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Between the lines - Decisions and Consequences

4K views 18 replies 15 participants last post by  onthecod 
#1 ·
Do you want the good news or the bad news? Well it depends; are you a glass half full or half empty kind of person? Me? I always want the news laid out as quickly as possible so I can deal with it. But I do know people that do their best ostrich imitation and go stick their heads in the sand and hope the news…any news will go away or simply pass them by.

OK then, bad news first. Gotta sell the Cayman S. Yeah, I know, it sucks. I really love that car. Have owned nine Porsches and this one is by far my favorite. But we have to face reality. That being two boys (I should stop looking at them through parent colored glasses and call them what they really are – young men) in college and one very high car payment. Unfortunately the Cayman S is the guilty party here.

I did not arrive at this decision lightly, it has been weighing on me lately. I avoided it as long as I could. But the reality is tuition, room & board and books do not come cheap. So I made the difficult, mature, adult decision and decided that the Cayman needs to go. AHHHHH, NOOOOO, please say it ain’t so!

I think I need a moment here…. OK, breath…. Stay focused.... Hit the submit button - get it done. There I did it! Posted the car for sale on a bunch of automotive sites. Now comes the fun part – communication with prospective buyers. I enjoy telling folks about my cars. Well DUH, in case you have not noticed…

I have been (and will still be) a Porsche guy for so long that I cannot imagine what it will be like not to have a Porsche as my personal car. That does not mean for one minute that we will not be a Porsche household. My wife will carry the torch for a little while, she drives a Cayenne. I will need to move on to something a bit less expensive, a bit more practical, but keeping in line with my car guy ethos.

So now the good news – enter the MINI. Yes I decided to buy my Step-Dad’s MINI from my Mom. She needs to sell it and I can pay cash for it, so all is good. Oh and did I tell you that my lovely wife gave me the blessing to turn it into a track car? Oh yes, she did. Both my Mom and I think that Papasito is giving me the thumbs up. He would have wanted me to have it and to take it to the extreme.

So I have been shopping; MINI performance mods shopping that is. There’s a lot of really fun stuff out there. First up – suspension and brakes, then motor and finally interior. The car will be a beast by the time I am finished. And I can take heart that I did it from a somewhat fiscally responsible prospective too.

I just have to keep the MINI until the boys graduate from college. Then I get to buy my one time exotic car. My wife has already given it her blessing. Now we are talking used exotics to be sure, but worthy cars nonetheless: Audi R8, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lambo, and of course Porsche. Can you imagine how fun it will be to go shopping? I can’t wait! Hear that boys? You guys need to get out of school ASAP so you Dad can get buy his dream car.

Hey, everyone has to have goals. I hope for my boys that getting through school as fast as possible is the light at the end of the tunnel. For me? Well a guy has got to dream right? And my dreams are of the four-wheeled variety. You know, the kind of car that can go fast in a straight line, but really can dance around the corners. Yeah, that’s what I am talking about! Oh and BTW, you all tell someone to buy my Cayman. It’s a really nice one and needs to go to a good home. Preferable a home where they will take it to the track and drive it like they stole it. Yeah, I can live with that.

Decisions and consequences; we face them every day. Some are hard, some just seem hard.

And on that exhaust note, see you next time.
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Dream car list so far (poster reserves the right to change his mind about this list of cars at a moments notice). Keep in mind these would be pre-owned olders cars by the time I buy one!

Audi R8
Aston Martin V8
Aston Martin DB9
Ferrari 430
Ferrari 575 Maranello
Lamborghini Gallardo
Porsche GT3
Porsche Cayman R

BTW, tired to post in on "old Classified" but you get an error when trying to go to a link. I figure Ken will get it fixed, then I will post it up. In the meantime, I put it up on my blog along with some pix taken in lovely Roanoke, TX.

http://mylifewithporsches.blogspot.com/2013/01/time-to-sell-cayman-s.html
 
#10 ·
Dream car list so far (poster reserves the right to change his mind about this list of cars at a moments notice). Keep in mind these would be pre-owned olders cars by the time I buy one!

Audi R8
Aston Martin V8
Aston Martin DB9
Ferrari 430
Ferrari 575 Maranello
Lamborghini Gallardo
Porsche GT3
Porsche Cayman R

BTW, tired to post in on "old Classified" but you get an error when trying to go to a link. I figure Ken will get it fixed, then I will post it up. In the meantime, I put it up on my blog along with some pix taken in lovely Roanoke, TX.

