The Problem with Porsche

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Noah930

Maybe I'm picking nits, but I don't agree with your last point--that the car isn't fun anymore. Whenever I get into my 964, I have a smile on my face. Whenever I'm in the 930, I have, well, an even bigger smile on my face. These cars are as much fun now, as when I first got into one 17 years ago. I love going on a blast through an empty Mulholland. I love going on one of the TRE runs through the canyons. I love road-tripping up the coast to Monterey with family.

But yeah, the crowd has changed a bit. And that has made it a little less fun. When's the last time anyone ever asked over on the technical forum how much maintenance is on a turbo vs a normally-aspirated car? It's a slightly different crowd that's into even air-cooled Porsches today.

But I didn't get the car for that. I got the car for the driving.

I can't imagine a time when a Porsche or miata or really good, fun sports car wouldn't still be fun and enjoyable (physical infirmity probably being an exception). But not everyone is the same. Paul's in his 70s and more laid back these days. Not everyone goes that route as they get older. Paul Frere died at 91. He was test driving cars pretty much up until the end. He got into a serious car accident near the 'Ring a couple of weeks before his 90th birthday. He recovered, but his health was never the same, and he passed when he was 91.

[Dantilla]

Originally Posted by cockerpunk

...but god help me, i will never join the PCA.

I was a Pacific Northwest member for several years.
Large group, with several "sub groups".
Rarely did I attend anything social, but if it required a helmet, I was there.
To learn Autocross along side national champion drivers was a privilege. Ended up an autocross instructor myself.
Count me in for autocross and track days, but I'll pass on just about anything else.

[herr_oberst]

^ Agreed. The only Porsche club I found that was fun was an adhoc offshoot that had about as much to do with the PCA as Estes has to do with Raytheon.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Dantilla

I was a Pacific Northwest member for several years.
Large group, with several "sub groups".
Rarely did I attend anything social, but if it required a helmet, I was there.
To learn Autocross along side national champion drivers was a privilege. Ended up an autocross instructor myself.
Count me in for autocross and track days, but I'll pass on just about anything else.

The crazy thing is that when I bought my 911, my plan was to do track and autoX. Since 1999, my daily drivers have been a 911, miata, turbo miata, and now a boxster, and I have never been on a track. I think the issue was that I didn't want to have an issue with a daily driver. It may be rare, but you do hear the statement, never take a car to the track that you can't leave there, and I've never been in that position.

And the autoX stuff happens so early. LOL. I'm still sleeping that early on a Sat!

[Dantilla]

Gotta be careful with that track stuff!

Started off with a PCA track day, ended up with a 944 with a roll cage and big numbers on the doors.
In my experience, PCA lapping days resulted in an SCCA membership so I could go wheel-to-wheel racing.

[MMARSH]

Originally Posted by Dantilla

Gotta be careful with that track stuff!

Started off with a PCA track day, ended up with a 944 with a roll cage and big numbers on the doors.
In my experience, PCA lapping days resulted in an SCCA membership so I could go wheel-to-wheel racing.

Been there, done that too. Used to W2W race and instruct with the POC and other clubs quite a bit in the mid 2000s, had a great time. Moved on to other things.

[dw1]

Great video.

Thanks for posting.

I agree that the owners (& "scene") has changed. When was the last time you got a wave from a fellow 911 owner? The folks driving air cooled 911's (fyi - mine is an '87) still do this, but the newer 911's - never.

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by masraum

I can't imagine a time when a Porsche or miata or really good, fun sports car wouldn't still be fun and enjoyable (physical infirmity probably being an exception). But not everyone is the same. Paul's in his 70s and more laid back these days. Not everyone goes that route as they get older. Paul Frere died at 91. He was test driving cars pretty much up until the end. He got into a serious car accident near the 'Ring a couple of weeks before his 90th birthday. He recovered, but his health was never the same, and he passed when he was 91.

I'm in the Paul Frere camp. I'm nowhere as gifted as he was as a driver, but I've got his books as I'm a kindred spirit. I loved seeing John Fitch up at Lime Rock, or Bob Akin at Watkins Glen, up until their latter years.

It was funny watching that video, as he (SuperfastMatt) shot it at the local popular LA car haunts: Newcomb's Ranch, Malibu Country Mart, and Supercar Sunday. I actually remember that particular Supercar Sunday, from that lineup of parked blue-white-red GT3s.

[Bill Douglas]

Great video. It made me go out for a drive.

[daepp]

What was that beautiful dark blue ‘52 roadster with New York (Seinfeld?) plates?

[450knotOffice]

Originally Posted by dw1

Great video.

Thanks for posting.

I agree that the owners (& "scene") has changed. When was the last time you got a wave from a fellow 911 owner? The folks driving air cooled 911's (fyi - mine is an '87) still do this, but the newer 911's - never.

Disagree. It seems to depend on WHERE one is. When I lived in SoCal, nobody, and I mean nobody waved, flashed, whatever. I drive an ‘84 911, a 996, a 997 C4S, and a gorgeous sapphire blue 991.1 GTS with a manual transmission. Didn’t matter out there, no matter which one I was in.

For the past year I’ve lived in Stuart, FL, on the Treasure Coast. Almost every driver of a Porsche I encounter gives me a wave. Out here the Porsche drivers of all vintages seem to love, love, love the marque.

