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Sold my early 911 but knew that life without a Porsche would be meaningless, empty, and futile. ;). So looked at all the usual online sources and couldn't find much that wasn't outrageously priced. Searched for a couple of months with zippo luck. Was thumbing through Excellence mag and saw the add for their online ads and decided to check.
In the online Ex classified Found a nice, but red, SC owned by a retired Air Force officer who talked to me about the car for an hour. Convinced he and the car were for real, I wired the money to him that afternoon, breaking all the rules. The only hitch is that I live near Seattle and the car is outside Salt Lake City. Plane ticket purchased and a buddy volunteered to fly with me, off to SLC. The car was pretty much as billed with 156K on the clock. it started right up and ran like a clock. Had spare parts FedExed to the sellers house which never arrived. Got returned to my house due to the zip code being off 1 digit. Took two days driving it home and blowing out the accumulated carbon on the back roads. Also learned that many things I assumed worked, didn't. Within a week of having it home the fan belt blew up and the tool to hold the pulley was missing from the tool kit. Just glad it didn't blow in bump-truck eastern Oregon. Spent the next two years getting it sorted, which actually was quite fun, other than the undisclosed body damage which was repaired last summer. Am at 99% of fixing everything so my anal self doesn't mull at 3:00 AM what I am going to fix and how I am going to do it. So now I can now lie awake dreaming up upgrades. Here she sits http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486433907.jpg |
A manager that worked for me asked for my help to test drive a Porsche he was looking at.
He did not know how to drive a standard. During the test drive I convinced him that he would be better off with an automatic since it would be his daily driver. He ended up getting a 996 automatic. I asked him if he wasn't interest in the 964, if I could continue the negotiations and buy the car for myself. He agreed since he was no longer interested in a manual. I closed the deal that day. It ended up costing me mid CAD$40's. Because it was a real spur of the moment purchase and I did zero research before buying it, I know I overpaid by quite a bit. That's how I ended up with my 964. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486434858.JPG |
I received this photo from my other half.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/image...245/39005t.jpg Already owning a '02 996 Targa I was a smart ass and asked her if it was for sale. A co-worker of hers was casually looking at it but wasn't ready to move. I was. The car was a 2 owner car with 34K miles, new clutch and Pilot Sport tires. I've been a happy camper ever since. |
When I got married I owned an un-airconditioned 1974 914 2.0 that I bought new. I took my wife on a fall foliage tour with the local PCA club over to Arkansas. All of her makeup melted in the rear trunk and we did a lot of sweating. When we got back she was mad about the makeup and not happy about the sweat. She said I needed an air conditioned Porsche. To me that meant a 911!
Back in early 90s the internet was very new and all dial up so I searched the want ads of the local paper and even the Tulsa paper. I looked at a lot of used up beat up 911s and passed on them all. Then I found one in Tulsa so off on a 100 mile road trip. It was love at first sight. August of 1995 I bough my current 911. A 1985 Grand Prix White with burgundy interior. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486479239.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486479239.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486479345.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486479397.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486479397.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486479397.jpg I have driven it California three times, and all the way to Maine just 35 miles from the most eastern point in the USA. Into Canada and my plan is to drive my Porsche in all 50 states. I have been to all but 9 states and I will knock of more this year on the way to Spokane, WA. |
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My brother came home on leave in a 912, be bought it from a guy with orders for Viet Nam and didn't think he was coming back. My brother drove that 912 to Ca from N. Carolina and back to Ft. Bragg. He gave me an ill fated drive in the car before he left. He made it to discharge and came home with a 197X 911T Targa and lived close by. He came home for home cooking and visits often, and always asked me if I wanted to do for a drive. I always did!
Fast forward, I drove a Suzuki Samurai for almost 400K miles, when it finally got to be too tedious, I sold it after I bought a '74 BMW 2002 sedan for a daily driver. Thought I would try the German experience. Loved that little skooter! Finally rolled it off an embankment 20' down, after crawling back up I started looking for its replacement, the silver '75 2002 with no engine or trans. Swapola and I was 2002ing. After realizing that the German thing wasn't really a big deal, I started shopping for a 911. Found the '75 911S for 10K,and got to having fun, right up to the point where a dirtbag rear ended me on the way to work. Totaled! Bought a cheap Honda Passport and prepared for Legal combat. Long battle via the Small Claims Court, I walked away with $19,500 in awards, sold the '75 carcass for $6500, and decided to get a replacement. Found El Chup, a '84 that needed cosmetic and minor fixing up for $16,000. I threw a bunch of the award cash at it(read my posts), and am driving the wheels(euromeister) off it to date! |
My brother has an 84 targa. He wanted to put a built 3.2 in his car. He found an 85 911 cab (now my car) at a VERY reasonable price. He was going to part out the 85 but with just the right amount of begging and pleading with him not to do so, he sold me the rolling chassis (at a very brotherly price I might add) along with the new dash and rag top that came with the car. It took me about 4 years to find the donor 3.2 to put back in my car and as they say, the rest is history.
