Your car journey - How did you end up with a Porsche?

[andygo]

I was thinking (weather is wet and nasty, nothing on the telly, I'm bored), that there is such a diversity of Porsche owners on here, what made you converge and buy a Porsche?

In 2015 I bought my first Porsche, a tasty, but leggy 2009 Boxster S. It had done circa 60,000 miles, but had a great spec incuding PCCB, Sports Chrono, PASM etc. I bought it from a friend who had no mechanical sympathy or aptitude and had left it, a bit neglected, at his mum's for several months.

I'd always fancied a Boxster and bought it. Once I had cheered it up I flogged my Golf GTi and it became my daily driver.

Whilst fairly reliable, It always used a bit of oil and when it got to a stage of 1L per 1,000 miles it was time for it to go. I'd had it checked for bore score, but Autofarm said it was fine, but let it go for little money in the end.

My next car was a Golf 7.5R which whilst fast, leaned a lot in corners. Afte less than a mile on the clock, my wife remarked "Well, it's not a Porsche is it"?

After a couple of years I chopped it in for a 20,000 mile old 987 S, followed a year later by a 981 S which was loads better. I swapped that 10 months later in July 2022 for a 25,000 mile old 2016 Cayman GTS with lots of options including mechnical LSD on top of the usual stuff. I'm super happy with this car, and as the old saying goes, 'It's a keeper'. Well thats true until the next shiny car crops up..

I like the practicality, performance, handling, comfort and the noise. Oh yes, the noise, lol. Its fab. Although I put a Carnewal on the original Boxster, complete with a visit to Belgium to having it installed, the standard sports exhaust  is a better option, lol. Another thing I like is the looks. They just look fab, some cars just give you a heavy heart feeling when you walk up to them, know what I mean?  Porsche Boxster/Caymans just exude grown up fun. (No, not that sort, I meant driving!)

What's your story?

Edited December 27, 2022 by andygo

[Paul P]

I went for a curry with a mate who I used to work with.  Came home with his 911 SC. Had it for 18 months.  Didn’t love it,  traded it and a year old focus for an Audi a4 cab. 
 

had that for 13 years.  Spent 10 of them wanting another 911.  Went to Le Mans with same 911 mate and talked about what 911 I wanted.  
 

he said “Boxster”. I argued and resisted 
 

Lot of shop dithering and about 2 years passed.  Another couple of Le Mans.   By then 911 mate had a 997 turbo. 
 

I came home, drove a couple of 987 and decided to look in anger.  Four or five test drives later I bought my 1st 987.2.  Liked it but really it was a stepping stone to find out what I really wanted.

 

 Then @iborguk spotted the car with the spec I had wanted in the colour I wanted with solid history and low mileage and “helped” (tm) me decide to buy it. 

Nicknamed it the “bluenicorn”  what I like most is the stupid grin when I drive it   Doesn’t have to be a fast run jus that’s to be about the journey not the destination   

3 years in and loving it.  I feel there’s another 911 in me but it’s an an “and” not an “or” 

good thread…. 

[Davey P]

My Porsche story is quite short, and well documented on here.  I bought my first Porsche a few years ago after many years of half decent motors including Nissan 200 SX, Escort RS Turbo ( + various other "fast Fords"), Audi 90, various MX-5's, Toyota MR2 T-Bar, etc.  But, like many on here, I've had a hankering for a Porsche for ages, and after paying off my mortgage and having a bit more disposable income to play with, I decided to take the plunge.  First one was a Boxster, and it cost me a fair amount in the first few months of ownership (£4K-ish in total) thanks to me not doing my homework, and buying the first one I saw 

Fast forward about a year, and sadly my father passed away, so I found myself with a £24K inheritance that I didn't really need.  The obvious thing to do was spend it all on another, newer Porsche (as you do...).  I sold the Boxster to one of the members on here, and decided to get a Cayman because... well... it's just about the most perfect and beautiful car on the road today - Er... in my humble opinion, of course   Once again, I ended up buying the first car I viewed, but this time the budget was £28K, which took me firmly into low mileage 981 territory, and this is what I ended up buying:

