.
Prime time to be there, and we had a Treffen there on top of that.
So it's great.
One of the things that the secret...
Part of the secret formula for being able to do all these bucketless places
and having a reasonable rate is the start date of these events.
Like the day...
We used to do them Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday,
which would be prime evenings for a lot of these places.
But more recently, it starts Sunday.
So you have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
Check out Thursday.
Check out Thursday.
I think the slide of that schedule has helped the program
in terms of having more availability at these bucketless places.
Yeah, more rooms, for sure.
Bring more people in.
How many people were at Low Country?
I'm going to guess a couple hundred, but I could be wrong.
The bigger ones because...
No, it wasn't that big.
It's about average size, right?
Yeah, I would say a couple on average.
A couple on average.
250?
The way I can judge it is...
And this is an unfair way to judge it.
But in the staging area, there's four lines of 15...
Eight lines of 15 cars each.
And that's always full.
So however many people that is, plus the people that didn't get on the drives.
Right.
So...
And you guys drove down.
I really don't know.
How long was the drive from here?
I can't say because I stopped in Wilmington, North Carolina,
visit my brother.
So we stayed there for a few days.
But it was...
And then the drive home was...
Even longer.
A Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive the entire way.
Wow.
So there's...
I can't tell you.
But I think maybe it could be a 10-hour drive or so.
Okay, if you just did it in one shot.
Just by 95.
But you guys took the scenic route.
Absolutely.
Oh, that's fantastic.
I got to ask them.
I'm sure people are right now are saying,
does this guy retired or what?
I am retired now.
What percentage of the people we think going are retired?
Because I'm asking because this has a...
The way they do it is the right way.
Yeah.
Leisurely.
Right.
And during the trip back and forth,
you and I would be doing like 95 bonsai ride.
95 on 95.
At the work, flying down.
Is it like a 50-50 split of retired?
I'd say close to that.
Yeah.
I mean, there's definitely a number of people that are still...
Working.
Still working.
Yeah.
Yeah, but to...
I mean, I know I'm a bit away from retiring,
but I'm looking forward to doing what you guys do.
Retirement is great.
Yeah.
And fairly recent for you.
Is that right?
I don't know if Marsha didn't look that happy when he said that.
Well, I was also working part-time for like the last five years.
Okay.
And he was already retired.
So we had plenty of availability to do these trips.
Yeah, that's like what you do.
No way you're retiring before your wife.
No way.
I know she's definitely retiring earlier.
So, February 28th was her third retirement.
So she said something deuce there.
She said, no more, no more.
I think it has to do something keeping herself busy and away from you.
We have plenty to do.
When you got to Low Country and arrived, what was the scene?
Was there a welcome committee or a table or how did...
Yeah, there's a welcome station.
Everybody registers, gets their badges.
The swag.
The swag at Trump.
The swag is pretty nice.
The swag is very nice at Trump.
This is from Low Country.
Very nice.
Very nice.
They also, I know when you arrive after you get checked in,
believe it or not, like I said, they have everything planned.
There's dedicated wash stations because everybody wants to get all the grime off of their car and
the hotel or the venue typically has all the supplies.
We have sponsors like Griot's.
Yeah, I think Griot's has been the sponsor.
I didn't use it this year.
You just left your car dirty or you brought your own stuff?
Pretty much.
Oh, really?
I washed it before we left and it got a lot of pollen on it.
Those pine trees were just turning any car kind of yellow green.
Now, do they still have sectioned off areas for the PCA members to park?
Yes.
Okay, so you have your own private parking area.
Get checked in and then you start socializing as soon as you check in.
There's a social right there.
I will say people listening, when you get home, go to the Treffen website,
which is treffen.pca.org.
Click on gallery and they have all the Treffens from the past.
And including the one you guys just came from.
Oh, it's already uploaded.
It's already uploaded.
I think Anthony is the...
Yeah, Will Anthony is the official photographer.
And you can follow along as you're listening to what Martha and the Siebert...
So what was your favorite about Low Country?
Southern hospitality.
Obviously the Southern hospitality and the hotel was just fantastic.
The drive-in is about five or six miles of twisty, curvy, tree-lined roads with Spanish
moss hanging down.
It was probably the prettiest part of the entire tours was coming into the hotel.
Oh, really?
That's funny.
Hey, Danny, can you pull that gallery up?
So the entrance to the facility was beautiful.
But it's, like I said, the tours and the destinations is kind of exciting for Treffen.
Where did you guys go?
So the destinations were great.
So historic Savannah and then a plantation outside of Charleston.
Magnolia plantation.
