[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by sean m

End of the day.......if you're at a place where you don't wake up wanting to take it for a drive....you've answered your own question.

Time to sell it and get out.

That's a fair position to take.

Originally Posted by MrBonus

I hear you. There is definitely a line though between bolt-ons and Frankenstein. My car is definitely the latter, and much of the modification happened prior to my ownership, so I find myself doing a lot of problem solving that's above my pay grade and ability.

My car was in barn-find condition when I bought it. So I know every nut and bolt. I've documented the EFI build (through spreadsheets on my laptop) so any troubleshooting will be easy and methodical should the need ever arise...or the car be passed on.

Originally Posted by jrwilson

I've owned at least two dozen classics over the last 35 years and none of them have made me as happy as the 911. There is simply no driving experience I've had that even comes close. No engine noise either.

For me, new cars bore me to tears. I could pick up a newer watercooled Porsche but I feel like the experience is muted and muffled. Nothing connects you to the driving experience in the same way as a classic 911.

I can understand the frustration - my stupid windshield is leaking and now I need to pull the fuel sender to clean it as the gauge is bouncing. It never ends. But it's easy to look past the problems and just enjoy it for what it is. Expecting new car behaviour from a 45-year-old one is just a recipe for frustration.

My opinion, keep it. I think you'll miss it.

This is part of my problem.
I agree no car makes a noise quite like this one...not my old M3, not my old VW R32 (NA, supercharged, or turboed), nor any of the other cars I've owned, ridden in, or driven. And it is wholly unlike other cars when you let it do what it was built to do.

Originally Posted by ryans65

This is not a criticism of your build because it's your car but I will say I think your relentless pursuit of cutting weight has, in my opinion, left you with a cabin that appears inhospitable to drive in basically condition but backroads with perfect weather. What do I mean by this? If you want to drive it frequently or even semi-daily there will be times where you will be sitting in traffic, it's 94 degrees out, there's a semi idling next to you, it smells like exhaust fumes and as cool as the car may look, handle etc. you'd probably rather roll up the windows, crank the ac and put some music on or something.

That being said-

I rarely drive my 912E or my E30, they are both great turn key drivers but I've certainly thought about selling one or both lately. I probably won't but it's crossed my mind recently.

I think people can get the wrong idea about how unpleasant it is inside my car. Spartan? Probably. But it's not an uncomfortable place to ride.
I flatly refuse to spend thousands and thousands of dollars to install modern [electric] AC in my 40+ year old car. It's hideous and still barely gets the job done. All-in, I'm a windows-down person, not an AC person.
I daily drive it all spring/summer/fall unless it might hail or rain many inches during the work day. I don't mind driving it in rain. Hell, I'd drive it in the snow if they didn't put down so much salt here in the midwest. RWD sport coupes are excellent in the snow if you have snowtires and some experience behind the wheel. There is a stereo, decent heat, and heated seats. If it were miserable, Kelly wouldn't ride in it for 8 hours each way to WV or TOD.

Originally Posted by FA-18C

Counter to "is it time to sell", is factoring and measuring regret. My 911 sales are a chorus of regret, 67S, 87 Carrera no sunroof, 72S Targa built to 2.5, 70E... If I could have one back it would be the 70E - and it was a pain in the ass. My decision was not born of frustration, but rather reality. Private schools and college bills took over for 15 years. Had I sat tight, the 70E would have paid a good part of that bill...

When I got the green light to look, first car I brought home was a 2008s. Great shape, one owner. My wife looked at me and said, NO. But only because it didn't need anything, and that I would be hunting for an air cooled car within 6 months. She was not wrong.

I still covet a 3.2 slick top coupe - BUT, love the ability to take the top off and cruise in the Targa. Will keep this until I cannot get in and out of it, and will dump money to fix things that are not really broken. For me the cars are therapy - I can spend 4 hours removing and replacing parts to change out a bolt and I know I have accomplished something. Cheaper than drinking or hiring a therapist.

This is a recurring theme both in this thread and in this forum. People sell, try something else, and then come back...for more money and less car than they sold the first time. I don't want that to happen to me, if I can avoid it.

And FORREAL. As expensive as cars are, they're one of the more affordable vices. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't eat meat, I don't gamble (anymore). I have this car, my MTB (and I live in flat-as-hell INDIANA), and some hand-me-down golf clubs from Dad. So when the car is a bummer instead of rad, it's a problem for me.
I suppose I have been unable to wrap my head around how bloody hard it is to make one of these old cars nice and that's where my occasional misery comes from.