I don't think I could be happier with this car, it's everything I hoped it would be and more.  Stunning to look at, brilliant to drive, and totally reliable.  Oh, and pretty quick when you prod the loud pedal 

That's me anyway, thanks for reading my story 

[Boxer boy]

Just fin uni back in 86 and went car hunting with my dad .armed with £3 K .We came upon a used car lot with red 924  from 79 with 105 K miles .That black/ white pasha interior and the whole transaxle thingy.It seemed a leg up from my mates XR3 s and G GTis .

I kept it 3 yrs running it up to 130K uneventfully .( work went well ) and pex d it for a 87 D 911 black and black with 23 k in 89 .I had to wait until I was 25 for 911 insurance.

Pulled a bird who I eventually married .As a young couple we went all over in it , Cote d Azur , Spain , Switzerland etc .

 

She got pregnant ( as they do ) so in 94 on 130 K miles  I traded it for a 968CS brand new .I retro fitted a rear seat for the spots baby carrier .

Twas awkward twisting with the buckets folded back getting the little  sod in he was a big baby and grew rapidly.So I folded Porsche.

Went down the 4x4 route ( another baby also arrived ) 

A jeep Cherokee, 6 full fat RR , X 6 and finally back into pork with a Cayenne 4.6 s .Bought it on 60 K and ran it up to 160K miles .

Retired and wanted something eco so got an Audi Q3 TDi for 6 yrs .

Numbingly boring to drive .Then a new OPC opened up 4 miles from our house = enter Macan DS .Kids long gone flown the nest .

Wanted a little cheap run about with driving feel emphasise.

The Macca reignited the pork spark which tbh never really extinguished.I know it’s a suv all 2000 kgs ….but it felt like my previous pork behind the wheel .

 

Harked back for a flat 6 ……while you can still drive full fat dinosaur cars .

All ready been through as a 3 rd car a Testarossa and in 2002 a Ferrari 360 M F1 …..so knew  the difference between a true mid engined and others .Not Phased at all by the poor man’s Porsche misconception of the boxster .Had a 911 anyhow and the F cars which trump any pork .

 

It’s part of a 5 car group and I wanted the cabriolet thingy , the F6 and the mid engine .Also delving deeper hydraulic PS, a NA motor  and a more raw zingy feel of 987.2 .Not super bothered about outright 0-60 times so a boggo 09 2.9 in a easy keep clean grey fitted the bill .Bought it on 87K miles as my previous porks stud up to miles .

 

The boxster lives with a Ferrari GT4 , Austin healey frog eye sprite , Macan , and Hyundai i10 and a Montesa cota 247 trial bike .

 

I realise for a lot of folk on here the boxster is there only taste of pork ……and / or  they are brainwashed into newer is better the smouldering -  718 4 banger turbo argument.

 

Each to there own on that .

37 yrs of Porsche with a middle void for family reasons .

 

[Stuno1]

I like these threads. Always like Porsche but couldn’t always afford the ones I liked. I almost bought a cayenne 9 years ago as a one car garage but it just wasn’t exciting enough and I bought a Lexus isf instead. 
 

We even bought a family car and I had the chance to get a 997 991 carrera s but bought a lotus Evora s sports racer instead. It just ticked more boxes for me at the time. 
 

Before I bought my 981 cayman s I was ready to buy a jag f-type v8 but it just wasn’t sporty enough for me. There would have to be a very special 2 seater come along to stop me buying another cayman when I come to change this one. 

[daz05]

I had always admired them but for a long time I didn't really want one, in fact I enjoyed driving the underdog cars that would give them a hard time.

The Boxster and Cayman models back then didn't do it for me and I didn't have any faith in the reliability of the 996 and earlier 997 cars so gave them a wide berth. Instead I owned a series of M cars and some Japanese cars like the S2000.

