What's the story behind your 911?

[rgrimm]

My '68 is my greatest impulse buy of all time.

This was back in 1993, when a SWB car was just an inexpensive "used car." I heard it was on the dealer's lot and went out to take a look. Ended up taking it out for a test drive, drove by the house, and heard my lovely bride of 27 years announce "It's one of my colors."

So, have you ever known anyone who had their "colors" done? It was big back in the 80s. Someone would hold color swatches up to your skin a pronounce you a winter, spring, summer, fall. My wife is a fall, and falls look good in earth tones. I guess I was just lucky the car wasn't Guards Red. So I drove back to the dealership and bought it (it did take a little while before she got over the shock of my purchase, but not as long as I thought it would).

Discovered later the car had been owned for about 10 years by the brother of a good friend of mine (I'd never seen it all that time). One night I was parked down the block from his house; when I came out to go home, I found a folder with 10 years of service records, including a previously unknown full engine overhaul, tucked under the windshield wiper!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Lots and LOTS of backstory to this but...
Last year I am almost 5 years removed from a divorce after 20 years of marriage. I have had a lifetime of sensible sedans and minivans; okay, here and there I had a 260Z and an 850T-R Volvo. Behind me is a repaid ton of legal debt I got stuck with and getting my two kids through UCLA and Cal State Long Beach - they BOTH graduated last June.

A friend who knows I just bought an '86 951 to replace my '87 944 calls me and offers me this 2 owner '76S at a good price and in kinda poor cosmetic condition but with a recent $3700 bill for a lot of engine work AND it comes with a deal already in place for a metal-up repaint and a full body rubber set. I think, "Naw"... then I remember being in Geneva Switzerland on Fourth of July, 1976 - the Bicentennial - and ogling over this then-new light yellow '76S with my then girlfriend now ex-wife, saying how as soon as I got home and finished my last semester in college I was going to get one just like that. Of course I never did, I got married instead!

I decided I HAD to have this car. It was even close to the color of the car I had seen all those years ago. I have just finished restoring her externally after a year of work.

[johncarlos2003]

Man, I love these stories. Really do.
Any pics guys of your cars when you post would be appreciated and fitting theme- i wanna see the car the stories are about!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Johncarlos, You asked, here she is Before and Today (not exactly "After" - I'm not done with her by any means)

Before:


In Process:



Today:

[bkreigsr]

how about a gratuitous "then" and "now" to go with my post on pg 3? 1983, 2005

[maresdesign]

My second Porsche was a 1971 911E targa. (Its going through a transformation into a speedster now) I bought it from the original owner who had it stolen and then recovered with some slight damage. He was pretty broken up about it and wanted to part with it ASAP. After the deal was closed I looked at the title they had signed over to me: His last name was Carrera and it was 9-11-00! Very strange.

[308cal]

Post pics. No one likes to read about them. Lets see them.

[Bill Douglas]

Born in Germany in 1979 and shortly after moved to England. Emigrated to New Zealand at the age of 15 and has been loving it ever since. Bought sight unseen and I had an INDEPENDENT prepurchase inspection done by RUF Great Britain. It all checked out well so it boarded the "Cape Natal" and set sail for NZ. I got it out of the container, registered it, changed the oil and set out on a 3,000 mile test drive. We are still happily together 20 years later.

[porwolf]

Here is the story of my 1979 SC Targa. In 1979 I drove a '72 Targa that I bought used in 1973, my daily driver then. It worked pretty well and I was happy with it especially with the roof off. In 1979 I came into some money. I saw Porsche ads in the paper stating that the new SC's start at $22,000. I heard good things about the SC's from my mechanics, trashing earlier '70s 911s because of the engine problems. The SC's, they said, are bomb-proof.

I thought, OK, why not take one of those out for a spin and see how they compare to my '72. The nearest dealer told me those $22,000 don't exist because Porsches are sold packed with options that bring them up to over $30,000. And 911's were hard to get for dealers because the factory rationed them. That is why the dealers tried to get their moneys worth with the options. But, I was told, Bob Smith in Hollywood has one without options, another Targa.

I went there, took the car for a spin and was thrilled with the difference to my '72. But I was in no hurry to buy it because I still had a perfectly good '72, that was just completely repainted with all the glass out. Did all the disassembly and reassembly myself. So I let the dealer know I would only consider buying the '79 Targa if the price were right. I gave them my price of $25,000. They said no way, the best they could do is around $29,000. I said good bye and here is my telephone number, call me if you change your mind. The dealer called me back a couple of weeks later. The car is stiil here, and they are willing to accomodate me. I went back but as I arrived in the price went up to $28,500. I said not really, call me back if you are ready. Two more dealer calls after that, and 3 months later I finally drove the car home for only a little more than my original $25.000 price.