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A couple of years ago when I was thinking about retirement I decided to look for a project to keep me busy. Through the years I have had many Mustang, Camero and Hot Rod projects so this time I wanted something different. I always wanted a widebody Porsche so I set out to find one. After several months looking locally and on ebay I tried something crazy. I put this ad on Craigslist:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486563459.jpg About 2 weeks later I got a call and the rest is history. Here is what I found: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486563790.jpg |
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In 2010 my next door neighbor come home with a Boxster beater that he wanted me to evaluate. One lap around the block told me that its front-end, bearings, or something else up there was about to go! Wouldn't track straight.
That got me to thinking. I sold my last Porsche in about 1972, at that time about 37 years prior. So I went to E-Slay and started to look. I found a very good looking 1973 911T in Canada and made a couple of bids. Somehow I hit the guy's reserve at the end of the auction and by today's standards it was a steal. So my late wife and I flew up there to SK and handed him a check. We drove her 750 miles home with little problem, except with the Nazis at the border!! I've put as much as I paid for it again into little fix-em ups, and some big ones. She's a very nice car. I've swapped out the Cookies for a set of Fuchs. Paint is perfect and I can't find any rust. Sadly it's about time to sell her. Tomhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486575702.jpg |
Awesome Thread!
Well I had always loved Porsche's since I remember seen my country man Diego Febles race his 935 back in the 70's. So I join the U.S. Army back in 80 and made it to West Germany, so while there with my wife also a service member, I looked to see if I could get one since I was where they are made! ( I thought to myself). Due to some bad luck I couldn't get one but at least I drove and tested several while there. At least I got myself a new 318i 85 so it was not all lost! I then was able to get back to Germany again before the end of the 80's, so I thought I had a second chance. Well another tour and no Porsche for me. So I retired from the Army and as life always do, my dream of getting a 911 was getting away from me. This was more evident when in 2002 my daughter who was in Junior in high school was in a car accident and became handicapped as a result. This incident put a complete stopped to the dream, as we needed to concentrate on my daughter. So while at work at some point in 05, I always looked a used car classifieds or Ebay dreaming. One co-worker who is a old hot-rod collector, he told me that I should just go ahead and try to get the car. He said "what do you have to lose, you only live once!" I thought about it and after talking to my wife, I decided to try and get one. I did found my Targa, although it took me a bit of time, cause you know when you look for something then cars did not showed up at the price I wanted to spend. I will say that I do not regret doing it, as I took the car home and took my daughter for a ride and she enjoy the hell out of it. Today I still take her with the top down, and she still enjoys riding on the car. So I got the car late but was worth it! http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486581909.jpg |
great thread. suspected a lot of people have stories behind their Porsche acquisition.
I'll try to make mine short. was looking and found my first Porsche, an 85 911 targa at a local Porsche dealer in '89. guy traded for a new one. bought it and had no issues other than maintenance for several years. but decided to change jobs and take a change joining a start-up. my wife really needed a new car so I decided to sell the 911 in '97 with the intent of getting another sports car when I was comfortable with the job/income. almost 2 yrs later was looking and saw an add for my old 911. they guy who bought it got an 86 930. after a drive and PPI, bought it back. wife knew I was looking. when I got it home, wife walks out into the garage, looks at the car and says, "well... the B!+(# is back.":eek: at this point went to my first Drivers Ed event, first of MANY. decided to retire it from DE and have restored to stock. still have it, along with several more now. every one has a story. someday will need to sell some, but not today.... cant wait to get my 78 SC/930 conversion done. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486594166.jpg |
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Cool thread.