But it was only a matter of time, I've always preferred naturally aspirated cars especially the ones that like to rev. One day my friend let me try out his 997.1 3.8 and the penny dropped.

After coming from the S54 and S65 M engines it was true that the standard engines weren't quite so exciting (GT cars excluded) but it struck me that the handling, body control, controls, feel and sense of occasion were significantly better.

I decided to go for a 981BS and a Golf R daily combo, you all know the time and spend I've put into the 981 but it's a keeper, absolutely love it and now a Cayenne has joined the party.

I've now grown very fond of the 987 R and I would like a 997.2. The 991.1 is worth skipping, driven several but the 981 beats it hands down. the .2 could be my next one but the 981 stays!

Edited December 27, 2022 by daz05

[ATM]

My love for the brand started in 2002. We were at an experience day at Thruxton where you get to drive a selection of different cars on track. Long story short the stand out car was a tired Boxster S. It just felt so so much better than all the other road cars on offer on the day. 

 

So that's when I realised that all the talk about hair dressers car was rubbish. I bought my first Porsche soon after that. It was a 986 facelift and I've had a few since. I've currently got 4 outside the house which is probably 1 or 2 too many. 

 

I can't help thinking that in a few years time that having and driving cars like this will get harder snd harder or made more difficult. So in the meantime I'm doing my best to get my seat time Up.

 

I used to live in the middle of nowhere and driving these cars on fun open roads was a daily occurrence for Me. Now I live in a city my driving is a bit different. Its all speed humps and traffic jams. So yeah nowadays I find myself driving the Van sometimes but only because it needs driving occasionally. 

 

[½cwt]

My story is really left field.

I was given a company car in 2017 and after a bit a sold my then practical Mk6 Golf TDi Match Tech for just over £5k.  This proceeded to smoulder in my pocket for a while as I scanned AT ads for possible another Scooby (Had 2 Legacy and 3 Impreza turbos previously) but only really wanted a classic Impreza.  I then landed on a crazy idea, what a bout an engine format I'd not had before, so started looking at V8s or 5 pots as even a rotary.  I was homing in on an S4 or 645 of some sort but started getting scared of electronics as I still wanted to be able to fix most of the things on what I bought, then in a more general search a string of sub £5k 986s (Flat 6, so a new engine format even though not more cylinders, as I'd had an inline six and a couple of V6s before) came up.  Discarded a few but bought the first one I actually drove (a 2000 986S) for £4850.  4 and a bit years later it is the single vehicle I have owned for the longest time.

[Menoporsche]

I'm no particular fan of Porsche as a marque, any more than any other marque.

First car was a not very fast 2 seater convertible. I learned the difference between speed and fun, and it felt fast and was fun until I spent more time fixing it than driving it. Lived with it for 4 years (yes I did the Christmas Tree on the passenger seat thing). Loved my 205 GTIs, disliked my classic Impreza turbo (all speed but with lag, no fun). Blah blah travel, blah blah family.  Tried to get a Caterham but the delay to get it through Portuguese customs was too long. Got my final allocation of tax-free car and decided YOLO. Looked around for the best, most fun 2-seater convertible within budget and it was the Boxster - not before the budget had been stretched to the absolute limit as I went from 986 to 987.

Like many here I love driving it but hardly ever get the time/occasion to. Sad. But it still makes me smile, even in the garage. The colour helps  

[iborguk]

I had driven a mix of cheapish convertibles (astra/saab 93) and non-fun cars (including a zafira for 10 years, don't ask , there were always other priorities).

I hit a milestone birthday year and the itch for something different to drive kicked in, the classic "mid-life opportunity".

For years the dream car was always a 911 and I finally drove one, a 996. It didn't gel with me (horses for courses).

 

@Paul P had recently acquired his first Boxster and having seen it and having driven another one locally my enthusiasm for this mid-engined car was lit.

The first car in September 2018 was an OPC provided 987.1,  6 speed 2.7 in Atlas Grey. 

It was probably the cheapest car in their network at the time and I wanted the most bullet proof ownership experience I could have with the Porsche warranty. 

