Porsche Elitism?

[Paul Crowther]

I just finished reading Jeff B's letter to the editor in February's Excellence.

It caused me to take pause of my relationship with Porsche. Maybe I should not have a Porsche. Or, maybe Jeff should not have a Porsche. Years ago, as a kid, I believed a Porsche was not a jewel to be flashed about, but a feat of engineering meant to be owned and driven with passion. I acquired my first Porsche many years ago and am fortunate to have owned an SC, which I still drive, and a 993 that I gave up a couple years ago to open up the garage to a different sports car ('57 MGA; Horrors!).

Jeff's letter made me wonder if there are others still out there like me that don't have bottomless pockets, yet pockets deep enough to properly care for their Porsche. We enjoy them every day in spite of the unfinished projects that inhabit the cabin or engine compartment. We don't worry about every little nick or drip, yet do carefully tend for it as stewards of a legacy. We may drive older cars, driving them carefully (mostly) to ensure their longevity, yet always enjoy the same pleasure and excitement as we did on our first drive. We smile a lot.

I hope that I'm not alone. I hope there are still others like me that wanted a Porsche since they were a kid, finally got it, and managed to hold onto it. People like me that have made room for the the newer Porsches, and not turned up our noses at them. People like me that hope there will always be a Porsche for us, and not just for the wealthy. I believe so.

Paul

[HarryD]

I'm with you. I drive mine as I see fit year 'round, to include Autocross, DE, trips tot he grocery store, taking kids to school etc. I do what ever maintenace is required to keep a safe and well running car but my list of porojects to make/keep it pristine is very long and outside of my budget.

Frankly, I do not care what others think. I am the one with the grin behind the wheel.

[Oh Haha]

Frankly, I do not care what others think. I am the one with the grin behind the wheel.[/QUOTE]

Amen!!


I bought the SC for me, not to "show off". Sure, it probably gets looks and what not but I am usually haveing so much fun driving it, I don't really notice.

[Craig_D]

Hear hear! I have noticed that there seem to be different types of Porsche owners; ones who truly enjoy the craft of driving these amazing charismatic machines, and the ones who want others to know they have the money/status to own one. We are often treated as the latter, which is why I tend not to mention I own one, unless the person I'm talking to is an enthusiast.

[widgeon13]

The one's that own new cars don't know what they have, just bought one because some a$$hat in Hollywood drives it. No appreciation for the engineering, just add gas go.

[porsche0nut]

Originally Posted by HarryD

Frankly, I do not care what others think. I am the one with the grin behind the wheel.

^This

Whether or not others buy a Porsche to "be seen" is for them to worry about... enjoy your car in good health and never look back!

As for "attainable"... For those of us who have made our dreams into a reality, good for us. For those that haven't, well, as my Dad taught me from a young age "you can have anything you want in life, you just have to be willing to work for it". It is a lesson that applies to much more than just financial aspects of life. Never will I feel bad for having a Porsche, nor will I feel bad for those that don't.

Happy driving!

[Daviboy]

+1 Harry D first time I saw a 911 was on a school trip to Germany. The highway patrol pulled into the service station behind our bus and they were driving a 911 SC Targa this was 1981, I fell in love with Porsche there and then. Fast forward to 2008 and I eventually bought a 1982 911 SC targa. She will never be concourse condition and I now have more in than she cost me but I am the proud custodian and owner of a wonderful piece of automotive history which gives me more joy than any modern car I have ever owned. I get the looks and comments from other people but I never think I am elite just a happy guy who drives a nice old 911...

[AlexJ]

... And those who doesn't enjoy their cars are not long therm owners and ever feel the passion we share!
And yes, if having this relationship with our cars is elitism, we are all that! I don't mind being mamed like that... It is for a good reason!

[Charles Freeborn]

As we used to say in the motorcycle biz " there's an ass for every saddle"
Personally, mine's an ugly duckling that I like to drive hard and put away wet.
-C

[80-911SC]

I am one of you ... I work construction ... make right around the six digit mark ... own my house (actually the bank does) .... I work on mine to my ability and what I trust that I can do ... my cars is not perfect .. they leak .. have scratches .. but two of three run like raped apes .. no issue at an AX or track day at safety inspections ...and I love it ....

