Yet another newbie: allow myself to introduce myself...

It's a story as old as the hills: kid sees his uncle's shiny new '78 911SC, kid decides he must have a 911 of his own, kid waits patiently for nearly three decades, kid goes out to Ohio this past Saturday and picks up a sweet '00 C2 aero with 55k miles on it. I've wanted a 911 for so long that it feels pretty surreal to open the garage door and see her sitting there. I couldn't be happier, and I do have to thank you guys on this board, who provided answers to roughly one million of my questions in the archives. I hope to move out of lurker mode and contribute wherever I can. And yes, I did read and read and read and read about the ***. I plan on replacing it when the clutch needs replacing, but until then, I'm going to change the oil and monitor the filter religiously, I'm going to become a frequent visitor to the redline (after the car is properly warmed up, of course!), and most importantly, I'm going to harness the power of the universe through positive thinking. And if the motor lets go, I have a backup plan, and part of that plan is to smile and realize that I have a roof over my head and I know where my next meal is coming from, so I have nothing to complain about in this world. But it's a moot point, because my motor is going to be strong and tough. Finally, since I've lurked here for so long, I well know the rules. It did happen, gentlemen, and here're the pics... Leaving the seller's house: Six hours and one wheel change later, she's at home: Finally, here she is with her stablemate, a '97 M3 that I've had for the last 7 years. The M3 is my track car, the 996 will be my four-season daily driver: Thanks for reading, and I look forward to participating! Vik

I call fake. Most guys smile when they get behind the wheel of their first Porsche. j/k. Go Blue! And Welcome.

now thats a 30 year smile - what do you mean FAKE !! my guess is he is still smiling and wont stop for the next 30 years! WTG Beauty - love black....even dirty!

Congrats. You'll have to take the C2 to the track a time or two... just to "try it out".

Gorgeous, Congrats!

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this cant end well....in fact it never ends!!! (but good lord is it fun!)

Congratulations. MI has some decent back roads....enjoy!

Congratulations and welcome! Enjoy riding around my favorite place on earth. Go Blue!

Congratulations and welcome! Your story is very similar to many of us myself included! Enjoy her! p.s. the smile thing tends to become permanent!! Pete

Of course you had to buy it in OHIO ! Congrats!

WOOO HOOO for you Vik! Very nice.

I hope you have the clear lights on order... lol Sweet ride! I like the wing!

Congratulations! Nice Wheels!!

Congrats! very nice. FM

Sweet. I have aero envy. Now start modding!!!

Welcome and congrats on new ride.

Nice! Go ahead, walk back out to the garage and have another peek.

Congratulations Nice looking ride

I am jealous Good thing it is a coupe or you would have lost out

Great pic leaving the seller's home...and spotless. Nice looking aero, glad to see the weather doesn't worry you. Welcome to Rennlist, great place for answers, spending YOUR $, and a fun filled community.

Welcome! Great looking Aero! I didn't have a driving away pick because although I paid a fair price, I felt like I was stealing it!! A 911 will do that to you......

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Folks, thanks for the warm welcome! It's much appreciated. It's hard to tell because of the low-res pic, but ivangene has it absolutely correct: that is a 30-year poop-eating grin. Vik's left brain: No, I'm not going to do that. The M3 is fully depreciated and the consumables are much cheaper, and it's a great track car in its own right. It really doesn't make any sense to ever take the 996. Vik's right brain: Vik's left brain: Thank you and yes, the clear side markers are mod #1. 997 shifter is mod #2, Fister Ds are mod #3. Beyond that, the car is so good that I really don't think it needs anything else. Vik's right brain: Finally, to Divot and Beaglehusky (and Chaos ): Go Blue!

Congrats! Nice 996!

Welcome to the club! p.s. I suffer from Aero envy too

Great looking car and smile.I`m still smiling after many years. enjoy David

Awesome, congratulations!

very nice, drive well and prosper

I would say welcome but your join date is 2007! That means you have been researching this passion for almost 4 years! Must feel good even though you picked it up in just about the worst winter ever. Tell us more about how you found this gem and what you did before pulling the trigger on the purchase. And since I am planning on moving up from a BMW 330Ci, let us (or just me) know your impressions on the comparison between the E36 M3 and the 996 MK1. Congrats!

