1990 Porsche 911 C2, A Story

Money pit - that one is not for the feint of heart

EvanB wrote:

Winston wrote:

Maroon92 wrote: 964 is a good buy right now. Under 10K for an early C4? Sounds like a plan...

Where are you seeing any for that price?

+1

He high man. Smokin that E36 M3!

J308 wrote:

EvanB wrote:

Winston wrote:

Maroon92 wrote: 964 is a good buy right now. Under 10K for an early C4? Sounds like a plan...

Where are you seeing any for that price?

+1

He high man. Smokin that E36 M3!

They are out there... They are tippy, they have loads of miles, and they are few and far between, but they do exist.

When I started looking at this particular 964 my wife asked me why I didn't just look for one locally. Then the seller mentioned that I could probably find one locally. Then my inlaws asked me what the hell I was doing buying a Porsche in the first place, and why I couldn't find one that was 1500 miles closer.
Adventure.
My dad loves hunting. He taught me a lot about hunting, but one of the things that really stuck was his thoughts about passing it on. He always said that if you have a love of something, when an activity or hobby or passion in your life has been very positive, you have an obligation to pass it on. There are people that helped you find your love, and you have an obligation to be that guy to others. This applies doubly to your children.
For reasons that aren't perfectly clear, my dad isn't a car guy, but I am. He did his part teaching me about hunting and a lot of other things, but I had a few other people that really helped me become the car guy that I am. My 6th grade teacher was a Corvette guy. On the corner of his desk was a stack of four or five years of Corvette magazines. In an effort to control my excess energy he allowed me to read them when I finished my work. I finished all of them that year. My best friends dad loved cars. He taught me to change brake pads and brought me to the Detroit Grand Prix when it was held on the streets around Cobo Hall. Finally, a friend who I rode dirt bikes with had a dad that was an old farmer. When another part had broken on my bike and I was freaking out about having to pay to have it fixed, he brought me to the cycle shop and helped me order the service manual for my bike. He showed me how to diagnose a problem, order the parts, and fix it. It's time to start passing on my love of cars, and I'm going to start with my kids.
Buying a car locally would make more sense, but it wouldn't have the same sense of adventure. When I fly up to Pennsylvania to pick up the car I won't be alone. My nine year old son will be traveling as navigator. He hasn't been on a plane since he was a baby. He's never been in a sports car. He's never seen a mountain and the Appalachians must be crossed to make it back to Texas. This might not make him a car guy, but I feel like I've got to try. Who among you wouldn't have loved to fly across the country with your dad to retrieve a Porsche when you were nine? Who wouldn't like to cram themselves into the back seat to tag along this time?

We pick the car up on Friday. We need to be home on Sunday. As of right now, this is the plan for Saturday.

That's the plan, but I am very open to suggestions.

mazdeuce wrote: ...When I fly up to Pennsylvania to pick up the car I won't be alone. My nine year old son will be traveling as navigator. He hasn't been on a plane since he was a baby. He's never been in a sports car. He's never seen a mountain and the Appalachians must be crossed to make it back to Texas. This might not make him a car guy, but I feel like I've got to try. Who among you wouldn't have loved to fly across the country with your dad to retrieve a Porsche when you were nine? Who wouldn't like to cram themselves into the back seat to tag along this time?

berkeley it I'm sold.

I've always wanted one, too, since I was 16 as well, around 1990. I parked my car (83 RX7!!!) behind my mother's one night. The next morning, she woke me up to ask me where I put my keys so she could move it. I sleepily responded "keys to the Porsche?". We still laugh about that, two decades later.

Take plenty of pics man. Looking forward to the rest of the story, and I'm envious as hell that you are doing all this in a P-Car.

This is why I love this forum.

mazduece - you get the Matt B Father-of-the-month-maybe-year award. You can save the speech for later, when you bring the Porsche and kid to the Mitty.

FWIW... I stayed at the Bearskin Lodge with the kids when we were passing thru the Smokey's (Gatlinburg... neat town, like the Niagra Falls of Tennessee). Clean, decent. There was a good brew pub just across the street ;)

We should do an air-cooled Porsche project car at the magazine.

Oh, and that black C2 on CCW wheels is pretty cool.

I visited CCW a week or so ago. Very tempting. I'd maybe do gold centers. You know, to keep it old school.

mazdeuce wrote: That's the plan, but I am very open to suggestions.

Umm... you're driving all of that and not going to do the Dragon??? (Rt 129)????

Otherwise... yes... very jealous... make me wish I had a kid to be a navigator.... then I may go back to driving my new '64 Mini from California to PA.

