When did you know you would own a Porsche?

[h3xb00t3r]

When I was 14 I saw my dream gold 944. I wanted it so bad. It was at a huge car lot and sold a few weeks later. Going to get my first car at 17 you would never believe it but there it was the very same gold 944 about 100 miles away from the other car lot.

[Brozoar]

Wow, I love all the stories.

When I was 6 or 7 or so, my dad's friend gave me a 90's model 911 Carrera cab, in sort of a metallic arctic blue. Obviously I didn't know anything about cars, but I knew that it had to be good if there was a model of it. I loved the styling of the thing, how the headlights have those sort of tubular trails to them while the nose sinks between them. The wide fenders didn't hurt any either, and it was a convertible, which will fascinate any 6 or 7 year-old, without fail.

About 14 years later, I knew (if possible) even less about cars. I'd totaled my brother's '98 Sable on the freeway years prior, never driven a manual (and only a handful of foreign cars), and I was in college in sunny Ann Arbor, Michigan, where never having to drive was a bit of a welcome reprieve.

I've never handled stress very well - it's always had this tendency to choke me up and kind of make me stop living in the moment, you know? So after one particularly eventful, relaxing Spring Break, I decided what the hell, I wanted two things - a hot blonde girlfriend, and a foreign sports car.

The first thing never really panned out, and as for the second, I started barking up the BMW tree. I didn't really know what a good car was - all I knew was that my buddy Mark, who worked for Car & Driver, had two gorgeous old 6-series, and had bought his brother Thom an old 3-series. He seemed to love BMWs, so I started looking around for one. I didn't find anything even remotely workable - just a bunch of boxy, ugly old 3-series'. Which is when I decided maybe BMW wasn't my brand.

So I remembered what an old buddy had said, that he'd found an 80's Porsche on Craigslist and was going to buy it, and fix it up, with a friend. The best part - it was only $1000! I was naive, so I looked on Craigslist and started calling this one guy about a red 924T he had - which didn't run - for $1500. That fell through, so I found an N/A 924, and another, and then started poking around with the 944 ads, and even a couple of 928's, but none of the deals ever panned out; either the seller would sell before I ever had a chance to check it out, there was something dismally wrong with it, or it was just too darn expensive.

I bounced around from 924 to 924, 944 to 944, for 8 months, saving my money and waiting for my Porsche. I finally found the deal of the century - a running 83 N/A 944 for only $1200, and it was about 5 miles from home! This was back in November. Without even consulting my parents, I had a friend take me out in it (I still didn't drive stick), asked his opinion, and agreed to buy it on the spot.

It's been a fantastic car, and I've learned volumes of useful information to help me keep her running well into the future (thank you, forums ). I've only put a few hundred miles on her so far, only done so much in the way of maintenance (it's winter in Michigan and I don't have a heated garage - come on), but every time I drive her she puts a smile on my face.

I've already got plans to buy an old 911 just as soon as I graduate and get me a real job.

[FRporsche]

I knew I would own a Porsche when I offered $875 and the dude said "yes"!

[Endat]

When I was a children

[James Chimney]

Originally Posted by Endat

When I was a children

that was great
as I have always said "no one owns a Porsche because they have to!"

[B944]

I have always loved porsches. I wanted one for years since I was young. When I was 15, I was looking through craigslist for a car (looking at everything from Jettas, to Fieros) when I saw one of the nicest looking cars I have ever seen, a 1985 944. For $1500, I had to buy it. I got a good deal since the only thing wrong with it was the fule pump and the T/B needed to be replaced, wich was fine since I could do that my self. I have been happy with my car ever since.

[Dougs951]

When I test drove my 951.

Before that I was a muscle car guy(I can still decode a camaro by the vin and trim tag from memory)

[luftgekuhlten]

Once I realized the difference between an SC, a Carrera and a 930.

