Am I losing my mind?, Thoughts of selling 914-6 Options

[vintage914racer]

Recently I've toyed with the idea of selling my factory 914-6 and getting something newer I can squeeze my family in and enjoy together as a family. I've in the stage of life where I work more than I would like, spend less time with my family (son 5, daughter 3) than I would like and don't have a lot of free time to drive the 914-6. I'll probably put 500 miles on it this year.

The 914-6 has been part of my life as long as I can remember. It was my father's and when I was my son's age I remember going on drives in the car in between my parents in the front seat. That, of course, was when it wasn't culturally unacceptable to do something like that. Today my wife frowns upon even driving with one of the kids in the car, so there's a bit of irony I suppose that the car that's part of my familiy memories can't be shared with my own kids.

To that end, I was thinking of a 993 or something bit more modern I could squeeze the kids in and go on Midwest road trips. Coincidentally, the last Porsche my dad owned before passing away in 1999 was a 1995 993, and the choice of a 993 maintains a lot of sentimentality for me.

To this point I've done nothing other than ponder the idea. If I went through with it I'd still, and likely will always, keep the 914-6 conversion that I campaign in a handful of vintage events every year.

Here's a picture of the 914-6 for reference. It's a very solid driver. Rick918-S replaced and repaired the longs and pans several winters ago (extensive thread here) so it's as structurally solid as they come. It has the engine out of a 68S. If I keep it I'd like to get the body fixed up and painted so it's cosmetics match it's mechanical soundness.

[vintage914racer]

You are not out of your mind.

My first ever Porsche was a 1996 993C4S and is one of the few cars I wish I still had. That being said, I can understand that after years of ownership you may want to explore other options. Although the sentimental value is strong with this car, I have no doubt your dad would approve of you getting something you can build memories with your kids (his grandkids) in.

Strangely enough, the 993 was probably the one car I wish my dad had held onto. I distincly remember backing the rear fender into the side of the garage when I was a teenager not knowing that the rear flares would extend beyond the side view mirrors.

I remember that thread. An excellent, sympathetic restoration.

If you sell it, you'll wish you had it back. But, there are worse things than having fond memories. If you buy a 993 to enjoy with your family, you'll be creating your own family heirloom that your kids will remember fondly. It doesn't sound like the 914-6 is going to be a cherished memory for your kids so you're caught in a quandry.

At this point, the -6 is for you. Not to be critical, but the way you present the decision, keeping the -6 would be selfish, especially since you have another 914 to play with. Have you considered selling the conversion and using the real six on track?

I guess for me, the tipping point would be balancing your father's legacy with your own, still to be cemented, legacy. Good luck.

At times I do acknowledge the selfishness of this crazy car habit and that is part of the thought process for selling the blue car. The track car is fully developed and I have a lot of great family members with that car growing up as well.

The reality of the blue car is it sat a lot in the garage when I was a kid. I've probably put 10x the miles on it in the ~18 years I've had it versus the 14 years my parents had it, but the reality is it still rarely gets driven.

My wife is actually against the idea of selling it, which is pretty unusual (in a good way) if you ask me. I have a hard time finding time to fix all the little things on the long list of keeping the car up though.