I don't understand why people don't insure the heck out of their cars and drive them. My 84 is insured to full replacement value through Hagerty. If it ever gets stolen, I simply get the cash and buy another. Hit, get it repaired. Totaled, get the cash and buy the car back if possible. Now if only I can finish up the suspension rebuild and headers, I can actually drive it.

Same here. Gotta increase mine a little more but I’m pretty close to the value....my insurance cost has tripled since I first bought it but it’s still less per year than my jeep

I did the same Shaun on my GT3RS.

Around here, small town America I am lucky to see 2 911s per month. Not air cooled. 911s period. I see a couple Macans and Cayennes per week. An ocassional Boxter and a Cayman (besides mine) maybe evrery 6 weeks. I know they are out there but nobody is driving them.

I live in Kansas City. I drive our 82SC Targa ALL year round and our 930 fairly regularly. It’s very rare that I see another aircooled unless it’s on a beautiful weekend, then I “might” see 1 or 2. I’m with Shaun, insured for GRV through Hagerty and drive ‘em.

Air cooled, can't think of the last time I saw one but the number of new ones on the road is crazy. I see more 911's, Macans , Cayennes and the 4 door Sedans on the road.

What does it cost to insure a car for $50k, full insurance? Is it reasonable? I guess the cost stays down do to the low annual mileage.

My insurance is under $900/year for over $50K coverage. I think I have 5000 miles a year which is easy to stay within given winter storage.

People are just idiots for not driving these cars. They're just cars. Insured. Replaceable with proper insurance. The only thing I think about is my car is a one of one special order car. Even then, it's a car. Perspective is everything.

not driving your car is like not having romantic relations with your wife because you might get divorced someday.

Quick! Find a true replacement for a 1972 911S, never restored, never repainted, never dinged, with less than 60,000 miles. Make it an Irish Green no sunroof coupe, limited slip, fill leather interior with sport seats.

Can't find one? That's okay, I knew I couldn't either.

Thus the absolute paranoia every time I drove it. You can always restore a car. It's only original once.

Life has much less hassle now that the car is gone.

^^^

I have two one of one cars, only one is drivable, one needs full restoration. I drive one and will drive the other once it's done.

The day I let a "thing" control my life and live in fear of that "thing," shoot me. Anyone here is welcome to, you can use my own Marlin, just shoot me dead. Jesus Christ I'd rather be dead than worry about something like is my car original and have to sell it out of fear and dread.

A life lived in fear is a life half lived. A life lived in fear over a car is just a waste.

Apples and oranges. To each his own. I had my fun with the car..the fun became less over time because of various reasons. So, I moved on. Now having fun in other ways. There is indeed life after P-car ownership.

(edit) I can see your point as well. After all, I now drive an easily replaceable car. Yep, total peace of mind as far as cars are concerned.

No, whether a car is original or not has no bearing on the enjoyment of said car. The only person who cares about whether the car is original or not is the next owner. Yeah, save the car for him. I always find it amusing, and sad, when people post on Technical asking for advice on what color to paint their car. The color they want or the original color that will make the car more valuable. My response is always the same, paint the car whatever the color the next owner wants. :rolleyes:

Well put Shaun. I remember watching Chasing Classic Cars and Wayne leaned on someones car he was thinking about buying. The woman made a comment about that her brother would never had done that. His reply was something like "it's just a car".

Someone wise said not driving a car is like not having sex with your girlfriend because your worried about saving for the next guy.

I tell everyone my most fun car was my Dodge Aries K back in College. I could ram into spaces and if anyone got sick in it, hose it out. Though trying to keep up with friends in BMW's wasn't fun. :)

Not sure what I would do with a one of one car. Unless I had boat loads of disposable income, I suppose I wouldn't buy one because I probably would be afraid to drive.

To each their own. I just wish I saw more of them.

But how do I know what color that is unless I ask?

I put less than 200 miles on the 930 last year. The sc sat. not driven once. Prior to last year, the 930, and the sc sat for 3 years.
Lives get busy, so busy sometimes, that there is just not time to enjoy a sunday outing in a toy car, or the time to do the little maintenance things that need attention on a 40 year old automobile .
Once a few seasons of sitting go past, you can no longer just jump in an old car and plow it down the road like a modern day Honda .
In my life right now, I am just not finding any time to enjoy toys .
I do drive the snot out of the little 914 though. I try to drive it a few days a week when its not raining here .

Only reason I would let a cars conditions control me is if the parts are not obtainable. If I had a Muira which obviously has no bumpers, I would drive the hell out of it but I probably wouldn’t park it at the local fireman’s carnival

Then again, if I could afford a Miura, I could probably afford to fix anything in it and whether that fix effected its value probably wouldn’t matter to me

Exception would be Ferrari 250 gto. I probably would be afraid to drive it but I doubt I could resist. Seeing these rich guys take them to events and parades only as an excuse to get the oil warmed up is somehow upsetting to me

I see this same discussion a lot on even the newer GT cars. There are two camps, the owners that drive them, and the owners that don't. I guess if you have the money to buy one and let it sit, more power to you.