I fell head over heels, it was a brilliant car and I stuck 12k miles on it, using it at every opportunity. I knew I was onto a winner when I was grinning all the way home from collecting it. Talk about a mood enhancer.

If that car was available today and I had the money I'd buy it back in a heart beat.

Brilliant handling and a raw driving experience at any speed.

Fast forward 18 months or so.

After driving a PDK, which I thought I'd hate but didn't, I got the itch to move onto something a little different and slightly more modern.

 

In July 2020 I part-ex'd the 987.1 for a 987.2 2.9 PDK in Basalt Black from Paragon.

A different experience and still brilliant to drive. Again a "keeper" or so I thought...

 

Due to a life event, an opportunity came up in May this year to look at something else and when a uniquely well spec'd 718 PDK came up I grabbed that opportunity with both hands. I wanted a rude colour and I found the "one".

Again totally different experience, yup it "blub, blub, blubs", pulls like a train and is like sitting in iPhone with all its gizmos.

 

So that's the Boxster journey so far, I feel fantastically lucky to have experienced the Boxster as a car, it's a mid-engined, mood enhancing foil.

If it all ends tomorrow, it's been a blast and some new friends and good memories have been made, which is partly what it's all about, for me.

I wish everyone a happy new year and health to enjoy yours.

 

 

[eob]

Great thread.

I had always admired Porsche from when I was a kid. I never rated Ferrarri or Lamborghini.
From an early age, my dad always had a thing for VWs and I always considered German engineering to be the best. My grandad used to have Hillmans, Minis and Vauxhalls and the VWs of the time just felt better.

My initial car history was a bit shyatee to be honest. Started off with Ford, then a couple of Vauxhalls then peaked at a BMW 530d Sport. An absolute beast of a car which I had right up until the sprogs came which meant that it had to go for a succession of family movers.

By this point though I got my first company car which meant that I could again indulge myself in German Marques.
VW Passat followed by a Passat CC which was an amazing car. Then an Audi A4 Avant Black Edition, Mercedes C300h Estate mild hybrid, BMW 330e PHEV and currently a BMW iX3 BEV.

How does this lead to Porsche?
I always considered the marque unobtainable to me however tragically I lost my wife 4 years ago at 40 years old and with the mortgage paid and a different attitude on life when I saw a pristine SLK for sale I thought why the hell not. During the second hand car madness last year I sold that car for a profit after 2 years of fun motoring.

During summer 2022 I did miss not having a toy to play with and I ummed and ahhed about getting into a Porsche.
Once again though I was reminded that life is too short when a workmates adult son was killed when out cycling and before long I found myself on a train on my way to pick up my 2007 Boxster.

Is it my "car for life" I doubt it, but I'd like to always have a Porsche in the stable.

[Baldrick]

Enjoying all the stories.

Mine relatively simple - nuts on cars and bikes since I was small and have owned over 100 now with a preference for Mercedes quality having done the fast Ford/Vauxhall GTE thing in my late teens early 20s.

A bike accident a few years back sent me down the 4 wheel toy route and whilst Porsche had always been a dream marque for me I always thought 'out of my reach.'

By happenstance I picked up a cheap 2001 2.7 986 which I didn't appreciate at the time was a good spec. and good history. The awe of actually owning a Porsche plus IMS paranoia meant I polished it more than drove it and let it go after 2 1/2 years.

A succession of other sports cars followed, Lotus, TVR, Jag XK V8 but knew deep down the Boxster sale was a mistake so bought a leggy poverty spec 2004 2.7 from a trusted dealer with the intention of using it, which I did. A lot.

A work colleague kept badgering me to sell it to him so I did so and bought a great spec lower mileage 2000 2.7 from a trusted specialist on here. This one is a keeper and with the good fortune to be able to go part time in 2023 it may become my only car as the Mrs has the family car which we use when we all go out.

Thanks for all the interesting stories on here and best wishes for 2023 to you all!

