BC

Danno
Your last point really hit home with me. Before I moved here to SD, I was in Chicago. Suburbs, Condo, Drove every day to a desk and a computer (desktop support Manager - Like people, don't like computer people who aren't really people - no offense to anyone here)
So I said to my wife that we would flip a coin, and even though the country song said it first, it was heads Carolina (south), Tails California. So on September 18th, I signed my condo away (for a hefty profit (new bathroom and kitchen that my wife and I did), sold my 924S, anbd Chevy Van, and The Ford, and packed up the 928S4.

Anyway,
You guys take care, and live life like you were born to live - not die.

Third Eye

if I saw a 67 mopar and 951 i'd go on and on about both of them. Certain kinds of cars period are just a section of the right side of my brain that strikes to the passion beauty that can be created w/ a little erb and a pencil... Oh, god I went to a car show in GA and saw one of 94 registered Hemi Baracuda's w/ something special on'em. Gosh, there is something to fall in love with about the old muscle and the european cars. Tell me a 426 Hemmi with 4" pipes at 5500 RPM doesn't just sound like Zeus is raining down damnation onto your entire world when it flies past your door and all you can say is 'Damn'.

alex944

In the garage we have a mustang and the 944..........

When I drive the 944, I get women stopping me and saying how nice the car looks (grocery store, filling up with gas, at the mall)......and the odd glance from males.

On the other hand If I am driving the Mustang....I get a million looks from males giving me the thumbs up just asking me to rev it up....... and peel out....

I have to agree with David RIos, I don't understand why people get rid of their sports cars, in favor of minivans or SUVs. I would never get rid of the 944 or the mustang for any SUV or minivan........

Generally women are attracted to lighter cars... Silver (looks classier).....while they tend to shy aways from the bold red or yellow cars. Men are the opposite.......... IMO

And yes its true ..we all live and we all die.. enjoy it while you can.

I work to live .....don't waste your time living to work... just something to think about

deni durrell

nothing beats the integrity i feel when working and having a job.

BC

I think what Danno was getting at was not to "not work" but to possibly try and work smarter? Maybe I am inferring too much, but I do agree with the sentiment that if you are not carefull, you will 9-5 your life away. I have made the leap from an
8-6 Desktop support job to a any-hour Insurance Agent. This is to afford more time with my growing family.

I think I have officially gone off-thread.
:

There are car SNOBS and there are car ENTHUSIASTS.

I respect a Suburban for its worth just as much I do my 928 for its great worth, and all of your 944/951s. I will actually be getting a suburban within the year, as I need to carry people around (I am the driver if my friends and my wife and I go out).

I do NOT, however, respect a tan ford taurus, or the individual that purchased it new. This represents such an absence of anything that resembles imagination, intelligence, or life-affirming attitudes.

Danno

If you want to really get a taste for life, try skydiving! It really drives the point home that there is truly one real risk to fear, and that is death, but that can be managed for the most part.

Yeah, Brendan and Skip alluded to the subtle point that I was implying. I was partly asserting that work, making money, and enjoying life are separate and distinct areas. Most people get trapped by the brainwashing that says work and making money are one and the same, and that somehow, enjoying life goes contrary to that. But as Skip mentioned, one is truly lucky if you find work that one enjoys.

For me, I keep all those areas separate. I spend the miminum amount of time making money; just enough to pay the bills and feed my go-fast crack pipe habit. The rest of my time goes towards enjoying life and doing 'work'.

bs

ok, i'm not going to waste a lot of time typing more philosophy to "car people". i already did that in the boxter whine thread today.

i will however say a couple things:

danno and brendan are right.

danno, i hope you are talking about static line skydiving. tandem jumping is gay (unless you can find the 1 or 2 hot chick instructors or you are a chick). i'd rather have the short free fall than have a long free fall strapped to some dudes ***. someday i will have my A license...

Ben, who pissed off his girlfriend by telling her he lives every day like it may be his last.

"if you had an hour to sum your whole life up
would you spend it saying an hour ain't enough"
-Eyedea, On This I Stand

bs

oh yeah, and my favorite car quote:

"what is this, a honda?"
-some college freshman chick i was driving home (who had already given me her phone number)

danno, i'll bite... tell us the damn story.

