The Porschedad – Moritz and the 4SCrew

We at the Elferspot magazine are always looking for interesting, exciting or unusual Porsche stories. But first and foremost, we’re interested in the people behind the wheel as these stories connect enthusiasts and often lead to long-lasting friendships. A while ago, I’ve had the pleasure, talking with Moritz Mahler about his passion. Moritz owns a 996 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S. To meet with like-minded people, he founded the 4SCrew. In this episode of the Elferspot Magazine, we’ll find out, where the idea came from and what fascinates Moritz about Porsches.

Moritz, before talking about the 4SCrew, let’s start at the very beginning: Tell us something about you! Where are you from, what’s your job and how did you get infected by the Porsche virus?

I am 33 years old, married and dad of a wonderful 3-year old daughter. For a living, I work in the IT and am responsible for several products. Since I was a 10-year old kid, I am suffering from the Porsche virus. A friend of my father took me with him in his Porsche 911 G-body one time. It was the first sports car, I’d ever been in and it left a lasting impression. From the moment, he turned the key, I was totally blown away.

Is there anything specific, you remember from that drive in the Porsche 911 G-body?

First and foremost the shape! Ask a kid, what a sports car looks like and most likely, it will describe a Porsche 911. The sound was awe-inspiring and I absolutely loved it. But there is another thing, that’s stuck in my head since that day: the smell! In a classic Porsche, you will always smell a bit of oil and petrol. Put me in a few cars blindfolded and I will recognize the Porsche with my nose!

Did you lose your heart to the Porsche 911 G-model then?

It’s not that simple. After I read a bit and got an impression of the used Porsche market, I quickly fell in love with the Porsche 993. I started dreaming about buying one myself at some point, so I started working my ass off while I was studying. Every single penny was saved for the dream of owning a Porsche 911 one time.

But you now own a Porsche 996 Carrera 4S. That plot-twist needs some explanation!

In that time, I did many test drives with 993s. Sometimes, I was very close to commit myself and buy one. That was before the prices went through the roof. From today’s point of view, it was a financial disaster not to buy an air-cooled Porsche at that time. I know, it sounds like an excuse, but buying a 911 wouldn’t have been right in our life situation at that point and so I didn’t have the courage to fulfill my dream. First, there was no place to park it in our area then my wife became pregnant. As a result, a few years went by, but I was looking for a Porsche 911 all the time.

After fulfilling two other dreams – buying our own house and becoming parents – even my wife encouraged me to finally fulfill my personal dream of a Porsche 911. But the prices for 993s were skyrocketing at that time. So I ended up buying a Porsche 996 Carrera 4S. I always loved its proportions and after a test drive, it had to be a C4S. It’s an easy car to drive, but even by today’s standards no slouch and at the same time much more suitable for daily use as a 993.

For a father, there is no better feeling than sharing your passion with your own flesh and blood. If my daughter will become a car enthusiast in the future, there is a slight chance, that I have to take the responsibility for it. 

So that means, you’re using the 996 Carrera 4S as a daily driver?

Yes, more or less. Mostly I use my bicycle to commute, but whenever possible, I drive the Porsche. Sometimes, I take my daughter to the Kindergarten in it. For a father, there is no better feeling than sharing your passion with your own flesh and blood. If my daughter will become a car enthusiast in the future, there is a slight chance, that I have to take the responsibility for it. But it would be a pleasure, as I take the hashtag #teachemyoung quite serious! (laughs)

It would be fantastic, if my little girl would learn how to drive in my Carrera 4S. Her eyes light up every single time she sees a Porsche. She wants to come with me for every drive in it and besides the obligatory Porsche bobby car as a present for her first birthday, her collection of model cars is growing steadily. When a Porsche passes by, she always recognizes it and Porsche was one of her first words as well.

I can’t help but notice, how much you love to talk about your passion. Is that the reason behind the idea of founding the 4SCrew?

As I am not that into wrenching and working on my car, I am very grateful for every snippet of advice from the community. Browsing through the Internet forums has become a bit too stressful for me. In most cases, you can only find horror stories and the dealing with each other isn’t all that friendly. Moreover, I very much prefer sharing experiences and adventures in person over sharing it on the internet.

Another aspect that led to our loose association in the 4SCrew was the alleged exclusivity of typical “air-cooled” Porsche gatherings. As an owner of water-cooled Porsche models, especially 996 and Boxster, you never feel all that welcome at these events. To me, that’s pretty sad, as I think it is not about what specific model you drive, but first and foremost about our uniting passion for a brand, which gives us the sports cars we all love.

Thankfully, that trend reversed a bit due to the American influence over the past few years…

And that’s a very good thing, if you ask me! Our hobby connects us enthusiasts and is there anything better than sharing a passion with like-minded people? After I got in touch with a few other Porsche 996 owners, I said to myself: “Why don’t we just meet up in an Instagram group?” Over the year, the 4SCrew grew more and more.

A good number of friendships arose out of this and the 4SCrew is meeting up very regularly. We often come together near Hamburg. That form of interaction is very important to me and explicitly not restricted to owners of a certain model, even though it’s called 4SCrew. Everyone is welcome, no matter if it’s just to philosophize about wheels, tires or exhaust systems.

Moritz, it was a pleasure, thank you very much for your time! Let’s hope, your Porsche 996 Carrera 4S will serve as a driving school car in a couple of years!

© pictures: Moritz Mahler (@luftgekielt)