by: Dean Lewellen

A great way to spend a cold winter evening or a rainy weekend morning is to pour yourself a mug of your favorite hot coffee or tea, fire up your trusty personal computer and take off on an Internet tour of some of the fantastic web sites devoted to our Porsche automobiles. Porsche related websites cover a vast array of information ranging from the Porsche AG factory direct site at www.us.porsche.com to an excellent owner's information message board site at www.roadfly.com/porsche to a favorite aftermarket Porsche parts supplier at www.performanceproducts.com. I will warn you up-front that this procedure can become habit forming and you may find yourself drawn back for quick looks at some of your favorite sites on almost a daily basis. There is so much information available, covering every aspect of driving, ownership and maintenance, that a complete index of the data and site locations would be next to impossible to compile. Following is a listing and brief description of the contents of some of the Porsche related sites in the list of "favorites" on my iMac's America Online toolbar.

www.pca.org/az: This is the obvious first stop on the tour of "favorite" web sites for all Arizona Region members. Ray Colombo is a masterful Webmaster and has created a wonderful web site which serves the membership as a virtual electronic newsletter. The site contains a complete calendar of events for 2002 with entry forms for driving events, results and photographs of past events, a membership information page, Goodies Store, Classified items for sale, and links to commercial, non-commercial and member's web sites on the Internet. This site is a good starting point for an interesting/informative Porsche related web surfing session.

www.pca.org: This is the web site for the Porsche Club of America. PCA is the National organization that rolls up from the 140 plus Regions throughout the United States, Canada and Germany. This site contains a Member Services section, a News/Events section, a Club Racing section, a complete directory of Regions, a section for PANORAMA including The Mart (classifieds), and two technical sections. One technical section is titled Forums/Special Interests and operates as a message/discussion board between PCA members for every model/series category. The other technical area is a question/answer format with the National Technical Committee Advisors for each model/series area providing some very detailed answers to member's questions about their cars. You must register a user name and password (free) to correspond with members and advisors on this site, and I would encourage everyone interested to do so.

www.us.porsche.com: This is the Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG - International corporate web site. It is available in all languages and includes information and news about the Company and product lines. The section on Porsche models includes a "car configurator" where you can virtually assemble and price out the 996 or Boxster of your dreams. I am still trying to come up with a 996 with the right color, interior and options that totals up to a number below $80K before transportation, taxes, etc.--not possible, so far. There are sections on Clubs/Events, Parts/Accessories, and a "Unique Porsche" section which includes wallpapers, screensavers and sounds. There is also a Motorsports section with news, history, a gallery and even a page where you can configure your very own 911 GT3 Cup race car.

www.rennlist.org: The Porsche Enthusiast's Web Site. Rennlist.com was one of the sponsors of our inaugural PCA Club Race in 2001. This site contains the best Porsche related discussion/information boards and technical information sites on the web--bar none. Again, you have to register and receive a free user name and password to participate. There is a large classified section and a calendar/events section. You can become a card-carrying Rennlist member for $17.95 per year which entitles you to make purchases of Porsche and Porsche related parts at a significant discount. The member fee also keeps the information boards and tech sites free for all users. This site requires a daily visit for the most serious Porsche fans.

www.roadfly.com/porsche: This site is a very similar format to the Rennlist site and is titled--The Ultimate Porsche Enthusiast's Site. It has a classified section for Porsches, parts, wheels and memorabilia. The Message Boards here are not as technical as the Rennlist boards--mostly guys and gals talking about their Porsches. These are somewhat lighter fare discussions which are welcome after beating to death the issue of how to extract the upper spark plug from the number four cylinder of a 993 engine with the engine still in the car. Again, this is another site for daily visits.

www.p-car.com: This is a site dedicated to the 1995-1998 Model 993s and some limited but growing information on the Model 996. This is one of the best 993 sites on the web. It is managed by a fellow named Robin from Atlanta and includes great step-by-step details for many do-it-yourself projects and maintenance tasks for your 993.

There are three great web sites which provide analyses and estimates for used Porsche values as well as for other marques. The values vary somewhat between these sites, but you can add the numbers together and divide by three and get a good ballpark average or just consider the range of the values for a vehicle of interest. The sites are:
www.kelleybluebook.com: The Kelley Bluebook is one of the industry standards dealers use today.
www.nada.com: N.A.D.A. book values are another dealer industry standard used today.
www.edmunds.com: Edmunds.com is a nice all around site for new and used vehicle values. It calculates the trade-in value, private-party sale value, dealer retail value, and finally, a "certified" (read warranty) dealer retail value for any car including options taking into account mileage, condition, location and even color of the car in question. Edmunds also lists a "True Market Value" (TMV) for any vehicle you choose which accounts for such factors as availability, region, rebates, etc.

There is another group of web sites devoted to detailing, maintaining and protecting your favorite Porsche or "other wheels". These sites are:
www.car-care.com/detail: Auto Detailing--Secrets of the Experts. This site covers every aspect of detailing your car from washing and drying to paint touch-up and dressings including cleaning, polishing, waxing, glass care, interior care and even engine detailing. It is a must visit site for all the concour enthusiasts in the Club.
www.autodetail.com: The Autodetail Store. This is certainly one of the best sites available for on-line ordering of auto detailing materials for your automobile. Regardless of who your favorite manufacturer of auto detailing products is, these folks can provide them at a great price and delivery within five days of your order. You may obtain a free "Car Club Discount Membership" online, before ordering, which will save you about ten per cent on any item in their inventory. Our membership in PCA qualifies for their discount program.
www.thewaxtest.com: This is a most interesting site that was created by a group of Saturday morning, amateur (read non-professional) auto detailers to answer the age old question of what is the best wax to put on the precious paint of your favorite vehicle. They claim no support from any manufacturer, have invested about $2000. of their own funds in the test products, and obtained the test panels from their local wrecking yard. They followed a specific process for preparation, application and exposure during the test, which is still in progress as we write. They evaluate the test panels weekly and have built a database of product performance vs. cost vs. chemical makeup vs. time. The outcomes are quite surprising for some products, which is about all I will say and leave the rest of this story for each of you to make your own judgments about.

A good site to visit is the online version of Performance Products and Automotion parts catalog. It is a direct source for restoration, maintenance and performance parts for your Porsche of any model and vintage.
www.performanceproducts.com: The Online version of Catalog No. 50A, Fall/Winter 2001 which is the current edition covering parts, accessories and specialty tools our Porsches.

Finally a couple of sites I like to stop in on are the online versions of AUTOWEEK and a British equivalent called 4CAR. These sites are updated regularly during the week and offer insights into the inner workings of the automobile industries of the United States and Europe.
www.autoweek.com: AUTOWEEK Online. This is the online version of the familiar weekly magazine of automobile nirvana.
www.4car.co.uk: 4CAR Online. This is the online version of a British publication based upon an AUTOWEEK type format covering the European automobile industry.

Well, we have come to the end of this Internet tour of Porsche related web sites. The surface of information available has barely been scratched. There are sites devoted to your particular Porsche model or year of production, but I cannot include the whole Porsche universe in this small space. I am sure many of you have your own favorite sites where you chose to spend some quality time, but perhaps this collection can add some interesting flavors to your grouping of Internet stopovers. There is a huge web of data and information out there, all available to those who seek it out. Enjoy the ride!