Mine is "high" miles with a tick over 18,000 miles on it. It is going to get even higher under my ownership.

I saw a Carrera GT with over 50,000 miles on it at Porsche of Minneapolis. It was in for regular maintenance. I thought that was freaking awesome.

Don’t be so harsh, Shaun. Most people aren’t self-aware enough to know that they really want to paint their cars Aubergine. :cool:

Good point on unobtainium parts. Every time I get Ferrari stuff, a lot of 275 GTS in the last year, I treat them like gold. What's funny is the quality is so poor you really have treat the parts with kid gloves.

My sense is we are probably 10 years off from proper 3D printed unobtainium parts. Or least printed and molds made.


You, and that GT guy deserve a beer!


It is one of the best early colors, no question there. Signal Yellow, Aubergine, Gemini Blue... the list goes on.

Aubergine? Oh, you mean "4 ball Purple"...;)

Actually, the car I drive now drives out like a '67 427 'Vette. I have car magazine test stats to prove it. Yet I can park it behind my favorite pool hall, take my cue case out of the trunk, and walk in the hall without looking back. It's replaceable, and if I cared about modifications, it's aftermarket supply is huge.

Far as I'm concerned, that's automotive contentment.

Others can find contentment in their own way. More power to 'em.

As to the original topic...I know where one old 911 is.

Well we now have the solution. This thread is officially closed.:D

There you have it. You drive a car that isn't worth a look back.

The "challenge" you experienced with your 911 ownership is that you wouldn't afford to own it.

It's a shame that you kept someone from enjoying it all of those years.

DL

Had the exact same paranoia with my fully restored 73 S. When it hit six figures and kept climbing even though I had agreed value insurance, which I kept raising, I just couldn’t enjoy driving it. Sold it and bought an 82 SC to bang around in, and even though the value has doubled (about $30K) no more paranoia and I can just enjoy it. Do I miss the 73? Hell yes. It was many things the SC can never be, but I don’t regret the sale.

Agreed, exactly why i just sold my 72 two days ago and listed 4 bikes for sale as well....

I cant believe how good it felt to get rid of all the Porsche stuff up in my attic and scattered around the garage and shed. Getting 1000% more then i bought it for didnt hurt either...

Shame this is one of the most depressing threads about Porsche ownership. My 944 has probably 300k on it odo quit at 225. I drive it at least 3 times a week after work or the weekend. My 911 will be on the road after a 5 year restoration I don’t even want to know how much $$$ I have invested,but don’t care. I’ll bet I put 15k miles easy in a year. Hell after the initial shakedown I already have a 350 mile trip planned.

Thing is..priorities change as years go by. This, some understand. Others? Well, there is a flavor of "shun the non believer" in this thread.

A "fully restored" car and a "original paint" car or two completely different cars. I had a original 67S I sold it because I was afraid to drive and damage a car that was not replaceable and fail in my "care taken" of it.
Now I have restored cars, they can be driven like new cars and if they get a fender bender or what ever it just gets fixed and repainted, it has already lost it's cherry and has been restored once already, it might not have been original fenders under that pretty new pain anyway and so what if it need to be painted again and again?
Restored cars are "freedom" and make great no worry drivers, that is the joy of them, you can treat them like any other new car.

I sold my matching numbers 914-6 for the same reason. My 81 SC is a bastard car, been wrecked (not by me) non matching numbers engine and transmission, lots of non stock upgrades. Guess what, when I get her back together, I will be able to really enjoy her and drive the crap out of her.

You do have a point there. I was following a BAT auction a few months back for a one owner, completely original/zero paintwork 1974 Alfa GTV, possibly the best one in captivity in the world. This one:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1974-alfa-romeo-gtv-57/

I fell out of the race when it climbed to numbers I could not justify for something I truly don't need but man, did I want it. There have been restored cars that went for more but I'd rather have that one than any I've ever seen. There is just something so special about a mint, completely original car. :cool:

Since this thread has kind of taken a bit of an interesting turn, I'll throw my two cents worth in regarding my car and my attitude towards it.

I bought my dead stock '72 T about 17-18 years ago for the princely sum of $8,000, which was the norm in those days. Bruce Anderson was still telling everyone to buy "the newest Porsche you can afford", and very much warning everyone to stay away from early cars. At the time, we could buy the best SC in the world for $10,000, Carreras for $12,000 at the most. An early S might have fetched Carrera money, but no more. They were all still "drivers" back then.

