Reddy Kilowatt’s Excellent Adventure, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Buy a 993
06-02-2008 | 12:53 PM
#1
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Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Out there
Reddy Kilowatt’s Excellent Adventure, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Buy a 993
So I did it. I flew to SoCal on the cheapest ticket I could find, rented a cheap car, stayed in a cheap motel, bought ddidit’s car and drove home.
The car was in GREAT shape… every bit as nice as promised. The only interior issue is some mild smoke smell that I’m working on right now. The exterior is amazing for an 11-year old car. Engine is strong, and the handling is flawless.
Day One: I had the PPI done at Automotive Legends in Camarillo. Michael Schatz was great. I highly recommend him, and wish he was near where I live. Based on my experience, I would happily let him work on my car. Fortunately, it doesn’t need it. The only thing that seems to be on the horizon is a clutch replacement. The car seems to have the original clutch which seems to be atypical at 60,000 miles but it’s not slipping yet so I’ll run it until it does.
Mike was very impressed with the car, so I proceeded with the purchase. Ddidit and I worked on the paperwork and details in the afternoon, and I departed about 6:00 PM. I tried cutting across 126 to I-5, but traffic was all jammed up. I ended up turning around back to 101 and drove as far as King City, CA before I was shot. Another night in a cheap, but reasonably clean motel.
Day Two: I took off at 6AM bound for Prineville, OR. The day was uneventful, but long… about 650 miles. I made a few stops and got in about 5PM to stay with some family.
Day Three: There’s Cow $hit on my Carrera, or There’s Poop on my Porsche
I took the back way out of Prineville through the Ochoco National Forest and up through Spray, Heppner, etc. If anyone here knows these towns, you really know Oregon. The roads are in great shape, lightly traveled, and twisty-turny through the mountains. It’s absolutely gorgeous up there, and the driving was fantastic. At one point as I made a hard uphill hairpin, I met a pickup truck (one of about 6 cars I saw in 100 miles) going about 10mph. I grew up in the country and know that usually means something’s up, so I threw out the anchor. Sure enough, around the corner were about 50 head of cattle being herded down the road. Anyone who knows cattle knows they don’t respect lane lines, and also knows that they expel lots of urine and feces on the road. After letting them pass by (they won’t usually bump into an object… in this case my car) I “tiptoed” for about a mile, but still managed to get plenty of crap on my car.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. I had about 375 miles on day three to get home, and arrived about 1 pm. 1350 miles of driving in about 43 hours is plenty.
My mileage ranged from about 18mpg to 22mpg depending on what sort of driving I was doing. My oil consumption was modest… maybe ¾ of a quart over the 1350 miles. The car got a bath last night and looks great again.
I do have an issue with the Sparco Roadster seats. I am a big, but not fat man. I’m about 6’4” with a 36” waist. Unfortunately, my hips collide with the sides of the seats, and I’m mildly bruised after 1350 miles of contact. I’m hoping to be able to “shim” myself up a little higher to get a little more width out of the seat “wedge” but if that doesn’t work, I will be replacing the seats. Has anyone else encountered this issue? Any creative solutions? Any recommendations for replacement seats that are still performance oriented but that offer me a little more width?
All in all, I’m very happy with the car. My wife digs it. A buddy of mine is insanely jealous. Nearly every gas fill-up drew a “wow, great car!” comment. Life is good!
A big thumbs-up to Mike Schatz, ddidit, and my credit union.
Cheers,
Reddy Kilowatt
The car was in GREAT shape… every bit as nice as promised. The only interior issue is some mild smoke smell that I’m working on right now. The exterior is amazing for an 11-year old car. Engine is strong, and the handling is flawless.
Day One: I had the PPI done at Automotive Legends in Camarillo. Michael Schatz was great. I highly recommend him, and wish he was near where I live. Based on my experience, I would happily let him work on my car. Fortunately, it doesn’t need it. The only thing that seems to be on the horizon is a clutch replacement. The car seems to have the original clutch which seems to be atypical at 60,000 miles but it’s not slipping yet so I’ll run it until it does.