Magnolia plantation.
It was just beautiful.
Basically a botanical garden.
Okay.
And you guys had great weather, I believe.
Perfect.
Oh, the weather was perfect.
Perfect weather.
A botanical garden with the hotel inside?
No.
So you could take a tour of the mansion.
It would be Roxanne's dream.
How far from Savannah were you?
That was a long job.
That was what they say.
That was near Charleston.
Yes, I said that was a couple hours.
But Savannah was very close.
It's like, I don't know, 30 minutes.
Charleston is like a foodie's dream.
Oh, yeah.
You could just look Anthony Bourdain when he went to Charleston.
Charleston is a hit of food lovers' paradise.
Oh, it is.
It is.
We did, I think, a board meeting there years ago.
But phenomenal.
Hungry.
Just think about the possibility of food.
So when you say low country, I can't help it,
but think about like a low country boil.
Did you have a low country boil?
Did they do?
Did they didn't have one?
No.
But they did an advertisement for the next trapping.
Oh, man.
How do you go to a low country and not have a low country home
and not have a steak?
Wow.
No, but we did have a lot of fried chicken.
There might have been some buffet items.
Where the components of the low country boil.
I was waiting for like the crawfish.
I was about to say, you didn't have crawfish and sausage.
Or he wouldn't either.
It's andouille or whatever.
But definitely got to talk to Melanie.
So this is Damon here off camera today.
I'm finally chiming in.
But I've been wondering, I just I've been thinking
about this since they announced it.
Why do they call it low country?
I haven't asked anybody.
Does anybody here know why?
It's basically below sea level.
There's a lot of marshes and stuff.
That's what I was thinking.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
This is just very low.
The air is low.
It's so low that there's alligators on the property.
Oh, we did see some photos of alligators and baby alligators.
And big ones.
Mamas never protect their paternal babies.
I prefer to call it wildlife.
Why?
All right.
So good time in South Carolina with low country.
Do you know where we're going in the fall?
We do.
Would you like for me to say or do you want to say?
This is called PCA Insider.
So what's the inside scoop on where we're going in the fall?
We are going to Santa Fe.
Santa Fe?
It's in Mexico.
A hotel called Bishop's Lodge.
Bishop's Lodge.
I think I've heard it.
And we're taking more than that by the name.
We're taking over the entire hotel.
Really?
98 rooms.
So it's going to be competitive.
Does Taylor Swift take it back?
What time of year is that?
That's the end of October.
October 28th through November 1st.
So you pretty much, I think, bypass most of that Santa Fe summer heat.
Oh, yeah.
That'll be.
Although it's dry.
So yeah.
And I think in this situation, it is a Wednesday through a Sunday.
Wednesday through Sunday.
Oh, OK.
There's lots of open roads out there.
Oh, so great.
X-Mex food.
Yeah.
Great food.
And lots of arts and crafts.
Albuquerque's an hour away.
I remember.
We've done several events in Albuquerque.
It was an escape.
I think it was escape when we escaped to Albuquerque, right?
And even back then, when it wasn't as a high level of an event,
it was a wonderful escape.
That is where we went off road with the Cayennes.
Well, I was going to say, that's back in 2003, maybe 2002.
We had a board meeting there and Porsche brought the Cayennes.
It's a surprise to us.
Oh.
Brand new four-door Cayennes.
And obviously, four-door, they're all four-door.
But yeah, Santa Fe, New Mexico as a whole is very popular,
especially with the Germans, because I don't think they have that kind of climate.
They don't have any deserts in Germany, I don't think.
Man, I can already hear.
I can hear and see the tears as people don't get in.
And again, I apologize.
Now, let's address it.
It's a very limited audience.
And people say, why don't you make it bigger?
And going back to earlier what we were saying about Disney World,
this is a driving tour event.
And you don't want a line of 100 cars on a tour.
That's not a tour anymore.
That's a traffic jam.
So unfortunately, it's very limited.
It's just the nature of the beast.
Oh, you said there's only a 90-some room.
98.
It's only going to take us 28 hours to drive there if we don't stop.
Oh, you've already figured it out.
But you're retired.
That'll take you like a week.
I think that's a case of a burner car somewhere in Phoenix or something.
There's a lot of forces out there.
So this is how crazy I am.
We've already got our Toro.
Wow, you're very confident.
But it's still going to be around in a year or six months or whatever it is.
Yeah, hopefully the car's still there.
Oh, OK.
Wow.
Yeah, so we always tell people, in fact, we rarely promote Treffen here in the podcast
because we know we're going to get hate mail saying,
talked about and talked about it.
