6 more days to go to pick up my new baby!
got it!
March 12th, 2005, pictures taken March 13th, 2005
t -6
Mahmood's Den
An Arab man's attempt at bridging the cultural gap and trying to make a difference. Failing a lot. Succeeding once in a while.
Comments
t -6
so you have been shopping in Stuttgart?
nice one anyways!
t -6
Congrats on the new toy Mahmood! Can you tell us some more about it? Engine size, color, options etc?
[Modified by: Bonsaimark (Bonsaimark) on March 04, 2005 03:15 PM]
t -6
Looks fun! Germans make some of the best cars. Try to avoid what I did when I bought one. I drove in Germany for several months and took it back to England. I drove there like I was still in Germany. Wasnt long before I flipped it doing 80 down a dual carrige-way when a lorry suddenly swerved into my lane.
I do not believe I have seen any of these types here, but I havent been looking either. I live near a dealer, time for a look see! Enjoy!
t -6
ENJOY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I BOUGHT 1 FOR MY WIFE 5 MONTHS AGO, AND MAKE AS MANY EXCUSES AS I CAN TO DRIVE IT.
t -6
Personally, I think its the ugliest four wheel around. It looks like a frog.
Re: t -6
Oh ye of little faith, and style! It is one of the most wonderful motorised vehicles ever assembled. None, come close to it. All other SUVs are nothing more than trucks with a covered back, this one is a sports car which happens to have a higher than normal centre of gravity!
… and what’s wrong with frogs? I had the 968, that LAST frog ever built by Porsche and the guy I sold it to almost kissed my hands for allowing him to own it after me!
… I knew it was only a matter of time!
[b]GOOD FOR YOU! You’ll love it! Congrat’s![/b]
Re: Show off’s … π
[Modified by: Sandee (Sandee) on March 05, 2005 01:02 AM]
t -6
you’re all show offs lol
t -6
ENJOY!!!!! the car runs for almost $100k here in canada….no importations allowed
Re: t -6
Lucky wife! I’m really anxious to take delivery of it. 5 days now (I hope not any longer) and it’ll be mine…
if your wife is driving a Cayenne S, what are YOU driving?! Not a Datsun 140J I hope?
Re: t -6
although they hail from that area, I haven’t seen many, probably just one or two Cayennes and a couple of 911s. That’s it. But the weather there must’ve been a factor as snow was piled on sidewalks sometimes more than 2 meters in height! So if you buy a Porshce you have to have another car.. that’s why I’m keeping my Grand Cherokee as well.
Re: … I knew it was only a matter of time!
Thanks Sandee… I must confess that I’m looking for a 911 as well to tootle along the track with. I’ve been to the SpeedTrip 6 in the weekend and it was the first time I got miffed that I didn’t have a 911 to go around the track with…. but now that’ll have to wait for a little longer until I sell something so I can buy myself another present!
Re: t -6
yeah… and? π
Re: t -6
About the same here… Porsche seem to do a good job of policing their pricing policy. The price is published on their website and you can even configure the car, print out the config and take it to your dealer to place an order.
Normally as incentives other car dealers offer quite a lot of things like free comprehensive insurance, 3 year free maintenance and a host of other bits and pieces. The Porsche dealer here even probably charges you for putting on the number plates!
Insurance is quite high as well. The company we deal with offered my 4% of the initial purchase price and an excess of BD500. The best I negotiated with them is to drop the excess to 250 and include an “executive” package with the price. The cheaper option that the garage recommend offer 3.5% and 100 excess, however I’m not comfortable with the insurance company as I’ve never dealt with them before.
t -6
Niiiice mahmood, congrats. Lovely car, an eye catcher, powerful engine n drinks fuel like an addict but who cares, right hehehe
t -6
Congrats Mahmood.
Great taste…
When will you take us for a test drive…preferably with me on the wheel while you sit back and enjoy the ride π
Re: t -6
Oh thank you! But the “wife rule” stands good with you as well: no one is allowed to drive my car! π
t -6
Fine…U don’t get to drive my car too.
Re: t -6
sulkie sulkie!! tell you what, I’ll invite you to dinner (with hubbie of course) and we can all sit at the front door looking at it in the garage and admire its wonton beauty!! π
t -6
Mabrook, I guess you owe me a test drive π
Re: t -6
hehe.. nope, Behbehani does. Go stand in line to get one of their demo cars! I’m still waiting to pick one up even though they have my order. The promise was that I would get one for a couple of days today, but it hasn’t arrived at my office yet… bastards really know how to make you wait with anticipation!
