[flash]

lol - no worries.  relative to any other car with these features and performance, not to mention the extreme exclusivity, i think it is priced very well.

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[wildcat]

I'd put it at Mechum's and price it six figures and see what happens... FWIW.

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[flash]

pretty big hassle.  maybe more money, but i'm not sure i want to deal with it.  i'm taking the mindset more like a divorce.  i want a clean break.  that has value to me that equates to dollars.

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[94SilverCab]

I'm not buying that piece of crap, it doesn't even have a power top...

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[wildcat]

Well they say familiarity breeds contempt, and maybe I haven't had mine long enough but aside from the fun of just driving around even going to the grocery store etc. I get compliments all the time, people really like it, like its a well kept secret or something... but it has really nice lines, classic too because the # question is always "what year is it? "  And besides if you get a really good price for it it helps all concerned... so maybe a little distance and the heart grows fonder... I think in all probability you will really miss it. You know the artist rarely gets the value of his product, its the hustler who profits from the work... something to keep in mind.

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[flash]

i've been building cars for over 30 years now.  i've had many long term and pricey projects.  i've let them all go.  at one point, i had a whole collection of collectable cars, all fully restored.  i've long ago gotten over any emotional attachment to cars.  i go at it feverishly, until i achieve what i want, keep it for a time, and then move on.  i won't regret letting this one go, because of the next one.  that's the secret.  always be on to the next one before you let go of this one.

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[Rap]

It's like chasing that thin white line.

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[94SilverCab]

It's like chasing that thin white line.

Except there is no cure for an addiction to horsepower 

 

Jay

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[Rap]

Agreed. Just give me a little more, Please!

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[flash]

the car has plenty of power.  that's never really been my problem since i built it.  it's ridiculously fast for the year of the car, standing up to just about anything.  even today, it's pretty hard and very expensive to find anything faster.

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[wildcat]

Maybe that's it... I'm a sentimentalist,  have fond memories of cars past...   B)  Chase that dream... I'd be the last to knock that.

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[flash]

i get that.  i occasionally contemplate doing another mgb.  then i think about it, and realize that i just want more now.  i'm spoiled.  i'm old.  i'm tired of shifting.

 

really is too bad, because i think i really nailed the idea of the ultimate 968.  all of the things that porsche designed into the car, with all of the handling, power, and most of the modern conveniences of a modern car.  great car, but still not quite what i want.

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[ds968]

I'm telling ya'. Buy a Cadillac ( CTSV ) and you'll be content . And a lot cheaper than the Targa :-) .

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[wildcat]

I had to think about whether being a "sentimentalist" really had anything to do with it and I realized those cars suggested something that newer cars don't.  You like the amenities, which I think are o.k. to a point. But there's something about the Jag XKE and the Triumphs etc. and the 968 frankly that is becoming lost for "creature comforts".  I appreciate that one can like the elegance and smooth handling of say a Bentley... but damn it, a sports car is a sports car is a sports car...  and sentimentality has nothing to do with it per Se.  Now part of that for me is the "top down" experience but there is a trade off because its not as rigid as a hard top and won't handle as well all else being equal.  So there is no "ideal" I can accommodate in that regard though some future designer may come up with an amazing space frame latticed platform that may suit both, and along with that will be all the latest innovations... o.k. and when it happens, great.  In the meantime, philosophically speaking and even if such a car should be produced... I think after years and years of contemplating the ideal, I would be perfectly content with a Lamborghini Muira, which is a hard top and that's as much as I'm going to concede on the ideal. Now practically speaking its probably absurd.  So where do you go from there?  I don't know... which takes me back to my 968 and its "character" which considering all possibilities, many of which I couldn't afford anyway and even if I could, don't measure in a meaningful way.  And that is why I believe you'll miss the 968.

 

On the point of my 6 figure estimation, I got to thinking how I came up with it,  a lot of my thinking is intuitive but usually backed by something tangible that was in my subconscious somewhere and it came to me that I'd read an article on the 968 that influenced that value.  It was written a few years ago and discussed the 968 and its cost to produce and the timing of its release etc.  It mentioned that "today", which was about 5 years ago I think, that if Porsche built the same car they would have to price it at $100,000 plus due to materials and construction costs. From a collectors point of view, that makes it highly collectible. And considering the upgrades and the almost new aspect of the car, I don't think its an unreasonable price. So if anyone pays less they got a deal and that's all I wanted to say on that... which is more than I had anticipated to begin with... B)

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[flash]

i think the thing you aren't getting is that i have been there and done that to death with true sports cars.  i've had jags, mgbs, triumphs, and even an elva.   i drove them for 25 years.  i've over it.  i'm not interested in that anymore.  heck, i still have a TR-4A sitting in newport if i ever get the desire to be beaten up and abused by a "sports car".  that car will go away too though in the not too distant future.

 

i've driven a muira - horrible car to drive but beautiful to look at.  again, not interested.  i could buy a 355, 360 or even a 430.  not interested.

 

similarly, i used to race.  i have no desire to go to the track anymore, let alone race.

 

as for the value of the car, and whatever price it may command in the future, i could care less.  so what if i toss what could be $50k in 10 years.  that's nickels and dimes in the bigger picture.  i'm not a collector, and do not find cars to be good investments.  been there and done that too, and gave up on the idea a very long time ago when i sold my collection.  now, they are just toys to be used and cast aside.