Very, very, nice! Enjoy and welcome.

Vik, Congrats on the car and Welcome to Rennlist! Now that is a proper introduction: the story behind the car and pics of the car! The only problem is..... I can't yell at you for not posting pics! @#$%^&* Not that I enjoy yelling at Newbies!

:-)~ Drool!

Seems to be a massive surge in the number of black 996s in Michigan! I'll honk when we pass each other on the road. Have to wait until spring in my case. Congratulations -- and my guess is that you will keep that smile as long as you keep the car.

I know that smile behind the wheel and the feeling of finally owning a dream.... Your story is very similar to mine... Congratulations, welcome to the club, and live the dream !!

inviktus, I think I had the same smile when I picked mine up yesterday. and Sorry but I have to say it..... Go Bucks!!

Welcome, enjoy the miles and smiles! Looks fantastic, especially when its clean.

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I hear you. I was searching full-time for nearly four months -- and I mean FULL-TIME, i.e. hitting CL, ebay, autotrader, pelican, cars.com, and RL 6-7 times per day. The search was really fun at first, and in fact I was set to buy a '99 C2 in Florida back around Christmas. It was a great car -- US M030, LSD, sport seats, hollow-spoke wheels, and a sunroof-delete -- but the PPI turned up a couple of potential issues and I had to pass. Bought a plane ticket and everything, but I had to listen to my head over my heart. Needless to say, the search got kinda frustrating after that, but it all became worth it once I found my car. Hang in there, you'll see exactly what I mean! Geeforce, thanks! I actually joined in '07 because in Jan. '08 I bought an '87 944. I ran that car for almost exactly six months and 30 track minutes before I spun a rod bearing at Mid-Ohio on 7/3. I'm not a good enough mechanic to fix a bottom end, so I had to sell the car. I vowed that at some point I'd get back in the Porsche game ASAP, and it would be with a 911 and nothing but. No more half-measures. It took nearly three years, but I got there. I found this car on ebay. It was actually almost $3k over the hard cap that I had set for myself, and I was going to let it go, but my wife really like the aero kit and told me to go after it. I originally planned on staying away from aero cars, since this is going to be a daily driver and I thought it would attract too much attention. But she rightly said, "you're getting your dream sports car; go big or go home." I've been married for long enough to know to listen to my wife! Anyway, it's hard to compare the 996 to the M3, since I've only driven the 996 for a few days on cruddy roads with winter tires, but I would say the first thing that jumps out at me is the steering. M3s have really good steering, but the Porsche is phenomenal. It's light, but not in that overboosted way that Buicks are. It feels mechanical and also somehow organic, and the road feedback is sensational. I drove the M3 today, and the steering felt dead by comparison. Car & Driver once said of the E36 M3 that you could drive over a pile of dimes and tell how many were in the pile. I feel like in the 996, you could drive over a pile of dollar bills and tell the same. Tim, I know that you are the newbie gatekeeper, and I am hugely relieved that my intro met with your approval! Zurichgnome, I'll keep a look out! mpd425, I saw your thread yesterday, and I must say your car is gorgeous! Thanks again all for the fantastic welcome. I really do appreciate all the good words. What a great group!

Vik, Congratulations and welcome! Beautiful car! I strongly recommend that you DO NOT take the 996 to the track, as long as you own the M3. If you do, the honeymoon will be over and the M3 will be looking for a new home! If you do drive the 996 at the track, DO NOT go to either Mid-Ohio or Nelson Ledges. Limit your track day to one pass at Motor City Dragway. Otherwise the smile is permanent and you will feel something coursing through your veins and pooling in your brain (Porscheholic comes in a variety of symptoms).

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+1.... you have been warned. But honestly, you can read about the character on how these cars behave at speed but it takes a bit off driving to really feel what the car is saying to you.... its a nice street car, however, on the track is where you really appreciate the engineering of these cars. Welcome to the fam!