Okay, who asked about the Porsche?

Many people hold incorrect assumptions about Hong Kong.  One of those assumptions is that cars are expensive in Hong Kong . They aren’t. New cars are expensive… VERY expensive. But used cars are inexpensive. There are several reasons for this. First, practical: after seven years a car needs to have an annual road worthiness test and certification. Most people don’t like this hassle and expense (even though it costs almost nothing.) Second, prestige: many often argue that  Hong Kong is about money, glamour, looking good. A used car doesn’t look so good. Third, superstition: local culture suggests that a used car may have had many owners. Therefore, one cannot be certain the car has good feng shui. What if the car had been in an accident – that would be bad luck for all subsequent owners – or a bad luck car in the first place! Therefore the costs of cars in Hong Kong drops off quickly as the car gets older.

As an example, I have owned three cars in  Hong Kong . The second was a gorgeous 1989 7-Series BMW that cost less than US$ 2,000. I spent another US$ 2 K in mechanical repairs and the car was an absolute pleasure to drive. We LOVED it. The BMW was sold to an Australian car dealer for US$ 2 K, where it had an Australia resale value of US$ 8 K. After shipping and some minor fix-ups the dealer probably made a tidy profit. The third car was, and still is an Espace Renault that cost US$ 2,200. (Yes, we splurged!) I spent next to nothing on mechanical repairs and this rather large workhorse serves us well. (See pics in the June blogs.)

The first car was a June 1985 Porsche 944. (The date is important for enthusiasts – the first person to give me the correct reason why wins a prize!) Tess and I first saw this car in November 2000. I was planning a job change for which a car made sense. We traveled out to Sai Kung in the New Territories for a test drive. It was gold at the time and Tess, who spent most of the trip back to  Hong Kong Island (about an hour) telling me why I should not buy this car, truly disliked it. Eventually, after convincing Tess it was a steal and a once in a lifetime opportunity, we agreed to buy it. Big mistake… always listen to your wife… the car only cost US$ 5 K but one year later I had spent twice that on repairs and never mind the aggravation of a constantly breaking down car. Tess called the Porsche the SOS car, which stood for “Sack of Sh*t.” Tess never really understood why I bought the car since we were planning a family at the time. 944’s and baby car seats don’t mix that well!

Despite the 944’s notoriety for breaking down, it was extraordinary to drive and very sexy to look at. Big fat wheels kept the 944 welded to the road. It was impossible to make this vehicle squeal – it took tight corners effortlessly and quietly. At modest speeds that tires made a very an atypical 944 humming sound against the road. The throaty engine was like music. The Porsche 944 was a head rush and that is probably what caused me to keep this black lemon for so long (Yes, I also had it painted.)  or to buy it in the first place.

If you know the 944 – or most any Porsche for that matter except for the Cayenne – it rides very low to the ground. When Tess woke me up on November 30 to tell me she was in labour the first thought through my mind was, “Oh my gosh, can I drive?” The night before we’d been out celebrating an award I had received and yours truly might have failed the 0.08 test. But that was several hours earlier so I concluded I was fine. After collecting our things we cautiously walked down to the Porsche. Tess took one look at it and said, “I can’t sit in that.” The car was too low to the ground for Tess to realistically get in and out of the vehicle or to even sit comfortably inside.

“We can take a taxi if you prefer,” I replied.

“No,” Tess responded, “I will kneel in the front seat.”

And so, we drove to the hospital as Tess knelt in the front passenger seat, having contractions every three minutes. It was a gorgeous, sunny November morning in Hong Kong. I prayed silently that the SOS Car would not breakdown. Fortunately we made it safely to the Matilda Hospital where Sebastian was born a few hours later.

The ride to the hospital was the beginning of life for Sebastian and end of the road for the Porsche. I found a buyer a few weeks later and sold the car for half of the original purchase price – because used cars are cheap in  Hong Kong ! The BMW entered the scene and I somewhat redeemed myself with a car that was a pleasure to drive and very reliable. And from then on I listened to Tess.