Mabrook
First of all congratulations
As they say in Bahrain( it shoof khairha o matchoof sharha, I dont agree with you on the part where you say that the weather conditions are the cause for that people in Germany dont drive their cars and that they drive their spare cars instead….because I live in a country where the weather conditions are similar to the ones in germany and people here dont seem to care about their cars and they drive with them in the extreamist weather conditions….I guess the reason why you dont see that much fancy cars in the streets it’s because of the High taxation on Fuel we have in Socialist Europe.
Bugs
Test Drive
I’ve got the demo car with me! Picked it up this afternoon and have been on the road with it since then and if I had even a little doubt, the drive has completely sealed them out…
Man that car is unbelievably a pleasure to drive: responsive, solid, quiet (but you can still hear it purr and roar at appropriate moments) and is PACKED with electronics goodies that I would be happy enough being a passenger and twiddle the various buttons. It’s even got a very up to date navigation system on-board and now I know both longitude and latitude coordinates of our house! Well, within 50 meters anyway which is close enough.
Unlike me, I let Frankie drive it too tonight (hey, it’s a demo!) and she loved it too. Hopefully not enough to demand the continuous right to drive it when I pick up MY car. Well put it this way: if she does insist on driving it, I’m looking for a Ferrari 360 Modena π
Me very happy cookie indeed. π
t -6
Question Regarding Hybrids…
how come we don’t have Hybrids here in Bahrain? I’m dying to own a Toyota Prius.. is it because we are “Oil Dependent” that we can’t have environmentally friendly vehicles?
slick wheels but if you want me to drool and bat my eyes at you: 1957 Mercedes 300 SL gullwing…
Re: t -6
I hear you… I’m one for the classics as well, especially the Porsche 356B which I love.
Not with you on the hybrids though, I’d rather have some ooomph in there rather than a squeek!
Re(1): t -6
ya insurance is a killer here in Ontario but more affordable in other provinces….Nobody offers free insurance…Majority of the people just lease and return….nobody invests in a car or rather nobody has that kind of money…..
t -6
Mabrook ya Mahmoud. I guess yo uwon’t be posting as much in the next couple of weeks…
t -6
woah, thats a nice car, have fun with it.
Re: t -4
You never know Hassan… As you know I don’t have a schedule for posting and just react whenever an event pokes me or whenver I have something to say. New car or not, expressing myself is more important.
Having said that, there’s another business trip looming, I’ll be away between the 8th (evening) to the 10th (evening) attending the annual Dubai CABSAT… now I wonder who the scapegoat should be this time around?
Re(2): t -4
I did that for 2 years – leasing a car that is, and I enjoyed the immediacy of when something goes wrong, they just swap the car and you’re on the road again in no time at all. Not sure why that’s not very successful in these parts. I guess people are used to want things to own, rather than rent/lease and maybe they believe that the lease is expensive while running your own car ultimately is cheaper. After all we don’t have to worry about taxes.. maybe where you’re from you would enjoy some kind of tax break if you lease.
Re(3): t -4
Tax break only if you’re self employed….leasing is way much cheaper than financing….also people here believe its a waste to invest in something that dramatically depreciates in value within a few years…..Plus i’ve noticed many people who come from overseas are not as comfortable with montly debt as us Canadians are so that can explain why….Arabs, Indians, Asians who have migrated to Canada are known for buying their houses & cars CASH! Which is pretty cool…..
Re(1): t -4
[quote]now I wonder who the scapegoat should be this time around? [/quote]
You want some ideas?????????
Re(1): Test Drive
Thank you Reem, it’s Crystal Silver, Havana/Sand Beige Leather interior and all the options they threw at me!
I know and have experienced what you did at the Porsche garage, they are useless or very trusting when it comes to prospects. I was chasing them for 3 days to get the test drive and the excuses are worse than those used by teenagers to skip school.
Then I called (for the hundredth time) again yesterday afternoon to find out if it was ready for me to pick it up to find out that yes it is, and it’s waiting for me. Why no one actually called me themselves to tell me that but wait for me – the prospect – to do their job for them is beyond me.
It doesn’t end there… I asked who I could check in with to pick up the car from the garage, they gave me a name so I went. He was no where to be seen, aparently they finish at 4pm! So I talked to someone else who happens to be by, he picked up the “demo key” but didn’t know which car is the demo car! We went around the garage pressing the unlock on the remote control until we saw some blinking lights. He gave me the key and told me away you go! No papers, no signature, no insurance, no nothing! That’s the ultimate in bad customer and asset management.
They’re SO sure of selling their cars.
The car didn’t have any petrol, the guage told me that it can go for another 30kms (which is about the length of Bahrain, so no problem!) and it was dirty. It hasn’t been washed/cleaned for a while… went to the petrol station and as no one has given me a tour of the car, I had no idea where the filler cap release button was! I had to get some help from the petrol attendent who must have been in the same situation before because he knew exactly where it was.