[ddbach]

I was interested in cars fairly early. Dad would have me help in the garage and took only me to a local Indy car race for my 11th birthday. One possible way to walk to high school went past a small import shop where usually a yellow 914 and a pantera were to be seen. I would often day dream about riding in and eventually being able to drive them.
School, work and life happened and the dreams were superceded by other things. Then my brother acquired an 83 944. I was the last in the family to see it but the only one to drive it.
He handed me the keys and said, "Go have fun, I'm going to work." I had too much fun. He was willing to share it with me but we both wanted it at the same time so I went out and found my own

[Pettybird]

My journey to Porschedom certainly winds a bit!

My uncle (one I didn't, and still don't, like) bought a 944 new. He was proud of it, but I didn't make a connection at all. Like, it was invisible. He never took me for a ride, even, and they had it for better than 10 years. Just because he had one, I didn't like them--good ol' negative association.

Fast forward to about 1997, and my great grandmother died. An uncle I DO like was autocrossing a lot, and doing well in a Chevy Baretta. He made friends with a guy with a highly tuned 914 and a concours '85 Carrera. HE was hooked! Anyhow, since the grandkids had a little extra cash, he somehow convinced my mom she needed a 914 (of course.) He would DE the car, and fix it, and she'd drive it during the week. Mom and I have a problem letting things go, though, and uncle found out mom didn't want him bending her new baby! He wised up and bought himself an '85 Carrera. The 914 was great--a friend of mine and I would go garage saleing in the car, half because we liked buying junk and half because we LOVED people's reaction when we'd open both trunks and people couldn't figure out where the motor was!

I had a 5 liter Mustang (still do) and since I grew up with the muscle cars in my signature, it was just about perfect...lots of power, lots of noise, but still better-than-OK at DE's. The 944's were eeeeeeasy to pass, other than the turbos, and the seed was planted.

Mom, by the way, stepped up into an SC after her 914's engine went. Uncle let her DE his '85, and she was sold. That was when SHE found out she needed a 911! So, I have an air cooled car to play with, too. They're cool, and hers is awesome--a '79 Euro in Petrol Blue over black/oyster Pascha.

I tagged along with my uncle a bunch while he DE'd, and got to know a lot of instructors. I asked for rides during instructor sessions, and got to be in cool cars--a cobra replica with a stroker small block, a couple Carreras, an old school GTI, a cool 914, a 996, a 930, and...a 951. I wasn't expecting the world.

Oh. My. God.

Here was this little red (they all are, of course) turbo, with a Koni suspension, good tires, a K26/8, a good exhaust and not much else. The brakes...some of the hardest deceleration I've ever felt. Straights meant acceleration hard enough to make my legs weightless. Cornering so strong...you get the picture. Well, imagine that: A 951 was on my lust list.

About six years ago I had a friend call me to say that there was a 924 turbo for sale at the place he worked, and it looked really clean. I knew nothing about the cars, really, but it WAS a very clean little turbo Porsche, and the price was very reasonable. I flew to Charlotte, the guy picked me up at the airport, and I paid him. I got in the car, and found out it had manual steering! I had done absolutely NO homework before buying it! I got it home, and hit the books. After a few years of driving it, I appreciate its lightness and its thrust--with the boost turned up to a very modest 10psi it's actually pretty quick.

I was daily driving it and reading more about the series. I KNEW I wanted a 951, but it wasn't in the budget. I felt bad subjecting the 931 to every day abuse, and began the search for a 944. I found the one I'm driving now--an '87 944S. I saw there wasn't a dime difference in pricing between the S and the standard, and since more horsepower is better than less horsepower, I narrowed my search. It was in Columbus, had two previous owners, and the kid would meet me halfway to make the sale. We did the deal in the parking lot of a Flying J--I love telling people I bought my Porsche at a truck stop

The car's a lot of fun. I drove it, despite having no recent records for service. Apparently, 7,000+ miles on an unknown timing belt was too much. $1900 worth of parts and WYATITs later, and the car was back together. I did all of the labor save the head rebuild, and got a lot of confidence since I haven't had a single problem in the 10 months since it's been together!