Andy

[moospeed]

I’ve had sports cars and minis throughout my driving life since building a Westfield in my teens.  A variety of lightweights mainly but with some heavier diversions, E30 M3 amongst them, and some motorbikes.

I did a decade in various Lotuses but after a rough encounter with a woefully unreliable 300bhp S1 Elise I decided to try something more sensible.  I’d always been fairly keen on the Boxster and can remember looking across the rear arches and boot on my Fiat Barchetta and thinking “such a cool design, almost like a Boxster” - a car which was well outside my budget at the time.

However, I also had reservations.  Many years before I’d been out in my mates air cooled 911, they hadn’t invented watercooled 911s at that point. I thought it was a dreadful thing, noisy, slow and massively heavy feeling.  In fact he was quite put out when I asked what was wrong with it.  My Westfield only had a 110-120bhp xflow but felt alive compared to this fat German squashed Range Rover. Gutted…

It might have been that, and the fact I’d just come from a 750kg Elise, that when it came to test drive a 986S I just found it dull.  Sure it was practical, it sounded OK but too quiet, performance was again merely OK, I wasn’t wowed.  I figured it would do to tide me over and perhaps I could tune it so put in an offer but the seller wanted full asking price.  The next day I was trying out a VX220 Turbo (that Lotus connection hadn’t left me) and instantly I felt back at home.  A wheel which is alive in your hand, a properly hard shove in the back performance, Sold!!

And that was it until a rare model of Elise came available close to me, it was the same as my first one which I’d always missed, an SVA Sport 160 for those in the know.  It was a stretch and I knew I’d have to get rid of the VX as I’d put the Elise on the mortgage but for a couple of months this was the best garage I’ve had.  Hardtopped Tubby if it was cloudy and open topped Sport 160 if it was clear blue sky 😛

 

That Elise stuck with me for 7 years, 4 years longer than any previous ownership, so yeah I was a big fan and considered it a keeper.  Two things happened in 2019 though, it had doubled in value and my mum died. The latter made me re-evaluate stuff as you’d expect, and the fact that the Elise had gone up in value meant I was less inclined to use it and also I wanted a car that I could take my Dad out in on some jaunts whilst I’ve still got him.  The Elise sold for a decent price and it only took a few grand more to be eyeballing 981s as a suitable practical option for the job in hand.

When test driving the 981 I was very very impressed.  OK it wasn’t going to have that same level of driver involvement I’d got used to, I’d accepted that would be the case but it was better than expected. I fell in love with the engine note, and there’s no doubt about the fact it’s a far better continent crosser than any Elise.

Was my Porsche reluctance based on a slow heavyweight 911 and a dull 986S justified? Maybe I didn’t get enough seat time in both to find any nuggets of appreciation or maybe they were both duffers.  But I’m so glad to have bought this one, I’ve already had a few adventures which just wouldn’t have happened if I’d kept the Sport 160 - plus I don’t care if it devalues with use and I’m not going to be shy about using this.  The smile per mile cost is absolutely worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

[Oldboy 63]

I have always liked cars  but during my working life had the usual things mortgage,children etc.So once l was lucky enough to retire early with no mortgage and kids sorted ln there own properties it was time to look at cars l could never have have considered earlier in my life.

We was away for a few  days and out walking when we walked passed a boxster and the wife said that looks nice and from there it started.Many years have passed which have included  a 987,981 and 2 x 996 C4.My current 996 C4 is now the keeper ,don’t do my miles in it put it’s just a joy to drive and as some have said you don’t need to drive it fast all the time ,l just like driving it and seeing it in the garage,which my kids think is mad but l don’t care.

[Topbox]

My car thing started when I was a child in the 60's. My Dad was a transport manager and work was full of nice cars, Jags, Rovers, Humbers, the odd Rolls and the occasional exotic Italian or thunderous Yank. Germans, pah  they made Beatles and that 911 thing was a big Beatle and sounded rubbish. 

