Courtesy among Porsche Drivers?

[Uknown]

just had a chalk CT go past me on I80 but too much traffic to wave or catch-up before my exit. Chalk is very sharp!

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[mutanthands]

If somebody smiles / waves at me, then I'll wave back. However, I wouldn't initiate as it's a little cringe. It's not like the car is a crazy rare exotic.

 

[whitex]

Honestly, over the past few years in the US, I find that KIA and HYUNDAI drivers have overtaken the BMW and Altima drivers for being the most rude and aggressive. Of course it is not the brand itself, but something about the brand that attracts a specific personality type.

For ranking Porsche, I would separate out the "normal" Porsche drivers from the Porsche drivers who manually deploy spoilers and leave them out when parked. I consider the latter to be a different species altogether (worthy of Clarksonesque ridicule of course).

It's a general trend lately, backed by polling data:
https://www.pemco.com/blog/polite-driving-index-poll

Welcome to the modern world, where people feel more entitled, unhappy about what they don't have rather than be happy for what they do have, fueled and reinforced by the social media, therefore they feel wronged by the world, therefore they take their frustrations out on the world, and everyone in it.

 

[whitex]

I find this a bit silly, I am an early tesla owner and when there were few tesla out in the wild you'd acknowledge other tesla drivers but since the car became more main stream with the introduction of the model 3 that went away, I'd be expect to wave many times on a trip and the new owners couldn't care less. with the porsche I don't pay attention to another porsche, around where I live there are many porsches on the roads.

Early Tesla owners were mostly early-adopters who were passionate about their cars (enough to spend $100K on a new, unproven technology product). With Model 3 Tesla joined main-stream car market, where people buy them for transportation, so no different than any other car. Most Tesla owners today know very little about their cars, nor do they care to know - it's just a car to them. Seeing another Tesla is no different to them than seeing another person wearing the same brand shoes. I hear in California, a brand new Model 3 with all the incentives is now cheaper than a brand new Corolla (IIRC, just under $20K after all incentives for a base M3).

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

For ranking Porsche, I would separate out the "normal" Porsche drivers from the Porsche drivers who manually deploy spoilers and leave them out when parked. I consider the latter to be a different species altogether (worthy of Clarksonesque ridicule of course).

Ouch, that cut me to the quick :-(. My 996 gets quite hot in the summer traffic, and likes to turn on the fans to vent itself long after the engine was turned off. This, coupled with another 996 quirk (corroded starter/alternator cable), means the battery is being plumbed to its depths, and even put me in the embarrassing position of trying to start a Porsche whose engine barely turns over. I used to manually open the rear spoiler, as that would dissipate the heat from the engine compartment a lot faster. That's all fixed now/in the past, but I'd hate for you to think I'm the kind of person who deserves Clarkson's ridicule.

 

[TDinDC]

Ouch, that cut me to the quick :-(. My 996 gets quite hot in the summer traffic, and likes to turn on the fans to vent itself long after the engine was turned off. This, coupled with another 996 quirk (corroded starter/alternator cable), means the battery is being plumbed to its depths, and even put me in the embarrassing position of trying to start a Porsche whose engine barely turns over. I used to manually open the rear spoiler, as that would dissipate the heat from the engine compartment a lot faster. That's all fixed now/in the past, but I'd hate for you to think I'm the kind of person who deserves Clarkson's ridicule.

Wait a few more years and you will stop caring what others think!

 

[AmineS]

I'm new to Porsche world and it was a nice surprise. I also drive motorcycles and sometimes, it's almost impossible to keep control

I was super happy to see that this also exists in the Porsche community, so far, only Taycan drivers in Germany wave or wave back. In Zurich, nobody does (too many Porsche). Cayenne / Macan driver - silent.

I was not aware of this tradition. My wife has got a Macan and I don't think she will wave to someone she doesn't know

 

[VA_CT]

With new porsches its hit or miss on the wave. Classic porsche drivers are more often to wave back or even chat at traffic stops. Today at a stop light i saw a new boxster coming on the opposite direction and I flashed my lights. Surprisingly i got a wave back.