And I tried to get in.
It was sold out like in three minutes.
Yeah, unfortunately, that's the nature of the beast.
Yeah, you can't dawdle.
You got to know what you want to do.
Let's put tickets.
Unfortunately, you can't buy Treffen tickets from a scalp or somewhere.
It's just something that.
And you can't book an Airbnb and then come try to be part of the program.
It just doesn't work that way.
And it's not because we don't want you.
It's because we want the people that got in to have the proper experience.
I always tell people, look at that website very closely before registration.
Choose your tours.
Choose the second choice tour.
Choose everything with the backup in case it sells out.
And just go in there and click, click, click.
Check out.
And back when Robert would have the screen up on his computer showing our current registration,
he shows people that got in like the first five to get into the website.
Never checked out because by the time they checked out,
not only was the event sold out, but the waitlist was sold out.
So if I can offer any kind of insider tip, go in, pick what you're going to do,
have a backup.
And all you're doing is clicking.
And check out.
Whatever they ask you, you're not reading descriptions.
You're just going in and then check out.
Know what size shirt you need.
Once you check out, you can go back in, right?
You can go back.
The tours might sell out, but I mean, once you get your.
Yeah.
You decide that you chose the size you want to fit in, but do not fit in.
There's not a lot of choices like there is in parade, for example,
where you can go and get that one thing in parade that you really, really, really want.
Then check out, pay for it, check out, and then go back in and get your next thing.
It's, Treffen isn't like that.
You just go in and you pick your tours.
Like you said, it's kind of all inclusive, right?
You don't have to pick your meals.
It's like, it's all included.
It's one set price.
So as soon as you're done with registration,
immediately you get an email about the hotel because the hotel is a separate
thing on your own and you have to pay for that on your own.
You get a special code that lets you end to be able to book.
So you're saying don't dawdle.
Don't wait for your spouse to get home to decide if you want a queen bed or king bed.
All that stuff you got to be.
Unfortunately, this is like, this is very German.
You got to be on the fly.
But here's the thing.
Again, we joke about the Taylor Swift thing,
but people understand that is the process and they accept it for that situation.
But it's so hard for our members to accept that situation for this.
I get calls.
Of course you do.
Of course you do.
They say, oh, why can't I get in?
It's just one more.
It's just, you know, it's like, uh, we can't because if we let you in and there's somebody
ahead of you, it just, the system breaks down.
If we start making exceptions.
No.
Yeah, but get on the wait list because they do clear it.
People are registering.
How many months in advance?
Yes.
Like at least four or five.
Good question.
July 15th is the date for this coming Treffen.
Santa Fe.
October for registration.
So like three months in advance.
I've seen people go on the wait list like at number 20 and got in.
Like life happens.
Because one spouse doesn't check with the other spouse to schedule and then they get,
well, I got into Treffen and they say, that's our daughter's wedding weekend.
Then you have to choose.
And you have nobody so we got the wait list.
Or someone's getting the worst because they're not going to their daughter's wedding.
Any other bits of helpful insider tips for those that are considering Treffen in the future?
We've kind of stated it that you get to go to some great hotels or resorts that you would
ordinarily would not go to.
Like the All-American Club in Wisconsin was one week after the Ryder Cup was played there.
And they still had all of the memorabilia.
That's golf, by the way, boo.
Okay.
Is that golf hockey or wine tasting?
It's Europeans against American golf.
Dixie cups versus nice fine cups, I don't know.
But again, I didn't even know that existed.
I didn't know that the Palmetto bluff existed.
You know, Sonoma.
That was beautiful.
The Fairmont in Sonoma.
The Fairmont in Sonoma.
It's around there where it just has to be gorgeous.
And you get good rates that helps.
I feel bad because I have inside information, not because they're coming to me and telling
me, but because I sit catty corner for Melanie, the events manager.
So she's always talking about telling me about her visits to potential sites and the good,
the bad and what they're planning and everything.
So unfortunately, all my friends, except for Steve and Marcia, don't go to Treffen.
So they're more interested if I heard anything about the new GT3.
Not where the next Treffen is going to be.
But I've learned just like Parade, just trust that the organizers have done their homework
and they're going to deliver you a great resort.
Parade, how many times have we said, why in the world are we going?
Remember how many times I said, what in the world is that French like and why are we going
there for a week?
We ended up going five years later again.
That's how great the people were in the resort.
So trust the process, trust their choices.
They're not using a magic eight ball.
They do a lot of research and they go to several sites.
They don't just go to one and say, okay, it's confirmed to go to several
before they make the final decision.
We actually went to French like on their way to the American club.
