Honestly, what is there to update on with my 991 GT3 when the entire month of April was under shelter-in-place orders? The only time I touched the car was during the middle of the month when I had to take it out for a drive just so the battery wouldn’t go dead from too much sitting. I’m afraid this particular monthly update is going to be a short one.
With the usual caveat of checking my privileges and how there are people out there who’s got it much worse, I have to say it’s been enviously frustrating to see other car enthusiasts having the ability to work on cars in their garages during this quarantine. Indeed it’s being said in numerous automotive-related YouTube videos I’ve watched (too much, probably) lately: now is the perfect time to tend to your car projects and get various maintenance items done. However, as a person who doesn’t have a garage, this messaging stings quite strongly.
I mean, never mind a garage: my GT3 isn’t even parked within the vicinity of where I’m living.
I would very much love to tackle a project, perhaps something like building a Caterham Seven like they did on Top Gear many moons ago. One such kit popped up on Craigslist for about 40 grand, which if I had a garage, it would be worth a hard second look. Even something far less spendy, like buying on a flawed used sports car fro $10,000 and then fix those flaws myself. Or perhaps spend very little money at all: simply a spot where I can store the 911 and keep it clean, and maybe pop in to stare at the beautiful classic lines from time to time.
Either any of those ways, having a garage would be something to better pass the time during this coronavirus lockdown; to keep my mind and hands busy with an automotive hobby I’m dearly passionate about. I’ve gone as far as look on local listings for garages to rent, though as I’ve found out, scant few allow for activities other than parking – mechanical work or detailing are usually forbidden. But there’s an overarching problem with any rental garage away from where I live: the lack of restroom facilities. A do-it-yourself brake service that takes a whole day isn’t going to be viable if I don’t have any place to handle my animalistic business periodically.
Besides, there’s a hankering I desire more than having a place to work on the car: the ability to access the 911 without needing to drive to a secondary location. It took me a long time to suss this out: the hassle of driving to my work parking lot every time I want to drive the GT3 has been subconsciously grating on me, likely ever since I bought the car and was seemingly resigned to the arrangement. The extra layer of required action before I can even turn the wheel adds additional stress and strategy to every car-related decision: do I have the 40 minutes or so to spare for the roundtrip? Will the car be okay and undamaged?
Those midnight runs, taking the car out on a whim? That’s not a possibility for me.
What this quarantine period have revealed to me – to the core – is that I would very much like to have the GT3 be stored or parked at the same place where I am living. Logistically, this means moving out of the my current spot to somewhere where I can at least have decent access to street parking. It’s not really the garage space I want, but rather it’s closer proximity to the car. To be able to go for a drive in the mountains and then return right to my home, without first parking it at the work lot and then taking an UBER.
That’s what I’m going to be working towards once this COVID-19 shelter order is over.
Shelter-in-place have extended for yet another month here in the San Francisco Bay Area, and unlike some of my enthusiast brethren, I intend to continue to abide by the order and staying off the road (for the most part). So please stay tuned for next month’s update where not a lot of actual driving happens again!
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Date acquired: January 2019
Total mileage: 29,845
Mileage this month: 106
Costs this month: $278.22
MPG this month: 15.41 mpg