Writing, editing, and promoting How Not to Invest sucked up a lot of time over the past 2 years. One of the items that fell off my calendar was the weekend car posts. Other than an update on the 911 EV June 2025, I have not had time to get to much about wheels. I hope to make up for that in the coming year.
About the 1988 911 Cabrio: I originally purchased this to convert it into an EV; it turned out to be a matching-numbers M491 — too valuable to reformat. The car was in okay shape, but it was too nice to destroy. So I cleaned her up, put a little money into some repairs, ceramic coated what was left of the paint (see above), all the while searching for another ’80s-era 911 to convert.
Anywhere we took this car caused a sensation. To all but the most ardent Porschephile, it looks like a 930 Turbo. The missus was complaining that she misses a manual, so I thought this was a perfect solution.
Until we got T-boned in a 2017 Panamera 4S (purchased during the pandemic, right before prices went crazy). As we made a left turn, the SUV behind us somehow accelerated right into the driver’s door (I am guessing the driver hit the wrong pedal.) The car was totaled; we were shaken up, but fine. Any crash you walk away from is a win.
Meanwhile, the ’88 — the one without airbags, ABS, crumple zones, backup cameras, and blind-spot detection — fell out of favor with the wife. She complains about its age — “it’s loud, it smells, and the seats are uncomfortable” — but we both know she prefers the weekend fun car to be safer and more modern.
I can’t say she is wrong; I have had a few reminders in the M491 that it’s not a modern car.
So the time came to sell the Cabrio. I thought about using one of the auction sites, but it is one of those cars that needs to be seen for both good and bad reasons. The paint looks good, but there is no top coat, and it has been (apparently) repainted several times. The clutch is fine, but high; I assume it will need replacing sooner rather than later (maybe 2000 miles?)
But overall, a lovely driver. All of the key elements of the car are there, but it needs someone to put more time and money into it than I was willing.
I complain to my car buddies that my wife is making me sell the 1988 — and she is forcing me to replace it with something like a 2024 GTS cabrio (it’s my cross to bear). I have been hunting for over a year, and I’ll update when I have some news to share (soon).
Meanwhile, the numbers: I paid $67k for this 4 years ago, put in a little over $10k, and have added a few 1000 miles. The sale price was $78k, so all told, it was more or less a break-even.
I don’t buy cars to make money; I get them to drive ’em. This car was a reminder that good cars, well bought, are essentially free fun vehicles. You need to be selective, then take good care of them…
Arriving 4 years ago
