EDITORIAL EMINENCE

Porsche. Is it the cars or the people?
Posted by A.J. O'Connell on Tuesday, 21 April 1998, at 4:13 a.m.

I remember having a few issues with my '97 Guards Red/Black Boxster. Namely, an inaccurate speedo and paint that you can rub off with a feather. Other than these issues, I love my car. It is really fast, beautiful, and reliable as stink. I was hitting a dead end with a sympathetic but not too helpful dealer and a similar PCNA field rep. I turned to the internet. On a newsgroup, I posted my concerns.

A few days later, someone named Mark Christianson responded to my newsgroup post and referred me to some websites. Since then, I've been able to share my Boxster experiences with others, and I've learned a tremendous amount about my car(difficult for a dedicated gearhead to admit that someone knew something that he/she didn't). I also managed to say a prayer or two for Mark. If you're a Porsche owner and PCA member, you know of comradery. As a Boxster subgroup, the comradery extends further.

Here on the Boxster Board, we post on alot of issues. Which wax to use? Had this problem? How do I do. . . ? Lots of nuts and bolts stuff. Guess you get the point.

Wanna know what I enjoy reading the most? The other stuff. Posts like Martin's road that inspires Porsche engineers. Cary the Artist's interpretation of the Boxster's design. Reliving my adolescent obsession with cars through Matt the Car Nut. Guess you get this point as well.

Wanna know what I appreciate the most? I appreciate people who do not even know me offering me lodging in their homes during my trip to Dallas. I appreciated the emails of concern after my near carjacking. I appreciate the efforts of people like Porsche Pete, Chris from Germany, Greg Reddick, and too many others to list. Throughout my experiences as a Porsche owner and with all of you, I appreciate the interactions that have helped me to learn, to laugh, to think and to give. We all are truly a kindred spirit that prefers a personal touch to mass production. If you've read this far, I know you get this point.

A suggestion, if you'll permit. When you see a long list of nuts and bolts posts, sit back and take a deep breath. Remember why you bought or ordered or simply coveted this wonderful car and share it with all of us. Just a suggestion, if you'll permit. . .

A.J.

And followup posted by Martin on Tuesday, 21 April 1998, at 5:49 a.m.

Beautifully said, A.J. Your post reminds us of something we all too easily forget in the hustle and bustle of daily life. *Everything* in life is about people. Your family, your friends, the people you serve in your job: what else is there really? It's unfortunate that it often takes a special event--an anniversary or birthday, a death, an illness--to make us remember this. Then we realize that cars and wax and so forth don't really matter, only other people do. As marvelous Porsches are, their most wonderful feature is not some engineering component but rather the fact that they serve as a catalyst for warm and welcoming human interaction.

I'm new to Porsches but one of the first things I noticed when I got started is Porsche people. How come these folks get so involved in endless discussions of colors and options and upgrades, I wondered. Are these things really worth discussing for umpteen hours and days? Slowly it dawned on me that the real focus wasn't the color or the option but the chance to share the experience with your fellow human beings. As A.J. so skillfully points out, people matter far more than any color or option--or car--ever could.

Try this exercise for a moment. Picture in your mind the Las Vegas event with those 28 wonderful Boxsters, but remove all the people. Just you alone in the desert with the 28 cars, but no one else there to share the news with. Without the people it'd be a very empty experience. You'd probably look at the cars for all of 15 minutes and then head for the nearest computer to post a message to this Board, in other words to share the experience with other people. A person all alone in the desert is a lonely and meaningless entity no matter how many fabulous cars are there with him.

A.J.'s post delivers a powerful and worthwhile message. All too often we create our own desert. Don't let that happen to you. Reach out to the people in your life. Call your grandmother, re-contact an old friend, touch someone emotionally who's too proud to say they're scared or lonely. Tomorrow you may no longer have the chance. Just tell them A.J. sent you.

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