I usually don't pronounce it correctly with the 'a at the end .. but I was born in California and we don't have an accent here .... I do catch every once in a while a bit of an a coming out but ......

There are a few different types of "PORSCHE" people .. but the cars do join us whether or you ... they .. them or those guys like it .....

Just like the 914 and the water pumpers .. they are Porsche's on the inside ...

I by the way have a 1980 SC ..1975 Carrera and a 1973 914 2.0

Steve

I havent read the article yet ....

[Dave L.]

I am prompted to respond to the thread as I have in the past (like many others) suffered under the cloud of 'greater than thou' or 'not a real Porsche' or some other silly notion that made me wonder whether having a Porsche was worth the trouble! Boy am I glad I didn't fall for Italian exotics! Imagine the sniping with one or two of those in the garage! These days I keep five Porsches, including my well-preserved 911SC but none of those cars (mostly modest performing or un-loved spec models: 912E, 924 come to mind!) none of these cars can touch my daily drive Mercedes CL which is a true autobahn-bred brute! I almost get comic relief when I cycle though my Porsches to put some much-needed regular mileage on them! But I do enjoy driving and testing every one- very much, without exclusion- and if I were younger, I'd consider a newer one. But I don't think I will go that way (perhaps a Cayman). I have been exploring my affair with Porsche cars for 25-years or so. I've kept nearly every one I bought as an extra car, and I've heard no end of carping about this model- or that! How odd that seems, and how misplaced, when the cars we enjoy owning or driving are part of such a grand mish-mash of types and capabilities!! Today there truly is a Porsche for every-man, from undervalued 944s to expensive 356s or excellent newer sports models falling inevitably in price to a point near me, water, oil or air cooled, 2 or 4 wheel drive, even a SUV for gawd's sake! I don't talk smack about any of these (except the Panamera!!) - and if I had the room, I'd buy a bunch more! I know I am not alone in any of this...I'd be spoiled just to have one!! Happy Christmas! R/Dave L. PCA, 912 Registry, etc.

[lin7310948]

i never bought mine because of engineering or reliability. i bought because of the aesthetics and a lightweight chassis for major horsepower transplants. i like hotrods and they all dont have to be some ford, chevy, mopar or whatever! my cars are lightweight with big horsepower engines with big brakes, big bars, big rubber, etc and have better balance than when delivered to the showroom! so i have never considered the porsche to be extra special and to be saved for some future generation in stock form...resale value has never been my goal! besides, i get more thumbs up for my very nice stock 1974 Bronco...but when i pull up in the 700 plus chp 930 with a modified ls7 i do garner quite a bit of attention! comment...this is coming from nascar country so might just be what one would suspect! and, no, contrary to opinion of some i am not a redneck..just an old hotrodder!

[Nickshu]

I think every automotive community has a dichotomy between the "new" owners and the "classic" owners. In the end we are all car enthusiasts and it doesn't matter what year, make, model you have. We are ALL a dying breed in the age of iPhones and Hybrids. There was an interesting editorial in Car and Driver a few months back about how most young people don't care what's under the hood, they just care whats under the dash (ie electronics), and how true car enthusiasts are a dying breed.

You just have to focus on all the great people here on this Forum, at your local PCA chapter, and all car enthusiasts around. Sadly it only takes one a-hole to lick all the red off our candy. Just ignore them!

[Tidybuoy]

Reminds me of something that happened about a year ago.....

An old friend, who is wealthy, came to visit. She likes sports cars but it's primarily the color that sparks her interest. When she used to live in town, she always had the newest 500SL and traded them in if they got more than 10k miles on them.

I picked her up from the airport in my '74 911 and she asked when I had gotten it. I happened to mention that it was a '74 and she quiped "oh, you couldn't afford a good one". I bit my tounge knowing that she didn't have any idea what she was talking about.

