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As a reader of PorschePurist.com (but a non-Porsche owner), I know that past polls asked readers if they think Porsche drivers are discriminated against by police when it comes to ticketing. I also know that readers were recently asked what they think about Porsche vanity plates. The results of both polls were interesting.
Do Porsche Drivers Get Unfairly Profiled?
- 93 of you said Yes you do.
- 9 of you said No you don’t.
- 14 of you said Sometimes.
Does Your Porsche Have a Vanity Plate?
- 70 of you said Yes, you do.
- 79 of you said No, you don’t.
A little background…
Several weeks ago I joined 993C4S (John) on a 4 hour road trip (which became 6 hours, but that’s another story) and attended my first Grand Am racing event. I was fortunate enough to have a “hot pit pass” and the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people, including PorschePurist.com’s own Christian Maloof as he spoke to a group of Porsche owners who had gathered inside PCA corral. The people I spoke to were cordial and outgoing.
While listening to Christian I got to thinking about the recent polls above and my mind started racing. You see, I’m not a “car guy” – I’m a political scientist, educator and cultural observer. Thus, the following question hit me like a bolt of lightning – it needs a bit of a windup.
In the current economic crisis there seems to be increased animosity between people of differing incomes. I wonder – do Porsche owners feel any animosity? Do you get the “stink eye” from other drivers at red lights or gas stations as you fill it up with super? A snicker while packing your groceries into the car (or do you only do that with your “other” car?) Do you worry more now about petty vandalism?
In short, as a Porsche owner, do you feel that those unable to afford such luxuries have gone from admiring you to begrudging you? (Hate is too strong a word.)
n
After voting in the poll, please leave a comment explaining your answer. I would love to work this post (and the poll results) into a future talk or discussion for one of my classes or lectures and your answers will be a big help.
Today’s post was written by Randall H. Miller. He blogs regularly about progressive politics and terrorism at www.RandallHMiller.com
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I’m not a Porsche owner (yet) but I’m really hoping that some of Obama’s TARP money can be used to permit disadvantaged folk like myself to own a Porsche. After all, everyone should be treated equally and it’s only fair that I get mine.
Festus
Being plentiful in the Bay Area, they’re really “just another car.” 25+ years ago it was more of a statement, I suppose. Occasionally I’ll get an inquiry, and time permitting I’ll chat with someone as long as I sense a genuine interest in either my specific car or Porsches in general. But out on the road I think there IS a general unfriendliness/guard in people’s demeanor these days. Until it’s determined you’re enemy, or not. One of my other commuters is a smart; in discussing that car, people’s attitudes sure change if I also mention my transportation choices include two 911′s and a crew cab truck!
I still chose not at all. I live and work in the DC area, so you have some 6 professional major league teams aroudn and plenty of Bentley’s etc running around, not to mention the rich and powerful of DC themselves. So comments are few and are along the lines of “nice car”, “sweet rude”, “beautifuk mid-life crisis” As a 3 Porsche house hold at the end of the day I could care less what people think, especially when I am still getting some 23MPG on my commute and see Escalates and Navigators just “pissing” fuel away right next to me.
hmm.. out here on long island no one has ever molested me or my porsche. i’ve driven it all over,… NC, PA, DC, CT.. never bothered by anyone, even in the backwoods of NC…….
so i say it’s all in your head…. if you have a punk-ass mentality, all the punk-asses will find you no matter what you are driving.
@ Jackie,
I agree it’s all in the attitude. Riding around cutting people off will Pi$$ people off no matter what you’re driving.
I wonder if the reactions are different between the places where you all live (metropolitan, affluent) and the places most hard hit with the recession.
Anyone wanna volunteer to drive through to see? Maybe stop and give the old “pick yourselves up by the boot straps lecture?”
Joking.
RHM
I think when you appear embarrassed to drive a P-car given the economy you get just as much negative attention as you would if you were boasting — when you come off like you think you’re better than others or you have something to hide, it sets off red flags — with anyone.
I’m unabashed not at all ashamed or subtle about my Porsche ownership; the trick with that is to still remain tactful. I put the ‘spoiled asshole’ assumptions to rest when confronted about it because I spent less on my car than most people have spent buying a Honda. She’s not in concours shape these days, so I can be lighthearted about it… “Don’t get too excited, this ain’t a Ferrari!” usually brings a laugh or two… At the end of the day, just laugh, answer questions and tell people a car is a car is a car….. And when they leave, finish the adage properly “… unless it’s a Porsche; then it’s a great car!”
But that’s 944 NA stuff for you.. Front engine, RWD, 500+ miles on a single tank (30+ mpg), it almost sounds too modern to be 23 years old!
The only time someone messed with my car publicly was when I was working at a bar near Miami and came out at 3am to discover “Asshole” had been written in lipstick on the windshield… Women… When will they realize they can’t ALL have me? Am I right?
It was alumni weekend, too. Maybe some cougar got drunk with her daughter and had bad memories associated with 16 Candles and a boy she dated.. Who can say for certain.
@Andrew,
How do you know is wasn’t a guy who wrote “A$$hole” on your windshield in lipstick.
Be honest.
