Originally Posted by peterC2S

Wise words indeed. Re point 2 the tendency is to develop those mods well past the point of economy - by then its too late!

Originally Posted by kiwi 911

Hummm.........yes............yoda told me this 2 years ago and I didn't listen........

Originally Posted by Macca

Graeme,

That's a good synopsis but Id like to add a few discussion points if I may.

Other defining factors for determining the angle of approach are lifestyle, disposable income and prior experience. Overlying those the is the Individual.

If you are the creative type and have the time and income to build "your perfect car" from scratch it is incredibly satisfying (though there will be plenty of expensive and painful moments along the way). I think of cars created by Magnus Walker and that Jack Olsen video I posted a week ago with the bespoke garage and the car that can be quickly set of for road or track.

Your personality and lifestyle will play a large part on whether you are comfortable with "multiple cars for multiple uses". Having been there along with a few others here I can hand on heart say that of you are a Virgo type personality this can be painful keeping every one of them in fine fettle and perfect - can be a big drag on your time. There are also resources to consider. Keeping 3-4 cars constantly WOF, Rego. serviced and street worthy can be costly. Especially P-cars.

Generational differences. Most of us here grew up with cars that had electric steering and power windows probably even air con. The old cars look lovely. They probably appeal to the baby boomers and this is being proven my the spike in demand today. The absolute reality of the situation is many younger folk would not have the patience to own these cars or would find perhaps they did not live up to the hype. Many cars IMHO dont live up to the hype I have found. You only find this out by owning them. You also have to have a strong opinion to fly in the face of popular views. A good personal example is the Audi/Porsche RS2. Those that know me know I wasnt overly impressed with this car and moved it on after 18 months. I had a eureka moment yesterday when i ready a column in EVO magazine from regular contributor Dario Franchetti who recalled how disappointed he was in the RS2 for exactly the same reasons I've been harping on to those who will listen for years. However if you listen to the rheumy eyed journos youd be thinking something different. For its moment in time it was unique and it sure does look cool (and has a special place in Porsche/Audi history). But it was never a good drivers car IMO and was a pig around town. Interestingly I found my time with he 993RS very underwhelming. I think again the hype had got to me and I was expecting something far and away different from my then lightly modified C2. On the city streets the C2 was superior as it was on the open road (The RS was very noisy and jumped around alot). the 993RS wasnt much quicker than the C2 either - hardly noticeable in real life. On a fast weekend fang or a track the 993RS was he superior car but at the time I didnt do any track work and fast road drives were very few and far between (too much time at work and keeping three P cars on the road LOL!). I spent a few hours driving an original & stocks 964RS around the streets of Auckland too and a quick blast to Piha and back. Verdict? That thing wanted to kill anyone that drove it on NZ B roads - its skipped and hopped all over the road and dartd lefft and right - you really had to have both hands on the wheel, not a particularly pleasant car to drive but Im sure with some modern shocks and geo it would have been better. Again a halo car. But is it really? I suspect those paying big $$$ for them now, even if they were a bit dissapointed by the car once they drove it probably wont say anything to upset the myth. I guess theres plenty who covert these cars but have never owned them to understand really what they are about. Mostly today compared to other offerings the money would bring the differences are subtle and for 6 figures sums could be a little underwhelming. If you want to start a museum however these are great places to start.

Lastly something Graeme touched on. Im yet to test this as Ive never owned a Porsche that's newer than 5-6 years old (one generation), but I suspect the best was to go fast reliably with as little unexpected financial drag as possible is to buy a new or near new performance car and benefit form all of the latest technology. Cars like the 991 GT3 today are built to cover all bases much better than previously - from DD to fast road and track cars like the new M4, the 1M, the GT3 et al are built out of the box to give most things to most people. If you can only have one car and you have the budget for a 1-2 year old used example or an ex UK import I think there could be much value in clearing the garage and simplifying life this way. Of course I cant tell you if I believe this till I try so I guess its watch this space really. However for someone who has limited space, time and resources to keep 3-4 oldish cars and live with their invariable follies and compromises and just wants to spend their time and money driving and doing car related activities this could also be a path to Nirvana. I quote guys like Ron here. He has the wherewithal to easily buy any one or many of the desirable classics we mention. Ive asked him about this and although he loves those cars they dont work for him. He want the car to jump in and drive the T*ts off every weekend, every traga tour and as many track days as he can. if it gets dented then so what? They still make them go out and buy another with the insurance cheque etc? Its an interesting philosophy. You dont need to be rich either as many on this forum I know could sell their current "fleet" and buy a single example of what Im talking about thats 1-3 years old and give it a try. I remember years ago talking with Ray Barker about if he missed any of the great cars he (bought new). cars like 993RS, 2.7RS (that wasnt new) RS2 (my old red one) etc. Hes said tehy were all great cars and he enjoyed drivng every one of them but taht the nxt car he bought was often better and he enjoyed driving taht and that for where he was in life his (VW W8 at the time) was also the best car hed ever owned.....go figure.

My big point here is that we are all on different parts of this journey - some have clearer ideas than others on what they want, some are just starting, some have very developed tastes and requirements. In order to know you have to go through a process. And remember there's alot of hype about cars that often is repeated plagarism and you wont really know till you try it. The other things is very few people are truly honest and unbiased about the car they own. Most will tell you all the good points not the bad ones so its sometimes difficult to see the wood from the trees...mostkly though I think until you know what you want try as many things as you can while you can before (or after) the kids arrive and the mortgage becomes mid 6 figures and you start to get grey pubic hair.

Nuff said.

Originally Posted by nzskater

Every time I go into my garage, go to put a parking coupon in my car, or talk to someone about it, I feel good. There's nothing wrong with objectification.

Originally Posted by KiwiSean

Great summary, I must be mental though...

1) Tend to agree but don't live in NZ so don't need daily driver capability.
2) I thought I learned my lesson... I bought a race car with all the RS conversion done, went further and cleaned it up. Cost a fortune but definitely was cheaper than starting with a stock car. However, now it's too nice to really race and I'm shopping again- ahaha.
3) Agree, hard to cut up or mod even an E or T. Better to back date.
4) Doesn't apply to me I guess.

All I know for sure is it ain't cheap, but it is bloody great fun.

Originally Posted by nzskater

Every time I go into my garage, go to put a parking coupon in my car, or talk to someone about it, I feel good. There's nothing wrong with objectification.

Originally Posted by peterC2S

Comment of the day... We understand!