968Forums.com

Peter B. from Portland Oregon. I just sold a Mercedes 190E 16V Cosworth. I'm looking for the next fun classic car. I am seriously considering the 968. I thought I'd learn more about the car before I buy one.

Welcome!

Peter, welcome and happy hunting. There are a few 968s in Portland, at least 2 others that I know of other than mine. I'm on the east side, both the others are on the west side.

MB968: This is great to know that few other folks in town have 968s. I'm looking everyday for 15 minutes or longer. There's one in town on EBAY, but it's an automatic and this isn't what I want. It's a nice color like yours. There's a few Red ones nearby, but I do like to drive fast and red cars are too easy to spot.



I'm on the east side too. Do you do your own service or do you take it somewhere. Who can you trust?



Peter

If you drive fast you will get caught whether in red white or blue. Go for a red one!

Whatever you do, don't get a silver one, I hear they're half fast.



<flame-retardant suit on> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.png" class="smilie" alt="" />

[quote name='tamathumper' timestamp='1366288660' post='141564']

Whatever you do, don't get a silver one, I hear they're half fast.

<flame-retardant suit on> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.png" class="smilie" alt="" />

[/quote]

Not true about silver!

Red is a "cop magnet".



Welcome and happy searching!

lol - actually yellow is the most visible to the human eye, and therefore attracts the most attention. red is not far behind though and as cars go, easy to spot at distance in contrast to the road. oddly, bright blue is also easy to spot. the best colors for avoiding attention are black, silver, grey and dark blue.

Let it not be said I want to avoid attention. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

[quote name='Peter B' timestamp='1366265549' post='141558']

MB968: This is great to know that few other folks in town have 968s. I'm looking everyday for 15 minutes or longer. There's one in town on EBAY, but it's an automatic and this isn't what I want. It's a nice color like yours. There's a few Red ones nearby, but I do like to drive fast and red cars are too easy to spot.



I'm on the east side too. Do you do your own service or do you take it somewhere. Who can you trust?



Peter

[/quote]



Peter, I've done all my own work, so I can't recommend anyone. For parts, I've used Sunset, as well as several of the on-line resources listed on this forum. If you check, you'll find that Sunset often times has a better price, or just about the same as getting something shipped, especially considering the shipping. And, even though Sunset is on the West side, they are also an Audi dealer, and the Audi operation has a place in the industrial park out by the airport. The Sunset truck makes it rounds every day, so if you prepay, they'll send the part on the truck to the Audi west side location for pickup.



I get a lot of the work on my wife's Subaru Forester done at Superior Import. Richy is the owner, his dad was a Suby mechanic, retiring after a few decades with the Subaru dealier that is close to downtown on the east side. When his dad retired, Richy decided to give up his job with a software company (if memory serves) and went into business with his dad opening the Suby only shop that is on East Burnside. They are very honest, and seem to know their stuff. A couple of years ago when the economy was down, they purchased an import repair shop that is on Sandy closer to 82nd. I believe it is also under the name of Superior Import. Over the years, I've seen a little of everything from japanese to european cars in this shop. After talking a bit with the guy who runs this location for Richy, I sent my daughter there with her Honda for a front axle repair. Price was in line, and it worked our well. Though I can't personally vouch for the Sandy location, I would take my Porsche there for things I didn't want to do myself, and not things they needed to be a Porsche expert to take care of. I'd feel comfortable with doing this, but then I've repaired about everything there is to fix on cars from automatic transmissions to all the normal mechanical stuff, as well as just about anything electrical. With a racetrack within the city limits, there must be 944/968 specific shops or mechanics out there, I just don't know who they are.

Here is my story. I've had 13 moving tickets in my life. 12 were in red cars. 12 in Porsches. 11 in red Porsches. 1 in a red BMW. 1 in an Audi 5000 Turbo (Black). I've owned 34 Porsches and perhaps 15 other cars. To those of you who want to say I've owned all red Porsches the fact is there was a red 79 911SC and 5 968's. Pretty telling and bad stats for red. So don't buy a red car under any circumstances. BUY TWO! Is there any other color?!!?

Another example of why to buy red. In 1983 on my way the the Porsche Parade in Missouri I was crossing Utah in a 5 car caravan.

My friend, Gene Gilpin, was driving an 83 911SC Cab (the very first 911 CAB in the USA). It was guard red with black top and the top was up. I could see him clearly 26 miles ahead of me but could not see the white Mercedes that was only 20 miles ahead of me. Wanna be noticed? Buy red!

Hi 968ster - You have a pretty strong argument against red. I have to admit, I'd rather have a limited slip diff on a red car than not have one on a black car.



I recently found out that laser-jammers are legal in Oregon. This would be an argument for a red car.



Peter

I'm probably going to jinx myself but I've had more tickets than my current age for decades. It is only in the last year that I've had two red cars. While everyone says red is a cop magnet, I've often thought I'm a cop magnet. Of course I wouldn't of had my tickets if I wasn't speeding! God smiled down on me on my return trip from Paso when I was able to talk my way out of a ticket on our last and unexpected leg of our journey. Just out of general tiredness did I put our bags in the back seat. I'm now wondering if I should keep luggage in the back seat and reuse my great story, an honest one, that made the trooper inclined to give me only a warning! Oops, see this is why I get tickets not because of the color of my car!

What was your story?! I've rarely gotten out of a ticket, maybe only once, when I had a whole bunch of fresh strawberries in the back of the 944S. Go figure.

I almost got a ticket on a back road in Indiana some years ago. Had just installed the SC in my Mazda, and let it coast too fast down a big hill, cop happend to be coming down the other side, but couldn't see him for the trees. Had me for 15 or move over. I was surprised when he came back to the car and handed me back my license and said "slow down, I'm just giving you a warning this time." Then just before he left, he turned to me and said "Oh by the way, Happy Birthday". I had forgotten since it was early in the morning, and my wife and I were taking a weekend trip that it was my 50th birthday that day. Haven't been as lucky since.

After looking around for few months, I bought a red coupe from S. Guy from this Forum. I wasn't sure about buying a red coupe and I'm still not sure about the red-color, but I like the car. It was nice to drive it 370 miles on the way home, have fun in a few places and still get 30 MPG!



One unexpected plus of the red-968 is that people got out of my way. Even a group of 6 motorcyclist pulled to the side and waved me by. I seemed to scare a lot mini-vans out of way. This is totally worth it. I was only going about 10MPH over the speed limit (most of the time). I guess I just looked faster.



This is my first Porsche. The car seems to bring out a competitive edge in some drivers. Folks also seem to come over to take a look. The gas-filler-guy (Oregon) asked me what kind of Ferrari it was. Kind of funny. I need better stock answers for these kind of questions (good topic). I need to get used to being noticed. I think I was being challenged to a race by an FRS this morning in heavy freeway traffic. I think the best approach is to just laugh at this stuff.



The 968 is great so far. The jury is still out on Red. I heard that some colors give the red-lasers trouble for measuring your speed. I'm hoping Red is one of them.



Nice to be a real member of the Forum now. I'm sure I'll be asking for all sorts of help in the next few weeks, months, years.

Best approach is to just laugh. Cool is as cool does. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.png" class="smilie" alt="" />