Ha!!! Good question… you obviously are an enthusiast. My manual holds me on a hill… after 100K+ miles with it … I still HATE it and I can’t deactivate it. The timing of its release is never what my brain is timed for. As I noted above, I had 197K miles on my original clutch when my Boxster’s 2nd engine blew… that means (for those non-enthusiasts) that I know how to rev match (a track driving necessity). Clutch use and car control are skills… period… and require education and practice to get right. So… I am proud of my skills and these skills are important to me for the enjoyment I get out of my car. So … I do not like the aids.
But… if you want to sit in the cockpit of a computer controlled missle… then have at it. To each their own.
Now traction/stability management is a bit of a different issue for me. While the manly among us call these “nanny aids” I don;t feel that way. They are about safety and as I get older, I appreciate it, particularly when these cars are so darn fast now, you can get into serious trouble fast. Further, these cars are expensive, and balling one up takes some fun out of your future.
Fully agreed. I also enjoy having the skill to start on a steep hill with a manual and to heel and toe. Fortunately, the Z06 (and all Corvettes) lets you turn off rev matching with dedicated paddles on the wheel placed where manual shifting paddles are on an automatic. One can literally choose rev matching for only one track corner, or only when downshifting to second from fifth, etc. The rev matching feature is magical and better than I will ever be so it is fun to use. It is particularly amusing when going slow entering a parking lot, shifting from third to second and there is a throttle blip where I would never bother and would simply gently engage the clutch. This draws a bit of attention.
I am similarly not offended by the other driving aids. They have become so good they are no longer intrusive. Plus, modern systems let you dial in how much assistance you would like. I set them high enough that they do not kick in unless I have truly screwed up. Then I am delighted to have the hand of God step in - “Go straight, young man.”
I turn the driver aids off in my Boxster sometimes. It’s a hoot. You really have to be ready for a different experience although when you push the button, the assistance is reduced but not completely off.
I’ve driven cars with rev matching and I think it’s fun sometimes.
I recently had a blast driving a friend’s 2019 BMW M2. I’m sure the steering is electric, it’s heavier than one would imagine, but it’s great fun.
Back in the day we had to stop and go on a hill with a manual trans as part of the drivers training. The car we got to use was a brand new '69 Nova SS with a 4 speed on the floor. Fun car for a bunch of teenagers to train in. Everyone in my group were farm kids so using a clutch had been learned long before. The city kids had lots of trouble.
My son has an '18 M2 and it is a blast to hustle around. The hardest thing for me to get used to in a short time is the brakes. It’s hard to not over apply. Oh, and you could buy two of them for what my Z06 cost.
That’s what I learned to drive stick in, a late 60s early 70s Nova with a heavy duty clutch my pops borrowed from one of the other linemen. The guy was like “Ken, just borrow my car. No matter how bad your kid is, he’s not gonna hurt the clutch or the motor.”
When I bought my current truck, I had to drive two hours out of town to find a stick. 120,000 miles on the original clutch.
I will never forget what an instructor said to our group at the first track day I did… something like… “The cars you guys have are faster than purpose-built race cars of just 15 years ago” Or something like that. In other words “Cut the macho… you can get killed.”
Unfortuantely, one cannot buy two M2’s for the price of a Z06. The M2 starts at $60,000; Z06, $80,000. But it is close. The typical M2 is ~ $70,000. The Z06 optioned out, including the Z07 performance package (carbon brake discs, etc.) is ~ $115,000.
I readily admit there is something obscene to owning a toy car that can only be driven for part of the year which costs the same as a good undergraduate degree. But this also applies to audio systems and other expensive first world toys.
That is the truth. My Z06 has the 8 speed auto. Due to back issues I cant use a clutch very well any more.
If you turn off all of the safety devices and throttle up on a limited traction surface and don’t pay real close attention you will be heading in a direction you don’t want to be going in and in a big ole hurry too.
It’s a good thing I got all of that out of the way a long time ago or I could see how it would be easy to get killed in it.
The funny thing is that now the Z06 insurance costs the same as my F250 pickup truck. I guess there are a couple of advantages to surviving this long.
At this point, I’ve recognized that a 911 is probably not in my cards this life. Thank you for the detailed discussion on the pluses and minuses of the platform as it stands today.
At some point I do hope to get a sports car of some sort. Small, simple, and relatively cheap. 0-60 in a straight line is not my thing. I love that feeling of going around a curve and having the car/motorcycle just STICK, and playing with lines and brakes and throttle. (We has a 93 Golf that was my introduction to that feeling).
The new Miatas are nice, if more of a roadster. I do like the Subaru BRZ a lot, that low boxer powerplant just calls to me. Plus the maintenance is doable with just a normal collection of tools. The biggest issue is the wholesale shift away from cars to SUVs by so many of the manufacturers. Time will tell.
Keith Code’s courses are a hoot. But one has to accept his views of how motorcycles work, etc. I have few arguments with him, but it is a bit like attending church. The instructors are very good, and the dedicated modified motorcycles to teach slide control and the like are a hoot. His son Dylan is a delight.
And they use the BMW S1000RR as their training bikes, one of my current machines.
If you’re looking for purity of the driving experience, you can’t do much better than a gen 1 Miata.
They’re cheap to buy and own. (And if you get one, you’ll come to appreciate the perfectly placed pedals)
Miatas are great and there are a lot of superb deals buying one used. They are typically babied and there are a lot available as they are popular. Buying one used is a perfect way to get a legitimate sports car.
Insurance cost is calculated on loss ratios and average cost to repair. In other words, if a car, like many Porsches, are summer/weekend cars… that equals few miles driven and the number of accidents for the model are low. Further, replacing/painting a fender or bumper is not much more than a Chevy so… insurance price is low.
In the “old days” when insurance was less competative, the insurance industry would collude… their “association” would publish loss statistics but they were skewed… so they would set premium based on horse power to weight ratios. In other words, if you purchased a powerful car, you were an obvious risk. Hooey… this was just industry collusion. But competition wiped out that pricing model.
A friend’s mom, years ago, purchased some Ford sedan with the “HO” badge on it… she didn’t know what she was buying. Then was shocked at the insurance premium… but those days are over.
I ride an F800GT, a sport-tourer, i.e. the sport bike for fat old men. I will never have an S1000RR because of an unfortunate comment I made to my wife when they first came out that if I ever decided to commit suicide, I would buy an S1000RR and have a hell of a fun last hour.
I really would like a performance riding course. I read the “Sport Riding Techniques” book by Ienatch, and that was a life changing read. I still need to trust the tires more though.
The instructors are very good, and the dedicated modified motorcycles to teach slide control and the like are a hoot. His son Dylan is a delight.