I had always wanted a 911 since I was about 5 years old. I can't tell you how many bad renditions I had built in LEGO as a kid. I had started looking in earnest around mid-2009 but never really found anything that was "right". I was looking for an SC coupe and usually the car was gone when I called, somebody wanted too much money, or there was something very wrong. Projects didn't scare me, but I didn't want a badly-abused vehicle either. One fine morning in late June of 2010, I found I couldn't sleep. I got up early, sat down in front of my computer with a cup of coffee and pulled up the Craigslist cars and trucks section. Right there at the top was the ad for a '75 Targa - not a coupe and not an SC. Just for fun, I called them later and they said the car was still available but not running. I did go visit for some reason and got the whole story. The owner had picked up the car from a cousin about 6 years previous; the cousin had pretty much driven it into the ground. The owner had big plans about repairing/restoring the car, but had run into some medical problems and so the car languished in his carport. He was finally looking to sell to help pay medical bills. The guy and his wife basically interviewed me like I was adopting one of their kids. We chatted about the condition of the car (poor - more on that later), my background (mechanical engineer), my experience with auto repair (Audi and old Mopar stuff in high school), why I wanted the car, how long I had wanted a 911, etc. The car itself was in not in good shape: Moldy interior, rusty front fenders, won't shift into gear, won't run, questionable engine, bad respray, and a couple boxes of random parts in the frunk - but mostly intact. It was a project, but not one I was really looking for. I offered them half their asking price, explaining that there was significant work to do just to get it to roll. They downplayed the work required and thanked me for my interest. They stated they had a couple other potential buyers scheduled and were holding firm for their asking price. I got a phone call from the wife about two weeks later. They wanted to sell me the car and said I was the only person they met that would put the car back on the road. She said they had two offers in excess of their asking price, but both potential buyers intended to dismantle the car. I trailered the car home the next weekend and gave them a bit in excess of my offer. We agreed to stay in touch and show them progress as I rebuilt the thing. I certainly wasn't in love with the car or even sure I wanted to keep it very long. I figured I would try to get the thing to run as cheaply as possible and decide what to do with it later. I even had some crazy thought that I would do an electric conversion if the motor was trashed rather than rebuild. About a month later I got the engine to run and that sound changed everything - I was immediately smitten. No electric conversion - internal combustion needed to be unleashed in all its glory. And then I found out how much trouble I was really in: - Broken clutch fork - Totally destroyed transaxle - "Frankenmotor" - 2.4 case/pistons with the 2.7 heads/injection on it - Oil everywhere but inside the engine; this thing leaked a quart a day just sitting in one place - More than half the electrical didn't work - and on and on and on.... I did learn the truth in the old adage: "There's nothing more expensive than a cheap Porsche..." Many years later and I've got a nice lightweight Targa with a tight 2.7 and everything else mostly sorted. (I still need to do suspension and maybe paint; it's currently got a vinyl wrap.) Not a drop of oil on the floor of the garage. I've tried contacting the previous owners a couple times; no response. I do hope they are all right... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486617972.JPG |
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The Alcan highway is still many miles of gravel and unpaved roads. I am not gonna do that. So my goal is just the contiguous 48 and Canada for an international trip. I would never consider going to Mexico either. I have been to Hawaii and Alaska, but I was not driving my Porsche. |
In 1986, I was driving around with a friend in my 944. We stopped by a Porsche dealership just to look around.
There were several 911s on the lot for sale. I saw this 1983 sc with 19000 miles on it, thought it looked good. A salesman came out and asked me if I wanted to test drive it. I did, stalled it once, then traded in the 944 for the sc. I still have it. |
I am the only child of divorced parents being raised by my mother in North Wildwood New Jersey around the Italian side of my family, who only cared about family, church and food.
For those that don’t know New Jersey, NWW is a barrier island about thirty miles south of Atlantic City and roughly 80 miles South of Philadelphia. My Island was famous for summer parties and music prior to gambling in AC. It was known as “Little Las Vegas”, performers like Count Basie, Tony Bennett, Bobby Rydell, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Little Richard, Chubby Checker and many more were common. In the 70’s and 80’s when I was growing up and roaming the streets, tens of thousands of people in their cars were coming into my town on any given summer weekend to soak up the sun and party at the clubs at night. People were coming in from Philadelphia, New York, Delaware, and the suburbs all around. Not to mention the two-week invasion of Canadians from Quebec wearing their speedos. On a daily basis I would see any number of amazing American muscle cars and not take a second glance they were so common. Corvettes, Shelby Mustangs, Hemi-Cudas, SuperBirds, Grand Nationals, 442’s and countless others. My family had a few VW bug’s, a Chevy Nova wagon, a 1940 something Volvo with push Button transmission, an MG, a 289 Mustang, a Buick Skylark and a Coupe Deville. I learned to drive and parallel park in the Deville. They were all purchased used many years after new. Now to the Porsche part. On my tenth birthday in November 1974 I received a model of a yellow 73 911RS. While I am sure a 356, 911, 914 came into town and I probably saw them, I had no idea what a Porsche 911 was let alone an RS. I thought it was a cool looking car and resembled my mother’s VW just cooler. My Elementary/High school was just a few blocks from my home. My friends and myself would walk to school. We would walk East down the street one block to New Jersey Avenue and turn left toward the school. At the corner was a surf shop. In the spring of 1975 the owner of the surf shop bought a Bitter Chocolate 74 911S Targa. He parked it in front of the surf shop every day. I walked past that car for the next eight years until I received my driving license. In the spring of 1981 I was volunteering to help a local dance school put on their annual performance. I had an ulterior motive. There was a girl or two or five I may have been interested in, so I lent a hand. We needed some supplies from a local hardware store. One of the dancer’s mothers offered a ride. I let “Mrs. Robinson” take me for a ride in her 1973 T. In the summers of 1982, 1983 I owned four hot dog carts at the beach and was making great money for a 18, 19 year old. In the spring of 1984 the surf shop owner put the Targa up for sale. I have owned it ever since. I love that car. We have gone through several transformations in our 30 plus years together. We are in the middle of our most recent. I often think about going back to original but we are both so far from what we once were. As they say I am not sure if you can ever go home. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486706427.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486706427.JPG http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486706427.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486706427.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486706427.jpg |
My humble 911 SC was one of the few things I kept after my divorce.
