Grapeape

I sit tall when I drive it and smile when my friends admire it. It can be temperamental at times and requires my attention, I miss it when it's not around. My it is my she. And yes, I am drinking; Margaritas.

Spidey,

If selling her provides relief to a financial situation don't hesitate, sell. If not, as others have suggested, mothball her until you and you alone knows whether to sell or not.

Academictech

Some sound advice here. Only you know the right thing to do.

Good to learn of experiences from people with a similar mindset, clearly not all 993 owners think alike but remember some of these replies are coming from a wide audience whose only connection is their interest in 993s.

In my early 50s now and got the first 993 about 15 years ago. Thought I'd never sell that car, a '97 C2S. After two years of blissful ownership needed some funds for a project and in order to complete it had to either borrow money or sell the C2S. Made the decision to sell and for me it was the right one.

If your desire to own another down the road is strong enough, you'll find a way to get one. Trust me on this.

fatmike

If you need to ask the question, selling is probably the right thing to do.

/

NYC993

Go away you are drunk! Mothballing is easier if you have your own garage and not paying couple hundred bucks to store it. Seems that OP is in SF area looking at condos.

NYC993

I've been asking if I should sell 993 for 2 years now...

Grapeape

Lol so true. To many variables to advise; and tonight it's Caipirinha's.

Jlaa

Spyder, I have enjoyed reading about your travails over the past few years.

13 years ago I was in a similar situation as yourself. My wife and I were childless in our early 30s, and we lived in SF in an apartment.

We decided at that point that we wanted to live in SF for the rest of our days. With a heavy heart, I sold my two prized toys - a completely restored Citroen CX and a BMW E36 with a turbocharged engine that made a lot of power.

I focused on work and we didn't spend much money. We also had one kid --- and of course with children the expenses never stop - especially with private school and the myriad of lessons and other activities.

Although I regretted selling my toys at the time, I look back at those years and think to myself that doing so was the right decision, 10x over. I eliminated all distractions in order to change my mindset.

With lots of luck (I don't like attributing our tiny bit of semi-success to 'hard work' --- plenty of others in this world work waaaaay harder for much less pay ---- we are privileged in edu/language/etc) we are in a much better position these days. We are still living in SF, our housing situation is very satisfactory, and 10 years after putting my hobby on hold, I was able to jump start it again with some neat toys in my garage again.

I say --- if you want to remain in the SF Bay Area, put the hobby on hold for a decade and try to set yourself up to be on Easier-street for the back half of your life. Hitting the jackpot in your career is very difficult, but if you try and get rich slowly, you may appreciate that there is no more powerful force in the universe than the power of compound appreciation/interest.

sacman

The priority list is different for everyone. I put my family first but I also reward myself for every personal sacrifice I did for them afterward so I have something to look forward to. I drooled over the 993s since my first day in college while walking to class seeing one parked on the street. I bought it 18 years later after a marriage, a house and two kids. It was the right time because I don't think I would enjoy the 3 pedals if I wait for another 5 years. Now, I have another reward to look forward to.

Tlaloc75

As one of the strongest proponents for keeping the car, I have to say you've gotten lots of great advice on this thread - on both sides of the issue.

My take remains the same. If you are selling for convenience sake, like I've been known to do in the past, then you will be happier if you keep it. If you are selling for financial reasons, to set yourself and your family up for future success, then you will be happier if you sell it.

Only you know what your situation is. Make your decision, keep moving forward and you'll do just fine either way.

mac993

I feel ya Spyder_man. I'm in close to the same situation. I've owned my 993 for 16 yrs. Hoped to never sell it and just add to. But living in So-Cal it's time for me to get myself and my family back into home ownership. Renting makes no sense for us anymore. But to get into a home we want I'd need to sell the 993 to assist in the down payment. This literally rips my heart out and makes my stomach turn. Luckily my wife feels the same way, it's the car we had our first date in so it carries emotional ties for her too, so I'm getting no pressure from her. Mine's all internal.

My 993 needs some work too (not a ton but some love) so I either need to spend a few 1000 or take below market value. And the thought of someone coming out nitpicking my "baby" trying and drive a deal so they can flip it for some profit is excruciating. I literally waiver on the decision multiple times a day!!! Ultimately I know the decision I will end up making as it's the right one and best for my family but man is it hard.

My suggestion is you go with your gut. You know the right thing to do. Trust that instinct, whatever it is.

JDHertz11

I wouldn't buy anything in a major metropolitan area in this market unless I was selling overpriced to buy overpriced. A new purchase now would be like investing all of your retirement money in the whole index. Top of the market is rarely time to buy.

M. Schneider

Hey Spider_Man -
I've very much enjoyed your participation in our air-cooled forum over the years .. You're a good egg said the farmer -

Taking in all that you've mentioned ..... My $.02. Sell the coupe and don't look back. Family first, family first.
There will be plenty more Porsche cars moving forward. Get focused, get lean, real f'-ing lean with expenditures & incomes. Lean like know-bodies business. Sell the 993 coupe and absorb the fond memories.

All the very best -

Dryfly57

A lot of great feedback here from a wide audience that have a vast wealth of knowledge. That is what I love about the 993 forum. Different opinions without being condescending.
Tough decision but only you know your motives and why. I only have one thing to offer...family first!

Spyder_Man

Thanks to everyone for the shared wisdom. RL really is a great community!

At this point I am leaning towards the "mothball" or "deep storage" route. I'm not certain whether it is truly worth registering as "non-op" and locking it away, or just continuing to use it sparingly with lots of oil. I need to run the numbers on the cost savings of the non-op route vs. the added cost of dedicated storage.

I do love working on the 993 myself; however, at this point I do not have the space/equipment/knowledge to perform an engine drop and necessary repairs. Perhaps in time. Believe me, when it does come time for us to buy our first house, I am going to make sure there is a proper garage/shop setup for all of my DIY needs.

At present my wife is not pressuring me at all to sell the car. Additionally, we can definitely afford to keep the car around. I just cannot afford to start laying away lots of funds for a $20k repair, when more important life-priorities are on the horizon for us. No, we are not so cash strapped that we'd be soon living out of my 993.

We're also nowhere remotely close to having down payment money for any sort of property within the SF Bay Area. I mentioned condos are starting around $600k just as a price point. Single family homes are easily in the $850k-$1.25M range. Yes, investing into property is a very critical move towards long-term financial success, but the housing market around here is so absurdly inflated that home ownership seems more like a pipe-dream rather than a 5-year plan goal.

Down the road, if/when my wife and I have a new member of our family present, I will have to reevaluate our financial situation again and perhaps then part with the 993. Right now, I am still loving the car too much. Plus given its mileage and condition, I'd be giving the car away relative to what I've already invested in it, even with the recent few years of appreciation.

Anyhow, thank you all again for the wisdom.

P.S. If anyone knows of a good/safe/reasonably priced place to store a PCar long-term within the Bay Area, let me know via PM.

Gbos1

Your welcome and Good Luck!