Top 2 Most Under-Appreciated Porsches With Expert Nathan Merz

[@disuye]

I could listen to Nathan ramble on about Porches for hours. The amount of info he has -- and willingly shares -- is off the scale. Great show!

[@robertbrewster]

Never tire of Nathan’s perspective. When he speaks, I listen.

[@timothyedwards5810]

Great episode! I can listen to Nathan talk about Porsches all day long!

[@sjuhawks1973]

I do enjoy hearing Nathan talk Porsche, he was a bit more aggressive than what I normally see from him, but it was enjoyable. I have no issue with someone letting their personality shine. I will say this for Will, when I started looking for an air cooled Porsche I found his videos on youtube. I felt he had good topics on his videos that addressed a lot of the questions and concerns I had. He also spoke from the perspective of an owner and a prospective owner, and I felt he was honest and never claimed to be an expert but gave an educated opinion. That was a huge help to me in my search for the right car.

[@kaplandjk]

Never can pass up a Nathan video.

[@happy_camper]

What an awesome guest (and brutally honest friend😆) to have on the show. Nathan's experience and passion for Porsche cars is truly inspiring. Hey, I was glad to hear some love for the transaxle cars - my 968 was one of the best cars I ever owned, and I miss it!

[@alexanderdt5992]

I like the ‘76 and ‘77 carrera 3.0 as an underrated classic. Basically a torquey 2.7 engine, in a body that was still light weight. Also the last carrera that was still actually a special model as the 2.7s was the base car. The car was also sold in low numbers. They do command a premium over 911 SC’s and carrera 3.2’s, but not by much. I don’t see why they are half the price of the earlier 2.7 carrera’s

[@jonwarshawsky5288]

Always enjoy Nathan's perspectives -- great guest!

[@ryanpatterson9526]

I absolutely love Nathan's take on everything! The end where he roasts Will felt like he was speaking on everyone's behalf!

[@Rennthusiast]

@@ryanpatterson9526 thanks for the feedback! 😆

[@gregorymello9476]

Dude … I agree! Oh my God this was absolute gold and I’ve been waiting for this to happen forever! Will says all the shit that all the fake, non-grass roots, never turned a wrench on my car Porsche people say and it got worse as he went along. The more he learned, the worse it got! I’m sure Will is a great guy though but I’d bet my house he does this with every thing, brand or hobby he “gets into”. It’s hilarious and Nate is my hero!!!! But what do I know … I love 987 Caymans and actually chose to buy one on purpose over a 911 for my own distinct reasons and thoughts of what a Porsche means to me. To these people I’m a moron. It’s all love though! Will your the man because of your thick skin and Nate your the man because you speak truth … and Derek, well, you’re just Derek. Peace and Love!

[@Rennthusiast]

@@gregorymello9476help me understand more about what you mean? I’m not following you.

[@Derek-Rennthusiast]

@@gregorymello9476 I guess I'll just work on being...me?😂

[@gregorymello9476]

I would totally be up for further explanation and dialogue on this. I actually think it’s important. I partly got excited about a few of the things Nate said because it’s not said enough in my experience with the KZbin world of Porsche content. I’m not jockeying to have a video done on my car BUT I have a 2012 Cayman S and would love to tell the world why I chose that car over its 911 counter part. Problem I’m not going to start a KZbin channel to do it. Like Nate said, Porsche isn’t just about the 911 … there’s a lot more to the brand but if you judge by the KZbinrs (such as yourselves and of course others) you’d think the brand only ever produced one car and its history is only rooted in one model. I really do think it’s a conversation worth having to reach those who own something other than a 911 and get an understanding of why they’re passionate about it. Will did a great video behind Sonderwerks with a guy who was passionate about his 996. Great video and the Porsche world needs more of that and less content about things like what paint to sample colors have the best resale value. If I’m not getting my point across well, my apologies, I’d be happy to drop my cell. I’m in the Charlotte area. Maybe I’m just an angry Cayman owner lol😂 … but it is a bad ass car!!!

[@julioirizarry4262]

Great content as usual guys and a great guest! Good to hear some love for the 987.2 cars coming from a 09 cayman owner.

