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Every year when I come up on my birthday, I tend to get reflective, certainly seems to be more the case the older I get.
Tomorrow I’ll turn 78. I realize I’ve been into cars since I was 12 when I built my first go kart. Over the years I’ve learned a lot about cars and many of the lessons weren’t that much fun. But I still do on my own work and maintenance unless it involves expensive parts that will be covered under warranty.
I do get to thinking when I’m lying on concrete under a car with just a piece of cardboard as a mattress. How long I’m going to be able to do this? It certainly not easier getting off the floor. I still manage a few Track days a year and still able to ride the bike pretty much every day 5000mi per yr. and weight train. My running really went downhill, but I’m still OK on the bike.
I have found there are three levels in life.
1 Competitor- you want to do everything better than you did before.
2)Participant – Your happy to just finish.
3) Spectator -your happy to say that once was me !
I’m hanging in @ #2
I guess the answer to how long I can do this is to do it until I can’t do it anymore.
The one thing I found out for men there’s only one thing that doesn’t get harder with age.! I guess you got to just keep on keeping on
carl
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Three Porsches in the garage currently, and the wayback machine puts me in my first 911 (a 1970 E) some 47 years ago. I beat this car so hard, and drove it to 230,000 miles before I gave it up. It was tougher than any car should ever have been.
4carl: I plugged you in at 021 which was the next unreserved number.
drcollie, I placed you at 024.
To rwbern (OP), I certainly don’t mean to step on toes! Just trying to be helpful by updating the list. If you (or someone else) prefers to handle it - by all means, please do! I’m happy to continue if there is no objection.
Last edited by needmoregarage; 04-11-2024 at 09:46 AM.
Hi all! I guess I'm #025. I'll be 63 in May. My first and only Porsche is my current 1979 Targa that I bought in the fall of 1992. My join date is 2007 because that's when I finally migrated to the Rennlist forums from the old email listserve. I actually go back to Stan's old Porschelist, before he took off with the funds we sent him for a hardware upgrade.
Looks like I'm the second Lifetime Member to sign up. There should be more of us.
Unfortunately my car hasn't run in 20+ years (transmission in pieces in a cardboard box). Life and kids. Empty nest now, hopefully I'll get it running again before I need a PDK.
I'll take a number. I'm 63 - waited far too long for my first Porsche (at 57) and to start on the track (at 60). The bug has bitten hard. Working toward being an instructor and maybe some W2W racing.
Always wanted to be a race car driver and an astronaut when I was a kid. Getting close to #1. When they can blast my *** into space for less than $250k and a less than 2% chance of dying, I'll go for #2.
Some random thoughts on things mentioned in prior posts:
Everything is definitely use it or lose it at this stage - my cycling miles have gotten cut in half as I'm in the middle of a move (now at about 300/month) and my fitness has fallen off a cliff. It will take longer to come back than it did a decade or two ago. Discouraging. Treat aging like an athletic event - train for it to win and extend your later years. I highly recommend Peter Attia's book 'Outlive' to this crowd.
Social note: I own the Boomer moniker and turn it around on anyone who thinks it's an insult. Worked my *** off to do some good in the world and in the process did OK for myself as a secondary result. Anyone who doesn't like that or calls it privilege - eff 'em.
A lot of insightful posts on this thread. As the kids say, YOLO.
My first car was a ‘69 GTO in 1969 followed by a dream car for me - ‘70 E-type roadster while in college (paid for by working summers in steel mills making 5x minimum wages). Sold that to help finance grad school. Then a loooong nice car drought - med school, residency along with 2 kids (one while a resident so I clearly wasn’t working hard enough). By 1991 I was finally able to get another sports car. A lady I worked with was married to the president of the local Jaguar club (naturally I was after another E-type). We spoke and he asked me what I wanted it for: “to drive as much as possible”. Him: “These cars are now pushing 30 years old and were frankly never that reliable. If you want a sports car you can drive every day, you should get a 911.”
We bought an ‘88 930 cab with under 10k miles that October from Stoddard. The incoming Targa in avatar will be our 11th P car (with 2 Boxsters in the mix of various 911s).
Am 64 and bought my first Porsche in 1990 at age 30.
A brand new Carrera II in slate grey metallic with a stone grey interior.
Paid $60,000 for it and put 47,000 miles on it before selling it for $30,000.
Took a break from Porsche for awhile after that. Got back on the PCar team in 2017 with a new GT4.
Now a 2023 GT3.
I turn 61 in May and I’m starting to reflect on my life and my love for Porsche cars. I purchased my first Porsche in 1985 when I was station in Germany as a young Sergeant in the Army. After driving that car all over Germany and France I never wanted anything but a Porsche. I really wanted a 911, but could not afford one at that time in my life. I sold that car in Germany, but many years later I was once again able to purchase a 993. After many years without a Porsche focusing on family, I now have a 991.1 Targa and recently purchased that 911 M491. The car I wanted when stationed in Germany. I feel so blessed….
That makes me #032 I guess. My first Porsche was a retirement present to myself 2 1/2 yrs. ago. A used 2019 911 GTS. I'll turn 60 in June, and we (wife and I) have a 911 4S on the way, it just finished production today! Spent way too many hours at the office in my younger days, missed a lot of what life is supposed to be about, so retired a bit early even though the finances weren't completely where I would have liked. But hey, it's enough for our laid back lifestyle.
I've been addicted to fast cars, or slow cars with the intent of making them faster since my teens. Primarily the small displacement, turbocharged platforms out of Japan, but even a C7 Z-06 lately. The Porsche(s) will stay stock mostly, primarily used for cruizing around the countryside.
At 60 I'm wishing I wouldn't have been so eager to run all those miles in my younger days. I think I'd feel a little better rolling out of bed each morning! Lordy, everything seems to hurt.
I take #69 well because I'm 69. But, I would like to add in the words of the great Woody Allen "I'm not sure I want to be a member of any club that would have me"
#033? for me. 80yo and first Porsche was 981 GTS in 2016. On third one now a 718 Spyder. Have had many Lotus, and even a Ferrari Dino but my all-time favorite car is a real GT40 (LeMans backup car) that I had for a couple of months as a reference car years ago when I was tasked with trying to make the Pantera a saleable car at Ford. Also had a Porsche 914-6 and a Ferrari 330GT as additional reference cars on this program.
Everything is definitely use it or lose it at this stage - my cycling miles have gotten cut in half as I'm in the middle of a move (now at about 300/month) and my fitness has fallen off a cliff. It will take longer to come back than it did a decade or two ago. Discouraging. Treat aging like an athletic event - train for it to win and extend your later years. I highly recommend Peter Attia's book 'Outlive' to this crowd.
Don't be so hard on yourself. You're in better shape than most people our age. I just started cycling three years ago, did about 3,200 miles last year. About 300-400 miles/month when the weather is good. When I retire in a couple of years I may be able to bump up the miles, but there is no way I would have the time to do your kind of mileage. Enjoy what you are able to do, and don't stress the rest.