Is owning a classic 911 not as much fun anymore?
 

I always enjoy taking my 930 out for a nice long drive. I love going to all of the various shows and cruise nights and as an added benefit I get to bond with my son on our long trips in the car. But lately with the values rising and reading thread after thread of cars being stolen the fun is starting to turn to stress. I normally take my Cayenne to Hershey but this year my son said we have to take the 930 or I would rather stay home. I took the car and stayed in a Hotel overnight the desk clerk was very nice. When he saw the car he said I will give you a room on the first floor and you can park the car right outside the window. I could almost touch the car from the room. Still I could not sleep all night worrying about some idiot taking the car. I do not think I will ever leave the car out overnight on another trip again.
I always loved when it was outside my house and people would stop to ask questions and compliment it but now I just try to keep it hidden and the garage doors closed. The other day my son was cleaning his car with the garage open and a man stopped to ask if it was for sale he left his number but all I thought about was if he was really interested or just trying to get a look at how to steal it.
I am seriously considering selling it not because I do not want it anymore just because the fun is starting to be outweighed by the concern. Anyone else feel this way?

I've gotten the same way with my VWs. Everyone seems to have a quick profit "picker" mentality now and I get a lot of the "do you wanna sell it?" crap from would-be flippers.

Seems like a theme lately..

Sorry you feel like you can't enjoy your 930 without being stressed out. Mine is just an SC so I drive it often and still enjoy it.

Agreed value insurance is worth it to give you some peace of mind.

For me, the beauty of Porsche is the rewarding driving experience. The pricing bubble they are in now, I think is comical because the cars are now being horded, locked away in garages, and not out in their domain.

I say get better insurance, and drive the thing.

Although my car isn't as valuable as yours, I would still drive it if it was. I hate to let the b@stards win.

If you're worried about theft put an immobilizer of some sort on it and try to park strategically. There is a system that will report car movement direct to your smart phone.

Having said that, I feel the same way you do about my motorcycles. Much easier to steal one of them though.

I sold the first '72 I had for similar reasons. It was just too nice. Driving an extremely nice car with a front end that's shaped like a dustpan in Arizona, where the freeways are landscaped with crushed rock, can be stressful. Once mine was worth 2X what I paid I sold it. Same car is worth twice what I sold it for now.

My last 911 was my favorite. Salvage title (due to theft), nice but not close to perfect, light weight interior. No stress with that one.

I feel very lucky to have had quite a few nice air cooled 911s, but based on current prices figure I've had my last.

Driving it is pretty much the same, but the fun has been taken out of the cars as far as being hobbiest/enthusiast cars to tinker with.

To buy, fix up, work on, etc. I did it for 25 years and it was great.

But at least for me, the prices are too high to justify it as a hobby any more. Everything has a price/value ratio, and the value just isn't there for me any more. I only buy for cash, and I could justify putting out $16-$20K for a hobby car. But not $35-40K.

I still have mine, but as far as cars as a fun hobby, I've moved on to other makes. And it's fun again!

I'll get another one someday, or not. If I do, probably a driver Targa with all the right dings.

My 560SL has 73K on the clock and is in really good nick: It isn't worth much but I really don't want to bugger it up...I drive it a lot (drove it to work today, top up back through the showers), but I am really cognizant of treating the car well while I am having fun.

Run a hidden line to the battery that you can clip to a body panel somewhere out of sight, so when the car is unattended the entire thing is live. A thief will get a nasty shock for trying to steal your car. :D

I still look at mine as being the price I paid for it. I guess if I really need the money, then I can cash out, but fortunately not in that position right now.

I drove mine yesterday and enjoyed it. I will be driving to French Lick, IN soon and enjoy a solid week of solid Porsche driving. After 20 years with the same car I still love it.

I have increased the stated value three times since I bought it so it is insured properly. That being said when cars like ours get stolen the money just can't make up for it. I think everyone here is the same we love these cars and the money just is meaningless. This car has outperformed most of my IRAs over the past three years anyway. My dad recently passed away and he had quite a nice collection of rifles he left them all to me some are valuable some not but I would never let any of them go they were a part of him and now they are a part of me. I said to my wife the other day my father left me a legacy of sorts to pass on and the 930 was to be my legacy to pass on to my son that is the only thing stopping me from selling it right now.
All of the classic 911s turbo or not are rising fast so we are all in the same boat.