I seriously thought about killing the car when the belt broke. I'd get another one, right? I looked for a month or so before doing anything, but I felt stupid for breaking the 944. I knew I had to fix it for the sake of car-ma. I resigned myself to owning the car for the long haul, as is customary around my house. I wanted a 951, but this car, this 944S, would be good enough. It was fun, and the only real knock I have against it is that it REFUSES to get better than 21mpg on the highway! A small price to pay for sports car goodness, I suppose.

Last fall, I really got the 951 bug again. I got a DROID phone over the summer, and installed a Craigslist search program. I was at lunch and bored, and the icon was lit. Holy hell! An '89 Turbo, less than an hour away, for $5500! The post was only 22 minutes old, and it had a phone number! I called, and couldn't believe I got the owner on the phone. We talked for a while, and he told me he'd owned the car since 1994, when he was 16 years old. An 89 Turbo for his first car!

He'd worked in a family business for the previous summers, and was saving for a nice 4x4 truck. He found the one he wanted, and sat down to do the paperwork. He looked over at the Turbo in the showroom and asked, "what's that?" The salesman told him it was a Porsche Turbo, and that if he bought the truck, he'd let him take it for a ride. He got back from a trip around town and said to the salesman, "I have twenty thousand dollars. How much is that car?" I guess HE knew when he'd own a Porsche! Well, the sales guy sold it to him for $19,500 out the door, and he went home to a couple of VERY surprised parents!

Time and family led him to advertise the car, and I was the first to call. I asked him for pictures, and wanted to nail him down about seeing it. I couldn't get to the car for a couple days, and sweated--hard--when I hung up the phone. He sent the pictures that night, and I liked what I saw: It was a clean but not perfect, slightly neglected but not abused car. Perfect. I called and we agreed on a time to meet, and he said he'd drive up halfway to meet.

The next day, his voice changed a lot, and my heart sank: Someone else called. Turned out the guy he spoke to put the fear of God into him about maintenance costs, and was using it as a sales tactic to get the price down. The guy also told him he wanted to part it out, due to what it would cost to get running again.

He told me all of this, and wouldn't meet me. If I wanted to see it, I'd have to go to him, and he wasn't driving it any more. He had also dropped the price to $4500 to cover the maintenance costs, and that was his bottom dollar. I just told him I'd take it. He wouldn't take a deposit, though! It was Thursday, and I told him I'd be out Saturday. I was sick for a day and a half! He gave me the 'my word is my honor' line I'd heard horror stories about, and I was certain it'd be gone.

Saturday morning, sure enough, there was the car in his driveway. Other than a 17+year-old CD player the car was 100% stock, and, while a little dingier on the outside than I was hoping, was just what I expected. I had to really reassure him I'd take care of his car, and he wouldn't let us go! I took mom to get the car, as I'd gone along to get her two Porsches. While the owner and I were talking, she got into the car and drove away. I thought the guy was going to break down! I reassured him a couple more times that I was in it for the long haul, and that I wasn't going to part it out. I meant it, too--I really, really wanted an '88S or an '89.

Mom was about 5 miles up the (country) road at a gas station. The smile on HER face told me she knew when she'd be borrowing the car! She was going to drive it a bit longer, too--she wouldn't give it--MY--new car up!

We went to a PCA social that just happened to be on the way home that night. How perfect is that? Buy the Porsche of your dreams AND get to show it off to Porsche people!

[Rupert944]

I first knew I would own a Porsche when the mechanic told me it was in good shape last August. I was pretty sure for a couple of weeks, and I had wanted one ever since Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed came out. A vague seed of desire for a 944 really started its long process of germination after I decided that my favorite car in NFS: PU was a 951, highly modified, and research showed the 944 to be a reliable and solidly built German car. Of course, there was a five year break where I really wanted a 911 SC, due to its even more bulletproof reputation (and the Top Gear where they tried to wreck one). I still want a 911, but I can afford the 944, and it's a damn fine car.

[racer]

Birth! In fact, I was taken to the hospital for birth in a almost new 914-6. I never stood a chance