How Old Were You & How Did You Purchase Your First Porsche?

[pbanders]

When did you decide you wanted one?
When I was around 10. There was a guy in our church who had a 911, I thought it was the coolest car I'd ever seen.

How long did it take to finally purchase it?
Bought the 2nd 944 in the SF Bay Area in 1982, when I was 24. Had it for 6 months, put 12K miles on it, my girlfriend had the timing belt slip while she was driving and killed the valvetrain (common 944 problem), Porsche fixed it, figured out it was costing me too much, sold it for what I bought it for by December and bought a tricked-out 914 that I still have.

How old where you then, and now?
24 then, 50 now.

Is there anything you would have done differently?
I'd have waited longer until I could have more easily afforded what I wanted. It turned out OK for me but I could have saved and leveraged myself into a GT3 for all I spent on that 914 over the years.

Quick word of advice for a young person trying to save for one?
Drive cheap cars, live in cheap places, get a good education and a high-paying job, save your money until you can't stand it any more, and buy what you want. Also, remember that being able to buy a particular Porsche doesn't mean that you actually can afford to own it.