Gift Horse
11-30-2002, 01:45 PM
#16
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Michael,
I think you are quite justified in wondering what all the fuss is about.
I think you'll find the passionate Porsche owners own the older pre-1998 cars. The older cars are involving in a way that the newer cars are not. Admittedly, the newer cars are more capable. I think I can turn a faster lap in a stock 2002 996 than my track prepped '86, I just don't find it as enjoyable because the car does most of the work/play for me.
As far a value goes, Porsche built its reputation on racing and their cars were genetically very close to their race cars. In the '90's a dealer in Florida (Brumo's?) took a stock 993, put in some safety equipment, changed the oil and raced Daytona - a 24 hour race that saw all the Ferrari race cars fail to finish if I remember correctly.
Now, Porsche barely races and the motors on their street cars are much cheaper less robust unit. I wouldn't be surprised if the number of 996 ('98-'02) engines replaced under warrantee in a single year exceeds the total number of engines replaced in any 10 year period previous to that.
Porsche is currently the worlds most profitable automobile manufacturer. They have done it by using a combination of great engineering, reduced quality and materials and prestige built on past accomplishments and perceived value.
-Chris
"The trick is to remove the quality faster than the reputation drops."
I think you are quite justified in wondering what all the fuss is about.
I think you'll find the passionate Porsche owners own the older pre-1998 cars. The older cars are involving in a way that the newer cars are not. Admittedly, the newer cars are more capable. I think I can turn a faster lap in a stock 2002 996 than my track prepped '86, I just don't find it as enjoyable because the car does most of the work/play for me.
As far a value goes, Porsche built its reputation on racing and their cars were genetically very close to their race cars. In the '90's a dealer in Florida (Brumo's?) took a stock 993, put in some safety equipment, changed the oil and raced Daytona - a 24 hour race that saw all the Ferrari race cars fail to finish if I remember correctly.
Now, Porsche barely races and the motors on their street cars are much cheaper less robust unit. I wouldn't be surprised if the number of 996 ('98-'02) engines replaced under warrantee in a single year exceeds the total number of engines replaced in any 10 year period previous to that.
Porsche is currently the worlds most profitable automobile manufacturer. They have done it by using a combination of great engineering, reduced quality and materials and prestige built on past accomplishments and perceived value.
-Chris
"The trick is to remove the quality faster than the reputation drops."
11-30-2002, 08:39 PM
#17
Chris, you are correct about that stock 993 that ran Daytona and finished in a respectable spot. Amazing stuff. What was also interesting were the 70's 911's with 993 bodywork that ran Daytona in the 90's. A couple of people I knew ran Daytona with those setups and did alright.
A big part of the 911 equation, is the air-cooled flat 6 and it's evolution. The things were so well designed in the first place, that they are still using them with water cooled pistons and heads bolted on in the turbos, gt2's and gt3's. The factory claims they are gt1 based. But the gt1 motor was a modified 962 motor with 959 heads, which was a modified 956 motor, which was a modified 935 motor, which was a modified 930 motor and so on... The closest thing to these motors are the air cooled flat-six Lycomings and Continentals used in light aircraft. Which is why the 3.3 930 motors are commonly seen in blimps. There is no other sports car with such an adaptable and durable motor. That is half the 911 mistique. The other is a chassis that with barely any modifications, won races for over 30 years. Before I started driving an air cooled flat-six 911, I just didn't get the 911 thing. I loved cars, especially the ones sporting italian V-12's. While I liked the 911, I didn't quite comprehend the way people became addicted to them as if they were cigarettes. Then I took my first puff in the form of driving a 911S and that was that. From that day on, anything that didn't have an air-cooled flat-six was just a blurry form like trackside scenery. It's there, but I don't care! My life started to revolve around the damn things. After that, I saw the light and understood. An early 911 will do that to people. I think that is how most of us 911 freaks contracted this funny, incurable ailment.
<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />
A big part of the 911 equation, is the air-cooled flat 6 and it's evolution. The things were so well designed in the first place, that they are still using them with water cooled pistons and heads bolted on in the turbos, gt2's and gt3's. The factory claims they are gt1 based. But the gt1 motor was a modified 962 motor with 959 heads, which was a modified 956 motor, which was a modified 935 motor, which was a modified 930 motor and so on... The closest thing to these motors are the air cooled flat-six Lycomings and Continentals used in light aircraft. Which is why the 3.3 930 motors are commonly seen in blimps. There is no other sports car with such an adaptable and durable motor. That is half the 911 mistique. The other is a chassis that with barely any modifications, won races for over 30 years. Before I started driving an air cooled flat-six 911, I just didn't get the 911 thing. I loved cars, especially the ones sporting italian V-12's. While I liked the 911, I didn't quite comprehend the way people became addicted to them as if they were cigarettes. Then I took my first puff in the form of driving a 911S and that was that. From that day on, anything that didn't have an air-cooled flat-six was just a blurry form like trackside scenery. It's there, but I don't care! My life started to revolve around the damn things. After that, I saw the light and understood. An early 911 will do that to people. I think that is how most of us 911 freaks contracted this funny, incurable ailment.
<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />
12-02-2002, 02:31 PM
#18
Look at the demographics of the buyers of new Porsches. (I have an old one and an not in this group.) An $85,000 car is not as extravagant to them as much a $30,000 car is to the average person. And maybe, they don’t want to be an average person.