Volvo v Porsche
Volvo or Porsche? Given the choice what would it be?
Last week I was handed the keys to a Porsche Boxter Sport for a day as part of some kind of sales promotion. I am a Volvo driver so quite why my name should appear on a Porsche marketing list beats me. I suppose this says something about the quality of such lists.
On the other hand, at least I could afford to buy such a car and a pending speeding prosecution after 33 years with never a speeding endorsement in all that time might go some way to underline my otherwise flimsy boy-racer credentials.
I was heading to Builth Wells in Wales to undertake some fishing casting lessons and missed the turning in Newport after coming off the M4. There were some roadworks with a temporary 30 mph limit - one of those that appears with very little warning - and that did for me. I saw the camera flash and, sure enough, the next week a note arrived telling me that my speed had been recorded at 43 mph. What a bummer.
I think the Porsche salesman sensed my priorities when I asked him how much room there was in the boot. In fact it was very spacious with storage room at front and rear although there is nowhere to put a fishing rod.
The ride was pretty basic and the bucket-seats a bit tight compared with the comfort of the Volvo, but the Boxter felt safe, sticking to the road like glue. Its low profile gave the impression that it was travelling faster than was actually the case.
We would have taken the dog but there was not much room for him in the foot well. Still, it was fun with the top down and I didn't encounter any aggressive responses from other road users. I mention this because when travelling to the West Country last year as a passenger in a Porsche Carerra it was noticeable how other motorists on the motorway went out of their way to block our progress.
It was as if they were saying: "Thou art a Porsche, thou shall not pass." Come to think of it I feel the same way about BMW drivers.
We had a good day and I'm thinking a Porsche might well suit us when we're a little older. Just now, however, I'm sticking with the youthful appeal of the Volvo. OK, so the family has all but grown up, but no-one else knows that.
Last week I was handed the keys to a Porsche Boxter Sport for a day as part of some kind of sales promotion. I am a Volvo driver so quite why my name should appear on a Porsche marketing list beats me. I suppose this says something about the quality of such lists.
On the other hand, at least I could afford to buy such a car and a pending speeding prosecution after 33 years with never a speeding endorsement in all that time might go some way to underline my otherwise flimsy boy-racer credentials.
I was heading to Builth Wells in Wales to undertake some fishing casting lessons and missed the turning in Newport after coming off the M4. There were some roadworks with a temporary 30 mph limit - one of those that appears with very little warning - and that did for me. I saw the camera flash and, sure enough, the next week a note arrived telling me that my speed had been recorded at 43 mph. What a bummer.
I think the Porsche salesman sensed my priorities when I asked him how much room there was in the boot. In fact it was very spacious with storage room at front and rear although there is nowhere to put a fishing rod.
The ride was pretty basic and the bucket-seats a bit tight compared with the comfort of the Volvo, but the Boxter felt safe, sticking to the road like glue. Its low profile gave the impression that it was travelling faster than was actually the case.
We would have taken the dog but there was not much room for him in the foot well. Still, it was fun with the top down and I didn't encounter any aggressive responses from other road users. I mention this because when travelling to the West Country last year as a passenger in a Porsche Carerra it was noticeable how other motorists on the motorway went out of their way to block our progress.
It was as if they were saying: "Thou art a Porsche, thou shall not pass." Come to think of it I feel the same way about BMW drivers.
We had a good day and I'm thinking a Porsche might well suit us when we're a little older. Just now, however, I'm sticking with the youthful appeal of the Volvo. OK, so the family has all but grown up, but no-one else knows that.
Labels: BMW, Builth Wells, Newport, Porsche Boxter, Porsche Carrera, Volvo, Wales, West Country
posted by Richard Donkin at
6:01 PM
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