The Problem with Porsche

[herr_oberst]

...by Superfast Matt. I love Superfast Matt's videos.

[masraum]

Great video, and OMG, the bit towards the end with Christopher Walken.

I'd never seen his videos before. This one was good and entertaining.

[pwd72s]

Darned good video. The loss of Porsche's "soul" begins to be explained at around 16 minutes. My own story? Bought a '72 911S in '74...loved it, had a gas in the clubs scene of the time. True enthusiasts then with very few egomaniacs. The '72 S was my 4th Porsche..before that a '66 912, a '69 912, a '70 911T.

Within a few years of that, found myself married, a child to raise, a biz to run. I hung on to the 911, took care of it, but it really got placed on the back burner due to time restraints.

Fast forward to the 90's...the hard work paid off, daughter educated & on her own, early retirement. So, thought I'd play car again. At first I basked in the attention the car got...yeah, it possibly was the best unrestored '72S on the planet...

As time wore on, realized that Thomas Wolfe was right...you can't go home again. There was a handful of people in the scene that frankly, I didn't like much. One day I got a phone call...it began with: "We've seen your car on the net and have talked to people who have seen it, and we're going to buy it." I hung up.

That's when I knew I was done. Evren was the perfect solution for me. No regrets...but I do miss driving the car.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

No regrets...but I do miss driving the car.

Similar feelings for my old '88 targa. No regrets on selling it, but I miss it.

I was shocked. I saw a posting on the local PCA facebook group where a guy has decided to sell his '82 SC. Granted, it's a super low miles car (22k), that presumably is in amazing shape, but wow, he's asking 65k!

Fortunately, I don't care what anyone else thinks, that does or does not have a Porsche. It doesn't bother me that there are cliques. I've got my Porsche, and I love it. My only problem is that I don't have several.

[GH85Carrera]

Good Video.

I have been asked may times over the years "why a Porsche" and it is never a simple answer. I participate in a car show held once per year in Guthrie, OK. Everything from rat rods, to very average cheap cars to really nice restorations of older cars, custom to stock. I have a chair next to my car and answer questions.

My 85 911 has 186,000 miles on it, I have driven it to 41 states and Canada and plan to hit all 48 states, and possibly a ferry trip to Alaska so 49 states are possible.

What other mid 1980s car would you drive to Laguna Secca, or Roebling Road, or multiple other race tracks, go as fast as I can around the track, and then drive it home?

What other 1980s car would you take your wife to eastern PA to the Poconos and do a 10 day 3,650 mile round trip. My car has tripled in value, and it runs and stops and looks great. Oh, year I won the Porsche class at that car show. First place.

There really is no substitute for a Porsche.

[bkreigsr]

..love the line about Harley salesmen at 17:03.

Applys also to a lot of the Porsche posers lined up at the dealerships.

[911boost]

Good video and he was totally right when he messed up the RS 4.0, I laughed because I was thinking, hmm he seems to know is stuff and that is a stupid mistake.

He is very right about Ferrari and I agree with Leno. I was at a show at a local indy this past weekend and there was a 80's Testarossa there parked next to a 3.2 Carrera and the build quality was so apparent. The cool thing was the Ferrari had over 70,000 miles so it gets driven.

[MMARSH]

I've been Porsche less now for a couple of years. Prior to that, there had been at least one 911 in our household since I was ten years old....My father was stationed in Germany in the mid sixties and fell in love with Porsches. As a young soldier, he couldnt afford a Porsche, so he bought a new VW BUG. He and my mother traveled all over Europe in that car and that cemented his love for German cars.

When i was ten, my father was finally in a position,that even with two youger kids, he could afford a 911. Even though it was 45 years ago, I can remember like yesterday, coming home from school and seeing my dad washing is silver 911T in the driveway. That was a great car. We had lots of great rides and drives in that car. That was when Porsche drivers would flash their lights at each other.....That first car led to two more Porsches for him, two Porsches for my uncle, and two porsches for myself. I bought my first Porsche when i was 20 years old in Oregon and promptly got a ticket 2 days later heading back to the base in California. The cars are great and as much as i wouldnt mind having one, there is just no way I'll ever pay 60K for an SC or a Carrera. Its just not a 60K experience to me. I would be much more inclined to buy a newer one for a 100K. I also enjoyed the scene much more when it wasn't in fashion to have one. Kinda tuned off by the whole thing....

