Congrats On Your First 911, Now Do This . . .

[jyl]

Since we have such a healthy flow of new 911 owners on the BBS, let's have a thread on:

"now that you have a 911, what are the first things you should do".

Ritual first maintenance tasks aka car-owner bonding? Must-have books and accessories? Learn-to-drive-a-911 tips? Cheap, effective, easy DIY mods that every 911 should have? Trips to take, other things to do with the new P-car?

Basically, what are some of the rewarding/useful/fun things that you've done in/to/for/with your 911 that you'd advise your best friend who just bought his first 911 to do, in his first few months of ownership.

[89911]

Before posting a question, check the "search" features. You'll find numerous answers to questions like "How to change my oil?", and other frequently asked question. It's not that many of us don't want to answer them, its just that they have been answered considerately so many time before.

[RallyJon]

This may sound dumb, but one of the first things I did was try to get it sideways. Having never driven a 911 fast, I'd heard so many horror stories and I didn't want to be intimidated. So I went to a deserted stretch of road and pendulumed it around a bit.

[SpeedracerIndy]

Originally posted by RallyJon
This may sound dumb, but one of the first things I did was try to get it sideways. Having never driven a 911 fast, I'd heard so many horror stories and I didn't want to be intimidated. So I went to a deserted stretch of road and pendulumed it around a bit.

I did that exact same thing. I went to a parking lot and played around for a while. I was terrified of driving the thing until I did that.

[Wayne 962]

Buy 101 Projects: http://www.101projects.com

-Wayne

[jyl]

How about find your local PCA club and do an autocross? Kills lots of birds with one stone - introduces you to 911 handling, learn the good Porsche shops in the area, and lots of P-car owners to answer questions.

[Jim Smolka]

Attend a couple of Driver's Educations to learn to drive a 911.
Oh, and be wary of the HP bug. When it bites, it can be very expensive

[Randy Webb]

Change all fluids.

Replace rubber brake hoses when you flush/chg the brake fluid.

Make sure the tires are less than 5 yrs old -- NO MATTER HOW MUCH TREAD IS LEFT.

[coolbreeze]

see if your girls head fits under the tilt wheel....

[MotoSook]

Get a secret bank account and slowly move money into that one so the lady in your life won't give you crap about the parts flowing in and cash flowing out!

This ain't no hobby! It's Satan's best drug...run! run! runaway!

If you don't run, buy all the books and manuals for your car and LEARN about it! Buy Wayne's books and live on the BBS...in a few weeks you'll be an "expert" on everything, except MFI...what the heck is that some Mongolian Fund Index???

Most importantly, join Gruppe B

[Sonic dB]

Buy a bunch of fuses and a couple of spare POS window switches.

Replace the O2 sensor and then dance the Lambada

Learn how to shift your 915 properly

Replace all of the crap aftermarket parts that PO put on the car (Nology hot wires, Fram filters, etc.)

[nostatic]

buy a fire extinguisher and learn how to use it. Carry it in the car (it will sit behind the driver's seat just fine).

Install relays for the headlights.

money. have lot's of money.

[K. Roman]

Learn to deal with your cars paint imperfections, otherwise you'll be putting in another 4-10K.

[dd74]

Drive it as much and as hard as possible. Rev it very high -- always. With certain maintenance (and if you have bought a good 911) these cars could get down to next-to-nothing $$-wise to own. Make sure the valves are adjusted properly. Make sure there's adequate oil on the dipstick (check with engine idling).

Modifications:

1) Second, third, fourth and fifth guess all engine modifications.

2) Suspension modifications are more important than engine modifications.

3) Lightening the car's overall weight is more important than suspension modifications.

[ZAMIRZ]

don't do *****, just drive and enjoy.......

[1982911sc]

Look at it allot in your garage after your wife goes to bed....another good one is to pick a night, wash it during the day, pull all of the other cars out of the garage and spend a "late night waxing" (I mean the car!), buy a six pack of the good stuff, some good polish and wax and spend the whole night bringing your baby to perfection...the wife thinks I am nuts, but I swear you feel great when the job is done no matter what time it is! Oh also, get to know your car, put it up on ramps or jack stands, get your hands dirty...it is really not all that mysterious once you really figure it out. I am about as mechanically inclined as Gumby, but I really have surprised myself, I have done a ton of work on this car...New VR, Speedometer, Belts, Oil Changes, etc.

[TomTurtle]

Highly recommend you take your first 911 to the next beginner PCA autocross and learn about the "friction circle" - gives you a good feel regarding how throttle control is so important in the car's handling characteristics, oversteer/understeer etc.

[GeorgeK]

Ditto Nostatic. Relays on headlights, and dash lighting. Clean all the earths while you're at it (not the whole earth, dummy). And don't whine about the price of the fire extinguisher before you have checked the price of a wire harness...

[304065]

Autocross autocross autocross

Don't bother with DE until you have done that-- you don't want to explore the limits of a 911, any year, any vintage, until you have taken it to the edge of oversteer, understeer, threshold braking and max acceleration, AND OVER THE LIMIT, many, many times.

The problem with DE for "learning the limit" is that as a beginner, you don't know where the limit is, and won't know what it feels like, which means spinning out a lot. And the problem with that is that the speeds are higher on a big track, and nasty things like the tire wall, concrete barriers and 4" high track lips tend to inhibit forward progress.

In a parking lot you can go out and spin dozens of times without hurting the car or yourself. (although there are always exceptions when somebody rolls or hits a tree at the edge of the course).

By the way I've spun my car in practice in my last three races, and actually spun in two of the sprint races also . . . the limit is out there. . . .enticing with its siren song. . . .

[jyl]

Search here for threads on:
- Why does the oil level gauge sometimes read zero? How to check oil level? What is "oel druck" anyway?
- Help! Car smokes on startup.
- Heat/ventilation/AC system has (up to) five levers and one knob - is this rocket science?

Get an owner's manual.

Install an aftermarket steering wheel (they're not just for looks).