924Board.org

[exc911ence]

Just wondering, as a newbie 924S driver, does it ever come up that these cars aren't "real" Porsches? Anyone here a member of the PCA or one of its regional clubs? How do you find that the other members react to your car? I'd be interested in hearing of some experiences regarding this. Cheers!

[ This Message was edited by: exc911ence on 2002-01-08 16:50 ]

[dwak]

I revel in the very un-Porschahness of the 924/931. And I'm sorry but I wouldn't be caught dead at a Porsche club. Too often the Porsche represents the nouveau riche attitude of 'the more I spend the better I am' attitude that I despise.
I admire the solid 'sportscarness' of the 924, not the snob potential and if some idiot thinks I have an expensive car, I just chuckle to myself. (who's got issues?)
And, yes, it does come up now and again and it usually starts some sort of tirade on my part. (leave my 'part' out of this!)


_________________
DWAK de bois
78 924NA had argument with racoon
79 924NA in tatters
80 931 syncro in 2nd buggered
81 931 engine in pieces
87 924S she's so fine
and a bunch of other unrelated cra

[ This Message was edited by: dwak on 2002-01-08 23:45 ]

[Peter_in_AU]

actually, the conversation about "real" Porsches almost never occurs on this board. Perhaps because the members have big enough balls to not define themselves by the type of car they drive. I think that most of the guys realise that the Porsche 924 and variants are one of the best kept secrets in the automotive world and hands-down, the sexiest looking car that Porsche ever designed.

If it weren't for the 924 it's likely that you couldn't buy a GT3 today. Why's that??? Well, when Porsche introduced the 924 they were probably 3 years away from oblivion. The mid-70's marketing move by the oil producing countries (generally known as the "oil crisis") meant that high performance cars were very politically incorrect. One of the entertaining results of the "oil crisis" was a massive world-wide recession. If Porsche had kept dribbling out the 911 and the new V8 928 (very appropriate for the times) they would have been out of business by 1980. Actually, the name would have continued on as a badge on the back of VW Golf/Rabbits with high-performance paint jobs.

So when the "VW Sport" project went to shit Porsche was more than happy to pick up the ball, stick a Porsche badge on it and sell the 924. Given that it was the biggest selling car that Porsche ever produced I'm sure that Porsche AG loved the car.

OK, back to "real" Porsches. We all know that there have actually never been any "real" Porsches. The 356 was just a hot-rod VW beetle with a nice body, the 911 was just a hot-rod 356 (which was a beetle anyway) the 914 was Porsche and VW's first attempt to build a 924 and was never a "real" Porsche (oh wait a minute, it is a "real" one now), the 928 was watercooled, as is the boxster and all the current 9xx's and we all know that "real" Porsches are not watercooled. Basically, Porsche have never produced a "real" car.

Interestingly, in this part of the planet, the only times I have ever heard the "real" word was by wankers who when asked "what model Porsche do you drive" admit that they are currently driving an old Toyota and that they have never actually owned a Porsche.

As for your PCA, it seems to be populated by a lot of people who you would not want to invite to a party. Who cares what they think?

Really, if the 924 was not a "real" Porsche do you think that Porsche AG would have put it's badge on it, stick the Porsche name all over the advertising, turned it into the 944 and then the 968? Who decides what is a "real" Porsche? The company that builds them and puts their name on them or some no-life who thinks that "real" Porsches are hot-rod dak-daks?

As for me. I'd still drive one if it had a VW or Audi badge on it - my balls are big enough to cope with it.

They're a truck-load of fun but they're just cars

Think about it, the hero never drives a "real" car, Steve McQueen kicked in a few panels on the Mustang to make it less "real" in Bullit, if James Bond actually drove a "real" car it would survive to the end of the film, 15 years ago the cool detective-guy drove a corvette (pre Stingray) or a clapped-out 356.

If you're having an image problem, just think of Steve, James and all those unremembered '70s private investigators driving aroung in their unreal pre-classics

[ This Message was edited by: Peter_in_AU on 2002-01-09 00:47 ]

[Peter_in_AU]

oops sorry, I didn't notice that you drove a 924"S". Yeah, they're not real Porsches

[teo]

yeah, thats only a mix of two real porsches
or is that a CubicPorsche?

[bacook]

Peter, you make a very good point about "real" Porsches and I feel that many "real" PCA members truly understand this. I have been a PCA member for about 18 months, and the most I've gotten out of it until recently was a subscription to Panorama and a 10% discount at the local dealership. That alone is worth the $40/year. I rarely went to meetings because of all the 996 and 986 owners there talking about leather cleaner and car wax.
However, I just recently started volunteering on the autocross committee for our region, and these guys are true car fans. I went to an AX in San Antonio hosted by the Lone Star region, and it was so much fun. Everything from a 356 to a 964, two 914s and every type of 944. There were guys putting 3.0 liter blocks in 951s and guys turbocharging 914s using 931 parts. These guys and girls were just like the members of this board in their sincere appreciation for the engineering excellence of all Porsche cars.
In fact, no-one there had seen an actual 931, and everyone was urging me to bring mine in February. Now you know why I need that fuel pump! I have to defend this board!

Summary: On the surface, PCA can seem a little intimidating with some of the big buck snobbery, but if you ignore that and find the true car lovers, it can be a great experience!