In the intervening years I've put more time and money into it than I can even remember. There is literally not a single piece of it that I have not held in my own two hands. It now sports an MFI inducted, high compression, twin plugged 3.0 liter with custom cams that John Dougherty and I worked out together, rebuilt 915 with a Guard torque biasing limited slip, Tarret adjustable sways front and rear, Weltmeister 22/29mm torsion bars, Koni adjustable shocks, Carrera brakes (wide A's) on the front, Elephant Racing wide mouth cooler and finned lines, GTS Classic Rallye STS seats, Autopower roll bar, and Schroth six point harnesses. I cut the whole bottom off of the tub three years ago, replacing all pans, longitudinals, sills, rear seat buckets, gas tank support, etc.

Ang guess what - it gets driven. A lot. 8-12 track days per year, at least. I have now officially passed the 250,000 mile mark - of milage I have added myself to an unknown starting point. I just returned from my annual trip to our R Gruppe Treffen, rolling up over 3,000 miles (922 on the last day coming home alone) in about a week. And doing a track day at Buttonwillow.

I see my car as a tool. A driving tool. One of the best tools for the job, actually. I could care less about its monetary "value" - its value to me stems from the enjoyment I derive from driving it. It's a car - it's meant to be driven. If I wanger it up, I'll fix it and drive on. I'm not worried about "the next guy", because there won't be one until my younger son inherits it after I'm gone. And he doesn't care how "used up" it will be by then - he is often driving his '68 right along with me, and his older brother in his '79.

I understand there are as many ways to enjoy this hobby as there are people in it. I'm not posting this in any kind of "holier than though" self righteousness. I'm merely describing how one man has decided to enjoy this hobby. To me, it's all about the driving.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1558667999.jpg

Amen Jeff.

Why stop now?
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1558705623.JPG

Great post Jeff.

Jeff, I am am with you.

I bought my 85 911 back in 1995, and I drive it. It has been to California three times, Up to Maine, into Canada and well over 100 autocrosses. I had a blast running Laguna Secca going as fast as I can go, and Roebling Road in Georgia. Several other tracks as well. Running through to redline in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and into 5th and pedal to the floor in 5th to well over 5,000 RPM is something everyone should do in their 911. I did that on the SuperSpeedway in Charlotte, NC

On one of my trips out to California a deranged deer decided to try to jump into my windshield. She did not make it and she paid with her life. My car was smashed, but with a new windshield I drove it home, had it fixed right, and it looks great. Sorta to ultimate rock chip. My car is no pristine garage queen, but it get compliments at every Porsche gathering.

I will drive it to Key West this summer. It will be about a 5,000 mile road trip. I get to take my brother on an adventure. We have not spent a week together in over 40 years.

I have done pretty much every project the Carrera needs. From the front to the back, there are few parts I have not touched.

My 911 is insured for an agreed value, and the insurance is about 65 cents per day. I will keep driving it for as long as I am able.

Ok, so we know who still has an old 911 here. Not many people.

To answer the OP's question, half of the air-cooled 911s in the USA, (and a lot more than half of the good ones), left the country during the great 911 gold rush. That still leaves quite a few here and they generally don't get driven as much. Even Jeff and GH, who really use their cars, do not DD them. Back when these cars were newer, almost all were DDs. Maybe not every 930, but even most of those. Every 911 I ever owned was a DD. Now, they are old and they sit in garages.

I believe my Aubergine 73E is in Germany.

mine is a mid year, but I do drive it every single day barring winter. It has 250 000 miles and hopefully a fair number more to come. I know it is not value wise comparable to most of the cars discussed here, but I sure didn't buy it to stare at it in the garage.
But, to each their own.

A mid year car is awesome if the issues are sorted out. I appreciate them more as time goes by, they are slimmer and lighter than anything that came after.

Jay Leno has a similar attitude about the many cars in his collection. I once heard him say something like, "I restore 'em, then they get driven. When they start showing a lot of wear, I restore 'em again." Of course having a bankroll like his helps make this possible, but he's dealing with a lot of high-dollar classics...not just one old 911.

And they have some of the best-sounding stock engines too, once they're fitted with SSIs.

:(

I loved that thing. I'll never forget turn 1 at SP, manual brakes!!

take it easy buddy

The first several years I owned it, it was my DD. Right up until the day I retired I drove it to work at least once a week, sometimes every day of the week.

Today, since I'm retired, I don't have anything I would call a "DD". Between the 911 and my Boxster, however, the 911 still gets driven far more often. The damn Boxster remote lock keeps timing out on me it sits so much. The 911, in contrast, is driven at least 3-4 days per week, even today.

Mid years are awesome. They just got a bad rap oh so many years ago. Throw some early heat exchangers (or SSI's) under them, install an eleven blade fan, and drive off into the sunset. They are at least partly galvanized, still pretty darn light, and the 2.7 can be a very fun motor in those light cars. One of the best kept secrets of this hobby.