[@georgedoms8570]

I’ve owned a 991.1, 997.1 and I’ve recently purchased an 1982 SC. I love that I can do some maintenance on it and I like the experience of the low tech underpowered car that I can run at 5k RPMs. Driving a slow car fast is more fun than driving a fast car slow !

[@danielkent5589]

Absolute gold. Love the depth knowledge and the passion. Keep it up gents.

[@24hourgmtchannel64]

I'm 59 and it was a 1978 seventh grade buisness field trip to the Chicago McCormick place auto show and the first 928 that got me hooked. Risky Business further cemented my desire. My first 928 was a 1980 Euro automatic in 1994 which I quickly sold and bought a red manual and sold it for my current 1979 manual with no sunroof and the 220 locking dif. I was always an outlier with the front engine watercooled 928 and never had an interest in the 911 until 2011. Now I own both a 911 SC and the 928. They were true icons of my yut.

[@robertbrewster]

I have a 993 C4 and I love it! When Nathan took Will to task with his C2/C4 challenge I had a good hearted laugh

[@Rennthusiast]

Haha I love Nathan to death but I have driven a 996 C4S and a 996 C2 literally back to back and I strongly disagree with him. Night and day difference and super easy to tell which is which. Same with the 964 C4 and the 964 C2. Also the 997.2 C4S vs the 997.2 Carrera S. Can’t speak to the 993. Have never driven a C4.

[@guillermogallego2300]

Super quality podcast! Thanks

[@eggsandwich4026]

Actually, Will's opinions are valid because they’re the sum of his total experience including the marketing, reviews and conversations that he digests as part of his daily Porsche diet…it’s why we relate to him, he’s like us!!

[@Coldgecko]

Let me re-state. I dont "play in the market" as I said. I just buy cars that I love. If I sell its because I have too many or the maintenance is too high. 95% have less than 10,000 miles. I keep the cars that mean most to me now these days and rotate use on the road as I can... Most are garage queens -- who cars? It's my thing and I am happy. They provide real pleasure with each story and history in my life.

[@Duchydog]

Nathan - Perfect! I owe you a drink of whatever you choose at The Lit!

[@cryptolew8885]

The wife advice is priceless. Forget about Porsche.

[@Bigmikenorthern]

Great information and ribbing!! Enjoyed guys. Thanks 👍

[@keepyourbilsteins]

Great to have Nathan on. He's a man of many opinions that have rubbed a lot in the Porsche the wrong way. If Nathan is reading the comments, hey man, its J.P. from Stuttgart Haus.

[@eggsandwich4026]

In my Porsche journey you live and learn. At one point I was in a position to buy a car from Nathan and I turned it down. What a terrible decision.

[@Gadfly2025]

Porsche should come out Sport Targa , a simple lightweight manual lift off roof panel old school style

[@DS246416]

Great Video!

[@skipjack000]

It would be interesting to hear Nathan’s thoughts about transformative mods like Singer.

[@krihanek117]

I saw a carmine red with black interior Targa at my local dealer. It was so beautiful, I fell in love.

[@niacal4nia]

I owned a 997 and a 928 and loved both and never understood the demand for the air cooled 911s. That's like paying more for an early flip phone than a Smart phone.

[@detonator2112]

How about 928? Now if you're a rich Porsche enthusiast you buy a 964 or 993. I don't have that kind of money. But during the era of those "pinnacle 911's" the Porsche flagship model was still the 928. It was one step AHEAD of 911 in the Porsche catalog. Something like 928 GTS is an amazing car and doesn't get discussed enough. And it's an interesting car (to me). Sure the GTS's are expensive now but you can buy a decent S4 or GT for 30K. That's a lot of car for the money. It's a fascinating car and looks timeless (save the pop up headlights which I've never been a fan of). What do you think about the 928? I'd like to hear. Cheers.

[@kellinpatler]

The 928’s are fantastic cars, but maintenance is notably and notoriously high. I know a few 928 owners and they have all said that the costs of ownership are not for the faint of heart. One of them has been spending upwards of $20k annually to keep his very nice example going. Contrast against his g-body 911 which has been less than $2k annually.

[@keepyourbilsteins]

Want me to make a video on them?