Mike was very impressed with the car, so I proceeded with the purchase. Ddidit and I worked on the paperwork and details in the afternoon, and I departed about 6:00 PM. I tried cutting across 126 to I-5, but traffic was all jammed up. I ended up turning around back to 101 and drove as far as King City, CA before I was shot. Another night in a cheap, but reasonably clean motel.
Day Two: I took off at 6AM bound for Prineville, OR. The day was uneventful, but long… about 650 miles. I made a few stops and got in about 5PM to stay with some family.
Day Three: There’s Cow $hit on my Carrera, or There’s Poop on my Porsche
I took the back way out of Prineville through the Ochoco National Forest and up through Spray, Heppner, etc. If anyone here knows these towns, you really know Oregon. The roads are in great shape, lightly traveled, and twisty-turny through the mountains. It’s absolutely gorgeous up there, and the driving was fantastic. At one point as I made a hard uphill hairpin, I met a pickup truck (one of about 6 cars I saw in 100 miles) going about 10mph. I grew up in the country and know that usually means something’s up, so I threw out the anchor. Sure enough, around the corner were about 50 head of cattle being herded down the road. Anyone who knows cattle knows they don’t respect lane lines, and also knows that they expel lots of urine and feces on the road. After letting them pass by (they won’t usually bump into an object… in this case my car) I “tiptoed” for about a mile, but still managed to get plenty of crap on my car.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. I had about 375 miles on day three to get home, and arrived about 1 pm. 1350 miles of driving in about 43 hours is plenty.
My mileage ranged from about 18mpg to 22mpg depending on what sort of driving I was doing. My oil consumption was modest… maybe ¾ of a quart over the 1350 miles. The car got a bath last night and looks great again.
I do have an issue with the Sparco Roadster seats. I am a big, but not fat man. I’m about 6’4” with a 36” waist. Unfortunately, my hips collide with the sides of the seats, and I’m mildly bruised after 1350 miles of contact. I’m hoping to be able to “shim” myself up a little higher to get a little more width out of the seat “wedge” but if that doesn’t work, I will be replacing the seats. Has anyone else encountered this issue? Any creative solutions? Any recommendations for replacement seats that are still performance oriented but that offer me a little more width?
All in all, I’m very happy with the car. My wife digs it. A buddy of mine is insanely jealous. Nearly every gas fill-up drew a “wow, great car!” comment. Life is good!
A big thumbs-up to Mike Schatz, ddidit, and my credit union.
Cheers,
Reddy Kilowatt
06-02-2008 | 03:21 PM
#7
Wallflower
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 5,548
Likes: 2
From: NW Arkansas
Great write-up and gorgeous car. I am glad you enjoyed the trip and got to know her along the way.
I'm in withdrawals for a few weeks on mine right now as it is having new lifters, LWF, RS clutch, LPMM install and various other "while you're there" things. I think my left kidney will just above cover the cost, but I cannot wait to get her back.
Enjoy!
I'm in withdrawals for a few weeks on mine right now as it is having new lifters, LWF, RS clutch, LPMM install and various other "while you're there" things. I think my left kidney will just above cover the cost, but I cannot wait to get her back.
Enjoy!
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06-02-2008 | 04:28 PM
#8
Thread Starter
Rennlist Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,155
Likes: 1
From: Out there
The first photo is in the seller's driveway. The least I can do is have one showing the car in my driveway... here's a carwash action shot.
P.S. Ask me what I think of ddidit's tube audio setup.
P.S. Ask me what I think of ddidit's tube audio setup.
06-02-2008 | 04:54 PM
#10
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,236
Likes: 12
From: Seattle, WA
Beautiful car!! Sounds like you had a great drive home with it. Not affiliated but the last time I looked at the Griot's catalog they had a series of varying diameter scrub brushes that would probably work very nicely keeping those wheels clean. Congratulations!
06-02-2008 | 10:22 PM
#12
Race Car
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,694
Likes: 67
From: Miamah, La Florida
I found my C2 when I was away in London. I flew back to Miami (home) and flew to New Orleans to drive the car back 1000 miles in 14 hours straight. It was an awesome trip to say the least. Good luck and congratulations...
