Sure. I’ve wanted one since I saw them in Buenos Aires a decade ago. Buying any vehicle beyond the most basic of entry level cars is a subjective decision and looks play a part in that.

You’re right that it’s generic, but I always liked the Borrego. It’s like 18 feet of just straight-up SUV, and there's nothing wrong with that since that's all it's trying to be.

Because they're fantastic-looking. If it was actually legal I'd strongly consider it.

Except that isn’t really the issue at hand here, the noise about the cars is a result of discrimination.

You may actually have better luck doing the opposite and moving somewhere more urbane and accepting. Sorry to hear you have to deal with all this.

The story goes that the creator loved the old Defender and actually tried to buy the tooling from LR when they announced they were killing it off. When he was rebuffed he decided to build his own. Billionaires gonna billionaire.

I’m not An Old yet but I get it. A thing can be restored an infinite number of times, but it’s only original once. And in some cases a hard original life can lead to a unique kind of beauty.

I’ve driven this exact stretch of road years back in a then-new 2014 Suburban, and I remember holding it in 3rd because I knew I’d fry the brakes with even that much/little (depending on perspective) weight. It was a wild ride and I can’t imagine doing it in a loaded semi.

I completely agree with you and I’d also revert to stock immediately, I was just trying to point out that aftermarket lights don’t usually correlate with damage.

Not necessarily. It’s not to my taste, but lot of people swapped out halogen 996 headlights to projector-style ones like this. The taillights are 997 style so it’s more likely this was just a status-conscious idiot trying to make the car look like more than it is. Same with the badge, although “up-badging” to a C4 is…

One of my friends genuinely seems to want one. I don’t understand it, as he’s generally a pretty well-adjusted and sane person.

I hear the air is fine...

This is exactly why I don’t think he deserves the championship this year. He’s good enough to earn one on pure talent, but he needs to do so without the reckless endangerment.

Yeah I have the same question and my suspicion is that it’s un-registerable in the US. I had a few Durangos of that era in my youth and always thought the Ramcharger was a cool version.

That, or more likely something to do with exchange rates between DM and USD. Porsche struggled with that issue a lot.

Labor costs. 993s were still handmade, as 911s had been since the ‘60s, and you can tell. But that kind of craftsmanship has continually gotten more expensive which prompted the shift to automation with the 996.

More than double. Clean SCs start in the mid-$40s for a Targa and mid-$50s for a coupe these days.

Yeah I similarly assumed this had to do with restrictions caused by either the intake or exhaust routing since it’s a tighter location.

Porsche gearing is always ridiculous, even my ancient 3.2 Carrera is good for about 60mph in second.

Seriously. I feel much more mortal driving my ‘80s 911 than I do in modern cars. It’s surprisingly thick metal, but it’s just a beautiful tin can.