[Vince Ponz]

I think most of you should get over the 911 thing and enjoy the car you own. I love telling someone that I own a 77 924. Slight frown and then I tell them I own a 931, wringled brow, then my daily driver is a 944 wide eyed at this time and to top it off if they are still near me I drop the bomb and tell them I have a Carrera. Really gets them.
Listen enjoy what you have. Take care of it and it will take care of you.
As a PR Chairman of the MetroNYPCA Region I ferret out the 924 drivers and want them to come to all our events. In past three years I found four 931s and other cars for my friends. I know of two more in the NY area. I love my 24 and 31 more than the other cars I own. Note, my 911 Targa has 33,000 and in mint condition. All can be seen at http://www.Metronypca.org under the gallery section.
I have invited many to our track events and no one shows up. It is up to you to bring the cars to track events.
Notice in the archives that in Oct? I asked all that we should have a strong presence at Hershey this year. See you there.

[Rick MacLaren]

Yes snobbery exists.

Best strategy? Get used to it. It affects how you source parts, get service done, and make friends. I like sports cars. Period. I've had two Saabs, Hondas, and Porsche. Big deal.

My friends drive 924's, 911's, 944 turbos. Once they're on the road with me, or talking up front, the snobbery disappears.

Snobbery is a narcissistic reaction. It's someone's idea of an in group and an out group. It's 'puffed up' and easy to deflate. And it gives them comfort to be able to exclude someone. I wouldn't worry about it. Do like Dwak does and just laugh.

[924_fan]

Hey Vince,
Your 931 looks really special - How did you switch the fuel filler and the hood's naca duct to the left side of the car?

[JvGinPDX]

I find that most people out there do not know one Porsche from the other. Of course our cars are not respected by those that know what they are. But I have all of 3k invested in a car that looks great, is fun to drive, and is getting to be a reliable car. I am not paying 400 dollars a month like most people I meet, let alone payments in excess of a 1000 a month. Over time old cars appreciate in value. In my opinion we will be driving what will be called a classic in 5 years or so. Enough people are junking 924s and 944s that they will become "rare". For now I will spend my money on having fun instead of car payments.

[exc911ence]

Interesting views and I appreciate the responses. The reason why I asked is I had popped into the local Porsche dealer here in Victoria last week just for fun (and in hopes of scoring a Boxster brochure, which I did!) and ended up talking to a salesman there for a little while. I mentioned the 924S and his reply was "924S?!? Isn't the 'S' the one nobody wants?" I replied that the 'S' was the last version produced and the one with the 944 engine and drivetrain. It was the "one that nobody wants" comment that got me. I had no idea there was one that nobody wanted. I was a little taken back at having a person who sells these cars for a living having no clue of past models... this is the guy that people hand over six-figure bundles of cash to? Frightening.

[bacook]

He meant, it's the one that nobody wants to sell. Let's see, if I work on commission, would i rather sell an $80K Carrera, or a $3K 924S? Salespeople don't know crap. Ask the drivers if you want the truth!

[Body Shop Rob]

All air cooled Porsches are Volkswagens.

[johnnycat]

Responding to David's note about the Victoria dealership, I've known them for years and they're a bunch of a-holes. Their sole goal is to sell as many 996's and Boxsters as they can. You will never see a 924/931/944NA on their lot. Partially because they would rather sell the five/six figure cars, but mostly because they know less about the history of Porsche models than your average newbie watercooled owner. I foolishly attempted to trade in a 924S at the dealer and when talking about what option codes it had, was confronted with "What's an option code?" I've owned a Porsche for less than two years, devoted only minimal time to learning about Porsche history, and I know more about the cars (new and old) then anyone on the lot. That's pretty sad.

I've driven Boxsters and 996's. I even came close to buying one. I'll take my 924S any day of the week and 10 times on Sunday. I spent hardly anything to buy a nice 924S, and with the money I've saved I can pick up a Performance Products or Tweeks catalog every month, buy something, and keep myself busy for years.

Incidentally, my experience with the Vancouver Island PCA chapter has been very good so far. They all would love to see more 924's show up. Being such a small community, the number of autocrossers is relatively small. There are often never more than one or two of each model represented, and almost never any 924/924S/931's. There aren't even many 944/951's.

Remember too that the 924 is still quite competitive in stock autocross classes in the SCCA, and there is usually a 924 that places top 5 in the SCCA Nationals, which is
quite an accomplishment.

Living in Victoria, your bound to run into snobs. We have more millionaires per capita than any other place in North America. I can pretty much guarantee that you'll never see a 993/996 Turbo at a track meet here though. Heck, even the guy on Beach Drive with the Ferrari 550 Maranello admitted he's never driven his above 100kph. The 65+ year old owners would rather wax them then drive them like they're capable of being driven.

I'll stick with my 924S thanks very much. It's reliable, it's fun, and I swear it handles better than any Porsche I've ever driven...Long live the "real" Porsche!

John C
-------
'88 924S Le Mans Edition (website coming soon!)

[924RACR]

I was in PCA for a couple of years, with minimal involvement, didn't get much out of it. Then, after moving to my current location (Detroit), I finally got involved. Now I'm a board member, and the webmeister for the Region. I'm also the National Advocate for the 924 Register. Heavily involved. No one in my region gives a second thought to _what_ I drive - we're just all a bunch of track rats and car nuts.

Sure, there are those with attitudes - but I just ignore them and move on. I choose to let my actions - and my lap times - speak for themselves. I feel sorry for those who are so insecure about themselves that they need to distinguish themselves by what they "drive". I'm secure enough in my masculinity to admit I can have fun just driving a minivan at the limit. I can also admit that there's a minivan that can match my laptimes at the track. Of course, that will change!!!

Don't worry about how big the other guy thinks your "car" is. Remember, he's just as concerned about how big you think his "car" is.

"...You are not the contents of your wallet... You are not the car you drive! Deliver me from Swedish Furniture!"

_________________
Vaughan Scott
Webmeister
'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype