[911hoplite]

I just stumbled upon this so I guess I ought to introduce myself and my car...

I am Josh Leland, born and raised in the great non-state of Washington, DC. I spent some of my high school years in Mercersburg, PA and college up in the second largest metropolitan area in Vacationland, a place affectionately refered to as the "Armpit of Maine", the City of Lewiston.

I have been back in DC for the last 5 years with a one year hiatus when I lived in Kiev, Ukraine on assignment for work.

I grew up loving Fords. My grandfather owned a dealership in upstate NY and my pops spent years only driving Mustangs. My first car, however, was a 1984 Audi Coupe GT which is what started my appreciation for german-engineering. I then bought a 1998 Contour SVT - a car I loved dearly and only parted with when I went to Ukraine. (Funnily enough, the kid I sold it to bought the car without knowing how to drive stick, then drove it to Colorado where he proceeded to wreck it, but loved the car so much he bought it back from the insurance company and had it repaired. That's love.) When I returned from Ukraine I attempted to go carless as I live downtown and within minutes of work. That didn't last long though. Within a few months I had bought a 2003 Jetta GLI. The GLI was nice, fast, 6-speed, VR6, leather, comfortable, even luxurious in ways, but I was perpetually dissatisfied with it. It lacked a certain je ne sais quoi. It didn't inspire me. It was fast in a straight line but it felt like it cornered on its doorhandles, the body roll was so bad. It was also rather drab looking. I like sleeper cars, but this car was too much of a sleeper. It made me feel old and boring. Worst of all, if I left it sitting for more than a week the battery would die. All those damn electronic systems that never turn off. When I turn a car off, I want to turn it OFF.

Needless to say, I would fantsize about owning other cars. I was fixated on early 70's Datsun Z's. Then flirted with idea of getting an MKII or MKIII Triumph GT6. Then I discovered the early Porsche 911s. They were said to be faster, reliable, and they looked damn good. But I quickly realized that the one I wanted, a 911S, in decent condition was way out of my price range, and anything within my range likely had serious rust issues that would make them impractical for a car that would be my regular weekend driver. That brought me to the 911SC (because who really wants a mid-year?) and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could get an SC for the same price as my GLI. I had to make the move. I looked around on Craigslist, Rennlist, Pelican Parts for many, many days... i.e. not nearly long enough. In a moment of automotive weakness, I made an offer on a car I had never seen to a person I had never met. I only had photographs and the seller's word to vouch for its condition. I did not get a PPI. Oh, and did I mention the car was out in Indiana?

I hardly hesitated. I loved the color and the interior. I knew that that was the best combo I had seen and I wanted that car. Within a week the car was being unloaded off a truck on the street in front of my house. That was last December. Over the last 8 months the car has served me very well. Yes, it needed some work to the tune of another $2500, but it was worth it. The car is gorgeous, it handles superbly well, above 3500 RPMs it is plenty fast enough, it turns discerning heads. When I walk past it every morning on the walk to work my eyes inevitably linger. A friend recently ask me, "Is it weird that I want to have sex with your car?" I laughed, but told him no.

Here are a coulpe pics. I am definitely interested in getting to know the other p-car fanatics in the area so hopefully I can join you all at some regional get-togethers.

Cheers, josh

P.S. Hey Rob, thanks for introducing me to the site.