[@nathanmerz]

@detonator2112 I LOVE the 928 and have a OB 1979 5-speed in the stable, it in fact gets more annual mileage than any of my other Porsche's! The beautiful thing about Porsche is they offer a wide array of great cars, I always tell people to buy the one that speaks to them.

[@keepyourbilsteins]

@detonator2112 I'll add, aftermarket parts availability for the 928 is Nowhere near 911 coverage. There are many discontinued and very hard to obtain parts. Sure, Roger at 928sRUS is a godsend, but heaven forbid you need some odd trim or electronic part. That said, I really like them. The 2V cars are my favorite. Fewer quirks, while at the same time idiosyncratic. Pay the extra for a nice example. There is nothing more expensive than a cheap 928.

[@Derek-Rennthusiast]

I love 928s, they are a guilty pleasure! I have almost bought one many times but have been scared away when they all had electrical "gremlins". I just didn't want to buy it and immediately have to take it apart. I think they are awesome cars!

[@thecostanzatheory]

Was hoping Nathan would’ve given his list of modern “halo” cars. R, Speedster, S/T imho

[@jamesstone1614]

912 SWB all day long!!

[@gabem8119]

don’t believe how nathan doesn’t think the 944 is a nice looking car. the late 944 turbos with the bridge spoiler are so nice, even today they look just as good or better than some cars.

[@nathanmerz]

@gabem8119 I LOVE the look of the 944 coupe, I am not personally a fan of the convertible version as I like the rear greenhouse of the coupe. But again, if someone likes the convertible, GREAT! Drive what you like!

[@qtrfoil]

@@nathanmerz I'll trade you - I like the looks of the S2 Cab quite a bit, but, though it's a better car I just can't stand the looks of the 968 😃

[@gabem8119]

⁠🙌🏽 other than liking the latest 911's, the 944 is my favorite 80's Porsche, 928 GTS looks good too. I still drool when I see a nice 944 that's been taken care of.

[@Derek-Rennthusiast]

@@gabem8119 Completely agree! We just recorded an episode today that talks about the 944!

[@SF_Native]

Wow, I really enjoyed hearing this side of Nathan. He really went in on you Wil! hahaa

[@Rennthusiast]

lol yes, he was triggered

[@cascade_Luke]

Bore scoring is definitely real. The 9A1 on my 997.2 Targa 4S M/T had been replaced twice. During my ownership at 62500. The cylinder coating is subpar and injecting design with wear allows blow-by.. sold it with its 3rd motor at 65k miles.

[@Derek-Rennthusiast]

Holy cow!

[@MIKE_YATES]

i think theres a huge difference between acceptings the ims failure and affording the ims repairs but i hear you guys..

[@oliverradcliffe7974]

Buy the car, figure out how much the fix would be, and put that money aside somewhere where it will make money.

[@joelrogers7413]

I am curious about your thoughts on the 991.1 models. Being the last of the NA cars besides the high end GT cars?

[@dirkpalmer1067]

Dang it, one more big dog recommending the 987 Boxter, thereby driving proces up! 😆 I'm thinking about adding a 987.2 Boxyer S to my 911 gts.

[@jscifres100]

I’m not a big dog but I snared my 987.2 base 6-speed last year to join my 981 Spyder in the “never sell” garage spaces.

[@dirkpalmer1067]

@@jscifres100 awesome! I'd love both!!! Enjoy! 😀

[@jscifres100]

Nathan’s validation is cool, but you gotta love his primary ethos… Pick the car which speaks to you.

[@nickwallis3750]

Great watch but the number of ad breaks was insane 😬

[@frankdigregorio6055]

Would have loved to hear what Nathan had to say about swapping blown engines in the 996/997

[@24hourgmtchannel64]

Buyers are willing to look past the problems of the M96 and M97 naturally aspirated engine to get into a 911 for a lower price. The ones that trully love$ these cars and buyers is Jake Raby at Flat 6 Inovations and L&N Engineering. I owned a 99 911 and the engine issues are real. To Nathan's point, my only advise to those considering a M96 & M97 is do not pay a high price for one and be ok with potentially facing one of two scenarios with either a full engine rebuild at $30k or selling a roller chassis at a $20k loss.

