For two days in a row I have had people come up to me and ask the familiar line, "Hey, what year is that?"

Two days ago, I pulled into my driveway in the mountains and a Jeep Wrangler drove by. Then he stopped and backed up and asked me "What year is that?" Told him and he said he once had TWO of the same model as mine! He laughed and said "Mine used to smoke like that too." Found out he lives on the next block!

Last night I was leaving Costco. Had my seat belt on, lights on, and was ready to back out. This guy ran across the parking lot and said those infamous words "What year is that?" Then the conversation proceeded as follows:
"Did you get a good deal on it?"
"Yes"
"Did you have to do anything to it?"
"I had it repainted and put new floor mats in it."
"It sounds great."
"Thanks."
" I Love These Cars. I've gotta run."

And he proceeded to run back across the parking lot.

I drove home with Permagrin. Well, mostly because I drive 20 miles of twisties to get home.

All of those people don't care what year it is, they all just want the chance to talk to you, didn't you know that?

Instead of the year, I had a guy pull up next to me at a stoplight and yell "Is that a Datsun"??

Last Friday at Whataburger... What year is that? Whata get for mileage?

I have heard what people have said to others as I was driving by...

Son that is an Italian Porsche....

Hey, look, it is one of those 916 Carreras.....

There have been others, but those are my favorites.

My favorite is:
"Is that a real one?"
I respond with "A real what?"

Mark

I had the same thing a couple months ago at school. Some kid asked what year it was, and I told him. He seemed like he didn't really know what it was, but he liked it anyways. He's all, "those are really rare, huh." I was like, "I wouldn't say that, but they are old, and a lot of people aren't willing to put up with their quirks day to day." He told me it looked clean, even though the paint job is completely haggared. I was thinking, "yeah, right", but I thanked him and he was on his way. 914s definitely are a conversation starter, but the first line I usually get is, "Hey, is that thing fast?" My answer's always the same, "Depends one what road you're on."
BTW Toast, I like those roads too. I go play around up there on a regular basis.
Mark D.

At a stoplight in my '71 .... "Hey, that's a classic isn't it?"

"Yeh, and so am I"

I had a guy pull into my driveway one day while I was washing my newly re-painted 74. He had to be around sixty or so. He took a quick look and said he had something to show me. Then he hopped in his truck and took off. He came back about an hour later and gave me a large manilla envelope. Inside was a good size stack of 1970's Porsche literature and some ads torn from magazines of the same time period. He told me his brother had been a real Porsche nut. He said that every time he drove past my house and saw me taking care of my car it reminded him of his brother. He said that it was a nice memory, and he thought his brother would want me to have the small collection of literature. I asked him if he would like to go for a drive, but he declined. I never saw the guy after that. Porsches are great cars and the coolest thing is the pure emotional response that they evoke. I alwas get excited when someone approaches me and my 914. I never grow tired of talking about it.

Wow... That's really cool. I like hearing things like that.

so, my dad and I were going to our local tennis courts (me playing varsity and such )...anyway, the courts are accross the street from a jewish (no offense) building/church, but they live there, so I dont know what it is...so we were parking, and a jewish guy comes up to our car, and gets in the way of me opening the door....almost a minute later, he moves, and as im getting my racquet out of the trunk, he says "what year is this", I respond with " '74". He says "its really nice...really really nice...too nice"...at this point, im very cautious of this man....and since we had no available court anyway, I watched him...the whole time (30 min?) he stood there admiring it...then he just left....weird, but I guess he really liked it...
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another instance, 2 days ago, we are stopped at a light, and my dads on the phone, and a bum, i mean, really drunk-scruffy-bum (no offense to anyone ). comes up to his window and knocks...note the top was off, but he was bent over knocking on the window...and asks what kind of car it is....my dad responds "porsche"...the guy backs up, looks at the car (note him being in the middle of the street), then comes back to the window and asks "what is it"? My dad takes off....it was great.. --JON

The first day I bought my 73. My first fill up in fact. A lady comes from the gas station and asked me what it was. With a huge smile I said "A 1973 Porsche 914". She said it was a beautiful car and I finished filling my tank and off I went. It was great because for the first few weeks while eating I would park my car where I could see it. There were so many people that would stop and look or at least glance as they walked by.

It seems like most guys I talk to have owned one at one time or another in the past... does anyone else get this reply? Were there that many of these built that they could own one?

I'm out driving the LE when a Ford F-150 passes me & suddenly screaches to a halt. I look in the rear view mirror & see this guy franticaly trying to turn his truck around. I keep on going & eventually pull into a 7-11. I come out of the 7-11 & the Ford is right next to Knikki & the guy is creaming in his pants. I ask if I can help him & he asks what year is she. Says he never saw one like that but remembers the cars & has a gift for me. I look at him like he's some sort of lunatic & say "ok?" He reaches into the back of his truck & hands me a jack to a 914-6. I recognized it immediately, but also knew my jack for the LE was in the back of my car & was completely different. He said he' been carrying it around for years & was waiting to see a teener to give it to them. I took it & said thanks. Years later when I went shopping for the six I noticed it was missing it's jack & didn't care. Used that to help lower the price .

The first time I drove mine to work I looked out the 2nd floor window as first shift left. There were about 7 people standing around it.

I like it when people ask what it is and I say Porsche, then I always get "is it fast?" I promptly answer no, and they always have a confused look on their face.

I also enjoy the look on peoples' faces at the gas station. They most think I'm pumping gas ON the engine.

