A Slightly Unusual Couple

My husband and I aren’t very interested in the usual things like food, clothing, or housing. Our family of four rarely eats out (about twice a month), and when we do, it’s usually at places like Gusto or conveyor belt sushi. As for clothes, both my husband and I are firmly in the “Uniclo is more than enough” camp, and my husband even wears his clothes until they fall apart. We hardly ever replace home appliances (even though I want to when they break, they just don’t break…), and we’re not interested in interior design. Our home is a rented detached house, and honestly, we have no plans to buy a house in the future.

Writing it like this might make us sound like “minimalists” or “frugal,” but there’s another big difference between us and most families:

Our “car coefficient” is unusually high—much higher than our Engel coefficient.

Right now, we have four cars, and on top of that, we’re waiting for delivery of a fifth… it’s quite the crazy situation.

Cars My Husband Has Chosen Before

Even though we’re a family of four, our daughters are still young, and we live in a place that’s “suburban, but just a quick train ride to both Osaka and Kobe city centers.” So, logically, one car per family should be enough. That got me wondering, “If my husband had to keep just one of the cars we currently own, which one would he choose?”

Actually, before we got our air-cooled 911, I once asked him, “If you had to pick between the Boxster GTS (MT), the Panamera Turbo, and the (then-owned Mercedes-Benz) SL500, which would you choose?” At the time, he said, “That’s tough… it depends on the situation… but if I had to rate them on a scale of 1 to 5…” and gave these scores:

① Royu Driveway (moderate mountain roads)
Boxster: 5, Panamera: 4.9, SL: 3
② Rural national roads
Boxster: 4, Panamera: 4.8, SL: 5
③ Highways
Boxster: 4.3, Panamera: 5, SL: 4.8
④ City driving
Boxster: 4.5, Panamera: 4.3, SL: 4.8

Then he concluded,

“It’s tough, but if I had to pick the one that balances everything well, it’d be the Panamera.”

Hearing that made me, a Panamera fan, incredibly happy and relieved.

911, Boxster, or Panamera?

So, what about now? I asked my husband at home, “If you could only keep one of the air-cooled 911 (964C2), Panamera, or Boxster, which would you choose?” This time, he answered immediately:

It’s obvious. The 911.

…Seriously?! ((；ﾟДﾟ)) (I honestly thought he’d say Panamera after all.)

When I said, “That was quick,” he replied,

“Because there’s no car that feels as good to drive. Plus, it can seat four, after all.”

I said, “Yeah, but if you pick the air-cooled, you definitely won’t want to go on long trips with the family (here’s why in this article), and you’ll complain a lot.” He just said,

I’m fine with that.

And that was that… (-_-) LOL

Well, the air-cooled 911 is amazing to drive from the driver’s seat perspective, but when it comes to four people, the passenger seat (no foot space because of luggage) and back seats are honestly too cramped.

(This is tough every time…)

Our younger daughter still wears diapers, so when we go out, we have to bring diapers, wipes, changes of clothes, and quite a bit of stuff.

Sure, if the trunk is empty, we can pack the luggage there, and technically it’s a four-seater… but from my perspective, I really want him to keep the Panamera without hesitation. So, I asked our 5-year-old eldest daughter sitting next to me for help: “Which car do you like best?” She immediately said:

The green Porsche!

…which means the air-cooled 911 (-_-)

When I asked why, she said,

Because when I sit in the back, my feet touch the floor (since the interior is compact), and the roof opens a little! (It has a sunroof)

When I asked, “What about the blue Porsche? It’s big and cool,” she said,

No way. The roof doesn’t open, so it’s boring (-_-)

…Wow, that’s such a shocking kid comment (*_*) I almost wanted to call her out, forgetting she’s my own child. For now, I’m clearly losing the family vote. (The younger daughter is only 2, so she doesn’t count yet, lol.)

If it really comes to that, my enthusiasm for life will plummet, so I guess I’ll just have to buy another Panamera myself… and with that, I renewed my personal goal of owning a Porsche.

*For my husband’s glowing impressions and thoughts on the air-cooled 911 (964C2), see these articles:*

→My Husband Took the Air-Cooled 911 (964) on a Long Touring Trip in Shikoku!
→Interview with My Husband Who Drives the 911 (964C2) Almost Every Day: What Makes It So Great? [Part 1]
→Interview with My Husband Who Drives the 911 (964C2) Almost Every Day: What Makes It So Great? [Part 2]