Depression! Humility! Anger!

pwd72s · 04-05-2007, 09:15 AM

My May subscription issue of Road & Track arrived yesterday. In it, a test of the Ferrari GTB 559 Fiorano F1. I quote from the test article:

"...And the trunk of our test car had a mind of it's own, opening for us only sporadically, while the hood twice came partially unlatched at high speed..."

Can you imagine this angst after spending $319,000 for this Ferrari?

Hmmmm. The hood has never popped up on Cindy's Ford Ranger, and the tailgate has always functioned perfectly...

on-ramp · 04-05-2007, 09:27 AM

you dreaming about Ferrari's now? do you regret selling the 911S?

the · 04-05-2007, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by pwd72s

"...And the trunk of our test car had a mind of it's own, opening for us only sporadically, while the hood twice came partially unlatched at high speed..."

That's at least $50K worth of "character" right there alone.

tabs · 04-05-2007, 09:48 AM

Now U know why I bought the Ford Ranger and not the Ferrari.....

pwd72s · 04-05-2007, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by on-ramp
you dreaming about Ferrari's now? do you regret selling the 911S?

The 911S still sits here. Evren busy working on shipping arrangements. I drove it the other day, to get it's fluids up to temp, making sure all functioned well. It did. Back home, I cried. Literally. I know I'll never have another car as nice, and that today's Porsches cannot yield the same feel. But...it's time. I was really mourning the happenings of the past, experiences I enjoyed that will never return. I'm done with the clubs scene because of a few arrogant a-holes, and it's become a physical (old age pains) hassle to maintain it.

Logic rules over emotion here. I just wish my emotions would shut the f**k up!

Kind of Ironic, now that I've reached the stage of life where I could afford an exotic car, I don't want one. Don't need the hassles. That test article line definitely gave me some grins.

tabs · 04-05-2007, 10:21 AM

If I never saw or talked to another Porsche owner or affectionado I could care less. For me its never been about a Club Scene, its been about running the dam thing. even though the closest I get to running my car gets is when I sit in it and go Vroom Vroom Vrooom. I dream of getting it running again but those dam spoons always seem to have the sirene song of Buy me, Buy me, and like the ******* that I am I give in.

Anyway PWD..so what if the club scene has gone South..literally to Mexifornia..Its about the dam car and not the club. If U enjoy driving the thing then keep it. Everything comes with a price, even breathing in the mornining....so the price U pay to keep it is to have a few hassles about maintaining it. Things could be tougher. If somethng happened to U Cindy would know what to do with the car...you have bent her ear off for the past 35 years...What I'm afraid for U, is that by passing this car off your putting one foot in the grave. Your giving up something U love dearly, and that more than the club scene or even the ownership of such a fine thing is the reason I say this. Now if U were in a wheel chair I would say fine its probably time, or even another 10 years older.

legion · 04-05-2007, 10:24 AM

That Ferrari sounds as well built as a British car.

Jeremy Clarkson will love it.

livi · 04-05-2007, 10:54 AM

My friends 559 has worked faultlessly. But I´ll be sure to have him read the article just in case.

Aerkuld · Aerkuld's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by legion
That Ferrari sounds as well built as a British car.

What do you mean by that?

Besides, I don't think we have British cars anymore, not real ones anyway, with the possible exception of Morgan. All the other manufacturers have been sold off.

strupgolf · 04-05-2007, 02:58 PM

What he means by that is that most, if not all, of the old British cars were junk. I've had my share. They took a lot of care and hours to keep them running. The same goes for old Ferrari's, you had a hard time giving them away in the 70's. Now the ones that are left are taken care of and have had most of the bugs worked out.

pwd72s · 04-05-2007, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tabs
If I never saw or talked to another Porsche owner or affectionado I could care less. For me its never been about a Club Scene, its been about running the dam thing. even though the closest I get to running my car gets is when I sit in it and go Vroom Vroom Vrooom. I dream of getting it running again but those dam spoons always seem to have the sirene song of Buy me, Buy me, and like the ******* that I am I give in.

Anyway PWD..so what if the club scene has gone South..literally to Mexifornia..Its about the dam car and not the club. If U enjoy driving the thing then keep it. Everything comes with a price, even breathing in the mornining....so the price U pay to keep it is to have a few hassles about maintaining it. Things could be tougher. If somethng happened to U Cindy would know what to do with the car...you have bent her ear off for the past 35 years...What I'm afraid for U, is that by passing this car off your putting one foot in the grave. Your giving up something U love dearly, and that more than the club scene or even the ownership of such a fine thing is the reason I say this. Now if U were in a wheel chair I would say fine its probably time, or even another 10 years older.

Thanks for your input Tabby. I did that...never went to a single club event, including the biggie Pea-Raid up in Portland during all of 2006. Just went for runs with my bride at my side. Other than one run, it was fun, but I'd find myself dreading the 6 hours of cleanup after the runs. A car doesn't remain incredibly detailed by magic. It's just not the fun to scrub and rub that it was a few decades ago.

