catamount

After much thought and consideration I made the decision to spend a small fortune on repairs and put my '87 951 (Nikki) back into daily driver duties. She served dutifully in such capacity from April 2007 until Nov 2013 when I acquired a nearly new CPOed '12 Cayenne. (BTW, the Cayenne is my "car I should have never sold".) She fell further back in the driveway once I purchased an '11 Cayman S. It didn't help that the clutch was on borrowed time then the speed and reference sensors died. (Good grief what a job to get those $%^*&ers out!)

With the Cayenne gone and the 951 having a new clutch, new axles and new tie rod assemblies, I've rediscovered the joys of driving a turbo car. Sure, she's not as buttery smooth as my Cayman, nor is she as comfortable, nor is she's as quick or fast(but she's close). No, her radio doesn't work, the heat blows continually (I'm down to it probably being a bad control unit.) and the wipers only work on two of the three settings. Oh and all the other little issues like a leaking wiper fluid tank and weeping power steering pump.

That all said, Nikki is a joy to drive, nonetheless. It's such a thrill when the turbo kicks in, the exhaust begins to wail and she throws you back in the seat a bit. Add to that a day like today when I can take out the roof panel, roll down the windows and really enjoy driving to work not just commute to work!

Dan Martinic

I often forget why I like the 951 so much; it's easy to do when daily driving. Then, once in a while, I'll drive another car, a modern car. And when I get back in the 951, I instantly realize what might be the biggest reason I enjoy it daily: the sitting position and '80s "view".

New cars are like driving from the back seat. Even the new Porsches have that looong dashboard...