That, my tools, some cash and personal belongings. The family home and another investment property were sold. (15 years ago) At the time I was driving a 964 Carrera 4 as my daily. That had to go and I got a good price for it but selling that car allowed me to keep my SC. Looking back I have no regrets. Life always goes on. |
The story of my first 911
I love these stories so far, and although mine may not be about the exact Porsche I have now, I figured I would share because it is a positive story in a negative world. Also, it's the most fun one I had that got me Porsche crazy.
Fall 2003, I was a junior in high school and had just sold my tired 1980 Indy Pace Car Turbo Trans Am to a guy named Mike Myers, who coincidentally was a pitcher on the Seattle Mariners at the time. My step-dad was a Porsche fanatic and converted me at a young age. He has had around fifteen 930s, including an 88 black with red int. 505 car that I still have the original paperwork for (car was stolen in 89-ish--another story). With about $6500 of my hard earned money to work with, I hit the markets to find myself a 911 wide body. We drove all over the Midwest, looking at a dozen or so 911s. I had bid on a couple on ebay, only to have them sell for mid teens, which at the time was a strong price. Finally, February 2004, I thought I had struck gold. I found a 1978 Porsche 911 widebody Targa silver on red ZZZ car that had been converted from true 930 fenders. The car was on Ebay and there was no reserve. My dad taught me the correct questions to ask and they all came back positive. The car was tired, it was beaten, but to me, it was perfect. On the day the auction was ending, I talked my mom into pulling me out of my last class to bid on the car. Reluctantly, she did after I complained six of the seven day auction. I got out of my science class, raced home, got the auction up and was ready to bid. At this point, the auction was going for 5000-ish and I knew the car was going to be mine--I could just feel it. With three minutes left (which seems like a lot of time, but with slow internet in 2004 you needed it) I entered my first bid at $5400. I was quickly outbid and the auction jumped to $5500. Scrambling to put in my max bid of $6500, my computer froze. I stared in disbelief at the computer for twenty minutes as the auction ended and the car sold for $5500. My mom came into the room and said, "So, do we need to start arranging shipping for the car?" "No, Mom, the computer froze and I couldn't bid. Car sold for $5500." "Well, if it is meant to be, you will find another." "No, Mom, there are no others. This was perfect." Frustrated, I sat in my room brooding for the rest of the day, wondering why my computer hated me. My step dad came home and he asked why don't I reach out to the guy selling the car and getting the information of the new owner and offering him the $6500 for it? With the lightning quickness of my older self, I sprang to life, and wrote the seller a message on ebay. He gave me the number of the man who had just bought the car. I called him immediately and told him who I was, and offered him $6500 for the car. The man didn't answer me right away, but started asking me questions: "What do you do in school?" "Where are you from?" "Do you play sports?" "How are your grades?" "What do you like to do for fun?" and finally, "Why do you want this particular car so badly" I explained to him that I was essentially an Indiana-born, normal high-schooler that played golf, but mainly raced Motocross and was sponsored at the time by Team MotoWorld out of California. That was my true passion and I loved it. My grades were above-average and he thanked me for my honestly. I ended up talking to the gentleman for about thirty minutes. He was incredibly interesting; he was the only F16 pilot for the Indiana National Guard and had just retired to Texas (I believe) and he then told me I could buy the car from him, but it wouldn't be for $6500. My heart stopped as I assumed the man would want more for it, because my step-dad had just got done telling me it was around a $8-9000 car. He then said, "I want you to have the car for $5500." I couldn't believe my ears. I asked him again, and again, saying he needed to accept my offer of $6500. He refused and said he would be calling the seller letting him know of our agreement. I thanked him over, and over, and over. All he told me was, "Make sure, down the line when you can, to do something nice for another person." We got off the phone and I officially had my first Porsche. The man's words have stuck with me and I have done everything possible to help others, and even helped a younger kid buy a car from me that he was coincidentally $1000 short. I hope you all enjoyed my first Porsche experience. First picture is of the day it arrived from Florida with sand still in the mats. It was freezing, but I took it for a spin. Second is after I had it repainted back to original color and unfortunately sold it weeks later. The same guy that bought it still has it in California, and refuses to sell it back (even get back to me actually). I hope I can buy it back someday--when I sold it, I never thought how much sentimental value it would have. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486738306.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1486738306.jpg |
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