Could not wait to drive, past my test quick, (Vauxhall Viva HC btw) and before the old man could fix me up with a car I lost the back end of a mates souped up Mk1 Cortina at speed, overturned and was very lucky that the passenger and I walked away with  cuts and bruises. No seatbelts, airbags not invented.  The car was a wreck, and looked a bit like a corkscrew. 

That put 3 points on my fresh licence, dented my pocked and slowed me down. Had practical cars thereafter untill and Astra GTE in the early 80''s, then kids, so various estates and people carriers, mostly Fords. My dad had a healthy cynicism towards all cars. A good one being any one that started first touch. That attitude rubbed off a good bit and I was quite content with family barges.

I did note Porsche introducing the Boxster in the late 90's and liked it a lot, particularly the price. I made a note that if I had a mid life crises in about five years I might be able to afford one. But then my dear wife became pregnant again, aged 40. Doctors, what do they know ! 

So fast forward it's 2014 my wife has Parkinson's disease, I'm getting old but daughter 3 of mid 90's vintage is off to Uni. and I start to wonder. Found this forum in the August, purchased a 986 in the November. Never looked back, wish I had dived in sooner but with family health issues in the mix some restraint was required. 

My dad died a few months before I purchased the Boxster. I could just hear him cheerfully ribbing me in his Geordy accent - " you've brought a 12 year old Porsche, bl**dy sports car, rides like a brick, been thrashed to death no doubt,  you must be bl*"dy crackers son"

So glad I did. On my third Boxster now. Great fun and made some good friends here who have been most generous in the support and help they have offered to myself and my wife on fun trips away to Europe and within the UK.

To top it all my 981 is featured for May in the BoXa calender 2023. 😁 I note friends  cars make up almost half the other entries, well done fellas ! 

[moospeed]

17 hours ago, Boxer boy said:

…as a 3 rd car a Testarossa and…

 

Zinga!!!

This grabbed my attention, my dream car. Tell me, was it a dream, or a nightmare…

I’ve done serious calculations on pre-spending inheritance for one of those before they become the reserve of a millionaire’s plaything.

[Ninesomething]

Oyyy. Ist car - triumph vitesse convertible. Bloody thing put me off convertibles for life. Not the convertible part but the rest of it. Hillman imp with 1.0 engine. Vauxhall VX4/90. Capri 2.0. Vauxhall Ventora. At some point around now lapsed back into covertibles and had a Sunbeam alpine but with a hardtop. Dodge challenger 340 r/t. Plymouth Barracuda. Alfasud Sprint veloce. Alfa GTV Bertone 2.0. Alfetta GTV. Alfa 75 twinspark. Alfa 75 3.0. Mitsubishi FTO. Can't remember why. Subaru Forester turbo S. Subaru Forester 2.5 turbo XT. Citroen C5 tourer. Citroen C5 tourer. Boxster 987 2.7. Boxster 987 S.

Lot of bikes along the way too but that's another story.

[andy_l]

Short answer: I'm getting old and have a bad back, so my beloved Lotus Elise had to be replaced by something comfy and practical. Nothing else offers such a blend of fun, character and practicality.

 

Before and after:

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by andy_l
Add pics

[Bike Loon]

At the time I had a old 2003 Golf V5 2.3 (don't judge!) having had pretty much every performance car from the 90's you could shake a stick at. 14 years ago  I was at the stage where I was not so bothered about fast cars as had the litre sports bike for going fast.

We were having a conversation at work about what was an acceptable 2 seater convertible to own and of course whittled it down and one of the answers was the Boxster. This was on a Tuesday and I was on rest days on the Weds and Thursday, came back to work on Friday with my 986S.

I had looked on Auto Trader the Tuesday night, contacted a localish one (30 miles away) and arranged to go look at it the Weds morning. Knew nothing about them, had done zero research, went for a test drive and loved it. Asked the guy why he was selling it, he was a self employed photographer, work had dropped off etc etc so he needed to sell it. Seeing an opportunity I asked him what he was going to do for a replacement and long story short I sold him the Golf and he sold me the Boxster. 