FormulaOne10

[quote] I do NOT, however, respect a tan ford taurus, or the individual that purchased it new. This represents such an absence of anything that resembles imagination, intelligence, or life-affirming attitudes.<hr></blockquote>

Isn't that a bit on the harsh side? Some people simply can't afford a better car or don't know better. ****, I'm usually one step ahead of a salesperson when I'm buying something, but if I went into say an art gallery, I wouldn't know a Picasso from a Coke ad. Accordingly, not everybody is a car guy/gal and some people just don't know or care what the hell they drive. And in that situation, if somebody just wanted a new car that got them from point a to b, the taurus might be just the car for them. I could never in a million years understand this mindset, but I still am not ready to disrespect another person just because I don't see where they are coming from.

For the record I have never owned a Ford Taurus and never intend to. I've seen many tauruses suffer in early milage from poor design and build quality. I have also seen many go well over 150k miles. But I just happen to know these things, and the next guy might not.

I feel that it was a very socially poor thing to say what you did. You just told millions of people that they were stupid, unimaginative, and didn't affirm life(what the hell does that mean anyway). Maybe you should look back at what you wrote, and see if you really are crossing that line between car snob or enthusiast.

d richard

Yea I thought that brendan was, at first, being a bit harsh. Sort of judging people by the type of car they own.
I guess it boils down to the reason you buy a car in the first place. You could buy a car because it's a PORSCHE, and everyone says it's the best to have. On the other hand you could buy it because it feels good, drives good and suits you. I own a bmw and I can't tell you the number of times I've tried to talk to a fellow owner(gas pump or whatever) and got a blank stare when I asked a question they should have known had they bought it because it was a pleasure to drive and not a status symbol.

I also agree with brendan that the majority of people are somewhat "numbed" by the 9-5 grind. They don't ever realize there is more out there than just "existing" day to day. I guess you have only one life and YOU have to decide what is important to YOU and not let "everyone" decide how you should live. I think everybody has different passions in life. The people who live life with no passions are the sad ones. Just remember there is a price to be paid for every passion.

By the way-- the po of my 944 sold it because his wife told him she needed a suv for the new baby that was due in a couple of months. I'm still laughing!

Would you sell the porsche because the baby is more important or work more to afford the porsche? Priorities sometimes suck. Or maybe get a wife who appreciates priorities? Just dumb questions!

Porsche5050

First of all apologies for adding that damn image on the top of this thread making it impossible to read the posts without scrolling side to side. <img src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" border="0" alt="[hiha]" /> <img src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" border="0" alt="[hiha]" /> <img src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" border="0" alt="[hiha]" />

The fact of the matter is it's basically impossible to live in this country without transportation in the form of an automobile. Add that onto the fact that many people just don't know squat about cars and you have a formula for disaster. Personally, I think we're in one of the dumbest car generations EVER. Purposeless SUV's are everywhere. Hyndai is the only new emerging manufacturer in the last few years. Porsche is building an SUV. Buick already has an SUV out. The Aztek was put into production but the GT40 won't be. The Miata, WRX, and RSX are about the only real affordable sports cars available to the public. The 3-series with options is at $38,000. We have no 2002ti. We have no Datsun 240Z. No SE-R or CRX for us.(no the new SE-r can't compare to the original)

Instead the masses are left with their choice of SUV or if they choose to go the CAR route they can pick up a Leganza. If people choose to purchase dumb automobiles then they will be labled as dumb drivers. I believe there needs to be a resurgance in the used car market. Part of the battle is those that love their cars (be it Porsche or Ford) keep them running well and keep them in their hearts. There will soon come a time when all we will see is SUV and Pontiac VIBE. It's a sad story but this isn't how it has to end. The muscle car community had it right. They were threatened with the oil embargo but to this day with a tightly knit community and love for their cars they have kept the art alive. I don't care if you love your lowrider, honda civic, or Porsche. If you have passion for your automobile you have a place in my heart. If you're an indipendent woman on ure cellphone in your escalade more power too you.....but you wont get the respect of the guy who's trying to bondo that last rust spot on his 914.

ribs

Wow...this turned into quite a discussion. I wasn't going to say anything on the original topic, but I'll go anyways. My car has been confused for a 300Z, XKE (how? I think XKE is much better looking), rx-7 (pretty obvious resembelance), and a camEro (I was very tempted to smack the girl who said that but I have a thing against violence towards women). I get a lot of compliments on my car...if it is nice out (i.e. everybody has their windows down) usually a couple of people a day hollar at me from their cars at stop lights...sometimes across the intersection, gas station attendents often gawk and compliment my car, drive thru workers say stuff sometimes, and my favorite is when middle aged married guys who are obviously insanely jealous as they have to drive the expedition home tell me to "get dad's car back to him before he knows its missing."