When I had my bug I used to get that all the time, even had a kid ask if it were a Porsche.

Kinda related. In college, 1975 or so, had a 1971 914. Parked outside of a bar. Guy sitting on the hood and I politely asked him to get off, it might scratch the paint. He complied and left.

Couple minutes later he drives over in his 911, shouts out "Sorry I sat on your car" and drove off. I can still hear him cackling, fading into the distance, to this day.

NARP indeed!

biz

Ahhrrrg! ! This is exactly why I wound up the way I feel now. It would have killed me not to shoot his ass ! Especially from an assdragger. You showed remarkable patience .

TOO much patience...

I think anyone who sits on someone elses car shot get a quick kick to the butt .

Anyway, I love going out to the track and having the instructor come up and tell of their 914 stories. I swear that all the old race guys have owned one at one time in their life..... As they should.

My 914 was bought in Germany by a Canadian doctor working on a Canadian Armed forces stationned in Germany in '73. When he came back to Canada, he brought back the teener with him. He sold it some time after and it ended up in my hands in '95.
He stills practices medecine and has an office in Ottawa, about 25 minutes from my place.
He doesn't know the car is still in existence and so close to him... I am trying to finish the retoration on the car, painting it back the original colour and will go visit him at his office, have him look through the window and ask him if this brings back old memories.
Can't wait to see the expession on his face...

Steph

I get nice Miata....

I swear those people need to die. A 914 is nothing like a Miata.

EVERY day out is a new comment.

Today a guy stretched half way out of a slammed honda civic, doing 75, and yelled, "that thing is awesome" with two thumbs up.


It makes me smile every time.

The best stories I have involve kids at car shows,i usually display with both

trunks open. they look in the front then go to the back,and look then ask " Where is the motor"? If there 10 or up I tell them it,s mid engined and show them there responce is usually something like cool.

But the younger ones are fun,I try to get a shocked look on my face ,i look in both trunks and tell them " I don't know it must have fell out" some know i am full of shit. But some times they beleave me. I will ask those " When you are walking around the show if you see one laying on the ground ,come back and tell me.
I have had 1 or 2 come back 2 or 3 times to tell me they are still looking for me . My wife says " I am a mean sick old man" I guess she is right. Dave

TOAST: Do you really think they are looking at your 914,if that is you in your avatar i know what i would be looking at.

I've only had my project 914 a couple of months so far, but i still get comments.....

Mostly......."Nice jack stands!"

Who needs friends anyways....

S.

My favorite recent reaction was the young guy (~20s) leaning out of the passenger window of a Honda with a very animated shoulder shrug and exagerated "What is it?"

My tag surround has the chrome "Volkswagen" script from a Ghia, and I have been asked more than once "Is that a new Volkswagen?"

How do you get jackstands to roll? I want to go to Costco with mine too!!!

Man - I feel terrible when I read shit like this. I must be a bad person - I will absolutely, without a stitch of hesitation, beat the holy hell of any bastard found SITTING ON MY CAR....

He would have said his sorry out of his ass while they were loading him in the ambulance.

Maybe I got problems with anger or whatever, but that is definately a scenario that would make the short list of things that would set me right off.

When I was 17 - I came out of a house party - to find three big ass samoan dudes sitting on the hood of my 1980 Toyota Corolla - They had the frt license plate touching the ground - My friend was with me and he just about shit when I told these three fat bastards to get their asses off my ride. I said "that aint no couch you fat bastards", I must have been raving cause they started apologizing. My point is that in situations like that I have absolutely no control over my actions. I mean shit, they were sitting on my car!!!!

So, Did you get his license number???

Maybe we can look him up....

I have complete control over my actions and I would probably do the same thing, even though my paint is less than perfect. Does that make me a bad person... Maybe...
BTW, I had a guy today at work say ,"Hey, is that a '63." I'm like, "63?!? Nah, it's a '70. They only sold these from 1970-1976." He responded, "Oh..... that's badass." And that was it. He obviously doesn't know anything about it, which is fine, but why not just ask the year instead of pulling some random number out of your ass. 'It's better to be silent and thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.' ....That may sound harsh for such an innocent comment, but I work with the guy, he's a dumbass!
Mark D.

Thats cool - bought my car from the original owner - he bought it new in 1974 while stationed in Virginia. He was beside himself after I finished the first restoration the car. Complete re-paint and 5 bolt conversion. He wanted it back, so be careful.

914 owners are the smartest people on the face of the eath....

By way of comparison all others are dumbasses - so take it easy on him...

I don't know how many of you know this, but in Oregon, you aren't allowed to pump your own gas; it has to be done by a professional. I always pull about 1/4 of the way up to the pump and they usually look at me weird and say, "can I help you?" 'cause I'm blocking the other pump... then I pop the hood and take off the gas cap, and they go ... Wow this is cool, what is it?

I love to go through drive-through coffee places, 'cause I always get a wow, that's cool... what is it?

I've had some pretty cool toys, Harley sportsters & baggers, BMW motorcycles, '68 El Camino SS, '79 Ford Bronco... Maybe not the nicest ones you ever saw, but rigs that get comments, 'cause they have soul... anyhow... the other day was a first for me... I came out of the gym to find a card slipped under my wiper that said: "Nice 914! I'm looking to buy one if you're interested". I was flattered, but I'm not looking to sell this little conversation piece any time soon!

girls tell me it's "cute" ...