BeerBurner

The last six months have reminded me of just how practical these cars are. My 944 has always been more of a toy but the cards have fallen in such a way that she has become the family workhorse.

It started back on December 10th when some jackwagon in a Highlander made a left turn in front of my wife and hit her almost head on.



The good news is that my wife survived. The bad news is that her right foot was crushed against the brake pedal and had shattered in to six pieces (not including the fragments). Considering the fact that the force of the impact knocked the timing pullies off of the camshafts, well, the car had to have absorbed a HUGE amount of energy.

My wife had her surgery on December 27th when they put her foot back together. Ten screws, a metal plate and some donated cadaver tissue was put in her foot to get it all back together.



The PT Cruiser was the "big" car that we would use to haul stuff around and would be ideal for transporting my wife and her wheelchair. Unfortunately, since the PT Cruiser was dead we were left with cars that were much... smaller.

It was fine early on since her mom would come down a lot and transport her around in her minivan but she could only come down for so long. Add to that the fact that we were doing physical therapy every day starting in early March and you'll see that we really had to move her around. As my wife got better and able to spend time alone at the house, it was just her and I.

This is where the 944 came in to play. Obviously, there were some things that the Miata just could not do...



...which left is with only one other car to use. She was a bit gunshy about trying to get in it but after about a week or so it was second nature. So, for the last few months, the 944 had been used to taking here anywhere that she needed to go and the car did it without a hitch! It easily swallowed whatever medical equipment that she needed, from the wheelchair to the walker to the crutches to the cane, the car just made it all happen. Sure, my wife did have some issues getting in and out of the low-slung car but I just reminded her that the squatting was good physical therapy.

Today, we finally tried to get her in to the Miata. It's even lower than the 944 is and has a much smaller door opening so I wasn't sure how well that was going to work but she was able to do it. I find that to be another sign of progress which, of course, makes me happy.

In a couple weeks we'll be down to two days of physical therapy per week and I'm hoping for continued progress although there is a chance that she may have to have a bone fusion this summer. Hopefully, that won't be necessary.

So, yeah, I'd like to give a big thumbs up to the 944 for being able to handle a task that these cars aren't really known for, and handle it with ease. It just goes to show that they are far more practical than people give them credit for.

Of course, I did find out a really easy way to get some dirty looks...



Oh well, such is life.

BB.

xsboost90

man that sucks. My buddy had that happen but he was riding a motorcycle. His foot/ankle was pretty messed up. Its been prob. a year and he's still hobbling around. Didnt insurance cover the PT and get you another car?

V2Rocket

sorry to hear about your wife's injuries. i wish her the best.
glad to see that the old girl could step up to the plate and you could have fun with it.

and sorry but,

allah be praised that another PT cruiser has been slain

BeerBurner

It did but we felt it wasn't really worth spending the money on another car since we didn't really need one yet. The physical therapists have now cleared her to start driving so we're going car shopping this weekend. Right now, since the doushebag weaseled out of his responsibility (he claimed he had a green arrow and there were no witnesses) and my wife lost her job we're just going to get something cheap and boring and (hopefully!) replace it in 6-12 months.

I hope your buddy gets better!

As much as I've busted on these cars in the past, I'll admit that it was a very easy car to live with. It was great at transporting car parts!

BB.

V2Rocket

yea, that's because while transporting parts you dont have to look at the thing

plus, WTF is with the floormounted window switches

mytrplseven

Dirty looks? For what? This car is so unappreciated for her dual role. she's kinda like superman. She looks and acts kinda benign because of her tremendous utility, but when she's done with that...the street clothes come off and eeeeehhhhaaa! Where else can you find a car (except maybe the early Datsun 240Z's) that pulls off that exceptional trait and at such a modest investment? I'm on my third and although I haven't had to tote a wheel chair I actually went deer hunting with all the camping gear in the back. Didn't know what I would have done if I had actually killed one. Probably tied it to the roof

sqweak

best wishes on your wife's recovery. Pretty cool you were able to get such versatility out of the 944!