The dumbest questions I get are "whats that, a V6?". No...porsche never produced a V6. "Is that one of them wankel things?". No...thats an rx-7...I got a lot more of the "is that a porsche?" when I had my rx-7 than the wankel thing in my porsche, but I still get it every once in a while. "Is that fast? I heard those were dog slow." Do you want to jump in your civic and find out at the next stop light? "Wow...that thing must be in the shop more than on the road." No you dumb ****...its been immobilized for no more than a few days at a time, only 3 times, since I have owned it for more than 2 years (not including the 2 months its spent up on jackstands getting a total overhaul...but that was voluntary...it still ran, but I was sick of the oil burning, bad suspension, massive motor vibrations, and other quirks) and only left me stranded once (and I knew it was happening soon...when the clutch went). "Wow...that must cost you and arm and a leg in maintainence". Its not that bad, really...not nearly as bad as you think...but if you don't stop leaning against the car, you will be drawing back some stumps in place of your arms and legs, bastard. "How'd you afford that? Did your mom buy that for you?" No...I had a part time job while I was in college and drove a VW around for a couple of years.

--------------------------------------------------

On to the other topic, of people who drive ford tauruses being passionless people (thats the jist I got anyways)...I used to think my father was one of these...I mean, he used to have some cool cars (sprite, midget, MGC (very rare MGB with a 3L V6), some other british sports car, brand new '65 mustang convertible, '73 firebird) but around the time started having some youngins, he started buying vans, already had a house he bought/built right out of college, bought more vans, bought another house, bought 4 door 80's chryslers, oldmobiles, plymouths, then a couple minivans, then about 7 or 8 years ago he bought an '81 rx-7 beater, drove the **** out of that, bought a '96 neon (well...I paid for it too) that he shared with me, and that was it. The rx-7 was cool, but other than that, complete lameness since 1973.

Then I asked my dad why he has a hell-of-a-house (completely remodeled, with an added upstairs), a nice fishing boat, a couple of vacation homes, decent income, etc., and he drives a '96 neon, and he responds "I just don't care about cars". Its kind of hard to get out of my mentality where my main hobby is reading and learning about, fixing, driving, etc. my car, and how somebody could care less about what they drive, but...he is a very impassioned sports fan, vacations constantly (semi-retired), enjoys spending time with my mom, likes to use his boat, and would rather spend his time on the internet chatting to other ravens fans on a sports BBS than porsche fans on a car BBS. Then it clicked...my personal interests are just that...personal, and not those of everybody around me. The funny thing is that many of my friends absorb many of my interest, like cars, just as I absorb many of thiers, like music, drinking, surfing, etc...it must be a young thing. My dad is done with finding new hobbies, all though when I told him I might need to tear my car to bits again after I fixed it completely, he seemed very willing to drive a 110 miles to help me with it for a couple of days. Maybe I can convince him to help me change out my torsion bars in a couple of weeks? It seems like working on cars is something he has always kind of been interested in, but he gave up in the late '70s after spending 3 entire days trying to change the water pump on his firebird.

Well, at least he still dreams of owning a corvette, but when I tell him he should get a Z06, he tells me he doesn't give a **** about how fast it is, he just wants a vette. Strange...must be one of those people who drive it for the image. I for one am not.

Am I waaay off topic here, or does my father as an example make sense? I don't really feel like going back and proofreading...I have a class in 8 hours damn it.

Porsche5050

No,
I wouldn't put your dad in that category. It's obvious he has other passions and if he owned a first generation RX-7 then he's gotta be ok. (First generation RX-7 owners tend to be die hard car types in other words they know the mathematics of a rotary engine)

My dad is the mundane car type. When he came to the country in the early 70's he got the a boxy IMPALA after that an '84 Buick Skylard then a Buick Century, (Do we see a GM trend here?)...Anyways, recently he was going to buy a new Accord but I told him why not get a used 3.5RL for the same price? Either way the RL is great for those who just want to sit in a car be comfortable and get from point A to point B comfortably. The car has no soul but not all drivers demand that in a car. Would a new Accord be a bad purchase? Absolutely not. Still, my dad wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as he does the RL. Is the RL the epidamy of what a car should be? No. But my dad sure enjoys it. Still, if I hadn't steered him in a certain direction he may of been making payments on a Buick Rondavue.(Check spelling) There are certain vehicles that are a waste of natural resources. Then there are vehicles that catch the owner by surprise such as the integra gs-r when it first came out in '94. Many people probably purchased a GS-r just for the sake of buying a nice car but before they knew it they were car enthusiasts because driving the car can make a mundane driver feel alive. There in lyes what's missing with cars today. Vehicles today don't persuade the driver to think anything. I've been in love with the 944 for a while now and they've opened me up to a whole new perspective on automobiles as I'm sure it has with many in these forums. A car can do so much more than take a person from point A to point B it's a shame to think as I write this somewhere someone just signed their name to a BRAND SPAKIN NEW Chevy Cavelier. (with 14 inch wheel covers standard)

