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AF brat here. Went to HS in Germany at Ramstein AFB in the 80's. Mom was German so we visited the relatives every couple of weekends. On one of the trips back, saw a white 911 "playing" with a red Ferrari 308 on the Autobahn. It was truly empty on weekends back then. We were going about 80 mph they passed us like we were standing still. I wanted the 911. Went to the Frankfurt auto show in '83? I think. Took me 30 mins to get close enough to see the 959 cutaway they had on display. Got my 993 in 2016 as I saw the prices were creeping up and I figured it was now or never. My backup choice would have been a Cayman.
Great stories from every one, thank you so much! I can recognize myself in some of your experiences, not buying right away years ago, life happened, getting the flame rekindled and making the move before prices starting to creep up again :-D
And to those of you who are reading us and have not pulled the trigger yet, hoping this thread will give you the little nudge to make your 993 dream happen sooner!
Haha, I don't have an actual "aha" moment, but always loved the 911. Didn't have posters etc, but had a ride in a 964 in Austria early 90s and that helped seal the deal. Almost bought a '83 Carrera in the late 90s but I wasn't ready yet. Came across my '95 carrera w 60k miles in 2000 and decided to live my dream. Best decision ever made because 2 weeks later, I bought my first house. If I bought the house first, not sure I would have pulled the trigger on the 993. Timing was perfect.
As a 16 yo (yes me in the pic) in the Exotic Car business and driving a 1989 Pearl White / Red Int. Countach Anniversary Edition in the early 90’s and then getting into a 964 Turbo … that changed everything from then on… 911’s just spoke to me vs the Italian Lambos and Ferraris which attract way too much attention…good and bad..…and “stigma” that goes along with them… although wish I still had the Countach as it’s probably worth 7x now vs the 91’ 964 Turbo! Didn’t fit well in the Lamborghini either as I am 6’3.
Long ago, our High School French teacher (Mr. Ouellette) drove a 356 Speedster as what must have been his daily driver (way before these cars became expensive, (in the early 60's they were just used cars). That car was so cool compared to all the sports cars back then it got my attention as a budding car guy. All black, sweet! Compared to the Alfas, Healeys, MGs, Sunbeams and Triumphs it was king. It made an impression and I eventually got my first Porsche, an '82 SC Targa.
Last edited by rdad993; 02-24-2024 at 10:27 PM.
Reason: typo
Back in 86 or so, my girlfriend inherited a 68 912. I didnt know much about aircooled cars, but we took her car, vs my 81 Celica on dates. I learned to rev out the little 912 motor and have a lot of fun driving it. We used to head up Angeles Crest on weekends for picnics.
I fell in love with the girl and the car.
We got married in 90, and had the car until 97, when it caught on fire. In the meantime, I bought an 80SC Targa for myself. I got carried away with the Targa, trying to track it, and eventually while it was fun to drive, my wife wouldn’t ride in it anymore as it was too uncomfortable for passengers. We decided to upgrade to something that had more creature comforts but still was a bit raw. I looked at 944s, but our mechanic quickly put that idea to rest. While the 996 was new, it just had no appeal to us.
we looked at 964s and 993s and decided the 993 was what we liked best. Took me 2 years of looking, found my 96 C2 in 2007. Never been more content with my decision, sold the SC and bought the 993. For us, it is the perfect combination of fun, comfort for road trips, date nights and canyon carving.
We have also infected our neighbor and he has since given his corvette to his nephew and bought a 718 GTS and. 991GTS. 😁
For whatever reasons, I grew up an English car addict, and the less mainstream the better; Europa, early Esprit, SP250... Owned way too many over the years and keep a few nice ones to this day. In 2001 my Wife, who is also an enthusiast but not to my level, wanted a 911 so we found our '99 996 which we still have. Then over the ensuing years, I really learned to appreciate the Porsche as it is truly a well designed and built car and I grew less enamored of the constant efforts, struggles and generally craptastic quality of current production spares required by the Triumphs, Lotus and really needy MGB I had. Long story short, most of them are gone and replaced by a Boxster S, time warp 993 and my Wife's new 911t (if it ever gets released by Customs...another story on another thread). The only English ones that remain are a museum piece TR6 and old Land Rovers, which are actually pretty good once properly sorted.
I grew up in air-cooled family with both my parents doing VW rally’s in the 60’s, I came home from the hospital in a 1965 VW bus, and learned to drive on 1957 oval window bought new by my grandfather.
Yup, that’s me on the left at 15.
Always had a love of the 911 from an early age. When it came my time to find one, I was hunting for mid-80s 911s, eventually moving on hunting for a 993. I’ve always done all my own major maintenance, service and repair, including rebuilding of motors since a teenager and to me, the 993 fit perfectly. I’ve been able to enjoy the car for the past 17yrs including upgrades, mods, rebuilding and lots of driving.
02-23-2024, 12:19 PM