I actually took the Boxster home that day and popped back up the following day with the V5 etc for the Golf!

 

I was lucky, it turned out to be a good car and cost me very little, it had 75,000 miles on when I bought it and 110,000 when I sold it some years later.

[andygo]

Hopefully not derailing the theread, but my wife suggested I list our cars owned - so not including various company cars that we have been custodians of.

In a rough sort of chronological order, from my first car when I was 17 on:

Morris Minor 1000, Hillman Imp, Anglia 1200, Austin 1100, Escort Mk1 van,Escort Mk1 x2,Saab 96, Fiesta 1.3 sport,Escort Mk 1 Mexico x 2, Escort mk2 1300 (the Beige Bin), Escort Mk2 1.1, converted to RS spec, Mk2 RS2000 x 3, RS2000 tarmac rally car x 2, Ex Ford works RS1600i rally car, Escort MK3 rallycar, (converted to RWD with a normall y aspirated Cosworth engine), MK5 Escort RS2000 Rally car, Mk3 Cortina, Mk1 Golf GTi x 2, XR3i, Golf GTI x 4, VW Corrado 16v, Sierra Cosworth x 2,  Mazda 4x4 turbo thing, (Horrible heap),  Saphire 4x4 Cosworth, Golf GTi edition 30, BMW 318 iS, Audi TT x 2 , Audi 80 Quattro, MINI Cooper S x 2,  Golf GTi MK 5, Honda Civic Type R x 4 (long story) Lotus Elise 111 S, Subaru wrx classic, Subaru STI 8, Golf GTI Mk6, Golf R 7.5, 987.1 Boxster S, Cayman 987.2S, Cayman 981 CS, 981 Cayman GTS, 2 x Vito vans (for towing race cars), 4 x Formula Ford 1600 race cars. I may have missed some. but thats around 60 cars!

Some were great, some were amazing, some were a product of their time and appropriately pants, lol. Most seemed like a good idea at the time... Thats a lot of cars, and I'm only 26 years old! 

I'm not even going to mention the various company cars we have had - some good, some awful. (Looking at you, horrendous, nasty, poverty spec Vauxhall Meriva imposed on my wife for a couple of months by her company and subsequently followed by a Focus Estate made from the cheapest plastic known to man! Was eventually sorted with a Golf Estate. )

Edited December 28, 2022 by andygo

[½cwt]

2 hours ago, JonSta said:

Oyyy. Ist car - triumph vitesse convertible. Bloody thing put me off convertibles for life. Not the convertible part but the rest of it. Hillman imp with 1.0 engine. Vauxhall VX4/90. Capri 2.0. Vauxhall Ventora. At some point around now lapsed back into covertibles and had a Sunbeam alpine but with a hardtop. Dodge challenger 340 r/t. Plymouth Barracuda. Alfasud Sprint veloce. Alfa GTV Bertone 2.0. Alfetta GTV. Alfa 75 twinspark. Alfa 75 3.0. Mitsubishi FTO. Can't remember why. Subaru Forester turbo S. Subaru Forester 2.5 turbo XT. Citroen C5 tourer. Citroen C5 tourer. Boxster 987 2.7. Boxster 987 S.

Lot of bikes along the way too but that's another story.

A lot of flat engines in that history!! 👍

[Boxer boy]

3 hours ago, moospeed said:

Zinga!!!

This grabbed my attention, my dream car. Tell me, was it a dream, or a nightmare…

I’ve done serious calculations on pre-spending inheritance for one of those before they become the reserve of a millionaire’s plaything.

Was pestering the wife we should get a F car ( already had 2 small kids ) .Did a bit of work like U.K. dealers test drove a Mondial and the then ( 90 s ) current 348 , but she did not like them style wise and tbh I turned up on one occasion a 911 which back to back felt faster sharper or my 968 CS which was way better on roundabouts etc .So maybe that was the issue I had set the bar pretty high .