I agree with all the posts above.... I guess it affects a lot of us, who got in from love of the car and now are worried about driving $$$$ vehicles. Yeah agreed insurance is good, yes, some of us can ignore it completely and drive the crap out of them... but everything else follows suit. A blown engine costs a lot more to repair now, parts cost way more. Texting drivers are everywhere and I'd hate to see it damaged and its value reduced through no fault of mine (not an issue when they were worth 15K but now??). And keeping up with agreed value is almost a monthly game now, where you could get left behind rather quickly.

I too have a threshold for what I'm OK spending on a car (toy or daily driver), which sadly did not follow inflation... Too much for a toy... I was happy in the 15-25K range, but I feel priced out of the hobby now, on pretty much *all* the classic I like. I'm keeping my 72 for now mostly because if I sell it, I'm positive I will never own another (not that I couldn't but I won't be able to justify paying that much). I find that I enjoy my imperfect cars a lot more nowadays (wife's mongrel 912 and bmw 2002), and yeah, it's in my head but apparently I'm not alone ;-)

Pete Stout (editor from Panorama) said virtually the same thing: When the prices start rising they just aren't as fun anymore.

Mike80911, how much do you think your 930 is worth now? I have a 930 cab with very low milage, and having a hard time trying to get a handle on its worth or replacement cost, since I have serious engine mods. I am still at agree valued at 50k

Call Paul Kramer at Auto Kennel. He will know exactly what those 930's are worth. He sold my 75 hot rod for $115,000 when everybody I know said it was worth $50K tops. I can pretty much bet that your 930's are worth a hell of a lot more than $50K.

Paul (714) 335-4911
www.autokennel.com

My current driver is going to be my last 911, a well set up Targa. It is just a driver and a play car. I seem to have accumulated a lot of 911 parts over the years that will make their way onto this car, and then I may do a respray someday.

Once I sell this car, if I sell this car, I am out. I think about Boxsters, and probably should get one, but I sold a couple of 911 a few years ago, and later regretted it. I bought this one last winter from a Pelican, who told me it was mechanically excellent, and well set up. It is, but nobody was biting then, so I bit.

I'm not sorry, I'm pretty happy, but this is my last one.

Only you know when you should sell your car, but in the case of cherished 911s, there might be some substantial seller's remorse. Mike, in your case, I think you need to consider your son as well.

I love my 911 like no other but couldn't justify making it a back roads/track toy, which was my intention when I bought it. I've wrestled with what to do with it for the last 2 years and have finally decided to sell it. It hurts, but a track toy is what I want. I simply cant afford a 911 for that use, a Miata fit the bill for me.

Just got home from three days of absolutely driving the piss out of my '72 hot rod, on one of our R Gruppe (Pac West chapter) tours. We all had our early 911 hot rods parked in hotel parking lots overnight with nary a concern. Maybe we are naive. If we can't drive them like this anymore, though, most of us would move on. My 240k miles in the last 10-11 years says more about how I feel about it than I could ever put into words. And yes, the "investors" and "speculators" have well and truly ruined it for many. That's a real shame.

Hang out woth people with more expensive/nicer cars thans yours. Problem solved! On Pelican runs, car shows, & the Targa California gatherings, seems like everyone's got something more interesting, more rare, more special than my car. Perfect. They get all the attention and mine gets to fly under the radar!

I would say you are highly underinsured I doubt you could replace it for $50K I would say insure it for at least $75K. The insurance company should not blink an eye at that.

I think the current resale prices for air cooled 911's outweigh any sense of nostalgia or sentimentality. A stock 2001 Boxster will smoke any pre-993 911 on the track, and you can have cold A/C.

Plus, it's up to $12K-$15K for a 3.0 or 3.2 rebuild…and fewer and fewer shops that can do it. The Spec Boxster guys are finding good motors in junk yards for $4500, and rebuilding them stronger for less than $10K.

I say cut loose the air-cooled cars to those who hoard them in garages and collections and drive a water pumper like you stole it!

Theives can't drive stick anyway.

I've parked it just like a normal car but in Monterey or the other places I've done that an old 911 isn't a big deal. If overnight I need a cover since it doesn't have side windows. The cover has a lock but it is not going to stop a determined thief.

Quit worrying.

Agreed value insurance.
Lo-jack or similar device.
Hidden camera's where the car is parked.
Kill switch(s).
9mm.

fwiw, an experienced determined thief WILL get your car. And no 'smart' thief is going to engage you in a conversation about your car where they plan on stealing it...