The dragon is part of the circle.

mazdeuce wrote: When I started looking at this particular 964 my wife asked me why I didn't just look for one locally. Then the seller mentioned that I could probably find one locally. Then my inlaws asked me what the hell I was doing buying a Porsche in the first place, and why I couldn't find one that was 1500 miles closer. Adventure. Buying a car locally would make more sense, but it wouldn't have the same sense of adventure. When I fly up to Pennsylvania to pick up the car I won't be alone. My nine year old son will be traveling as navigator. He hasn't been on a plane since he was a baby. He's never been in a sports car. He's never seen a mountain and the Appalachians must be crossed to make it back to Texas. This might not make him a car guy, but I feel like I've got to try. Who among you wouldn't have loved to fly across the country with your dad to retrieve a Porsche when you were nine? Who wouldn't like to cram themselves into the back seat to tag along this time?

^ This. Very few people understood why I flew 1300 miles to buy (and drive home) an $800 78 Mercury wagon from a fellow forum member. Adventure. I'm honestly considering doing it more often, flying to the western rust free states, finding and buying something cheap and interesting, drive back east, enjoy it for awhile then flip it and prepare for the next adventure. I'm pretty sure that's my new annual "me" vacation once BABE rally goes away.

I'd say 5 hours for that circle in a sports car is optimistic. Unless you're doing multiple laps

David S. Wallens wrote: We should do an air-cooled Porsche project car at the magazine.

You really should. People seem interested in them.
In all seriousness, reading about living with the GRM 911 is a very big part of what convinced me that these are reasonable cars to own. When that stud came up missing and the engine came out I was kind of freaked out. I followed along and when it was done I realized that I could accept it financially and emotionally if I had to deal with something like that. I knew I was ready.

Mazdeuce -

I applaud your choice of vehicle, and your trip with your son. I hope for a similar trip with each of my children someday (my wife has already been on several).

Can't wait to hear more!

mazdeuce wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: We should do an air-cooled Porsche project car at the magazine.

You really should. People seem interested in them. In all seriousness, reading about living with the GRM 911 is a very big part of what convinced me that these are reasonable cars to own. When that stud came up missing and the engine came out I was kind of freaked out. I followed along and when it was done I realized that I could accept it financially and emotionally if I had to deal with something like that. I knew I was ready.

Cool. The car is still doing fine, too. In fact, today I drove it to the office. Right now it's sitting in our driveway. Yes, I realize that a leaf might fall on it.

In reply to David S. Wallens:

In the end they're just cars, right? Mine is going to live under a carport at the end of a dirt driveway. My wife is going to drive it to work. When I have 3 or fewer kids with me, it's what we'll be driving. I'm sure someone will eat French fries in it. It costs a bit more than a base Fiat 500, less than a base Mini and way less than a base FRS. It has the potential to demand money, but not likely at a rate that is higher than the depreciation on the previously mentioned cars. It's a car. The plan is to take care of it, but to drive it, use it, and enjoy it as much as possible.

Okay, so where are you sending this message from? Are you sitting in it yet??

mazdeuce wrote: In reply to David S. Wallens: In the end they're just cars, right? Mine is going to live under a carport at the end of a dirt driveway. My wife is going to drive it to work. When I have 3 or fewer kids with me, it's what we'll be driving. I'm sure someone will eat French fries in it. It costs a bit more than a base Fiat 500, less than a base Mini and way less than a base FRS. It has the potential to demand money, but not likely at a rate that is higher than the depreciation on the previously mentioned cars. It's a car. The plan is to take care of it, but to drive it, use it, and enjoy it as much as possible.

This. I dig it.

And I'm not even having any junior French fry assistants

14 days until II see/take possession of/drive the car. It's a bit unorthodox to have a multi page build thread without a car, but I can't just sit here and do nothing, it would drive me bonkers. This thread let's me bleed off enough energy that my wife has stopped threatening to smother me in my sleep. For now. I've got a bit more to do to get things ready for the car and I still have to finalize the route and pack and learn how to open the fuel door and all of that.

mazdeuce wrote: In reply to David S. Wallens: In the end they're just cars, right?

Yep. I may take mine for a spin this evening--you know, get it up to temp and run it through the gears some.

I can't believe I'm putting this to "print". You have me believing that a 911 is the right thing to do. I can't get around the corner on the newer ones, but 80's-90's certainly seem really berkeleying cool to me now. Especially your new guy. I mentioned it to the wife, and she said "I can see you in a 911". I'm taking that as consent. If Duchovny (Californication) couldn't convince you, I don't know what/who could.

Teh E36 M3 wrote: I mentioned it to the wife, and she said "I can see you in a 911". I'm taking that as consent.

That's consent if I ever heard it. Your wife knows you're a car guy... she knows that any positive reaction on her part toward a car counts as consent to purchase.

By the way, I did a Lowe's run in mine today. I admit that I didn't buy much, but it made the drive there and back a bit more fun.