Just because of all the great reviews.
Yeah, because they heard such great things about it.
We go over, we got to stay there.
I remember the first time planning to go to French lick and there was some hate mail
because of whatever politics or something like that.
But man, just after we all went in the hospitality that they provided and
I think I've told the story before, but we were getting gas and the gas attendant
in French lick is like, oh, we know you guys are coming and we were told we have to get extra super
unleaded that week because you guys use a lot of super unleaded.
I'm like, that's awesome.
There's so many places that we could possibly go,
but we choose to go to special places that we can take over and we will have an impact.
Exactly.
I use this all the time.
I say we could technically go to Las Vegas and nothing wrong against Las Vegas,
but I just feel like we would just get swallowed up in it.
People wouldn't feel special in Las Vegas because there's so many people there and so many things
going on, but when you go to a French lick or when you go to South Carolina and you pull up
out of light or the people that are stocking the shelves at the store knows that PCA and
portion of people I hear this week, that makes it very special.
I always tell my brother about Truffin SC because he uses another
cruise company, goes on a lot of cruises.
And I said, as he said, do you take over the whole ship?
I said, oh no, maybe a third at the best.
I said, but when you walk on that ship, you think the entire thing is Porsche,
Club of America.
There's signage everywhere, everywhere is where Truffin SC lanyards.
And all of our people are out.
I said, the first day we were checking in, we were taking an elevator up to the cabin
and another couple was with us.
The first thing they asked us was, are we with the Porsche group?
And then he proceeded to tell me I used to own a 993 Turbo and he wants to buy another one.
I said, well, you got a whole week to get in.
But he thought it was the entire ship with Porsche people.
It's a different experience.
You could go to all of these bucketless areas on your own.
And I'm sure you would have a fine time and hopefully you have a good relationship
with the person that you're going with and you'll be fine.
But going there with several hundred people, going on Truffin SC with 900 people.
And they're all enthusiasts as well.
So it's driving enthusiasts.
It's just a different experience.
For me, and I think Manny will agree, the engagement with people that are like-minded
and they appreciate the same things that we do, be it cars, be it food, be it the entertainment,
it's just more fun.
It's just simply more fun.
Even if you're not even, Manny was not even wanting to consider a cruise.
Dumbest thing I've ever heard.
Dumbest thing.
He's like, why in the world are we doing cruise?
On a ship for a week.
The Porsche didn't make sense.
And they sent the reporter from Christophe for us to cover because they couldn't understand
how we could get a thousand Porsche owners on a boat without a one-one scale Porsche site.
So what we're doing this year is we're flying to Calgary.
I finally get to go to Banff.
Oh, perfect.
I was just going to bring that up eight years later.
Okay.
So we're going to do that for five days.
Get on the Rocky Mountaineer Railroad and then go to Vancouver.
Get on the ship for the Treffen at sea and then take that down to LA.
That's a perfect segue.
We already know Porsche Parade is at 2600 folks plus June 14th through 20th.
So if you haven't planned for Parade, I wouldn't say it's too late, but the odds of you finding
a place to stay and being able to come to Porsche Parade is pretty slim.
You could do a tour to Parade.
Those of you that got into Parade, congratulations.
You have to go to your hotel room, as you did because you couldn't find anything in the Lake Placid.
Yeah, congratulations to those that got in.
The committee is actually there as the recording today.
They are in Lake Placid going through the final details of what we're going to be doing all week.
June 14th through 20th.
But you bring up Treffen at sea.
Rooms are still available and we're going out of Vancouver, September 19th.
It's a later departure.
So you can actually get in there the morning of September 19th.
Do stuff in Vancouver.
Then we sail down to...
I was going to say because PCA people are going to be the first ones lined up to get on the ship.
But yeah, we're going to San Francisco Santa Barbara and LA.
We're adding...
This is our first public announcement.
But we added another guest speaker.
His name is Donald Osborn.
He's going to be joining us.
Yeah, so maybe you can share...
Oh, you have to really up your dress game.
Yes, bow tie.
His casual wear is my like former wedding wear.
I don't think he has casual wear.
But maybe you can share with our listeners who Donald Osborn is.
But he wasn't involved with the...
I don't think he's involved with the Aldrin anymore.
Yeah, just an incredible Google of automotive knowledge.
Not just Porsche.
Yeah, Aldrin.
Every car you never even heard of.
He can tell you a full history.
He's the kind of person you want to hold his hand going through Pebble Beach.
Yes.
For any concord it has, especially pre-war era, foreign.
He's just the light to listen to, so articulate.
