Daniel S

Originally this introduction post was going to be titled, “Adventures on the Dark Side,” in honor of the fact that the car is black, it is not a rear engined 911, and I am a Star Wars fan. However, I think that the Hemmings’ issue captured the essence better, as the Stuttgart Rebellion. And it is in keeping the Star Wars theme. We will come back to that later.

So, if you are wondering where “Raj’s M030” has gone…well it went to my garage! I apologize for how long it has taken me to post this, but the combination of work and life got in the way. I have been lurking on Rennlist for several years and have posted a few times, but never about the new to me car. Anyway, the purchase was the culmination of a year of driving almost every Porsche model that I could find that I was interested in, that would carry the three of us-including the car seat, and enough stuff for a weekend getaway.

I was looking at the “last US 968,” and during a conversation with Jeff, about seats, he suggested I talk with Raj. After several discussions getting to know each other and the car, and multiple questions, I purchased the 968 just prior to Memorial Day weekend. Unfortunately, I was in the middle of a big push at work, I couldn’t fly out to and drive it back. So I worked with Raj to get it shipped to Los Angeles.


Working with Raj was great. With roughly 3,000 miles separating us Raj made the transaction painless and helped wherever he could, even meeting with the guy who picked up the car at 8 pm east coast time on a Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

As I mentioned above, the biggest unknown about this 968 was whether or not my wife would like the sport seats. She had sat in a “well used” 968 coupe and judged the standard seats uncomfortable. In our house, we have passed on more than one car due to the seats, so finding comfortable seats are a big deal. Unfortunately, we have yet to find anything matching her favorite seats in our 1994 Volvo wagon. So, I was very eager to get her opinion on the seats when the car arrived. I breathed a sigh of relief when she declared the sport seats very comfortable.

My first impressions are that it really loves the curvy mountain roads. I had a late model GTI right behind me on a straight, and as soon as we entered a section of multiple curves, I lost it in my mirror. The car is very quick for being 20+ years old and it gets up to speed very smoothly. I can’t wait to take it on a road trip.

I had one of my coworkers drive it. He had just bought his first Porsche, a 993 targa, and was surprised at how the 968’s torque just kept going and going. He loved the shifter and wished his was that good. He made the typical 911 quip about how heavy the steering is. Needless to say, I think he walked away surprised and impressed.

The current plan is to maintain it and enjoy it as is, with a couple of minor exceptions: replacing the aftermarket radio with something more in keeping with the interior, tinting the rear hatch (it is Southern California after all), and a new license plate.

Now, to figure out how to get a bigger garage….

I know that this thread is worthless without pictures, so here are a few:
In the garage, next to my daily driver, a stage 3+ modified Audi S4. The 968 gets to stay in the garage. The other cars rotate through the garage, whoever is not being driven at the moment. I need more car storage…






Father’s Day drive up Angeles crest highway, after getting smogged and registered. (tire marks are NOT mine )







I took the 968 to a car show at work (sorry no pictures), which meant I had to put the car seat in it. The night before, I had my daughter test fit it and I showed her the pop up head lights. She was fascinated. She kept saying, “Again.” Ah, the simple joys of pop up headlights. The next morning I dropped her off at day care. You can see by the look on her face that she was quite satisfied with her first ride.

My daughter’s first ride, and look of approval:








That was on a Wednesday, on Friday (the next day I drove her to day care) she asked to ride in the “black car.” That is probably the highest praise a 3 year old can bestow.

Over Labor Day weekend we were at a family wedding, which was about 1 hour from Raj, so we left the little one with my parents and went down to see Raj and his family. It was great for Raj to take time out of his hectic weekend so we could finally meet face to face.
Raj and I looking at his Riviera Blue 968. That color has to be seen to be appreciated.





Of course, a visit to Raj’s would not be complete without a ride in the coordinating 991 GT3. I was trying to distill the ride into one word, but the best I could come up with was two words: Brutal Elegance. For a 7 letter license plate, I think BTLGNCE. Raj, what do you think?





All in all, I am having a blast with the 968 and I can’t wait to get it out on the road, outside of LA, where the speed of traffic is not limited by the speed at which the drivers around you can text.

