Do you ever get asked this question?

[BlkBird]

It's a 1989 with a lot of 2003 parts.

[dd74]

I get asked this all the time - from all age groups, too. Only one guy correctly determined my car was a '74, and I think he was guessing.

The ducktail throws many off.

Admirers: all age groups. From kids to darn near nonagenarians.

[fitz]

I have had my 88 for a year now and I get asked this question a lot. Also, just like the rest of you when they find out the year the reply is "Wow! she looks GOOD for being so old." Then for the few privileged I give them a right and they forget she's an older car and just say "WOW!"

For me I love the look of the mid 90's on down much better then the newer pcars. Don't get me wrong, if I had a chance to get a 2003 cab I would do it in a heart beat. However, the timeless classic look of the pcar body style on the older cars make them so appealing that people have to ask.....What year is it?

[andyu911]

The same question I was asked last time was an officer with laser gun. I was driving 47 in 35 zone with very light traffic. Anyway, he didn't give me a break neither.

[rkh3]

Last month I was driving my '70 Challenger T/A and a women said "so Dodge makes this", I answered, "in 1970 they did", she said "I thought it was a new car!"

[89911]

Originally posted by ChrisBennet
Aah! that's what they meant. I just thought I was meeting an unusual number of time travelers.... ("What year is it?")
-Chris

Did this person jump out of a steaming Delorean before asking you?

[Victor]

Too true, aside from "Is it a turbo" and "how old is it", I also get a lot of "how long have you had it"

[350HP930]

Though I bought my car cause I am a HP and handling junkie I have come to enjoy the side effect of all the conversations it brings about while I am in public.

I have concidered getting the vanity plate '1987 930' but if I did I imagine the typical in traffic or parking lot conversation will go from 'what year is it' to the usual response of 'thats a beautiful car you have there'.

I'll never forget how when I first bought the car I was not even a mile away from the PO's house after picking it up when a car full of attractive young women pulled up next to me in traffic and started to chat with me.

The response eventually became so typical that I died laughing when I saw an episode of Friends where Joey finds the keys to a porsche and gets addicted to the attention the car brings him.

[Pat S]

Hmmm, I guess I need more practice because I can almost never determine exact year either... I'm good at getting groupings early, mid, SC, etc... but when it comes down to is it a 74 or 75? I really can't say without checking the VIN and I own a 74.
I agree though that it is a great thing. It shows that the car was designed right the first time and didn't need to be changed every year.

Pat

[azasadny]

"What year is it?" is a better question than "What kind of car is that?"...

[johncj8989]

One of my projects is converting a 76 into a 993 Ruf look. Ive been asked the "what year question" a million times, so when they ask me about the car when its done Ive already decided to say its a '97 "design". It's either that or I guess I could print a bunch of flyers out and keep them in my car and when somebody pops the question I can just hand it to them....... "1976 Porsche 911 converted into 993 TT appearance for the sole purpose of appearing richer than I really am!" LOL When actually its because I really dig the 993 look but want the earlier mechanicals and simplicity.

[Axeman]

Originally posted by azasadny
"What year is it?" is a better question than "What kind of car is that?"...

haha...that's a good one, I haven't gotten the "What kind of car is that?" YET!
I did get a girl one time pull up next to me with a Mitsubishi Lancer in that nasty yellow color and tell me that we had the same "cool" color...I didn't know that Speed Yellow is the same color as that nasty mustard Mitsubishi yellow!

[azasadny]

So far this summer I've been asked twice "is that a Ferrari"? but then again, I live in the land of the F150 and the Mullet, I mean Monte Carlo!!!

[David]

Two stories come to mind:

A few years ago when I was still saving to buy my Porsche, my wife and I were walking across a supermarket parking lot when a mid 70's stock 911 drove by. I told the wife I could buy one of those today since they were only about $7,000. A guy walking near us told his wife: "That guy thinks a Porsche is only $7,000!"

Right after I bought my 79 930 with C2 bumpers, someone at work in another dept. told his group in a meeting: "Did ya'll see that Porsche that Dave bought, don't those cost about $80,000?"

I certainly hate to think what would have happened to the 911 if Porsche had changed body styles every 4-5 years like the rest of the auto industry.

[PorscheDV]

HAHA! thats soooo funny! thats the first question im ever asked,...but i dont think it has to do at all with porsche's styling...i get asked that when someone asks (without ever even seeing my car)...personally, i do think its a way of gauging if you're money or not, maybe im pessimistic, but thats the impression i'd always get...

now what's really cool is when you meet a real porsche guy...

i was at the bank one day in my eclipse, a targa turbo body parks next to me, as i walk by i ask him who did the wide body...he replied a friend in (some city, i forget now).
sc? i asked.
S he said.
did you keep the 2.7?
yeah...
head stud problems?
just had the motor rebuilt

from, there we must of have talked porsche-eese for half an hour, its funny, i meet people often and talk cars, so often infact, i say the same thing to my girl friend everytime i jump back into the car, now she says it for me...

when i jumped back into the car, all my girlfriend said was "cars bring people together" and rolled her eyes

[targa911S]

I think that question is a basic "ice breaker" kinda the car equivalent of " what's your sign". Just an excuse to talk cars. like any of us need an excuse!

[bell]

depending on how cute they are i'll tell them whatever they want to hear

[cstreit]

The one that always gets me is when we're towing the racecar somewhere. Almost inevitably a stranger walks up, gives the once over on the car, purses his lips and asks (Of my road racing car) "How fast does it go?!"

So I used to take the time to explaining that this car is not run on ovals, so speed is relative to the type of track, and that straight-line speed is really sort of boring, but cornering and braking speed is really the "good stuff".

...usually after about 1 minute into this explanation their eyes start to glaze over in a confused look of "Did he tell me how fast it goes?" and "that sure doesn't sound like the racing to me, nope, nuthin like on ESPN...."

So rather than fight this and annoy me, and confuse them, I started making $hit up.

Gawker: "How fast does it go?"
Chris: "Oh... 175, 180"
Gawker: "Really!!!?"
Chris: "Yep!"
Gawker: "Woooow!"

I haven't worked up the nerve to tell someone over 200 yet, but a couple of my racing buddies use that all the time.