My life with Porsches: Time to sell the Cayman S
Rob you can list your car in the NEW classifieds, if unsure as to how simply contact the user "Enthusify" and they will help you, it's pretty easy.

Does this mean I have to find a new columnist for fear that this column will turn into a MINI column???
 
#5 ·
You've got your priorities straight. Take care of your boys, young men, I mean. There are always other cars to look forward to but your family comes first. Good luck.
 
#6 ·
Same predicament as you Rob, but my Cayman is paid for so it's gonna stay for a while. In fact it's the only car I own even though I've been tempted to trade up or, buy a DD such as a Subaru Outback. Patience is a virtue...
 
#8 ·
Good luck to you and your guys. I managed to hang on to the Porsches during college with two boys, but they were 5 yrs and 4 yrs, with only one year overlap. Fortunately, I was able to get the CS towards the end of the college run. (Both went to Marylaand state schools, could have been a lot worse!). I don't actually remember how I managed to get this done.....

My elder son had a Mini Cooper, I think it might have been a 2006. He sold that to buy a speed yellow 996 with a very nice aerokit. He had the transmision rebuilt, and while he was at it, the RMS/IMS upgrades, new flywheel, clutch.

The MINI was fun but we had to fiddle with it quite a bit to keep it going. It had the Peugeot engine - a German car, French engine, built in the UK.

The craziest replacement was the so called "Jarvik Heart" thermostat housing. Look it up, you might have one!

HOW TO: R56 - Thermostat Housing + Thermostat - North American Motoring
 
#13 ·
I read your post with great interest and respect. Interest because I have dealt and am dealing with similar circumstances. Respect because I truly respect your decision and the process you took to get there.

I have struggled and struggled and struggled with my recent decision to order a new Boxster because I, too, have a kid in college and one more to go. Certainly the money going to pay for this car could help pay for college. And while I do help my oldest with some of his tuition, most of it will be paid via loans, which he'll be responsible to pay back. My parents didn't help me with my tuition (and they were in a position to do so), and I think I did better in school because I knew it was on my dime. Maybe I'm rationalizing, but I think if my kids are paying for their education (or anything for that matter), they will appreciate it more.

That being said, I applaud any parent/s who supports their kids college expenses in any way or to any degree.

OP, I wish you and your family the best.
 
#15 · (Edited)
I certainly sympathize with you. I only recently bought my third Porsche, which is a 09 Cayman. I had to sell my second Porsche because my insurance went sky high when by wife and daughter (18 at the time) both had at fault accidents. Shortly thereafter my daughter graduated and went to an out of state university (the OSU). So I understand all about tuition etc. One thing led to another and 10 years passed, but I now have another Porsche. My wife said it was our time now, and I am glad I waited for the Cayman. They are way more fun then the 914 or 911 I had before. So look forward to your time coming soon - just don't let 10 years go by!
 
#16 ·
Thank KY, I know someone will buy this car and have a great time with it. Somehow I am know that I am not nearly done with Porsches just yet. As I like to say it - "I am just between Porsches right now".

The 982 R or maybe the rumor of a 982 GT3 might pan out. Now that would be one awesome car.
 
#17 ·
I have a boy heading into college next year, he has a 4 years younger sister and the sister has a 4 years younger sister so I am looking at least 12 years of continuous college payments.

I did what a responsible parent would, paid off my car :).

Seriously, you made the right choice and just imagine the reward when it's time to pickup that new "exotic" a few years from now.

Cheers.
 
#19 ·
Fortunately, I never had to make that difficult choice. I always made sure my Porsches were paid for and would not cause me to sacrifice any other aspect of my life. In fact a somewhat opposite situation presented itself when our son came home from college after his second year and annouced that he didn't want to go back to that school. After a year and a half of attending a couple of classes per semester (and no R&B) he decided to call it quits. It seems that spending time with his new girlfriend is more important than his studies are for now.

Turning lemons into lemonade, I recently took the money I banked not paying his tuition and purchased a nice 3 series BMW for business travel purposes. What a great decision. During the winter months in NE when I start to miss the Cayman's performance, I get to slip into the all wheel drive beemer, engage the sport automatic and enjoy the travel for a change.
 
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