Now, to find a black trunk carpet that is slightly faded, etc, so I can put a whole in it (versus the pristine one I have currently) and install the tether anchor. Anyone have one they want to part with?

Oh, and you maybe wondering about how I was going to incorporate Star Wars into this post? Well, the license plate I have on order with the state (a black plate with yellow lettering) is going to be:
ROGE SQN
Here’s to seeing you all out on the road!
Daniel

Boeing 717

What kind of car seat is that for your daughter?

Jay Wellwood

Great post - thanks!

Daniel S

It is a Diono Radian RXT. The requirements when we bought it included the ability to fit in the Audi and an airline seat. The Diono is the narrowest seat on the market. (I think there is a picture of 3 across in the backseat of a Prius) It is FAA approved.


The cool thing when traveling is that it folds flat. The bad thing is that it weighs 22 lbs. That is because it has a steel frame for the bottom and the back. But it fits on the airline seats without a problem and she can see out the window fine.


I took it to every car I test drove to make sure it would fit. I need to spend a bit more time working out how to make it more secure with the seatbelt; the lockoff was not allowing me to clip the belt into the receptacle. I may have been rushing though, so I need to spend some time looking at it more. Probably when I install the tether anchor in the back.

Boeing 717

Thanks for info

RajDatta

Dan, glad to see you enjoy her. It was our pleasure to have you over. My family was duly impressed by your intellect.
To happy motoring

Nathan J.

Daniel,

Congratulations on the new car, it looks great. You mentioned wanting to replace the radio with something that looks more in tune with the rest of the interior. I wanted the same thing on my car, and ended up installing the new Porsche Classic Radio Navigation System. The price on this unit is hard to swallow, but I think it looks great, completely matching the aesthetic, with navigation and bluetooth capability.





Nathan

Jay Wellwood

Congrats - you'll enjoy the car greatly I'm sure.

Nathan - thanks for posting a photo of the new system installed, looks great! You're spot on about the price.

Daniel S

Nathan,

Thanks! It definitely puts a smile on my face every time I start it up.

I like the way that radio looks. How is using the navigation on that screen? It seems a bit small?

That is one option. A friend installed a Continental in his car which does not have Nav, but does have Bluetooth. First job is to remove the radio and see what state the harness is in. The speakers all currently run to an amp in the right smuggler's boot.

As for price, that is about what I paid for the Nav system in the Audi, before I added OEM bluetooth and satellite radio.

Daniel S

Jay,

Thanks for both comments. It is a lot of fun.

Daniel

Daniel S

Nathan J.

Daniel,

In answer to your question about the navigation function in the Porsche Classic Radio Navigation System, it works "OK", as it can certainly get me from A to Z, but there are some annoying points about it:

Screen Size. actually the size of the screen is less of an issue than the way it is used. The designers have tried to put too much information in the small screen, and the only way they can do this is to make the font size on any text very small. It is not too small to read, but it does require an extended glance that takes my eyes off the road longer than I would prefer. The Garmin portable that we use in my wife's car takes half the screen when showing exit information, which if this unit were to adopt the same use of screen area, it would be completely legible.

Voice Directions, the issue here is that either the woman talks WAY too much (and I have the settings for the minimal navigation directions selection), or sometimes on the freeway she will tell me of an exit with 100 yards to spare. I am guessing that the fine touch of when to respond or not is one of the refinements separating a great navigation system from a good one.

Apart from the navigation, the BT support is a pleasant surprise. It connects to my phone without a hitch, and between the mic on the unit itself, and the external mic located in the headliner above the windshield, people I have talked to have reported very clear call quality.



Best Regards

Nathan

jeff968

Daniel, you got a great 968 there. Not only is it a great, collectible example but it has been "Raj certified" which means you can just enjoy the car. Best of luck with it.
Jeff

Daniel S

"the woman talks WAY too much (and I have the settings for the minimal navigation directions selection)"

Not sure I should make the obvious comment about a woman and talking....I will just leave it to your imagination.

On a more serious note:
Did you have to drop the headliner to install the microphone?

Daniel S

Thanks Jeff! It is a good sign when you get a smile on your face everytime you open the garage door,even if it is to go get the pruning shears.