The car had been a demonstration car and had 3,000 miles dealer miles on it but that did not bother me because I intended to keep it for qiute a few years anyway. The history of this car was interseting: Because in 1979 it was difficult for Bob Smith, Hollywood, to get as many 911's from the factory as he wanted he arranged for associates to get a few extra ones as German delivery cars, to be picked up in Stuttgart and shipped to the US individually. So, my car is a US California spec car that made a little detour getting here. I was happy with it from the get go and sold the '72 Targa. The '79 Targa became my regular daily driver and went everywhere including ski trips to the Siarra Nevada.

Then in 1982 I got a Landcruiser FJ60 for $10,500. I wanted a comfortabel 4X4, 4-door for skiing because I was tired of having to put on snow chains and also I got into windsurfing. For that the Landcruiser was the perfect car and it also proved the perfect car for every day use in Los Angeles. Tough, high off the ground, great for the rotted streets in the city, lots of room, not too conspicuous, the perfect "urban assault vehicle". So my Targa, after all these years, inincluding a long hibernation break, is now back on the road and driven on good days strictly for pleasure. The'82 Landcruiser still does daily duty and is going strong with about 700,000 miles on it's back.

My 1979 SC Targa, two years ago, still with the original factory paint :

[awhnry]

I call my 1987 Cassis Red Carrerra a "garage find" since the car hadnt been driven in over two years by the original owner when I found out about the car. It had 67k miles on it and was in great shape mechanically but there was lots of deferred maintenance, small items in the interior broken or missing and multiple blemishes in the paint from its previous life by again the original owner as DD in Chicago. He retired here to Tn and quit driving the car when a local shop tagged him for over $6000 for clutch and other repair. He bought the car after going thru a divorce. Interestingly, the only other cassis red 911 I have ever seen in person also came out of Chicago.
I have gone thru the car, repairing or bringing up to snuff the mechanical parts and have fixed all the interior issues. The paint has a certain patina about it but I hate to repaint all or a portion of the car when it looks great at 15ft. I drive it at least 2 days a week and dont see any changes in that schedule. Oh yeah, I sold my 2006 Lotus Elise to buy this car and dont miss the gymnastics experience at all.

[tmadden2]

We're keeping it in the family. In 2013, my wife and I became the third owners of a 1986 911 Targa. My father-in-law was the second owner and purchased the car used in 1991 from a joint Oldsmobile/Mercedes dealership in Virginia Beach. At the time, the car had about 40k on the odometer. In the intervening years, he put on another 75k until we bought the car from him with about 117k on the clock. Although he averaged about 3,500 miles per year, we're on track to do nearly 10,000 miles this year. It's one of the best things I've ever bought.

The car was originally sold in Texas and then somehow got traded-in in Virginia. We found this out from the original window sticker that the first owner had included with the sale paperwork. This was also confirmed when we went to go join the PCA and they already had the VIN on file with a Texas address. Sometimes I wonder what happened to the original owner and what he's driving these days if he's still with us.

Seats two, feeds a family of four.

[Nick Triesch]

Took a year to find mine. It was in Craig s list but up in Temecula CA about 60 away from San Diego where I live. It was listed for only $12,000 so I ignored it for a week. Finally I had a Friday off so I drove to look at it and drive it. It was on the showroom floor of a little sports car shop and it did not leak and it drove great and was black and pretty. Plus 25 years of records!! The Wife of the guy I bought it from bought it for him 6 years before but he never drove it. Just sat nice and clean in a garage. He put new tires on it before he sold it to me!

[paulmose]

…..there it sat! Cars And Coffee in Plano, Easter weekend two years ago, Porsche row and it was EXACTLY what I had been searching for. Not being sure if it was for sale, I lurked around while Rob, the original owner, talked to someone else, then handed them a flyer. So it is for sale, "Uh oh", I'm a goner. '85, white, special order blue interior in perfect condition, one-owner, box stock and incredible condition. 49k miles. It smells great inside. Always garaged and every single shred of paperwork from the wish-list order sheets to present. I shot these on my phone and texted my wife who turned to her sister and said, "Uh oh, we just bought a Porsche." Here's a shock, I headed home and at a family Easter dinner my mother-in-law took me aside. My father-in-law has alzheimer's, and she told me not to wait to buy it, sometimes time catches up and your chance is lost. Wow, I was more than touched.







My inspection and test drive, where Rob told me to "go FASTER, never go under 2k rpm." Records show just over 200 miles per year for the last six years, so many dealer stamps they had to use the margins. I love it, I am really grateful for such a dedicated original owner, and yes, we've stayed in touch.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it….

