[clivehuggins]

It is getting to the point where my 9yr old daughter keeps complaining about having to ride in the back of my beloved 968. Whilst we are a two car family and the wifes car is a small SUV, weekend trips have been much more fun in the 968. An opportunity has arisen to swap the 968 for a Merc CLK AMG 55 (2000). Quite a bit more space and certainly more grunt but will I end up regretting it??
My only issue with the 968 (apart from the childs complaints which can be sorted with a gag!) is that I have a tip and finding a 6 speed is like a needle in a haystack.

By posting on the forum I'm guessing you will all be appalled by the suggestion of swapping it! But it would be good to hear from anyone going through (gone through) similar dilemas. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif[/img]

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[94SilverCab]

2 words...boarding school !

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[Johannvb]

Clive,

I feel your pain. My situation was not quite the same, but I think there are similarities. I sold my 964 when my daughter was born because we could not fit a car seat + baby pram + diaper bag into the car. We also had a family car with more than enough space, but I thought I needed to be more practical etc and sold the car.

For about a month I was able to convince myself that I did not miss having a Porsche in the garage...after all I was very busy with our new born daughter. But as the months went on I got grumpier and grumpier because I did not have a hobby car. After about 10 months my wife could no longer take my moaning and sobbing and told me to go buy a Porsche if it will makes me happy. Needles to say I was on the web hunting within seconds!

I still went the more practical route and bought a Porsche that can handle a baby buggy, diaper bag and more i.e. my 968 Coupe, but the moral of the story is.

If you have a true passion for a marquee you should never be without one, even if it is a cheap fixer upper. However, if you see Porsche as just another premium car brand like BMW or Mercedes, by all means go for the Merc.

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[rhudeboye]

<!--quoteo(post=72540:date=May 25 2009, 06:32 PM:name=clive)-->QUOTE (clive @ May 25 2009, 06:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->swap the 968 for a Merc CLK AMG 55 (2000). Quite a bit more space and certainly more grunt but will I end up regretting it??

is that I have a tip and finding a 6 speed is like a needle in a haystack.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

ultimately your going to have to do whats best for the family as a whole. Will you regret it. YES! If you truly love your car and the feel of driving it your going to miss her but take comfort in knowing you made a sacrifice for the fam. I had to let pass a 300Z, loved the car. It haunted me for months. I had nothing to fill the void. I cant see a CLK filling the void of the 68. But I've never driven the AMG CLK. So perhaps...

Not sure what you meant by finding a 6 speed is hard. I browse ebay often and see 6 speed 968s more frequently then tips. Or are you looking for a low mile car or one with a particular color combo?

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[wmuldowney]

I made the same mistake. I had a 86' 944, nothing special but I had so much fun in that car, I was single living in So Cal and almost never had the top (sun roof) on the car. I got married and the guy I bought the 944 from had a BMW 530i at a ridiculous price and I jumped on it. Sold the 944' and was happy.......at first. I always missed the 944 and 12 years later I got the 968, from the same guy other 2 cars came from.

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[Fox944]

My friend recently purchased a CLK550 Convertible with the AMG sports package. He let me use the car for a day. As much as i love that car, i would never trade my 968 for it. The car has tons of torque and sounds really good when you get on it. The 968 makes up for it with the handling and feedback you get from the steering wheel. I also can't remember the last time i saw another 968 on the road, let alone one that looks anything like mine. While driving the CLK550, i raw 4 other CLK's. They were all the same olor Combo (blk/blk) and 2 of them were 550's with the AMG package.

The MB is a really nice luxo GT and with the top down, it was an experiance i wont forget. But it is no where near as fun to drive. And i would never replace the 968 with a CLK as my weekend car. On the flip side, i would trade my daily driver Audi A6 4.2 in a hearbeat for my friends CLK550.

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[Ryan]

If your kid is complaining about riding in the Porsche then obviously you are not going fast enough. If you make the ride as entertaining as the thrill-park, then who is going to complain?

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[gryphon]

Frankly, with the low resale values of recent 968s, I would buy the CLK and store the 968 until prices come up. It might be a better return on your money than what you get on the funds from the sale of the 968.

Tom

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[clivehuggins]

Thanks all for your words of wisdom. My reference to the rarity of 6 speed's is that in New Zealand I've seen perhaps two come on the market in three years. On that very subject the 968 must of heard me talking about it as on the way home tonight the gear select on the tip decides not to work and I'm limited to leaving it in auto. I hate auto! But that's a subject for another thread.

If I could afford to keep the Porsche and buy another nice car I would. Some more thinking needs to be done.

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[rhudeboye]

<!--quoteo(post=72626:date=May 27 2009, 12:50 AM:name=clive)-->QUOTE (clive @ May 27 2009, 12:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->My reference to the rarity of 6 speed's is that in New Zealand ...<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

ahhhhhh, New Zealand. Now it makes sense.

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[Cloud9...68]

I know what you're going through. I had to sell my beloved 93 RX7 twin turbo when our second daughter was born. Unfortunately, you sometimes have to make painful sacrifices. And it isn't going to get any easier for you, because last time I checked, kids don't start shrinking around age 9. I disabled my passenger side air bag once my kids got big enough to ride in front, but that doesn't do any good if there are three of you in the car. Sorry, I appear to be no help at all...

I do agree with gryphon's comment that your 968 is probably worth so little that it may be worth hanging onto it, even if you end up getting something bigger. I don't agree, though, that it will ever be worth more than it is today, though that has already been covered in another thread. Plus, the market for this type of car is very limited, so I imagine it could be very difficult to sell, particularly in the (relatively) very small New Zealand market. Good luck.

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[clivehuggins]

Funny how as soon as you start talking about stuff that doesn't happen ... it does. A 6sp has just come up for sale in NZ, which is tempting despite the potential crys of pain from the child. The car in question is being marketed as a CS replica when unfortunatlely its nothing of the sort, no M030 spec, just the decals, a CS steering wheel and painted aftermarket wheels.
He's also asking a good $6000 NZ over the normal price of a coupe. Perhaps after the seller gets some reality checks I might take a look. So there is the answer - sell the 968 and buy a 968!

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[The_Oz]

<!--quoteo(post=73252:date=Jun 4 2009, 09:21 PM:name=clive)-->QUOTE (clive @ Jun 4 2009, 09:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->So there is the answer - sell the 968 and buy a 968!<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->


Indeed [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif[/img]

... and have the wife tail-gating (you and your daughter) in the SUV on weekend trips [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

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[rhudeboye]

<!--quoteo(post=73252:date=Jun 4 2009, 11:21 PM:name=clive)-->QUOTE (clive @ Jun 4 2009, 11:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->So there is the answer - sell the 968 and buy a 968!<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

And sleep in the 968 [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]

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