Over the weekend, I took her on one of our PCA road trips where there were about 20 cars, almost all of them were newer. When we got to a rest point which was at a crouded street fair in the Sierras, my car was surrouned by lookers. Many took pictures and commented how much they loved my old classic. I think she was surprized to find that my old clunker wasn't so bad after all.

[72T]

I fell in love with Porsches when I was eight years old, the day I saw my first 911, the one my dad was driving up the driveway after having just bought it. I loved that car my entire childhood, took my first driving test in it. Followed Porsches in racing, new models, and on and on. I don't claim to be any purist in the sense of "I only like Porsches because of the engineering" nor am I vapid in a way that I think the car provides me any status beyond having the financial ability to keep it on the road. I don't have boat, I don't have a fancy house. But I think folks might be a bit less than truthful to say they don't get a kick out of people checking them out. Porsches are cool, that's part of it. I mean, the 911 is the most famous production sports car in history, the leader for decades, and nothing else looks at all like it, especially when properly whale-tailed. I don't drive a Rambler for a reason. There is cool factor, and that is OK, it doesn't make you an A-hole.

[zakmrk2]

What is it about Porsche??, I have a modest house and would definitely not say I was flash but I am hooked on the early Porsche 911s, Once you enter that world and truly understand and explore the race history and wonderfull engineering thats it. The new cars are completely different, unfortunately they do just look like your trying to hard to be some one on the road. The old cars get a completely different response, its great to take an old 911 out in morning rush hour traffic and break the mould with every one else sat in their modern computer built rubbish. Even a modern Porsche could be seen as pedestrian these days as most cars are on hp.
I never mention my cars to people I meet for example because no one really cares, I think most of us on this forum own a Porsche because we get it!!, and thats great to be around.

[Nick Triesch]

I just got back a few minutes ago from a sunday drive in the south San Diego outback. Past Otay Lakes and out on old Hwy 94 on my way to Campo. While I was driving I smelled my leather seats, steering wheel and the 911 only smell of hot metal , oil and gas from the hot exhaust. And then went around most corners without braking. I love my car because I have loved Porsche cars since I was 10 years old. (62 now). But I do think the OP is crazy to have a 57 MGA! I owned a MGA once and it looked great in my driveway leaking and oozing all kinds of strange fulids. I carried a little hammer to smack the electric fuel pump to unclog it so it would start. I think it would go 0-60 in about 27 seconds flat!

[James Brown]

when my high school bud's father came home with a spankin new 1973 911S i was hooked. first by the styling, sexy curves, flat 6 notes, road hugging stance (in '73, pintos were the rage). then as i studied the technical aspects of Porsche compared to other super cars it was a no brainer. the LOGIC of the car out weight the "snob" appeal ten fold. British, Italian, Japanese, European elite cars have there following (note USA cars are not on that list) but none have the passion, i feel, as a Porsche does. Almost a utilitarian car, there longevity is legendary. And your right, a long as i'm smiling, that's all that counts!!

[GH85Carrera]

I have been driving Porsches since 1974. For over 20 years it was a 1974 914 2.0 and for the last 16 years my current 85 Carrera. Maybe I am just insensitive or others are over-sensitive. I have never felt like I had the looked down on car. I drive mine all year long but not usually in snow or ice. I drive mine on long trips all the every year. I have been to both coasts twice and plan to drive to Michigan in 2013.

I have many friends with fantastic collections of Porsches and other friends with a 944 or 914. They all treat me the same.

[kent olsen]

I've always been a sports car buff and a performance/racing nut. Having owned Sprite's, MG's, Triumph's and a 65 Stingray the sports car bug is well implanted. I always wanted a Porsche since they quite easily beat my Triumphs. When the oppurtunity came I picked up my 72T the minute I saw it. Being interested in performance and not OEM stock I've modified and upgraded this Porsche along the the way for 13 years. 200,000+ miles (100,000+ are mine) of enjoyment! Upgraded in many ways 9:1 power to weight with a relative light weight body (2220lbs) but not Porsche stock if you count my Cobra mirrors mine is meant to be driven which I do Autox/DE and taking my grandkids for a ride.