[Jay H]

Originally Posted by SLO-BOB

My car came by way of Arizona. It was purchased from the original owner there by a Porsche guy here in Wisconsin. He had it shipped to California and restored. It had the motor done by Otto's. It was then brought back here and sold. I saw it a few years ago and decided-I want one of those-in THAT color. It simply spoke to me. After awhile I decided to find one. I looked at SCs, Carrera cabs, etc. On my way home from a test drive I saw the very car I had lusted after parked along Lake Drive with a for sale sign! I pulled over and was surprised to find the owner of the car waiting there for a prospective buyer with whom he had an appointment. I looked it over carefully and anxiously waited for the other guy to show up-he had first dibs. He finally arrived and went for the drive. He clearly did not now 911s and decided to pass to do more homework. It was my turn. The car drove like new. Despite the midyear stigma I decided this car was for me. I just love the look and feel. Like Scotts, it's a special order color-Sebring White. I'm guessing from an earlier color pallette.

Man, this thread is old... My '90 that I posted about earlier in this thread has been sold...and I saw the post by Slo Bob which then reminded me about my test drives in his car when he was selling it in 2005 or 2006... I had my check in hand to go pick it up and it was sold 30 minutes before I got there. Geez, I wanted that car...! It drove like new...

All is well though... Soon after, I found my '84 on this site. 1st owner ordered the car in a Paint to Sample color (Bitter Chocolate) with special full leather interior. He kept every fuel fill up and maintenance item in a small note book (which I still have). He then abandoned the car in a driveway for several years. 2nd owner bought it, got it running, drove it for a year and sold it to me. I've kept in touch with the 2nd owner and see him every year at the Hershey Swap Meet in April. What a great car and an even better friend was gained from that transaction. Again, we are all simply just the current custodian of these wonderful, emotional cars!

As left by the first owner:



After hours and years of hand buffing:

[gamin]

I bought my 70T new at Auto Porsche SA in Madrid Spain in June of 70. Married my wife of now 43 years in Sept 70 and we went on our honeymoon in the T. Car has been across the pond 3 times and to the west coast and back among other things. Still has original engine and trans. Changes early recaro sports, deep sixes, and PMO carbs. Recent bare metal repaint in original ivory and basically a new interior. Recent engine rebuild, clutch, and suspension stuff. Runs and drives better than when it was new. Will be our son's inheritance. He has a 85 Carrera so he doesn't neet the 70 yet.

[Calspeed]

Originally Posted by Calspeed

Graduated Oceana HS here in the SF Bay Area in '82 and used to drive a 1976 VW Rabbit. Well, I used to go to this Porsche Tuner called Auto Studio in S.San Francisco of off El Camino to chat about parts for my VW. But mainly to look at the bad-ass Porsches in the garage.

Finally found a 1985 Carrera Cab that was once owned by a manager of Sonnen in Marin. I picked it up from the second owner who rarely drove it. But it was taking up space in his garage.

Picked it up with 43k on the odo,eter, and a brand new "never used" full tonneu top. It took me almost twenty years to finally get my dreamcar.

Michael

ps: Btw... anyway Bay Area folks remember that shop? The owners name was Eddie.

Originally Posted by PRE-H20

oceana high school?

johnny picolotti?
shannon green?
vonnie higgins?
robert serfino?
bob butler?
rick gabin?
coach grey?

THAT oceana high school?

Sorry for the late response. Yes!!! That Oceana HS. In Pacifica, California. My folks purchased a house there in 1968. We still have it. And its worth quite a bit more than $36K right now.

[Matt at Pelican Parts]

Bumping this old thread due to some really awesome and unique stories! It's always exciting to hear about these amazing finds!

[ficke]

Cool thread revival.
I bought my 68S from a friend of a friend 10 years are more ago. I am the 3rd owner and it had set since 1983. This is one I will not let go. My Favorite 911.

[Jay H]

In post #15 in this thread, I mentioned I owned a 1990 964. I bought it for $28,500 in 2000, then sold it 12 years later for mid $30's which was a lot for an unloved, worst year 964. It recently popped up on BaT and sold for $150,000. How times change.

I still have my paint to sample '84 911 mentioned above in post #74. Sadly, I don't drive it much anymore. I used to drive that car almost daily back in the '00's when they were just used cars.

[sean m]

I'll own up. Friend of the family was the original over of the car. He went to Europe for 3 weeks after buying the car. I was asked to feed his cats while they were out of the country.

My friend and I decided it was a shame for this brand new Porsche to sit in a dark garage so we did what normal 17 years old's do........we took it for a drive. As the saying goes...."we drove it like we stole it".

Fast forward my dad bought the car in 1984, then gave it to me in 2000. I've had it ever since.

Still remember the first time I stole it (drove it). Car was an absolute "screamer"