[@mountain_walker]

Still believe 996 Turbo’s are undervalued.

[@victorhernandez2260]

Nathan looks like he works on his cars 🙏

[@M-PASTA]

37:00 I didn’t know 911 gas tanks were 32 gallons p.s. the fact that people experience bore score and ims failure on cars that do significantly less miles than the average vehicle means it is a legitimate problem.

[@bigmacdaddy1234]

If the IMS and bore scoring is an overblown issue, then Porsche should pick up the tab when it happens.

[@realdata6116]

928-European Car of the Year

[@richardclegg5853]

The man, the myth, the legend...

[@saqibnawaz5139]

Vry wonderful stand alone journalism by Rennthusiasts channel about porsche not even 5% IMS bearing failure & bore scoring issue is over blown out of proportional on internet dere is vry minimal bore scoring vry usual of engine wear & tear & porches r running flawlessly 100 of thousands of miles after that so called hyped bore scoring

[@dBsdecibels]

The problems I have with modern Porsches isn't the size, weight, or tech. (Those are maybe 15-20% of the disinterest.) Where the bulk of my disinterest exists is with the driving experience: steering feel, shifter feel, clutch feel, handling dynamics, lack of edginess, etc. These things are not mutually exclusive to the goals of safety*, low emissions, convenience, GT. You can have all of those preferred characteristics in abundance while meeting those other market demands. The cars won't be 100% what they were, but they'd be a hell of a lot closer than they are...or even what it seems like they're attempting to be (outside of GT cars). I'd love to see them do a proper ethos Carrera T or SC, in the way described in this video. Suspect it would sell fantastically, even if it had a detuned engine. Want to be really risqué, you could put the Cayman S 4-cylinder into it. Maybe slightly higher PSI to bump it up a tad. Would get the cost down, less power, but lighter weight. Sound would be gone, but with GT3 steering, shifting, etc., it might do well! *the one pseudo exception is safety. Hard to have an edgy vehicle that's also safe, but that's where you have competent driver assists with the ability to scale them back and turn them off.

[@Gadfly2025]

Anything with a manual and 1 small battery

[@Coldgecko]

So I still own every air cooled RS and have for past almost 15 years. I sold a 959 during covid that I owned 10 years. Also sold over covid a 1957 4-cam Carrera GS/GT mint but too hard to maintain. I own Nathans fav; 1971 911S and lots of others that you would really like from a rarity point of view. I just bought a 2012 Turbo S because it's the best car in my opinion -- drivable, fast and marries classic with new. Regardless, trying to time a purchase for a Porsche is impossible. I know from reality and not theory. You buy the car because you LOVE the car. For me, its kenetic art and Nathan would hate me -- I own GT3 Tourings and put on order a new GTS. But I dont care... I'm not doing it for Nathan -- I play in the market because I love cars - new and old - and all gens.

[@Derek-Rennthusiast]

You have owned/driven some very special cars. Bravo. What a stack of experiences you have!

[@Coldgecko]

@@Derek-Rennthusiast Yah, I caught the Porsche bug 25 years ago. Never left me.

[@johnice2157]

Buying a Porsche from Nathan Merz is like buying a loaf of bread from Jesus...

[@mattyp3119]

What you tell your wife: you get a good shop that makes you a second fake invoice. Everything seems to cost $200bucks, so weird!!!

[@Derek-Rennthusiast]

😂

[@detonator2112]

Nathan Merz is very knowledgeable but I think his "guru status" has went a bit to his head. He was much more pleasant and felt less arrogant in his older videos. Or maybe he was just in a bad mood? Not to take anything away from him, I really appreciate what he's doing... just saying...

[@julian987r4]

No Cayman R ?!?!🤯

[@MadMike991]

No doubt, they are great cars but it’s hard to argue they are under appreciated given the prices they are selling for. Meanwhile, a base or S gets you 80-90% of the R experience for half or less of the cost of an R.

[@Derek-Rennthusiast]

@@MadMike991 Agree with this. They are very cool cars, but you are paying for them at this point.

[@adampadamify]

You’re a likable unlikeable guy 🤣🤣 Wow Will was a great sport with that rant 🤣