We've been down to just a Boxster for a while so it's made things interesting lately (3 dogs due for nail trimming and shots on the same day = 3 trips to the vet, bringing home a work delivery in my lap with the top down, etc)

TexasRider

Glad to hear she was not hurt any worse and that she is recovering. Kind of slow in that part of the body.

And the 944 is a practical Porsche. Maybe that is why it is "less" popular in the Porsche world. I would rather had gone to the store in it versus the wifes Caddy Escalade when she still had that.

Voith

Best wishes for your wife. Hope she recover well..

I used mine for a lot of different rides too. Its funny how some things fit in 944 but wont fit in e39 bmw

BeerBurner

Thanks guys!

The recovery is coming along quite nicely but it is a long road.

BB.

andys-944

Sorry to hear about the accident, best wishes to your wife and her recovery.
I had a similar injury foot / ankle after being t boned by a car while on a motorbike, fully recovered no lasting damage at do what the physio says is the key
When I was looking for my 944 I actualy found a guy who didn't realize you could open the rear hatch ! (I didn't buy it). In fact what I like about the 944 is its practicality I can drive it every day to work / customers and pick parts up which I couldn't do in a boxster or 911 and better gas milage than a 928.

sca037

Brian,

Great to hear that things are progressing positively.
My wife's DD is a PTGT (Getrag 5-speed with 2.4L turbo motor).
They are stout and extremely practical cars, we're on our second one with 95K on the clock with no issues even though we have the Stage1 ECM and other performance goodies.
Hate if you want, but it's an excellent 'SRT-4 Wagon' that can really haul the mail........and most everything else

Brian

FRporscheman

I'm happy that your wife is recovering and that it wasn't any more serious than it was.

My brother was in a motorcycle crash and the handlebar rammed into his foot and devastated the nerves and tissue. For a while it wasn't clear if/how it would heal but thank God with a graft and lots of time and PT, he can walk again.

I took him to the hospital a few times with the 944, and he bitched about the lowness but his sorry *** still fit in there and the wheelchair fit in the back so in my eyes the 944 deserves mad props.

Now he drives a miata NB, and I'm the one bitching when I get into it, except I'm healthy, lol... what a small car.

bad_monkey

BB,

Good to hear your other half is on the mend - it makes you think how lucky you are. I was driving an ex's corolla in Melbourne about 5 yrs ago when a hilux went straight through a red light and t-boned the car. If she'd been riding in the passenger seat, she'd have died.

I got my wife (and our 3 month old daughter) a Volvo xc70. It's reasonably robust and has more airbags than I can count. I never really would have valued safety as much unless I'd had that experience I guess.

So, no kids seats in the 944. In fact I'm taking the rear seats out - but I can tell you it's the most practical fun car I've ever owned. It's been filled with camping gear, a shed full of 944 parts (running on the arches...), 2 bikes, a filing cabinet, a projector screen (from passenger footwell through to touching the hatch), a roll of carpet, and countless other bits and bobs. They're also not that low - trying to get into my mates elise used to make me feel old!

All the best for your wifes recovery - hope she avoids the bone fusion.

Charlie

BeerBurner

Thanks guys!

Cars like the Volvo will be on our scope when we go shopping for a proper car. Unfortunately, the doushebag who hit her managed to weasel out of his responsibility (he claimed that he had a green arrow and that my wife ran the light. With no witnesses, they cannot assign fault) and between medical bills, lost salary and the fact that she did, ultimately, lose her job, we're going to have to buy a cheaper, stop-gap car for the next 6-12 months until she can both relearn to drive and get another job so that we can afford a better car.

That said, I have also told her that she's going to do a few track days so make her a better driver. Improving the nut behind the wheel will be beneficial no matter what car she drives!

BB.