Customer Reviews

Buying, Driving, and Enjoying the Porsche 356 (Ownership Series)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having actively followed Mr. Schrager's excellent column in Sports Car Market, I was excited to find he had written this "how-to" book. I own a 1997 993 Turbo and am actively planning to purchase a 356. After reading this book, I feel much better prepared to begin this search as an informed consumer.

This book contains a wealth of information in a relatively small space, but Mr. Schrager's wonderful and concise presentation keeps the material from being intimidating or boring. His writing style is conversational, and his words clearly show his love for the 356 and cars in general. He is a gearhead through and through!

He does an admirable job of covering all bases: Picking a specific model, where to look, what features are important, how to do an accurate test drive, buying tips, technical advice, etc.

Mr. Schrager's is able to present a good bit of technical detail in a fashion that an seventh-grader could understand. His expertise, gained over many years of first hand experience with numerous 356's, is apparent.

If you love older Porsches and are considering the purchase of a 356, you owe it to yourself to read this book. It will help you avoid many common pitfalls and make the experience more enjoyable.

I've owned 356s for years. Jim Schrager's book told me things that I needed to know and didn't before I read this. The book contains useful, real world information without the fluff of a coffee table book. This is a must read for all new and soon to be new 356 owners. Particularly useful were the nut and bolt nuggets that come from years of owning all models of 356s. The only other way to get this information is years of pain.

I recently purchased a '67 912, satisfying my mid-life crisis for a Porsche. I researched several books to get the information needed to make an intelligent buy. I wish there was a book like this one for the 912. If you are considering a 356, this is the source book for you. Valuable information is provided on spotting problem cars and tips on what to examine. I especially like the information on ... cars as I have spotted may of the same frauds. I am close to getting a 356 and have targeted two and want to use the information this book provided. Porsche freaks, get this book!

This is a great book for the beginner or someone, like myself, almost ready to buy his first 356. This book is helping me a lot as the writer used his own experience from ownership to explain every aspect of this adorable car. Mr. Schrager even tries to explain the feeling and joy of owning and driving the 356 in metaphysical ways as you can not explain, by the means of logic, why people get so deeply in love with this car. You can read from cover to cover, you can use as reference or you can just open the book randomly and you'll hooked. After two hours of reading, someone offers you either a brand new 911 carrera or a 356...chances are you'll choose the "old one".

This book is simply fabulous. I found it profoundly informative in each of the plethora of topics that it covers on the classic Porsche 356 and all of its different models. Anyone from the beginning Porsche enthusiast to the seasoned 356 buyer will find this book to be a treasured part of their library.

This is an excellent little book for your Porsche library.
It gives you no nonsense insight into the world of 356s. Profound knowledge that would cost tens of thousands of Euros or even more Dollars to acquire the "learning by doing" and "trial and error" way.
On top of that it is enjoyable and easy to read.

This book contains a lot of information that will be of use for anyone considering buying a 356 porsche. The author has a lot of insight from his years of experience with the model, and shares with the readers some of his personal stories of buying and driving the 356 porsche. I like the authors style, and his stories were interesting and helpful. I would recomend this book to anyone with an interest in the 356 porsche.

Reading this review sends a signal: you are interested in buying and driving a 50 year old Porsche. And, if this be so, there is no better starting point than this book. Although written a decade ago, Schrager's advice and insights remain timelessly relevant. Simply put, buy and read the book before you get serious about spending the kind of money a decent 356 costs today. The modest outlay will be the best pre-investment you can make. Schrager will take you on an interesting and highly readable journey during which you'll learn a little about a lot: history, nomenclature, opportunities, and pitfalls in searching for the car that's right for you. Only in terms of the prices is Schrager as out-of-date as a narrow necktie. There is a Chinese proverb which goes: "the beginning of all wisdom lies in calling things by their proper names." For the prospective Porsche 356 buyer, most of those proper names appear in this book. It worked for me. Thanks, Jim.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. As a longtime Porsche 911 and Boxster owner my wife and I recently decided to find and buy a Porsche 356 series car to drive, play with and experience in our spare time. This book really broke down the differences in year models and all the subtle changes between them. I plan of using the information gained from this book during my search for my car-

This book is simply fabulous. I found it profoundly informative in each of the plethora of topics that it covers on the classic Porsche 356 and all of its different models. Anyone from the beginning Porsche enthusiasts to the seasoned 356 buyer will find this book to be a treasured part of your library.