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Porsche Club of America
The Northeast Region

By Steve Boris
NOR'EASTER Online - November 2002

I would like to start this "Carticle" with one of my favorite quotes. See if you can remember the movie that it is from. The quote has to do with Irony.

"Oh Irony, no, no! We don't get that around here. People ski topless here while smoking dope so irony is not really a high priority. We haven't had any irony here since about 1983 when I was the only practitioner and I stopped because I was tired of getting stared at."

As you guessed I am writing about irony. To be more specific how life itself can be ironic. I know you are all dying to figure out how I am going to tie this into something about cars but you'll just have to wait. Fact is I am curious myself.

As a child I was not yet aware of the irony of life but my lessons were coming soon. I grew up as a Christian Scientist (no this isn't the ironic part) and remembered a particular story Mary Baker Eddy once wrote concerning the power of the mind keeping a person young. It told how a young woman whose fiancée never returned from the war and she eventually found herself on the short side of sanity. Once committed to a sanitarium she spent the remainder of her life waiting for him to return. Everyday was the same as the last and the same as the next. She had no concept of passing time. This went on well into her seventies but the people who saw her would have bet that she was a woman in her twenties.

Now as the goof that I am, and was, I didn't quite grasp the point she was trying to make. I'm thinking crazy has its benefits. So while other kids were dreaming of being a fireman, doctor, lawyer, even racecar drivers, I wanted to be someone's psychiatric life project. Crazy could be great. You don't have to work much, you get all the art supplies you need, free pudding and maybe you live a few extra years.

The ironic thing is that the crazier I tried to become, the saner I became. The other side of this is, have you ever met someone who tried so hard to do everything right and be as sane as they can be? They're the nuttiest people on the planet. That's justice for you!

My present situation and is just as ironic. I joined the Porsche Club back in the Fall of 1998 and spent 1999 as my first year at the track really learning to drive and appreciate my 1990 944 S2. Three years later I am the VP of Administration of the club. I spend on an average 10 to 12 hours a month either writing my articles, going to board meeting, organizing events and returning emails to people who either don't subscribe to the Nor'easter or can't read them. All in all I enjoy it and have decided to stay on as VP of Admin. for a second year. Eventually I may become President of the club. The sad part of all this is that I only spent about 6 or 7 hours in a Porsche this year. The problem with owning just a race Porsche is you can't go out a drive whenever the mood strikes you.

I decided that I should either join the Ford F-350 Diesel Pickup Truck Club or try to get my hands on a Porsche for the street. I opted for the second idea since I still have all my teeth. The only problem was that I have no money left over after spending it all on my racecar this year.

So the search began. I looked in the want ads, Panorama, Excellence, the Internet and on eBay. For the money I could spend I would probably have to buy a rolling chassis and a separate motor that didn't run, but I wasn't looking for a project car. I was looking for a nice daily driver with a little flash. The other requirement was incompatibility with racecars. I didn't want another 944. I figured if something happened to my 944 Turbo racecar I would come home and strip parts off of my streetcar. The other consideration was not to get a Carrera Sunroof coupe that I could turn into another racecar. Since I always like the Targas and Cabriolets it seem appropriate to look for one of those.

Well, I spent many days searching the web for a nice car. At one point I even considered an older Ferrari 308 GT4 (the Bertone bodied 4 passenger car that came out before the Magnum PI body style) but again I belong to the PCA. The search finally ended when I visited PAR CARS website and looked though their used car listings. To give you a little background PAR is located in New Rochelle, NY and does a lot of consignment selling of Porsches. They are also a dealer of Recaro seats. I went over and over PAR's listing also looking at the attached photos. I actually looked heavily at 2 cars. A 1983 white Euro SC Cabriolet and a 1992 black 968 Cabriolet. Both were listed at $19,900. A bit high for someone with no money lying around but since there is a lot of money out there, I should be able to get my hands on some. It just so happens that both cars had prospective buyers. So I chatted with Joe for a while and he pointed out that he had a real nice red 1984 Carrera Targa with high miles (151,000) that had been very well cared for. The car was owned by a well-to-do custom boat builder that enjoyed the car, and had it serviced properly, but it still was 19 years old. The asking price was $14,900 and Joe mentioned that it would eventually need a clutch.

Still not knowing how I was going to pay for a car I looked into financing it. It just so happens that PAR works with a couple of banks and Joe checked around for me. In a couple of days he called me to let me know that I could finance that entire amount of the car. This was good since I had enough to pay for registration and taxes. So I decided to drive out to PAR and look at the Targa.

