I really miss my 930.....

[full quack]

Hello all,

I have not logged in for a coons age, but sitting over here now in Thailand, and really missing my 930.
Maybe the weirdest thing about it, is how the sale went down, left me with a info void that has bothered me from that moment to now.

I sold the car to a gentleman in Texas, he had an Texas drivers license, a Texas address, and was a airline pilot.
We conversed regularly as the car was being delivered by transport truck. However the absolute last conversation we had, was when he told me the transport truck arrived very late one night, and that the trucker was going to wait until morning to unload/deliver the car.
Then zip, nada, nothing...never a peep after that. His phone went to "the number you have reached is no longer in service", his email went dark, with never a reply to many attempted messages sent.
I found all of that very weird and unsetteling...sighhhh.
Mark

[slow&rusty]

Mark - I did not realize you were actually living in Thailand....Bangkok? When did you make the move exactly? Thailand has a solid car culture, I'm sure you'll be turning the wrenches on a new purchase sometime soon.

You owned that 930 for so long, when you sold it, it was like loosing a part of you.

Do you know where in Texas? If its the Houston area, I'll keep a look out.

[mark houghton]

Mark, I'm sure you're enjoying Thailand even with the void, but yeah....that's pretty weird how the sale went down. Very very weird that everything went dark like that. All sorts of possibilities come to mind but who really knows the story. You have your money, so I guess that's the only real important thing.
The PNW 930'rs miss your presence.

[full quack]

S&R,
Officially retired and moved to Thailand in April 2021. Living just north of Chiang Mai, and just bought property another 30 KM further north/west.

Buyer of my 930 was from Laredo TX named Juan.

Mark H.,
Well the $ is nice, but does not fill the void or satisfy the weirdness of the sale. Owning the 930 for 12 years, one does get a little attached...even if it was only sheet metal and bolts. I had so much time, trial-n-error and money into perfecting the suspension, albeit for my tastes, but still no comment from the new owner on whether he liked it, hated it...nothing.

In the end though, I had no real choice, as Thailand has prohibited vehicle importation for years.
After owning & selling 45 cars over the years, I guess it was inevitable that 1 sale would end up strange.

Mark

[911tracker85]

I had a similar experience when I sold my 85 911. several email and phone exchanges, guy and his father came and took delivery of the car. even texted me a couple of pics of their drive home.

I sent him and email with a question and never heard from him again. did not keep trying...

got the funds so no worry there, but like you I have missed that car since selling.

[lite75]

Are you missing the Seattle weather though??

[full quack]

Not even a little bit, I'm nice and warm and comfy.

Although it is the monsoon season presently, doesn't make it any less comfortable, and as a matter of fact, at least once a day we get these super cool thunder & lightning shows, followed by a 15 minute downpour, then the sun pops back out.

The thunder & lightning is exceptionally cool at night!

Mark

[RarlyL8]

Hey it could be worse, you could have done what I did and sell a car you built from scratch only to see it re-sell two years later for 2.5X what you sold it for. Plus I miss it, lots of memories there. Ultimately you just have to count your blessings and enjoy what you can while you can where you are. Life is short.

[gsxrken]

Originally Posted by RarlyL8

Hey it could be worse, you could have done what I did and sell a car you built from scratch only to see it re-sell two years later for 2.5X what you sold it for. Plus I miss it, lots of memories there. Ultimately you just have to count your blessings and enjoy what you can while you can where you are. Life is short.

You’re not kidding- your signature still reflects that car even though IIRC you flipped it for a gray 930 5 years ago? Too funny

[Jim2]

Full Quack, I remember you saying you could not import your cars but what's the story on buying a 930 already inside Thailand?

I sold my 930 back in 2011 because I "upgraded" to a 993 which I turbo'd, lightened, simplified. I quickly found the 993 too modern, no feedback, crappy gear spacing... I never drove it and finally sold it in 2018. Just finished building a turbo 911 which I'm sorting but it has everything which was missing.

[Dominik 930]

Hey Mark,
when i read your story it reminds me of my own.
I bought the car 9113101144 in 2013. i had very good e-mail contact with the seller until the money was paid. when i transferred the money i didn't hear from him anymore.
he didn't want to give me the car anymore. only with the help of a gentelman in CA whom I got to know through a forum and who with the police then picked up the car for me and transported it to the port.
i would have loved to find out more about the car. and we with you the phone is closed, the mail goes empty.
maybe they can find the owner through the VIN and an insurance company. i know texas is big but maybe some man will see this 930 and can bring the contact back to you, i wish you so.

[RarlyL8]

You’re not kidding- your signature still reflects that car even though IIRC you flipped it for a gray 930 5 years ago?

Yes at the time it didn't seem prudent to keep the car seeing that I had bought the 930S to replace it. Like many things in life it was all about timing. Had the timing been different I also might not have found the 930S. I love that car too and it's not going anywhere.
I'm sure there are some cool cars in Thailand, time to try something different and open another chapter!

[K24madness]

Even if you could import the car over there I don’t think I’d want to. It’s just a different world as you know. Savor the experience and the cultural changes that come with it. I enjoyed Chang Mai myself and could see getting use to the slower pace of life.

[full quack]

Hello Jim2,

Getting a 930 that is already in Thailand, not going to happen. I have searched high and low, there simply are none to be found. I've talked to folks on several forums relating to Porsches and such, and absolutely nobody has ever even seen one, let alone be up for sale.

There are most likely 1 or 2 stashed away in private collections, but nothing rolling on the street.
Being this rare and this old, if one was to come up for auction, it would cost a kings ransom.

You can find an occasional SC and such, at around 100K US that are runners, but certainly not super clean. However, I don't have 100K to throw at a toy anyway!

Mark

[full quack]

Ok guys,

Here is a reality check for me anyway, attached you will see a couple of shots of the driveway to my new property, 450 meters worth.
Yes we will pave it, but still not Porsche friendly, at least not with the ride height I like to run...
At lease the trees are worth the driveway!

Mark

[slow&rusty]

Mark - you should start a new thread for your house project in Off Topic, I bet it would gather great interest.

[Dominik 930]

i am based in germany and would love to read this thread. Nice tree

[faapgar]

Pictures remind me of my years in Costa Rica.I ended up buying G-Wagon and a Pinzgauer.Highest top speed there legal wise was 80 KMH.I always carried a machete as well.Fred

[full quack]

S&R,
Progress is slow on the building front, as it is still the monsoon season, so no building or roadwork and such until the daily downpours stop.
Furthermore, I'm going to do all the finish work on the house, tile, paint, trim, countertops, cabinets, plumbing fixtures etc., etc., so any thread on that subject/progress would be too painfully drawn out to retain any following.
Furthermore I'm notorious for completely forgetting to take progress pictures when I'm all engrossed in a project. So all anybody would get would be a first shot then a last shot, with many months in between. Not very engaging for viewers.
Mark

P.S. with much searching, I have found that there are at least 2 930's in Thailand, a stock yellow 1980 and a 100% chromed, pimped out, something 80's year. Even the big annual Bangkok Porsche get together, had zero show up. A couple of RWB's where there, but no real 930's.

[RarlyL8]

I've done a fair amount of business with RWB Thailand, about half of it turbo systems. Don't know if all were true 930's but nomatter, you can certainly build a clone. The Red Rocket was the most fun car I've ever owned.