 

[glacius]

I have a GTS in Cherry Metallic and just moved into a new neighborhood. On my second day there, I happened across a Taycan in Frozen Berry (which is what I had originally planned to order). The owner's reaction to seeing my vehicle made my evening: he was very friendly and enthusiastic and I waved back at him.

 

[parkslopedope]

A lot of SUV driver slander lol but funny enough I rarely get the wave from other 911 drivers.
They typically avoid any kind of eye contact.
Of course there are exceptions, but generally I’ve found it quite surprising.

It may also have to do with the area, I live in SoCal where Porsche’s aren’t exact rare, so I’ll chalk it up to fatigue instead of pretentiousness.

 

[Taycan barry]

For years I've noticed a certain courtesy among Mercedes drivers (being myself one), specially on intersections, merge lanes etc. Never understood if it was conscious or subconscious but over the years, there has been a measurable positive difference between the amount of MB drivers that have let me merge lanes or given way at an intersection versus other brands. For some reason golf drivers were the opposite towards my car.

I don't have the Taycan for long (less than a month) but the other day I was picking up lunch and used a secondary road when suddently a Panamera appeared from the opposite direction. We were pretty far out to recognize each other models but we both knew the other was a Porsche by the 4 dot daylights. The Panamera flashed his high beams as it passed by to which I flashed back. I thought it was kinda nice, I don't know. I haven't noticed the same from Macans or Cayennes yet but to be fair, there aren't a lot of Porsches around here. Well kinda, I see like 3-4 a day max.

What is your experience?

For years I've noticed a certain courtesy among Mercedes drivers (being myself one), specially on intersections, merge lanes etc. Never understood if it was conscious or subconscious but over the years, there has been a measurable positive difference between the amount of MB drivers that have let me merge lanes or given way at an intersection versus other brands. For some reason golf drivers were the opposite towards my car.

I don't have the Taycan for long (less than a month) but the other day I was picking up lunch and used a secondary road when suddently a Panamera appeared from the opposite direction. We were pretty far out to recognize each other models but we both knew the other was a Porsche by the 4 dot daylights. The Panamera flashed his high beams as it passed by to which I flashed back. I thought it was kinda nice, I don't know. I haven't noticed the same from Macans or Cayennes yet but to be fair, there aren't a lot of Porsches around here. Well kinda, I see like 3-4 a day max.

What is your experience?
[/I am a taycan 4s owner for 4 months and a former bmw owner for 30 years. Back in the 80s most bummer owners always flashed each other. I now always flash a Porsche owner, a nice way to show friendliness to other Porsche owners. I live in Westchester and would be a nice thing to start what older bmw owners use to do to each other. Try it you might get a warm feeling if you tried! QUOTE]

 

[tchavei]

Even macans and cayennes?

 

[mcr21]

There's definitely curiosity and often traffic courtesy between some Taycan owners, even when driving around London areas where they are not that uncommon to see. I also enjoy seeing how other colours, trims etc look on the road.

As others have noted, it's prob more of a Porsche EV "early" adopter thing.

 

[snstevens]

What a fascinating thread! Here we are 4 pages in and it seems like lots of Forum members are interested in this topic, and it's making me reflect on my own behavior.

For the record, I always wave at other Porsche driver and exotic car drivers. I also sometimes wave at newer model EVs, and start a conversation with those folks if I'm in a charging station or passing their car in a parking lot. I've had great conversations at EA learning about the Ford Lightning and the Rivian, but I also enjoy learning more about the Mercedes and Audi EVs. There are so many Teslas in the Seattle area (so, so many) that it is basically impossible to wave at them - it would occupy the entire drive.

But I don't wave at cars because of Porsche traditions, so after reading this thread I asked myself why do I do it (my wife also asks that question)?

I think it's because I'm so damn happy when I'm driving the Taycan that I just can't help myself! Goofy reason I know, but that's the way it is

 

[Fish Fingers]

If somebody smiles / waves at me, then I'll wave back. However, I wouldn't initiate as it's a little cringe. It's not like the car is a crazy rare exotic.

British reserve at its finest.

We are all driving round thinking I'll wave if they wave first.
So nobody does.

Better to look straight ahead and pretend you haven't even noticed the other Taycan.

Its a fine line here between being considered 'friendly' and being labelled the 'village nutter'.

Keep calm and carry on.
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