Fast fwd late 90 s returning in a Range Rover from a Swiss ski resort , pulled into a garage for fuel and there was a Testarossa in red on the forecourt for CHF 50K ……which fex ed to £23 K sterling .

A quick test drive , I liked this one and she liked the looks so it was a goer .

£1800 to ship it back and a fresh U.K. MOT + a bit of DVLA form filing and it was U.K. reg d .

Well you know the Ford GT 40 was named because it’s 40 inches tall , Testarossa are 42 inches tall .

The strakes in the doors are air intakes for the two rads to cool it like a F car .It’s predecessor the 512 has a front mounted rad under the bumper and the central water pipes used to defeat the AC and cook the occupants.The Testarossa s AC was ice cold .

Mine was an early 86 with the single spline rudge knock on/ off hub ,You got a huge lead market and ring spanner to remove a wheel .

So how was it ? 
Fast very fast indeed with 390 Ho in a alloy bodied space frame car ,1/2 the rear 1/2 was engine and gear box + rads and you felt it in corners and  braking ,The front when pushed would oversteer as not much weight up front .

The engine is to die for right up its 7700 rpm flat 12 redline .It’s actually a flat V12 not a true boxer btw .

I think it held the Guinness book of records for the fasted acceleration from stands still in 5 th gear .Yup the engine had so much 12 cylinder 5.0 L torque you could do 0 -180 in 5 th missing out the other gears .

This wave of torque meant it flattered drivers as you were never in the wrong gear .

Its was correctly geared all the away up to 186 mph I once saw on the clock before the rev limiter kicked in .

Now my previous Porsches once they hit say 140 it was a slow creep up to max an ice age for a 3,2 Carrara or 968 to reach 160/ 170 respectively.The Testarossa just kept giving acceleration from 140 was no different than say 80 .

Thsts the aero , the 42 inch frontal area coming into play .It’s got a tiny little built in rear lip spoiler on the engine lid .Enzo forbid ugly add ons like say the E30 M 3 evo etc or scoobies of the day .

If you look carefully ( think 84 release date ) it got a deep front spoiler and semi rear diffuser as well as that little lip on the engine hatch .Your eyes miss those taken in by the side strakes etc .

Ferrari invested ( way before others ) in a wind tunnel at Marenello so the road cars got developing sessions .

It was completely flat underneath too .

I sold it for £54 K after 9 yrs .circa 2008 .Just wasn’t getting used ( teenage kids needed running about ) and it did not have power steering making even a Sunday am trip for a paper a struggle with those fat tyre . 500-800 miles between mots .

A bit toppy to run with its engine out 3 yr cam belts .I think I put £10 k into it over 9 yrs Greypaul and Terry keys motorsport .

A Russian bought it ( LHD remember ) and drove off to Moscow in it uneventfully .It never let me down btw .

Edited December 28, 2022 by Boxer boy

[Boxer boy]

Just to add the Testarossa had massive front wheel arch intrusion and huge peddle misalignment .

So with wide cills ( think lotus Elise or Alfa 4 c ) and huge offset I used to get aching hip joints …..if sat in it longer than 1 hr .

Your ar*e is only 4 inches of the road so at night you get a lot of headlight glare from other drivers …unintentionally.

[daz05]

Maybe this is for another thread, but this community is the best of Porsche, generally people that like how they feel and drive.

Without saying too much i've found it's not always like that.

[Toeside]

It all started with a project car as an addition to the two daily's always liked tinkering with the ICE:

Timeline:

A Suzuki SJ413 Samurai, modified it .......... did some off roading

Followed by T5 VW van.......... modified to day camper

Followed by thinking about return to road bikes and ..................... deciding it was a bad idea

Followed by thinking about open top sports car (big shock to me) and purchasing a BMW Z4 3.0 (3 years ownership and absolutely loving it!)

Followed by the first Porsche 987S Wow loved it!

Folowed by a big investment in my present 981S ...........the Black pearl 6 years ago. Love maintaining, driving and modifying.