To me, a classic Porsche or really any classic car that does not get used at least sometimes, is a waste of the car and borderline "criminal". For the most part, we Pelicans are not talking about one-of-a-kind $10 million cars here, we are talking about roughly $20K-120K cars. All around us there are new cars that cost as much or more than that, which are generally what thieves would target since they want parts they can easily strip and resell.

So my vote is update your insurance, stay away from sketchy neighborhoods and rush-hour traffic, and get out there and drive!

Look into a Battery cut off switch, double locked garage door, the "club" on the steering wheel.....& Sig Sauer P227.

1973 911 T MFI Coupe, Aubergine

Steve

My thought is you drive it or sell it. I drove my 914/6 for 25 years at times a daily driver.
Recently got what I thought was a crazy offer for it and sold it. The sale price was high enough to buy a 2004 996 GT3 and put money in the bank.
Now I'm driving the GT3 with no regrets.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1433216961.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1433216995.jpg

Great minds think alike Henry! I turned mine into a 2008 997 Turbo with enough left over for a nice deposit in the savings. Hell, I take the 997 grocery shopping. No more worries. No regrets.

You back from Alaska?

Just got back last night.....
I'll try to call tomorrow.

Luckily I still enjoy mine. In an area where the latest 991 is almost as common as the Camry (ok I'm exaggerating), very few people get excited when they see my old car.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1433219884.jpg


I'm calling mostly bs on the exaggerated prices. As a matter of fact I've driven the old unwanted 76 Turbo over 2,000 miles since last October. So a big F U to the hype. It had gone less than 10k in the previous 29.5 years. A cantankerous belching, farting beast to be sure. And why had I neglected it so long?

I still drive mine most days. It's insured and I'm not an idiot so the enjoyment is still there.
The day that fun stops is the day I'll sell it. After all it's only a car.

As I get older I wonder why I bother. It is after all pretty basic.

I drive mine. Aren't overly careful with it. I do the oil changes/valves/don't thrash it when it's cold thing, but I just get out there and enjoy it. Hell, if I had any sense I wouldn't have a classic car parked 50 meters from hard braking surf. But as I said on the other thread; drive em, fix em, drive em. The car is for me, not for the next guy.

I don't want to to tempt fate, but the hoons don't seem terribly interested in my car. They are more into Nissan Skylines and Subarus. LOTS of those go missing around here, but hopefully not my car.

So. The general consensus seems to be ... don't want to drive the car any more, scared to park it, scared to store it .........
Pretty sure most of you guys bought your air-cooled cars for not a bunch of money, in the day.
You just gonna look at it now? Really? Why bother?

I like your thinking... ;) Pretty much the way I've been thinking lately. Why pay 20k+ for an SC when I can get a similar condition 996 for 13-15K thats going to be quicker, and I'll be able to worry about less...

Not so much the 911, but I'm sure careful about how and where I drive my Speedster these days.

Wellllll the way I see it, what would be the more desirable situation, a car worth the same (or less) than what you paid for it or a car that is worth more than what you paid for it? If the joy of driving /owning her is gone because of the additional stress brought on by your additional net worth, I'm thinking it's time to part. Would it be a more desirable situation owning a car not worth fixing if a big ticket item were to fail? Admittedly neither my 85 3.2 or my 993 is worth what your 930 is but both have spent many nights outside hotels/restaurants over the years, and that pattern is not changing any time soon. When I bought the cars they were definitely not pristine, the normal road rash, some minor interior wear....even a few dings. Great, solid cars that I look out for but don't sweat the additional minor dings that the 85 has picked up from idiots in parking lots. No offence, but if I was as stressed as you seem to be, I'd sell and buy something you can enjoy using. Oddly enough on my last 3000 mile 993 trip six weeks ago I had to stay at a number of hotels...no additional dings but two of the Porsche crests on the wheels were ripped off in two separate incidents....maddening yes, but not a deal breaker.Cheers

Sid, that really makes sense. I bought my 911 20 years ago and it is still going up in value. I did NOT buy it as an investment. I love it but if I got the crazy high offer I would upgrade to a new car.

Yeah, I can see the logic in that.

Sort of glad to see this thread. I grew up with the mantra, you shouldn't drive anything more expensive than you can roll and walk away from. Like it or not, with the way stuff happens on the roads, if you're really going to drive something, you sorta have to treat it as disposable. I've wanted another, older 911.....but between the price and other factors, they just don't seem disposable...which has taken the fun out....leaving me searching for something else.