Bosco and I headed out Saturday morning for the 3 1/4 hour ride. When we got there the car was dead center in the showroom (it's all about presentation) surrounded by a number of beautiful Porsches. First impression was that the car was a little rougher than I expected. I knew I didn't have a lot to spend but I didn't want a project car. Upon closer inspection with notes from friends that own Carrara's on what to look for, the car turned out to be not that bad at all. It has a few little things that need attention but basically this was a good solid car that has been well maintained mechanically and the body was straight. There were however a few leaks underneath where the transmission meets the motor. If I had PAR do the clutch they could put new seals in and fix all the leaks while the engine was out. Still $15,000 seemed high for my budget, so I decided to think about it and told Joe that I would be in touch. So Bosco and I decided to take a walk around PARs neighborhood for a while. When we got back to the truck we went back in to look at the car again. I asked Joe if the $14,900 was at all flexible. Apparently that is what the owner wanted so I decided to offer $13,000 for the car. I told Joe that I wanted the car but the $14,900 seemed high. I then started my drive home making several calls to friends for their advice. I got Gail Riley on the phone to ask her opinion since she also has Binky, a red 1984 Carrera Targa that has less than half of the mileage than mine and is in really nice shape. She got onto the Internet and according to N.A.D.A. the car was worth $15,300 with a $400 deduction for high mileage. That's where PAR arrived at $14,900. After speaking with a couple of friends the consensus was that if the seller took $13,000 it would be a bargain. I would always be able to sell the car for what I paid. Joe then called me to tell me the buyer would let it go for $13,000. Now all I have to do is get the clutch and extra stuff done so I can take it home.

Two weeks later Bosco and I headed out with the trailer to bring it home. The paper work was handled through the mail so that was all done by the time all the work was done. The final tally with all the repairs and no more leaks was $16,000 and I picked the car up on Saturday October 19th. For the past 2 days I have been cruising around with the top off and having a blast. The good news is that the car is better than I could ever have hoped to get for the money. Now I actually feel bad because the car was worth all of the $14,900.

Fortunately, I am a single guy with no one depending on me. There is no way I could be so financially reckless if I had a family. I am a firm believer in living now because you never know what will happen tomorrow. Last year my mom passed away suddenly at age 66. Her life's planning all of a sudden didn't really mean a great deal. It may not be the smartest thing to do but it's my way. Another small bit of irony is that I picked up the car exactly 1 year from the day my mom passed away. I was completely unaware of this until I spoke with my sister that Saturday night and she reminded me of the date. For some strange reason my brain never recorded that date. Funny how I was forced to remember it and it only cost me $16,000.

I just see so many people that live every day worrying about having enough money for when they are age 65. This means that right now they are probably going without some things they wish they had. The last thing I would want to do at the age of 60 is realize that I could have done a certain thing earlier. I already have that regret. Having bought my first Porsche in 1985 I waited until 1998 to join the PCA. Think of the fun I could have had.

I took the car to one of my clients on Tuesday and as I was getting out of the car one of the employees came out and saw the car. Later while walking through the halls someone passed me and commented that I must be doing really well to be driving a car like that. When I told him that I probably paid less for the Porsche than he paid for his Camry, he was clearly disappointed. Yet another person afraid to go for it.

Now I guess I go both ways. Water-cooled and oil-cooled.

Before I sign off I would like to thank Joe and Paul at PAR for doing everything possible to get me the car I wanted. When Joe told the seller that I only wanted to offer $13,000 he asked Joe what he thought. Joe voiced his selling philosophy that the first person that is interested in the car should buy the car. The seller said " then why are we having this conversation, sell it to him for $13,000." So if you are looking for a nice street or track Porsche give Joe a call. He will do what ever it takes to get you the car you want. Besides that he is a club racer and is very visible at the tracks so he is not interested in just making a sale.

So remember my Driver's Window is now open on the track and the street!

The Vent Window

I have come to realize that humans are just like every other living thing on the planet. As things grow older their color starts to fade. Many people don't seem to acknowledge this because if they did you wouldn't see people that think they can look younger simply making their hair jet black or bright red.

Personally I think it is all part of the Divine Plan and dates back to early man. As humans got older they started to also get slower and easier to catch and eat. So by having their colors fade they could blend into their surroundings better to avoid being hunted. I am sorry to say that it didn't always work. It was always those brightly colored animal furs and feathers that gave them away.

Anyway, everyone knows the body changes. The skin starts to get lighter and lose its rosy glow, the hair starts to get gray or white, the eyes become softer and of course the butt becomes more for sitting and less for spanking. These are things we can't escape and the more you worry about them the more they will rule you. There are ways we can put off the change, working out, eating right, you know all the stuff you hate to do but should.

But don't feel alone; things in nature go through the same process. Even the brightly colored flowers in the field will eventually find the color of their petals slipping away. The only difference is that we can add new pedals when our old ones start to look faded. I suppose that's one of the reasons for me getting my new Targa.

Maybe someone will pick me someday. Although with my luck is I will end up getting crushed between 2 pages for all eternity. I just hope there are some pretty pictures to look at.

Porsche Club of America The Northeast Region

Porsche Club of America
The Northeast Region