New or Old cars - how do you decide?, 914 owners are in a unique position Options

[dion9146]

This question really has a couple of purposes, and I know if nothing else I'll get opinions out of you guys. After 18 years of 914 ownership across three different cars, stock, race, and highly modified street, I find myself constantly looking at other P-cars these days. Call it boredom, needing something different, whatever, I'm getting close to selling the little red beast.

But back to my question, and forgive me for maybe thinking out loud on this topic. I'm having a debate with myself, and I need other neurotic car nuts to chime in. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

I consider the 914 to be one of those 'tweener' cars. Old enough to feel like an old car, but still modern enough to feel, well, modern too. I've grown up with old cars my entire life. I enjoy restoring old cars. In 1983, my first car was a 1952 Ford custom, and so it started. But....career, kids, and life in general don't allow a lot of time to work on cars these days, so I'm grateful for having a bulletproof teener that I can generally just get in and drive whenever I want. But, I still find myself looking at older cars - almost picked up a restorable 356 a few months back, I have this thing for early 912s, etc. Restoration costs aside, there is something magical about a restoration that I enjoy.

Then.....I have lots of friends with newer iron. A nice newer Boxster S or 997 would do the trick. I'd still have that reliability I enjoy, and I actually like the newer designs. A friend of mine just picked up a 2005 911 with the aero package, wheels, etc. The car is sweet, and he picked it up for a heck of a deal.

So at the risk of getting a bunch of 914-centric responses, which way do you lean - new or old? By the way, this isn't really a performance question. I know I will give up a lot by getting rid of my car, but for me that's not what it's about anymore.

Dion

OR

[dion9146]

Using a 914 as a DD is a no-go where I live. We may be in the South, but we still get snow! And no, I'm not going to drive a 3.2 powered, flared, wide tired, stiff suspension-ed 914 as an everyday driver in the snow.

I like Scott's thought process. I have used the 914 as a Summer DD a few times this year, and honestly, I got tired of it real quick. The fun factor wears off when all you need to do is go from one client meeting to another, and the only thing you could ever want in life is air conditioning. That could be when the thought of a newer Porsche started creeping into my noggin......

About 10 years ago I owned a 1988 BMW M5. That was a wonderful car and in very good shape for its age at the time. But, just like every other older car, things started to go wrong. Switches, exhaust, engine seals, onboard computer, engine mgmt system, etc., etc., etc. I started feeling like I owned a 944 again, and I grew to hate working on it. That's also when I decided my DD would never be a 'classic' ever again.

So back to the toy car - sandblasting, or carnuba waxing, that is the question....