Whenever there's a Donald Osborn video, I click on it immediately.
He does a lot with Jay Leno.
That's great to hear.
I didn't know we had that coming.
Did I say Aldrin Springer's coming?
He is.
Yeah, he is.
Aldrin Springer.
Aldrin.
Stuff invited him so much to the light of the attendees coming back.
Aldrin decided that he's coming to this one before he got off the thing.
Doring the interview.
He made the announcement.
He goes, I still have a lot to tell you guys.
So I will be on the next one.
So we can finish the conversation.
And he didn't think anyone was going to listen to him.
Yeah.
And I kept on saying, no, no, they're going to listen.
Standing room only.
Yeah.
I thought he, Bruce Meyer.
He's just the ultimate like Donald storyteller.
It's an all-star cast.
Nathan Merz is going to be there.
Tim McNair is going to be there to share with some detailing tips.
So again, if you haven't considered going on a cruise, if you haven't considered Treffen at sea,
this one here from Vancouver down to LA, much like Treffen, North America.
It's pretty much one payment, all your food, 15 drinks.
If you're able to drink 15 drinks a day.
You're not, you're in a challenge.
You're in a challenge.
Offering this.
And his drinks can be knocking off the hallway.
And it starts out, it starts out like a grand per person.
It's very reasonable.
And you're sleeping in a room, not on the deck.
Exactly.
Works reunion Monterey, registration opens May 13th.
We'll be back at Monterey August 14th.
One of our largest events there.
Looking forward to that.
Did you forget the name of the Monterey Pines golf course?
Very good.
I got it.
Because I forgot.
Oh, did you forget?
I think I've actually played that one.
Really?
The Navy course.
Let's see.
Videos, I don't think we need to hit.
We do want to remind folks, if you want to race PCA members online,
we have PCA SimRacing.com.
We spoke about swag earlier.
But if you want insider specific swag, you can go to PCA's web store.
And we have bottles, mugs, t-shirts.
If you're looking for PCA insider decals, we can send you a set.
Just send us your address information to podcast at PCA.org.
Anything else?
The both of you, Steve and Marcia.
I don't know.
We just...
Did you have fun?
Oh, this is great.
Yeah, we enjoy the experience so much.
And we're just grateful to be here to share it with you and your viewers.
But yeah, trefins are very special.
And if you've never done one, I highly recommend it.
Just Santa Fe is going to be great.
It's going to be hard to get in.
It is.
But when you have the whole entire hotel to yourself,
like we did in Vermont, remember, we parked out on the street.
Very special show with all the residents.
Exactly wherever you walk.
Yeah.
Yeah, you're with the people.
We're with Porsche people.
And I like Steve and Marcia.
I love making new friends.
And you know, as soon as they're wearing the trefin lanyard or a name badge,
you know, you're going to say,
can I sit with you guys for breakfast and you're going to...
There's no stranger.
There are no strangers.
What region are you from?
And all of a sudden, I know someone from that region.
Like you talk about the tours.
Oh, we did that tour yesterday.
It was good or not good.
Here's what I would do, wouldn't do, blah, blah, blah.
So it's very well-organized by PCA, I have to say.
Absolutely.
Well, that's the inside tips for Treffen North America,
as well as Treffen at Sea, some details there.
Again, thank you both for the amount of time and energy you put into the club.
Without folks like you, PCA would not happen.
So we really do certainly appreciate that.
It's our pleasure. We enjoy it.
Yeah, we love it.
All right, folks, thank you for listening.
We really appreciate your support.
Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe.
Consider sharing our show with fellow Porsche enthusiasts.
Until next time, stay safe and we'll catch you down the road.
About this episode
Chesapeake Region PCA president Steve Bus and registrar Marcia Bus break down what makes Treffen different from a typical car tour: a four-to five-day, all-inclusive “bucket list” experience built around structured drives, five-star resorts, and heavy social time. They trace Treffen’s roots from the earlier “Escape” concept and explain the volunteer-led tour system (leads, mids, sweeps) that keeps cars together and safe. They share their favorite Lowcountry stop at Montage Palmetto Bluff, plus insider registration tips and what’s next for Treffen at Sea and upcoming events.
What exactly is PCA Treffen, and why do people rush to get in when registration opens? On this episode, we’re joined by Steve and Marsha Buss, long-time attendees, and dedicated volunteers. They share the stories behind their many Treffen adventures and explain why these events are about so much more than just the drive. We explore the history of Treffen, dive into the "on-the-ground" experience and get an inside look at the recent Treffen Low Country highlights. If you've been curious about these premier tours and destinations, this is the episode for you.