Took a turn in it, and was thrilled. Wiped out (almost) all the bad experience I had yesterday afternoon picking up the car. You’re right… it purrs and roars at appropriate moments. The only thing I’m not sure of and maybe I need to get used to is that it seems that there is a delay from putting my foot down on the accellerator (not shove it down, just the gentle pressure to get going) but there is a delay for the engine to respond. Not sure if that is a “feature” or a bug. Have to ask.
Took the kids out for a drive last night as well, and they all whole-heartedly approve. Amna especially likes the sound system and the surround. Hanan loves the stability and the ride and how it hugs the road in turns. Arif loves all the buttons!
Yes it’s 6am and I’m taking the kids to school… volentarily!
I’m also not going to spend much time in the office this morning…
t -6
Take lotsa pics for us to see! Thanks……..
Re: Test Drive
Mahmooooooood!
Mabroooooooook… π
U didn’t mention what color it is.. ehehe π i’m curious to find out!
i took the Cayenne on a test drive early in Jan… (with 2 days before leaving Bahrain, i decided it’s time i test drove as many cars as possible!!!) hehehehe well… my lil bro took me in to test drive the Touareg….hmm… it wasn’t in yet.. so we asked to take the Cayenne S for a ride… π
I can’t begin to describe the feeling…. getting it out of the garage was a grilling test, it’s just such a tight place, overflowing with cars!
taking it on the highway was a blaaast!! poor thing, my bro decided to test out the speakers… i had a go at him… demanding he shuts it off.. so I can hear the [i]engine purrr[/i]….!! Needless to say, my brother didn’t know what to think of me… was i really his sister? i love the way the seats just cup you… it FELT great!
then.. the Touareg…. what a disappointment!! well… u can’t compare a VW V6 with a Porsche V8… but all i could say was that the Touareg didn’t feel right
next: BMW.. eheheh .. anyone heard of the grip test?? It’s Yousif’s area of expertise… and well… my dad wasn’t happy finding out 3 of his kids were in a car.. going 180kph, slamming the breaks and swerving left and right!
welll.. ehehe i’m just going crazy.. i’m meant to get my first car and i was looking at SUVs cuz i’m used to driving my mom’s jeep… and well.. when ur a girl and want to be reckless.. it helps if ur higher up.. π
the Cayenne was never an option for me… we just asked if we could test, and the guy agreed, and didn’t even tag along π
Re: t -6
Jealous? stop raining on our parade! lol
t -6
I do not like the image of these cars. They represent power without accountability, expense without taste, social exclusion and a sense of personal identity derived from material possession. Why anyone in bahrain would need one is totally beyond me.
The Johnster
Re: t -6
because we can?
t -6
I see about six of these things a week around here. The advantages of living next to the capital of the free world and one of the highest-value “tech corridors” in the country. I used to snort and think “wannabe”, but then I read the stats. Didn’t think they were wannabes then.
Of course, I will refrain from raising an eyebrow at someone who lives in a country with no snow and an average 77 mm of rain every *year* wanting a 4wd anything. Let’s just say I better see at least one picture of it out in the middle of nowhere Bahrain (from looking at the map, ~ 6 blocks outside Manama) covered in, oh heck, whatever things off road get covered in around there.
As a die-hard fan of a *real* sports marque (wink wink), I’m personally lusting for the day [url=http://www.theautochannel.com/F/news/2005/02/22/000794.html]I can buy one of these in the US.[/url] It’ll even be 4wd, just like yours. Go me!
t +2
going to pick up my baby in a few minutes, can’t wait! expect some pictures in the next couple of days or so…. but don’t expect me to be in the office for extended periods for oh… a couple of months! π
t -6
Congrats on your new toy!!!! HAVE FUN!!!!!!
She’s home!
I picked her up this afternoon, gone for a drive, came home and picked up the kids, and went for another extended drive! I just came back, and want to go out again… but that will have to wait ’till tomorrow I’m afraid…
I’ll shoot some pictures tomorrow and post them. However I’ve got three appointments tomorrow the last of which finishes at about 5:30pm or more… so I guess I just have to go for a drive instead of having lunch!
She doesn’t just look beautiful…
Porsche Defines the ‘Safety Must Haves’ When Shopping for an SUV
ΓΖΓ’β¬Ε‘ΓβΓΒ Text & photos courtesy Porsche Car NA
ΓΖΓ’β¬Ε‘ΓβΓΒ edited 02-15-2005
From the company that introduced in the 1980s safety innovations such as anti- lock brakes and dual front airbags as standard equipment comes a list of the most important SUV safety features
With the recent focus on occupant protection, rollover resistance and accident avoidance systems, today’s auto consumers are ever more conscious about auto safety. Porsche, also focused on safety and with a proven track record of creating vehicles that are as safe as they are sporty, today announced its list of the most important safety features a consumer should look for when considering an SUV.
