Simple Question: Why a 912?

[bmwloco]

I bought my 912 for a reason - what was your reason for buying a 912?

Price? Economy? Dumb luck?

[atlporsche]

it was the neighbor's up the street when I was a kid...

There was always this kind of hushed mystique about it...knowing my place I never asked about it, but probably should have.

I got more than I bargained for, and have labored through more rust than most would accept.

it's almost driveable...it'll never be done.

sjd

[tronman]

My little brother out in Arizona bought it around the middle of the summer. After he got it he decided that some of the work in keeping it up was either going to be too expensive to have someone else do it or to indepth for him to do...I gladly swapped him my motorcyle for it...

[Griznant]

I got a helluva good deal on it.

It was either buy this now or wait two more years for the 911. So, get this now, and then get the 911 too. Easy enough.

Later,

G

[bmwloco]

I started it, so I guess I should tell my tale.

Previously, I owned a 911 Targa. It had the dread 2.7 litre engine. Good car, but every time I had it tuned up or anything done to it, it was $600. Aside from changing the oil, there was little I could do.

I sold it for $6,000 and a Ducati 750SS motorcycle.

6 years later, I new I wanted another Porsche. I decided to be really anal about it and made a list of what I wanted vs. what I needed.

In the end, it came down between a 912 or a 914 (356, too, but it was out of my price range).

After a bit of searching online, I found a '67 912 Targa - and that was it. I've owned it 5 years now and plan to own it for a long, long time.

[craign]

Dumb Luck

I was actually looking at a new HD Road King motorcyle when this car turned up in a local store parking lot with a "for sale" sign on it. I looked it over, drove it, asked anyone I knew about Porsche 912's as I knew nothing about them, hell I had never heard of a 912.

Haggled with the owner a bit and bought it, no regrets at all. I got a concours winning 912 for under 10K and have met the best people around!

I have since met 2 other people who where considering this car and 1 passed and the other was a day late and a Porsche short.

Craig
www.bay912.org

[adot]

Dumb Luck It was or Good Luck toMe

Wanted a pt cruiser. Getting out of the stock market because I lost so much. Had $5k left of 30k for down payment on the pt. They where still asking 1 to 2k over retail for the pt. Looked at ebay and someone around the corner had 912 for sale. Drove it, bought it for 5Kh. Totally out of the market with a new 912. And today I have a PT, TOO.

Dumb luck
Great luck getting out of the market !!!
Always wanted 69 912 sunroof, one day.

Brett

[dimps8]

ever since i could remember, i loved the early porsche 911 shape. one day looking through the local sellers mag,(which i never ever did back then) i found a restored ex California 66 912. i jumped on the net and learned all i could about these cars and never looked back. i believe we have the best of both worlds in this unique model.

[craign]

Adot,

Bought my wife a PT and she aboslutely loves it. Given any thought on going to the PT gathering in Las Vegas in the spring, they had like 250 of them last year.

Craig

[mcruickshank]

I am going to make the rest of you a little jealous. But I wanted to share to my story anyways.

My father-in-law wasn't driving his '68 as much as he had wanted. He bought the car in Las Vegas where he lived. Performed a full ground up restoration. The car had no rust to begin with (originally a Cali car), but he still went through the whole car. Did I mention he sent the gauges out to be repainted. He and the car moved to upstate New York. During last year's Thanksgiving visit, my wife drove our car and I drove the 912 back to Boston, no strings attached.

Mark

[skystryd]

style and simple.. keep it pre 68 and I like them. better with a touch of class.
If I can't work on it (ok so the tranny's are above my skill levels as are a number of other items, still.......) I'd rather not have it as my 'fun' auto .add price and it all comes out right! (traded a 944 for mine)
11 years in Europe..and all I came back with was a VW camper? sick puppy.
chuck
n tx
67 912
65 mgb v6
71 midget
others of lesser class,
and a wife who wants her garage space back..

[terry@bigbadtoy]

I was in Germany in the mid 60's as a GI - I wanted to get a car to take back to the states. I wanted an XKE but could not find one - a Mercedes was to conservative - I almost bought an Alpha Spider but did not trust the reliability.

I finally found two Porsches to choose from - a 1966 911S with about 50,000ML and a 65 912 with a new rebuilt engine. I went for reliability and hopefully and cheaper vehicle to maintain. The 912 was purchased new by a vineyard owner that decided he did not need to ever check the oil. The rebuilt had about 500 ML and the body still looked new. I purchased the 912 in 1968 and drove it around Germany, France Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria for about 5 months before returning to US and being discharged. 110 mph on the autobahn was not a problem! I am the second owner.

I have been coast to coast in the late 60's but not many miles since - now has about 68,000. That my story and I am sticking to it.

