Question for the "seasoned" owners (65 and up) UPDATE
 

I have decided that I am going to buy my father a 3.2 for his 70th birthday. Harry, my father, is a very young 69 right now and in good health although he doesn't take care of himself at all. He has lost some strength but that's really it, he is very active and still works on repairing and refinishing houses so he isn't a feeble old bent over cane user that I thought a 70 year old was when I was 8.

My question is at 65-75 years old do you find that the car is too hard to get in and out of for pseudo daily driver?

I plan on surprising him and giving this to him without talking to him first so I can't get his opinion first.

im 70 plus and have no trouble getting in or out of my 585 chp daily driver...a 71 coupe with early recaros with tight bolsters and a mattre aluminum cage. it does not have sidebars. i do have a quick disconnect steering wheel which gives me additional seating clearance. i also have a rather stiff clutch pedal which uses a KEP stage 2 clutch and pressure plate. and contrary to another post, even with all this power i do not find that it snaps my neck back in an uncomortable manner! so he will not have to worry about that.im 6 feet and 225 pounds.

Does your father have any issues getting into the drivers seat of your car? What a great 70th Birthday surprise from his son, he will love it and put years on his life not to mention all the smiles!

I recently sold my 356 race car to a 76 year old guy. The side bars on the roll cage were big and beefy. Not a very easy to car to ingress even for the lithe and nimble, but he manages.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LrrHrU8m-Bk/SC...0/DSCN0616.JPG

We have a gentleman in our PCA region who is 88 years old and he drives his 993 daily year round. My Dad is 66 and he drives his '85 a lot on nice days. You might want to get an '87-'88 with a G50 as they shift a lot easier.

Buy him a Lexus LS4xx, that's what I did for both of my older brothers as they reached 70.

If your dad ever wanted, dreamed about, a Porsche he would already have one.

I'm not in the age-range that can help answer your question, but what I have heard is that low cars are sometimes stressful if someone has back and/or leg issues. Other than that, I don't think the 911s are too hard to get into.

One thing that can help is a deep dish wheel like a MOMO MOD 07 or 08, which provides a lot more clearance on the underside and makes it easier to "slide in under" the wheel as you get into the car.

I have a MOD 08 - in my case the reason was to gain extra leg clearance for operating the clutch (due to my height).

Top-notch idea for your dad, that sounds really cool. Be sure to share the story if you decide to go ahead!!

I can't add much, but I hope your dad's birthday is an awesome one, and whatever you get him, I'm sure he'll love.

There are two things that you can count on from any red-blooded 70 year old man:

1 - Offer them a beautiful 22 year old woman and they're all over it

2 - Buy them a Porsche for their B-Day and they'll find a way to get in and out ... similar strategy as #1.

Regards, Dave

Great plan! Another consideration is the lack of power steering in a 3.2. Not a problem at speed but maybe when parking. Sounds like your dad is fit though.

Great to hear everyone. Now I just need to find one. There are enough out there for sale, but I was hoping to be able to look at it in person before a PPI was completed. PM me if anyone hears of one within 100 miles of PHiladelphia.

I'm turning 70 in a couple of weeks. I've owned 19 Porsches in 43 years always make sure I can get in and out of them. My current ride is a 1988 Carrera 3.2. I think your father will be overjoyed at your gift.

I am 68 and drive my 3.2 regulary. Last summer I drove my son, in my car to a meeting in Germany, at up to 250 km/h, he and I were very relaxed and really enjoyed the drive. He also has a 964. My other "fun" car is an S1 Lutus Elise. Wonderful.
Ian

Tim Holt (www.holtmotorsports.com) currently has four, a Coupe, two Cabs and a Targa. I'm sure they're not cheap but his cars are usually pretty nice. He is in West Chester, PA

I just turned 69 and bought a 87 911. It's easier to get in and out of than my wife's Mustang convertible was. Steering might be stiff for him but I'll bet he'll get used to it, remember that he probably learned to drive without power steering. What a goal to shoot for while doing some arm strength exercises!