When it comes to auto safety, there are two categories: active safety and passive safety. Generally, ‘active’ safety refers to systems such as anti- lock brakes that are designed to help the driver avoid an accident, while ‘passive’ safety systems such as airbags are there to help protect occupants in the event of an accident.
If you are considering an SUV for you and your family, look for one that has:
Four-Wheel Independent Suspension – Four-wheel independent suspension allows each wheel to react individually to bumps in the road, and it increases the chances that all wheels will remain firmly planted on the ground when driving on rough roads or when trying to avoid an accident. The Porsche Cayenne, first introduced in North America in early 2003, features independent suspension at all four corners. The set-up delivers handling similar to that of a sport sedan, with precise and responsive steering that could be vital during an evasive maneuver.
A Unibody Structure – Most auto experts agree that a unibody structure is superior to traditional body-on-frame configurations for a couple of reasons. First, a unibody offers a lower center of gravity that helps reduce body sway, which helps keep all four wheels firmly on the ground. Second, it provides increased rigidity to help further enhance handling and to provide outstanding crash characteristics. All Cayennes feature extremely rigid unibody construction, thanks to the use of high-strength steel for 60 percent of the structure.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) Systems – ESC systems are designed to ‘take over’ if the system’s sensors — usually yaw and pitch sensors — detect a loss of control. Most systems do so by applying brakes or power to individual wheels to re-stabilize the vehicle. In 1998, Porsche introduced its Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system on its 911 Carrera 4 coupe and cabriolet models. Today, the Cayenne features PSM, Porsche Traction Management (PTM) and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) as vital parts of its active SUV safety equation. PSM and the PTM four-wheel drive system are in constant communication to coordinate the anti-lock brake system (ABS), the automatic slip regulation (ASR) system and the automatic brake differential (ABD) to help re-stabilize the vehicle in extreme steering conditions. PSM “tells” PTM to open the differential locks and/or apply brakes to individual wheels to help re-stabilize the vehicle, but it also can help stabilize the vehicle by automatically adjusting the engine’s ignition and throttle. PASM, part of the Cayenne’s air suspension system, further enhances handling by helping to control body sway and dive motions. PASM features a new shock absorber damping system that measures body motion. If the Cayenne’s body motion exceeds a certain limit due to driving style or surface conditions, PASM intervenes and helps stabilize the vehicle by stiffening individual shock absorbers.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) – ABS is a system that prevents brakes from locking up during hard braking. When brakes lock up on wet and slippery roads or during a panic stop, the driver loses steering control and the vehicle can skid. In the past, a driver could manually ‘pump’ the brake pedal to prevent wheel lockup. In vehicles equipped with ABS, the driver’s foot remains firmly on the brake pedal while the system automatically pumps the brakes. This allows the driver to brake hard while still retaining directional control to steer clear of an obstacle. Since SUVs frequently carry heavy loads, it also is important to look for front and rear disc brakes. Porsche first introduced disc brakes on the 1962 356B Carrera 2, and added ABS as standard equipment on the 1985 928S. In 1990 Porsche made ABS disc brakes standard equipment on all of its U.S. models.
Optimal Aerodynamics – Vehicle aerodynamics is vital to vehicle stability. Simply put, poor aerodynamics generates lift at the front and/or rear of the vehicle, thus creating instability, particularly at higher speeds. The Cayenne behaves like a genuine sports car due to its streamlined shape. Spoilers at the leading edges of the wheels optimize airflow around wheel well openings, the rear spoiler and the vehicle’s shape reduce rear axle lift, and an under-floor panel also helps reduce lift and helps enhance stability.
Airbags and Other Passive Safety Systems – In 1986, the Porsche 944 Turbo was the first European car sold in the U.S. market to have dual front airbags as standard equipment. Dual front airbags became standard equipment on all U.S. Porsche models in 1990. All Cayenne models have dual front airbags, a pair of side impact airbags, and side curtain airbags from the front to the rear of the vehicle. Porsche also uses seat-belt latch pretensioners and the front seats also have belt-force limiters.
She doesn’t just look beautiful? Yes!
I love that interior! You said you got the nav – what other options did you get? Was it on the lot or did they do a search for you? In hindsight, I wish we got the ‘bumper beep beeps” aka park assist and the air suspension. Do you have any wood accents? I just got an OEM wood shift knob – nice addition …
Have fun! Oh, how much is gas out there? Someone we know told us their G500 eats about $100US per week in fuel. Yikes!
Re: She doesn’t just look beautiful? Yes!
I think I got everything they have, except for the seat memory thingy…