[Bill Douglas]

I haven't has an air cooled 911 coming the other way to wave to for a year or two. I used to see 3 or 4 on a Saturday or Sunday. Lots of Cayennes coming the other way but they are too busy taking the kids to soccer to wave.

[911boost]

I get waves from the Porsche sports cars not the SUV’s which is understandable. I have also met some really nice people at the few PCA events I go to a year.

There’s a local show to support Meals on Wheels this Sunday at the VW/Audi/Porsche dealer in town and I’m going to take my 911 and Westy and I bet the VW gets more attention.

[daepp]

I drive an early 911 three days a week in So Cal. Lots of waves from other Porsche drivers, and almost a 50/50 chance of being chatted up about it if I’m out and about.

[Marine Blue]

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak

Good video. Agreed with most of it. No idea about the scene. Other than the people on pelican, none of whom I’ve met in person, I have never known anyone with a Porsche or been a part of a scene. Even as a teenager in the 80s, you just didn’t see 911s around here much.

Even when I go to car shows, I leave my 911 in the parking lot and go see the cars out on the lawn. Almost never a classic Porsche other than mine in the parking lot. When I get back in my car to leave, I always say the same thing…..my 911 is better than any of the cars I just looked at and then I feel bad for not participating in the show but I’m happy I get to leave and go drive my car.

My guess when it comes to classic Porsche people, they are no different than passionate British or Italian or mopar car people which is a good thing. Modern cars and modern Porsche people, no clue. Ide sure love a GT4 though or a base 992.

I’ll be going to the Watkins Glen vintage Grand Prix in a few weeks and I know I’ll be seeing quite a few old 356, 912, 911 etc. can’t wait. But I get just as excited seeing a nice TR3 or any of the old classics….but it’s the 911 I still prefer to drive.

I grew up in Upstate NY in the 80’s/90’s and Porsche’s were incredibly rare back then. In fact I knew all of the Porsches in town and knew who owned them. I would soak in the details whenever I saw one and was fortunate to get rides in a couple. I would have loved to see more at the car shows but it was always muscle cars and or more current cars, rarely anything from Europe except maybe the occasional beetle. I guess my point is that you should show your car and hopefully it catches the eye of a 10 yo and ignites the same passion we all have for these cars.

As far as the video, I also thought it was very well done and does a great job of capturing what’s magical about Porsches. The segment towards the end was hilarious too, it reminded me of my experience when I was trying to order my Spyder. 6 months of that nonsense.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by dw1

When was the last time you got a wave from a fellow 911 owner?

Originally Posted by 450knotOffice

in SoCal, nobody, and I mean nobody waved
in Stuart, FL Almost every driver of a Porsche I encounter gives me a wave.

Originally Posted by 911boost

I get waves from the Porsche sports cars

Originally Posted by daepp

Lots of waves from other Porsche drivers,

[dw1]

Originally Posted by 450knotOffice

Disagree. It seems to depend on WHERE one is. When I lived in SoCal, nobody, and I mean nobody waved, flashed, whatever. I drive an ‘84 911, a 996, a 997 C4S, and a gorgeous sapphire blue 991.1 GTS with a manual transmission. Didn’t matter out there, no matter which one I was in.

For the past year I’ve lived in Stuart, FL, on the Treasure Coast. Almost every driver of a Porsche I encounter gives me a wave. Out here the Porsche drivers of all vintages seem to love, love, love the marque.

You are probably correct that getting a wave from other 911 drivers is very dependent on location. I can understand it in FL.

I'm in the NY/NJ/PA/CT area and here I'm far more likely to receive acknowledgement from drivers of other classic sports or muscle cars than from the driver of a newer 911 - like the wave & thumbs up I got (and returned) from a replica Cobra driver, and from the driver of a Alfa Spider, the last time my '87 911 was out for a drive.

[Daves911L]

Entertaining video and made me chuckle. Quite happy with my 356’s and 2 liter 911 targa. Anything else is just too complicated and fancy. My ratty ‘57 coupe does daily driver duty for me about 50% of the time. The guy on the video gets it right. It’s a pleasant and very “usable” car. PCA was fun 35 + years ago. Now it’s a bunch of people sitting around eating and drinking and yakking about how many custom stitched doo-dads they ordered on their new suv, or how much the ceramic brakes cost that they will never actually get hot enough to need. A “sports car” should allow you to change your own gears and crank the windows up/ down with your arm (if it even has windows). For the fellow who asked about the blue roadster it would appear to be one of the 13 America Roadsters . Aluminum body on 356 chassis made about 1953. I’m sure one would set you back 7 figures now so makes sense that Seinfeld would have one.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Daves911L

Entertaining video and made me chuckle. Quite happy with my 356’s and 2 liter 911 targa. Anything else is just too complicated and fancy.

You're my kind of Porsche owner, except I like the 3.2 with Motronic ignition. Anything after that is "just too complicated and fancy."
Whenever I take my Speedster out I come back with bugs in my teeth. It's just impossible to have a bad day driving a 356.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

You're my kind of Porsche owner, except I like the 3.2 with Motronic ignition. Anything after that is "just too complicated and fancy."
Whenever I take my Speedster out I come back with bugs in my teeth. It's just impossible to have a bad day driving a 356.

Welcome back Patrick.

My eldest daughter sitting in the passenger seat of my SC: "It's impossible to be unhappy in this car".