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by MMARSH

I've been Porsche less now for a couple of years. Prior to that, there had been at least one 911 in our household since I was ten years old....My father was stationed in Germany in the mid sixties and fell in love with Porsches. As a young soldier, he couldnt afford a Porsche, so he bought a new VW BUG. He and my mother traveled all over Europe in that car and that cemented his love for German cars.

When i was ten, my father was finally in a position,that even with two youger kids, he could afford a 911. Even though it was 45 years ago, I can remember like yesterday, coming home from school and seeing my dad washing is silver 911T in the driveway. That was a great car. We had lots of great rides and drives in that car. That was when Porsche drivers would flash their lights at each other.....That first car led to two more Porsches for him, two Porsches for my uncle, and two porsches for myself. I bought my first Porsche when i was 20 years old in Oregon and promptly got a ticket 2 days later heading back to the base in California. The cars are great and as much as i wouldnt mind having one, there is just no way I'll ever pay 60K for an SC or a Carrera. Its just not a 60K experience to me. I would be much more inclined to buy a newer one for a 100K. I also enjoyed the scene much more when it wasn't in fashion to have one. Kinda tuned off by the whole thing....

Your final 2 sentences said it well...we who were around during the time of "the flash" understand. Another way to say it...the car just wasn't fun anymore...

[sc_rufctr]

Great video... Thanks for posting.

The "Gate-keeping" around Porsche ownership is something I've seen first hand locally.

My attitude has always been. "Can I afford it? and Why not?"

[911boost]

It’s a good thing Mustang owners are never bitter.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by 911boost

It’s a good thing Mustang owners are never bitter.

Mustang owners in Australia (new or old) are a "special breed".

[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.

[rusnak]

I don't know about how fashionable Porsche has become. I guess I'm oblivious to fashion. But I think the video got it right about how passionate people become about their Porsches, and the older the Porsche, the more passionate they are.

I liked how the engineering point was made that Porsche use embarrasingly primitive suspension to great effect. Never had much need for double wishbone, sperical balljoints, etc. Porsche suspenstions seem to "predict the future" lol. The car seems to know what you want and it is a willing accomplice. It's like having a spunky Pinto instead of a car.

[sc_rufctr]

For the record: I'm really glad there are people like Matt on YouTube. The amount of real work he gets done between videos is amazing. Think multiple projects on the go at any one time. I work in much the same way but unlike me he seems to have endless energy.

[masraum]

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'm not super social. When I had by first 911, I only went to 2-3 events with it, but everyone that I met was great, super friendly. I've been to 2 or 3 events since I got the boxster (lived <2 miles from a regular event location when I bought it, but moved less than a week later). Again, all of the folks that I met were great.

20 years ago, we had a local Houston get together with folks from Pelican, and they were all great. I've met a couple/few other Pelicans over the years and they've all be great too.

I'm sure there are some wankers out there, because you can't have a huge group of folks without running into some.

And everything else that you said was pretty spot on.

[fanaudical]

Great video - thanks for posting that.

[mgatepi]

The direct comparison he made between Porsche and Harley Davidson is a bit unsettling. Are we the next Harley crowd? Certain to die off in the coming years? I really dont think so. I think he missed the ball on this.

[cockerpunk]

i dont tend to be in any club that would have me. i dislike car cultures in general. porsche car culture is some of the worst IMO.

but i am always a porsche evangelist. and its not because of the GT3RS, its because of 986. every car company can, with a 200k purchase price, build a fantastic car. if they can't, then they are dip****s. but the thing with porsches, is that every single one drives amazingly. from the 2.5L 986, to the GT3s, and every car in between, they all are just fantastic cars. and while they may not compete on the same horsepower/dollar scale, they always are simply the best cars to drive in there segments. i love porsches, and the care they take to make every car just a pleasure to drive.

most car companies you need to get the S, or the RS, or whatever the top level sporty trim is to get the "good one" but porsches are not like that. again, a base model 2.5L 986 is a fantastic driving car. 944 NA, fantastic car. 914, fantastic car. just ... they are all good cars.

and you just dont find that with any other make.

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

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Your final 2 sentences said it well...we who were around during the time of "the flash" understand. Another way to say it...the car just wasn't fun anymore...

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.