 

maybe i've just graduated to a different level now.  i don't know.  my priorities have definitely shifted though.  i prefer the finer things, and in cars, i want something a lot more refined.  i keep my cars in mint condition.  when they get a scratch, i have them repainted.  when they get old, i replace them.  when i got the blue car, it wasn't even 10 years old.  now, to me, it's old and time to be replaced.

 

it was a great ride, and i've enjoyed the journey.  i've loved the car, and had a blast building it and proving that it could be so much better.  i'm just moving on to something even better.

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[wildcat]

I get it,  I'm just not there and don't think I ever will be unless I'm a complete invalid... I've got 13k in my toy and the price is right, the environment for "cars" is not friendly... I had intended this to be constructive... maybe it still is for all concerned.

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[flash]

i think it's all about perspective.

 

i would never drive a car that was not shiny, clean, and perfect.  i've always been that way.  my cars were always as good as i could make them.   it would be embarrassing at this stage in life to do otherwise.  i'm in my 50's.  what kind of failure would i be if i couldn't have what i want by now?  i'm not 25 anymore.  i drove pieces of crap when i was really young, and worked to bring them up to snuff.  i'm not willing to do that anymore.  my time is too valuable now, and the older i get, the more i realize that there isn't that much of it to spread around.  i don't make compromises on things that matter to me.  if i lived someplace where i couldn't trust the car in public, i'd move.  life is too short to put up with something less than what you want.

 

hence, the reason i am getting out of the 968.  it can never measure up to the targa, no matter how well i have set it up.   why would i settle for less than i can have?

 

but, if you can't afford it, then you get what you can afford.  11 years ago, that meant a concours perfect 968, which i immediately tore apart, fully expecting to spend $75k on it (turned out to be double that).  now, it means something more.

 

it's all relative.

 

for somebody else, this car is going to be a lot of fun, and very satisfying.  for me, it falls short of what i want, and i'm willing to spend the $170k to get what i want.

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[wildcat]

Failure... if that's really a concept in life, is also relative... what people do with the opportunities that avail themselves is what counts in some measure. And sometimes its a luxury to pass on a opportunity  with great potential because one chooses to do something else.  One's position in life may materially change as a result.  So by social norms the person did not achieve what he/she might have had they gone that route.  If life comes down to whether one has a shiny car or not, having always had shiny cars... something else is amiss. Your security and self esteem is tied up with it.  What happens if you, as I have had to go to a foreign country which doesn't have the same sanitary standards that you are accustom?  You won't go. Sometimes you don't have a choice. Many travelers would suggest that there are other things that make that inconvenience worthwhile, in some cases that's true.  Some people have the ability to find redeeming qualities wherever they travel regardless of the sanitary conditions. I'm not one of them but... the world is a very messy place.  I visited a friend in Munich one summer and he lives on a lake there in Starnberg.  Its very idyllic beautiful lake, trees etc. I had a small sailboat at my disposal and a little MG and I thought this is "paradise", there are a few in the world... but anyway, I'm sitting on the a lounge chair with a glass of wine... and all of a sudden there's this horrendous sound... its a huge military helicopter... I'm thinking "what the hell!"  And this big beast circles around to the south and then skims low over the water... I'm thinking this must be an invasion! I can't believe it... and as the helicopter skims across the surface these military guys roll out the back in scuba gear with military hardware...  I can't image such a incongruity, its almost surreal... and I realize belatedly they're doing a military exercise in this idyllic spot and disturbing the peace and tranquility of this lovely suburb.  My point is one cannot escape the realities of life... and a car in no exception no matter where you live.  You can limit the possibilities and limit your own freedom as a result thereby becoming a prisoner to safety.  I would rather spend what I have and drive the car where I wish than become hostage to it.  That is my choice.  And if you have a beautiful exotic car and you like to keep it shiny and life to you can be achieved behind a shield without compromise then that's what you'll do.  I suspect it'll make you a little neurotic, but I suppose we're all a little neurotic anyway.

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[MCL968]

Reminds me of the 55 T-Bird I restored as a kid with my dad. After it was done, and it was a true showpiece, he hardly ever took it out of the garage. And when he did, he always parked it at restaurants so he could keep an eye on it in the parking lot. It became such a nuisance that he sold it and started another restoration project. The car was both financially and psychologically burdensome. If the burden, however, is purely psychological and the person has the financial resources to deal with the potential damages, then I suppose the burden becomes more manageable.

 

The goal is contentment. I know professional musicians who have few material possessions, but they love their lives because they get to do what they love to do and they get paid to do it. I like driving my 968, it is a fun car to drive and it is unique. It makes the drive home from a harrowing day at work something to look forward to. It's not a garage queen, it's my car, and I drive it when I can.

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[Rap]

Contentment is relative. I bought a car for the track and have spent endless dollars and hours making it what I would like it to be. It always goes to the track in primo condition. Often get kidded about it. Now it is starting to get chipped and it annoys the heck out of me. Then I think, yo dofus, it's a track car, lighten up Betty! I suppose it is what you can be comfortable with. Don't think Flash is neurotic, say he is as he is OCD. If you ask him he is proud of it. Me too. Although I suspect it's an unfair comparison. He has me beat by a factor of ? lol

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