Lee Sibley Poole, UK

@9werks_lee 9WERKS TV 9WERKS Radio

The miles keep racking up in Little Irish! As I write, the odometer reads 127,500. It was on 82,000 when I purchased the car four years ago, which means I’ve pedalled some 45,000 miles in the car to date. Here’s hoping there’s a similar amount still to go before an engine rebuild is necessary. I still adore driving the Carrera so much, although there are times when I do yearn for a different Porsche ownership experience. This will likely be ‘in addition to’ rather than ‘a replacement for’ my 996.1.

You’ll remember last year I was gifted a 964 Cabriolet on a long-term loan from a friend. This was after I’d made noises on Youtube (via 9WERKS TV) and on our podcast, 9WERKS Radio, that I’d been warming to the idea of classic Cabriolet ownership.

I’m extremely grateful to Nigel for giving me the chance to experience fullfat 964 Cabriolet “ownership” over late summer and early autumn. It was great to throw both my heart and head into the idea of having an air-cooled 911 on the drive, providing what I suspected was a snapshot into the near future.

On paper, the open-topped classic would serve as the perfect complement to my fast-road Coupe: the Cabriolet being the ideal choice for wafting along under the summer sun, while the more serious driving was to be saved for my 996. Or so I thought.

The reality was, there were far more occasions when the 996 Coupe was simply the better choice for a drive, and so the 964 Cab spent a lot of time back at home. Be it an early Sunday morning blast, a cross-country run for work, or a night away, the 996 had it all covered. So while my stint with a friend’s 964 was a pure joy, the experience led me away from the idea of spending out on a classic Cabriolet of my own.

I base a lot of my decisions in life not on cost, but value. Here, I couldn’t see the value. It seems nonsensical to spend double the amount of a 996 purchase on a car I’d use less than half as much, be it a G-series, 964, or 993. You may well think otherwise, and that’s fine – our 911 needs and lifestyles are all different – but for me, the idea just doesn’t fly.

If there’s a price correction in the classic Cabriolet market then I may return to the idea in future. For now though, the exercise has only made me extremely grateful for the robust, doit-all 911 in my ownership, and thankful to my friend Nigel for enabling me to experience my epiphany before any financial outlay was incurred.