RHM
@RHM
I make a point not to upset men in drag/ men with lipstick. From what I’ve seen, they can cause a bigger, more memorable scene than women
I voted “admired” but I must qualify. Those who know me, my passion for Porsches and the way I like to drive them
seem at least to my face to have admiration. However, I don’t generally drive one on the street. My competitors seem to feel that “Sonya” has some unfair advantage or super duper hidden turbo or something is that hate? I think the 1200 kids that I allowed to sit behind the wheel of a race car, all had huge admiration, so I’ll stick with that.
Christian, I think the image of a professional race car driver and his Porsche evokes an infinitely different image than the one some people are exposed to, which is usually the ostentatious wine-and-cheese guy who just cut them off after passing on the right in their fancy car, etc etc.
Christian’s some kind of super hero to the kids (and half the adults who read this site as well).
Christian, buddy, you have reached “Power Ranger Status”!
Hope to see you soon.
RHM
@RHM,
He’s only at the Power Ranger status if he has a theme song…
Christian, DO you have a theme song??
How about the Speed Racer theme?
RHM
I used to drive a Guard’s Red 1974 914 Chalon which got me attention from a few idiots. If you’ve never seen a Chalon, it has a sloped nose and looks sort of like a 930 slant with a widened 914 rear. Mine had 8″ wide Fuchs in the rear and 7″ up front, and made 105HP and 120ft/lb of torque @ 3000 rpm from it’s 2 litre four. Because it only weighed 903 kg (1800 lb) with a full tank it was lotus quick 0-40 MPH or so (then it would lose steam pretty quickly), and I used to drive it pretty aggressively when no one was around, just not above the speed limit. I think it was Walter Rohrl who said that “It’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slowly”, and this was a great example. The thing is, there was always some dolt in a Honda S-Type or something Type-R that wanted to race. If they were behind me I didn’t mind showing off what the 914 could do, but if they were beside me then that’s street racing and I’d back off. Unfortunately they rarely did, and I would end up having to stop somewhere and let them get tired. Was it ever my fault? Perhaps, since 0-40 in about 4 seconds could be seen as throwing down a challenge to someone, but would they have done the same if the car was a plain VW Rabbit or a Toyota Corolla? Doubtful. And it happened countless times.
Today I drive an ’83 911SC. It needs new paint and trim, and looks pretty shabby, but the engine is very strong and the brakes aggressive, and it goes 0 to what seems to be the problem officer in a few seconds, and no one ever looks twice at it. I drive it much faster than I did the Chalon as it seems unhappy driving anywhere near below the speed limit, and no one ever gives me a second glance. So, although my sample is much to small to be scientific, I believe that the appearance of the car does go a long way to the annoyance of observers, and driving aggressively simple aggravates the issue.
Fantastic comments and anecdotes so far.
This is something that I would definitely like to follow-up on and expand at some point in the future.
PorschePurist is all about the “cars, products, and lifestyle.”
I have to admit, it’s the “lifestyle” that interests me the most. There are only a few car makers who can boast the same. For example, I drive a civic and could care less about anyone else who drives one. With most Porsche drivers, there seems to be a bond. More on that later…
Thanks to 993C4S (John) for letting me run this post.
I’ll be back (imagine my best Arnold impressions here)!
RHM
[...] don’t forget about our recent poll. Is Driving a Porsche a Reason to be Begrudged? If you haven’t yet voted, you can do so in the post or in the poll on the sidebar to the [...]
Great to hear some positive coments and just as great attitudes towards their Porsche.
I fell into this site because I googled the question “Do other Porsche drivers find they are treated aggresively on the road by other drivers?”
I purchase my “rocket” about 4 months ago following some arse-hole breaking my passenger window and pinching my things from my SKL…… I do drive this car differently to the merc, hey you just cant help it and it screams to be driven… I have always considered myself a curtious and observant driver (I do like to go though), but I am finding that people are not letting me in, you know merge like a zip and that some appear to intentially not move over to the left (New Zealand) coming towards me on our single lane roads. There are other little things like I have watched twice now people opening their doors onto me in the carpark. Grrrrrrrr Hey, it could be me, maybe I am a little precious because I just love this car and I have worked hard for it. In saying that I have always been a car “chick” and have enjoyed most of my cars.
I got my first speeding ticket in the first week, I smiled sweetly and explained I was not used to the 4 day old car and following a $120.00 ticket for going 8km over the speed limit off I went but did not have the heart to tell him that I was still in first gear!
I got pulled over again yesterday but they did not get me on radar (valentine or jammer did not go off) so did not get the ticket and still wondering why I had to pull over and listen to them.
Anyway what is most important is that I continue to enjoy my rocket and have hopefully a long relationship and get that same good feeling in my belly everytime I jump into her. Not even seeing ‘dumped X bastard boyfriend’ kick it twice and put dents in side at the shopping centre last weekend can dampen my spirits because I can get them fixed. Unfortunately he can not grow back his hair, grow back his teeth, or grow taller.
And I have to admit very quietly I did have an inner smirk happening watching him get into his Ford and knowing he was green with envy and had still never driven a rocket!
[...] me of a post he put up a few months ago along these same lines. You need to check it out here: Is Driving a Porsche a Reason to be Begrudged? One of the most interesting things is that of police discriminating against Porsche [...]