Now let's talk of your "Vroom-Vroom" sounds... I know a retired cartoonist, now in his mid 70's, who put away his 1966 911 after it served him well, summer and winter, until 1984. This in the midwest, so I can only imagine the car's condition. It still sits in his garage. Is that your plan? My advice to you is to either have the car restored, or sell it to someone who will restore it. If not restore, refurbish to good driving status. No early S should be left to rot...unless it's so far gone with cancer, that it's only worth is the VIN tags (to countefeiters) and it's salvagable parts. Really Tabby, you are young enough to still enjoy those "Vroom-vroom" sounds for real. Think about getting with the program before old age creeps up on you...

Hey, at least my car is going to an enthusiast in Turkey...those "Mexifornia" boyz we both know all too well will never get their hands on it.

pwd72s · 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by strupgolf
What he means by that is that most, if not all, of the old British cars were junk. I've had my share. They took a lot of care and hours to keep them running. The same goes for old Ferrari's, you had a hard time giving them away in the 70's. Now the ones that are left are taken care of and have had most of the bugs worked out.

To remain on the thread's topic? When new, the BMC roadsters...triumphs, healeys, sprites, and my personal favorite, the MGA, were far from junk. They were deligthful, beautiful and FUN driving machines that gave many miles of driving enjoyment to people worldwide. Maybe nostalgia is making me think they drove on golden highways, but to this day a really nice bugeye Sprite or a nice '62 MGA would tempt me...a Ferrari doesn't. Those F cars are great, but they are also for arrogant people only. Kind of like my dad always buying Buicks, because he didn't want to have the Cadillac image. Car "image" is hardly a new thing.

tabs · 04-05-2007, 05:13 PM

Your dam right about the 6 hours of cleanup...whew...maybe buy something a little less clean that U could putt around in that U would feel obligated to keep imaculate. A nice 912...they are on the come..and cheaper to keep.

I chose a very complete orginal car, with a weak motor..I coulda bought a very good running car at the time for a coupla buxs more...but I guess I wasn't thinking so straight at the time...maybe because the car was White...I gotta start putting some dinero away for its resto...

tabs · 04-05-2007, 05:16 PM

Big ego + Small Penis = Ferrari Owner...

pwd72s · 04-05-2007, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tabs
Your dam right about the 6 hours of cleanup...whew...maybe buy something a little less clean that U could putt around in that U would feel obligated to keep imaculate. A nice 912...they are on the come..and cheaper to keep.

I chose a very complete orginal car, with a weak motor..I coulda bought a very good running car at the time for a coupla buxs more...but I guess I wasn't thinking so straight at the time...maybe because the car was White...I gotta start putting some dinero away for its resto...

Tabby, two of my past cars, a '69 912 and a '70T were both light Ivory in color. I enjoyed both. Frankly, light Ivory is MUCH easier to work with, detailing wise, than Irish green, the only other Porsche color I had...a '66 912 and the '72. White just looks cleaner longer than other colors, plus isn't as affected by the sun...wax lasts longer. Your car? Originally light Ivory, right? There is NOTHING wrong with that...among other things. Fix that F**ker, and drive the hell out of it! All too soon, you'll find the driving fun not worth the effort...especially since you now live in one of the USA's fastest growing cities.

tabs · 04-05-2007, 05:34 PM

Without AC in the car it would be any anytime car but summer car. Also there are so many nuts on the road here I would be afraid to drive it...
recently on the news was a story about a guy who stopped for a red light, decided he didn't want to wait for it, and while going through the intersection was hit and killed.

BlueSkyJaunte · 04-05-2007, 06:13 PM

Do what I did...pay top dollar for a mediocre 911SC and drive the piss out of it.

Oh wait, you're looking for good advice. Never mind.

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

two words: track time

pwd72s · 04-05-2007, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tabs
Without AC in the car it would be any anytime car but summer car. Also there are so many nuts on the road here I would be afraid to drive it...
recently on the news was a story about a guy who stopped for a red light, decided he didn't want to wait for it, and while going through the intersection was hit and killed.

An all too true story these days, and valid thoughts all. Another of my reasons to bail. I'm just sooo weary of owning a 1972 911S coupe. The traffic laws in Oregon today, 3rd gear at redline in an old 2.4S on a 2 lane backroad can put you in jail, remove your license for 30 days minimum, and cost you over $1,000. Most judges double those amounts, as is their choice. All of this reduces the fun factor. Tabby, we were fortunate in that we drove in the USA during a golden age of the automobile...today? The young ones know no better...but the age of automotive enthusiasm is withering on the vine. Long live mass transit & politicians who know best how we should live.

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by pwd72s
An all too true story these days, and valid thoughts all. Another of my reasons to bail. I'm just sooo weary of owning a 1972 911S coupe. The traffic laws in Oregon today, 3rd gear at redline in an old 2.4S on a 2 lane backroad can put you in jail, remove your license for 30 days minimum, and cost you over $1,000.

two words: track time

I've never gotten a ticket at Willow for driving at redline...