Terry

[h.beard]

Always wanted a P car. Finally accumulated some extra cash and started looking last summer. Found several on Ebay July 4th of last year. A 64 356 (always said I wanted a car from the year I was born or the year I graduated from HS) and a 69 912. I could have bought either one off Ebay - the 356 for 11k and the 912 for 5200. I had 6k and decided and didn't need a bank loan for a toy - although I had already been approved.
The 912 was at 3000 at the time and the auction was to end the next evening. I thought I would bid and maybe get it a little cheaper - yea right. I won the bid at 5400 on the 5th of July. I arranged for shipping on the internet and the car was delivered to me on 07/23/01.
While the car needed THINGS, it was a decent solid car. I have no regrets. I love driving the car and have taken it on several trips (longest about 600m). I am contemplating a coast to coast trip to the 2nd Annual West Coast Rendezvous - well maybe.
Howard from Baltimore

[ScotMcLean]

It was either a 912 or a boring Toyota or similar coupe/sedan. 356's were climbing in price in the early 90's and like Howard, paid for is better than debt. I have less into my two cars than many have into one newer import that will depreciate and eventually be disposable. In comparision to other cars of the same or similar vintage, the 912/912E's are simple and reliable. Best choice a classic car owner could make. Scott, 69 912 #3078, 76 912E #86

[C. Clark]

I have a 1969, 912 coupe with a sunroof. I found mine in the classic way, stowed away in a garage. By profession I'm a Gen. Bldg. Contractor, I was hired to remodel a clients garage into a den / game room for him and his growing crop of grandchildren. The Porsche, laden with years of dust was in the garage and had to be moved for the project to begin, the car was moved outside under a Mush Oak grove; the project began, as did my vicarious acquaintance with Dr. Porsche. If any one interested in the rest of the story email me at dcclark@pacific.net.
Chas. 69/912

[Franco912]

Hey,

I used Franco44 when I had a 944, which was up until about 4 weeks ago. I have had a 325 BMW for about 12 years now and have basically done almost everything to it, from rebuilding the engine, interior, etc. etc. Love the car but liked the 944 also. Bought one for $2,200. and dumped a $3K or more into it rather quickly. I had been down the improvement road before so knew what I wanted to do with the car to make it "mine".

Now, I was at a customer's place on day and, for small talk, asked him what he did before owning a Dairy Queen. Well, he had a body shop(clue #1, stay away). I asked what kind of cars he worked on etc. I had read about the 912 and asked him if he knew anything about them. He smiled and asked if I had a minute. We drove over to his house, nearby, and when he raised the garage door there was a 1966 912 in "bankers" gray. He had owned it for 28 years and it was in "good" shape. I asked if he were looking to sell it and he indicated he would for a price. I had always liked the early body style with it simplistic and unadorned styling. Neat and simple. I fell hard. I guess I like it more than the later body styles because it has that european look with the tidy chrome bumpers and all. With the later bodies you get those 5 mph bumpers. Yuck!!

A few days later I went back to check it out and we agreed on $6,000. I had to wait a couple of weeks for some money and went to pick it up on a Tuesday night. He had a title, which was a good sign and we exchanged papers and parted. I was with a friend and his 3 yr. old son so we stopped for a bite to eat. Being somewhat of a worry wart, I went back out to the car during dinner to lock my tool box, just in case of a break-down, in the car. Well, of course I broke the key off in the lock and the passenger lock was frozen. My buddy was not amused. Now it was dark, there was traffic and not only was I cold going home but the windshield was fooged up and etc. etc. I was just glad to get her home and in the garage.

Still doing some work on it and now, just suddenly, am probably looking at a divorce. Maybe it was the cars...... Hoping the 912 will help carry me through. I know my kids like it.

Regards,

Frank

[THogan]

I looked for several years. I promised myself that if I quit smoking for over a year, I would reward myself. After my year, I began looking for early 30's hot-rods or Mid-60's muscle cars.

Finally, it occured to me that what I really missed was the thrill of driving. My most vivid memories were of driving my friend's 356 to Lake Tahoe and around Northern California. However, the 356's were just a little to expensive, and thruthfully, I liked the style of the early 900 series better. Also, I wanted something that wouldn't be in the shop all the time (no expensive 911's), and I wanted something that I could learn to maintain myself. The 912 was a great fit.

Luckily, last summer (half way through my fourth year of not smoking) I found a young man in El Cerrito that needed money for tuition at Berkely. He was the third owner, he thought. Anyway, my wife and I decided to take a test drive, and ended up bying the 1967 912 coupe that same day, for $4,000.

It's a white, 4-speed with a black interior and it needs work, but it is driveable, and it's more enjoyment than I had hoped for. I actually look forward to getting into it and driving, anywhere. And finding the 912 community has been a added bonus that really convined me that I made a wise decision.

I look forward to many enjoyable years of discovery and excitement.

Tom

67 912 Coupe

[exc911ence]

I have a 924S that I'd been using as both a daily commuter as well as a weekend autocrosser. The car excelled at both but the 911 bug was biting (again!) and I decided to sell the 924S and finally get into a 911. Well, when the time came to place an ad for the 924S, I couldn't do it! The car is just that good. So, with half the money for a 911 in my pocket, I started looking at 914's which would take over racing duties from the 924S. Well, as it is well known, the majority of 914's are rust-buckets and my search went on and on and on until I came across the 69 912 that I eventually bought.

I knew about the 912's from a number of years ago when I found a mint 66 for sale and did some research on the type. I was driving a 72 240Z at the time which I put up for sale to fund the Porsche purchase. Sadly, the 912 sold before the 240Z did and I missed out on the car. This time, I had cash and the 69 didn't get away.

I, too, prefer the looks of the early 911/912 cars. There's something about chrome on a car that just looks right. Of course, the Big 3 showed us that there is such a thing as too much chrome back in the 50's, but just the right amount sets a car off beautifully.

Anyway, that's my long-winded story...