bs

i think part of the root cause of the lack of appreciation for what makes a car not suck is the general attitude towards such things in this country. I had a turkish girlfriend for awhile back in college and despite the fact that she was a masters student in hospital administration, she understood why an interference engine is ****ed if the timing belt breaks and recognized the superiority of independent suspension over a live axle in a truck... why? because to get a driver's license in her country you must pass a FULL DAY examination including a comprehensive written test on car vocabulary and theory of operation, as well as extensive driving tests.

however here we would rather give out licenses to people who pass a 20 question written test with multiple choice answers for questions like "what do you do at a red traffic light". i think here in california they will read the test to you if you can't read. then we go out and set ridiculously low speed limits to try to protect all these bad, untrained drivers from each other and give a bunch of emotionally maladjusted freaks guns and tell them to go out and harass and fine good drivers who disobey these arbitrary limits.

i think the real problem here is how lazy and disinterested people in this country are... i fully believe that if you can't read and don't even know why oil should be changed you probably shouldn't be driving.

BC

[quote]I feel that it was a very socially poor thing to say what you did. You just told millions of people that they were stupid, unimaginative, and didn't affirm life(what the hell does that mean anyway). Maybe you should look back at what you wrote, and see if you really are crossing that line between car snob or enthusiast..
<hr></blockquote>

Lets keep this civil. No one here owns a tan ford Taurus, than you need not worry about my comment.
With respect to my comments, I will not state that they are just my "opinion" so as to soften the blow of thier meaning. I have stated it. My statement that buying a Tan Ford taurus (for example) is not "affirming of Life" is quite self-explanitory. But, to "affirm life," you are producing actions in life that positively reinforce your existance, in the vein of "to live life to the fullest," as it is assumed that noone has ever ascented to try and "live life to the least".
I pride myself on saying ANYTHING that would or could be alluded to as "socially poor" - as the society today is something that I hope I will never be accepted in, or accept myself. I am sure that my current comments are not being absorbed as I wish them to be, but if you ACTUALLY wish to understand my meaning, and the basic philosophy behind it, please read "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. The basic belief is "Objectivism," and it is a very powerful schema. Yes, I spelled that last word correctly.

Now - my comment on the taurus was NOT at all a "snobbish" automotive inference. I fully respect the engineering of the vehicle, and would see one for its worth, as in my previous posts. It is an almost seamless presentation of that which is purely "sedan" in the american sense of the term. But I will continue judging people as I did who choose consciously to pay for this car new for the reason stated above.

Oh - for the comment that Formula made, that:
[quote]Some people simply can't afford a better car or don't know better<hr></blockquote>

The fact is that a new taurus can not be had for much less than 22k. Some will be optioned above 26k. That is a medium to low-medium price for a new auto. My 89 928S4 was 24k for a 37k mile example (pristine). For 26K you can buy a PERFECT example of a BMW 750IL (maybe 93?) Or any number of powerful, solid Mercedes Benzes, and some may still have a warrantee. And they probably will not be tan (I am not referring to the Porsche Tan - I refer specifically to this idiotic "champagne tan" that has emerged recently as a "classy" color choice.

LASTLY
<img src="graemlins/offtopic.gif" border="0" alt="[offtopic]" />
To D Richard's comment that I may have bought my car because it is a PORSCHE. Well, lets step back from that for a moment - I purchased my current and previous Porsches because they ARE the best of the bread of what I wish to have in a car, and what I can afford. If I could buy a Ferrari (456GT is the name?) - then I would. I have thought many times of buying a Corvette and having Lingenfelter look into the power levels
Its a Chevy, and I would be proud to own one. It matters NOT to me what is on the hood of the car, Chevy, Porsche, Mercedes. Or Aston Martin (they have a few very nice autos).
A material object does not give YOU status or importance. You give (or should) give that material object ITS importance.

Okay Class (without sounding too preachy and smart-assy):
Today's lecture was based on the principles of Ayn Rand, and a few other Philosopher/Authors. Please continue reading your supplements, as well as your "objectivism" study guides.


<img src="graemlins/icon107.gif" border="0" alt="[icon107]" />
I can't believe John D found an ICON about "Killroy was here"

All in good conversation.