Longhoods - "Family Sedan" - Driver

[GotaT]

So, I've recently rebuilt my 71Targa w/ the 2.4 and 915 gearbox and have been using my car as my Daily driver to work and back. I've also added rear belts to accomodate the Carseat.. so now, on the weekends, its also turned into "The Family Sedan". The car Drives fantastic and I have always loved the feel of an "old" car. Only this one is the nicest one I've owned.

I've been wondering how many others were using their LONGHOOD car as a Daily Driver.. ARE there ANY ?

[GotaT]

ANY ? ? ? ??? .... (..Trailing off)

[Christien]

I do as well. Though not for really short things like to the grocery store. But pretty much any trip that's long enough to get the oil warmed up I take the 911. And, same as you, with the car seat in the back, it's now family transport for all 3 of us! We can get myself and my wife, our 1 1/2 year old daughter, the dog, plus luggage for the weekend all in the 911. It's a bit tight in the trunk, because I always carry a small toolkit and a few spare parts in case of a breakdown, and my wife packs insanely heavily for our daughter but we manage to fit it all in! Of course, the 2.4 does struggle a bit with all that added weight, but it sure beats taking the POS Ford Explorer!

[daepp]

Not exactly a daily driver, but used very frequently to drop off and pick up kids at their many activities after I get home from work. Puts a little fun into all those trips - to the pool, to the soccer field, to the friend's house - you get the the idea.

How about a photo of your DD - here's my Targa:

[GotaT]

Nice car Dave! Really like the Porsche Decal on the white car...

[mike635]

I know this has been discussed many times but given the fact that car seats seem to change pretty often, what did you end up with? Our little guy turns 1 at the end of the month and I'm going to be looking to put a child seat in the rear this spring. A couple of the models people have mentioned in past threads don't seem to be available.

Any ideas?

mike

[midlife]

While my '69 has not been technically a long hood, it has been my daily driver year round.
It is currently undergoing surgery back to a long hood, and my interim daily driver is a SWB 912.

[joetiii]

Here in Mass., my 69 is driven daily from March thru November when the roads are dry. My two daughters are past car seat stage and we really only can make short trips as a family. It's amazing how much the performance goes down when you load an extra 300 lbs in. I kinda feel sorry for the impact bumper guys with all their added safety weight.

[Scott at Pelican Parts]

My '71 911E targa is my only car / daily driver!

[Christien]

Mike, as far child seats in the rear, none of them fit really well. I tried 3 or 4 different ones and went with the best. Further, none of the restraint methods worked well, I found. I ended up using a heavy-duty strap with a winch, and made my own restraint. It actually feels better than the LATCH restraint system in our Explorer.

It's a variation on this:
seems like a good child seat set up

(I replaced the seat belt and receivers with heavy-duty hooks.

[mike635]

Thanks, I grabbed a copy of that link. I guess I'll have to buy a couple and see what fits best. If you get a chance, can you let me know which seat you ended up using?

thanks,

mike

[Christien]

Mike, it's either this one or one very similar:
http://www.sears.ca/gp/product/B00115ODT2/sr=1-0/qid=1200682801/ref=sr_1_0?ie=UTF8&searsBrand=core&mqnodeid=16342041

I bought it at Toys R Us. Thing is, I'm in Canada and if you're in the US, chances are the exact same model won't be available there, because of differing safety standards. What I looked for was the seat with the lowest slot in the back. I can't remember the exact details, because I did it several months ago, but I remember needing to get the strap as low the seat bottom as possible, because I was having problems with the child seat front lifting up, if that makes any sense.

My best tip would be if you've got a car seat already for another car, try installing it first before you buy one for the 911, so you can see what specific issues you'll need to address and get a child seat that addresses those issues, and hopefully save yourself a few trips for returns (like I did). It takes a bit more time, but it's a pretty serious matter. And it opens up a whole new world of fun for the family

[GotaT]

I have 2 Different car seats and neither of them fit GREAT, but they do fit.. However, them fitting is not the real concern, its having them SECURED.

The Lap belts just dont hold them tight enough in the event of impact, so Im currently looking for a Pull style Retention where the Harder you pull it the Tighter it will become. Mostly seen in Middle Rear Seats. This should prove to work great.

Pics of my Driver Coming Soon! .. I really like all the Posts... Lets SEE SOME PICS of these DRIVERS!!

[Christien]

Aha! Found it! It's an Cosco Eddie Bauer, Canadian model # 22864C or 22868C (mine is the latter), US model # 22-863-BGL. Of course, try googling that and you won't find too much.

[red 69]

I drive my 69 every day to work and on some nice weekend, if not the harley(shovelhead) can't beat air cooled.

[eapcpa]

I used to drive both kids 18 miles each way in my 70S Targa. The car got tired after 100,000 miles and the kids grew up. The car is waiting for its new 2.7 twin plug MFI. My son is now 17 and 6'2 so he has moved to the front seat and my daughter gets her license late this year. I now use the BMW M3 but my son constantly asks when we will get the Porsche running in between begging for the M3 keys. He has a 01 turbo passat wagon. It is a far cry from the 1973 Pinto wagon I had in high school. Enjoy the kids with the car because they both get older. I am convinced that sitting in back in his car seat and hearing the drone of the flat six causes my son to make Porsche noises in his sleep now. We will definitely enroll them both in the BMW safety/security driving course this year. Everything in my driveway is powerful compared to what was available to me. Even my GMC Denali has 320HP/320lbsft torque. Thank goodness for traction control, ABS and air bags on these newer high powered vehicles.

[butzi73]

This is my commuter car - Driven every day, except when it's really pouring rain. I actually just whomped on it during my lunch break. It helps keep me awake through the afternoon. My only alternative is my beat-up 21 year old Toyota pickup.

Kids are coming soon for me, but since I don't even have a backseat I suppose they won't be taking rides in my car for a while. (wife's '98 Accord will do) I am really looking forward to sharing my love of Porsches with my future children though.

[rouxroux]

Mitch, glad to hear everything worked out well and the "family cruiser" is operational! You'll have to get together with Phil some weekend and meet us somewhere mid-state for lunch!

[GotaT]

RED and BUTZI.. Those aRe Super Nice CaRS! Love the color combo Butzi!

Roux.. You name it and I'd love to meet up, There are a couple others that come to mind in Lafayette area that may be interested in meeting...

I may post soon on a group meet from P car owners in this Louisiana area.. There are a few others in Baton Rouge as well..

[GotaT]

Here are some photos I took of my Driver Yesterday! I've recently tinted the windows and put my Freshly Rebuilt 2.4 back in. The last thing to do for the engine is to get the carbs refurbed. Enjoy!