My philosophy for the purchase of cars has really led me to mostly owning Porsche 911s. Granted, I do own a few Japanese cars and have owned many AMG and BMW M cars, but ultimately everything boils down to me wanting more 911s because of all the experiences I’ve had with them. The Porsches I’ve owned have ranged from a 1970 911 T to a 2022 911 GT3 and just about everything in between.
[Ed note: This is a new featured called “Every Car I’ve Ever Owned” where we feature someone interesting who tells us their car buying philosophy and gives us a list of every car they’ve ever owned. First up is Lehman McGrath Keen III (better known as Leh Keen). A Georgia native, he’s currently racing in the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup for 311RS Motorsport and is the main progenitor of the Porsche 911 “safari” craze with his Keen Project 911s. Highlights of his career include three sports car championships in the United States, a class win at the Nurburgring 24, and a class podium at the 2010 24 hours of Le Mans in a Ferrari F430. He’s also low-key one of the funniest people you’ll ever meet at a race track. I worked with him on Proving Grounds and count myself lucky to know him.- MH]
The things I look for when purchasing a car are: Usability, excitement of driving, potential value gain, and ease of maintenance. The 911, for me, is the undisputed king of all four of those areas. If you look at a 993 RS for example, the cost of entry is very high–More than a Diablo or a 355 Ferrari–but the usability and cost of ownership is fractional compared to those two and pretty much everything else in the same category. There are no guarantees in life or in the used car market, but I suspect the 993 RS will steadily increase in value.
 I’ve seen the same trend from 911s at a much lower price point as well. They are sound investment but, honestly, the main reason I keep buying them is I just love how they drive and how reliable they are. Not only can you drive them, you can drive them hard. I can’t say the same for other cars I own like my R32 Skyline. I should also mention my 1985 two-door Mercedes G-Wagon because there’s also something fun about going very slow.
My WRC Subaru Impreza was a childhood dream come true but, at the same time, I was also very conscious of the investment. Even though I do currently own six Porsche 911s I do believe variety is key, which is why I have the G wagon and the Skyline. Neither are as good of an investment as the 911s financially, but that shouldn’t be the only reason you buy cars. Lastly, I daily drive a pretty base black on black Audi Q7 because I don’t want to stand out every single day just driving around town. Plus, the cops don’t pay much attention to it, either!
CURRENTLY OWNED CARS:
2021 Audi Q7
1985 Mercedes G wagon
1970 Porsche 911 T (racecar)
1981 Porsche 911 SC Safari
1992 Porsche Carrera RS NGT
1995 Porsche Carrera RS
2008 Porsche GT3 RS
2022 Porsche GT3
1990 Nissan Skyline GTR
2002 Subaru S8 WRC
OWNED IN THE PAST:
1994 Mercedes E320
1999 BMW M3
1994 Toyota Supra
1989 Nissan 240SX
2005 Subaru STi
2007 VW Touareg
2009 BMW M3
2004 Subaru STi
2007 Mercedes E63
2012 Audi A6
1990 Porsche 911 C2
1989 Porsche Carrera 3.2
2016 Mercedes E63
2017 Subaru Crosstrek
2019 Volvo XC90
1998 Carrera S
All photos courtesy of Leh Keen.
Wow. Joyful lust list. Neat feature to me. Safari 911’s have had a special place in my unrealistic fantasies for a very long time. Fast wagons are the embodiment of quiet and humble elite capability, like that soft spoken league MVP who has an earnest man to man conversation with you, a stranger with a common interest in something other than his sport. Skyline, Supra, M3, WRC! What a fun focused collection.
That was the best M3 generation anyway. And there is a lazy comfort in an E Class wagon for the wife, kids and dog. So I can see why that’s on the list. You can probably graph these vehicles chronologically over time, with weight and size as a function of marriage and subsequent progeny.
I refuse to do the math, but I’m sure the scatter plot bears me out on this.
I had the pleasure of meeting Leh at a track day for Z nationals when he had the e92 and was trying for a track record with a r35. Didn’t get a ride along but it was fun watching him run so much faster than everyone else that day.
How about random readers with lots of weird vehicle histories:
1989 Suzuki Samurai Hardtop
198? Dodge K-Car
198? Chevy Pickup
1987 Audi GT Coupe
1999 Dodge Dakota Sport
1993 Chevy Cavalier Z24 Convertible
199? Plymouth Sundance 4 Door
1982 Chevy Caprice
1996 Jeep Cherokee Sport
2004 Saturn Ion 1
2007 Scion tC
2011 Mazda 3
2008 Subaru Outback Sport
2001 Honda Civic
2010 Mazda CX-9
2013 Chevy Sonic LT
1997 Volvo 940
2018 Jeep Compass Trailhawk
2019 Jeep Compass Trailhawk
2020 Dodge Durango SXT
2021 Jeep Cherokee 85th Anniversary Edition
2003 Honda Civic LX
2004 Jeep Wrangler X
Rich guy brags, poor guy yawns.
1996 Saab 900 SE turbo
1973 Saab 96 V4
2013 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X
2015 VW Golf Sportwagen TDI
2018 Subaru Outback
1965 Chevrolet Suburban
Still own the bottom two
Yikes, the photo/description order triggers something….
What mean do you?
(What do you mean? ) 😉
I drive a shabby mostly stock ‘02 wrx, so of course I’m drooling over that, but, honestly, the top pic of the G wagon & safari 911 is pretty much my dream garage. Full stop.
I would love to see this as a recurring feature!
I love that Subie! And that MB Shaggin wagon. But the Porches are my fav.
Let us know if there’s anyone else you’d like to see in this series!
I would love to read on drivers from NHRA or IMSA! Oooor some regular schmucks from Peterson Museum or hell I wanna know the rides from the auctioneers from Bonhams, Sotheby’s or Mecum.
Matt, how about all of you guys! We know what most of you currently have, but what have you had.
My list (in order):
1982 Honda Accord Hatchback
1988 Nissan Stanza
1987 Honda Accord
1988 Saab 900 Turbo
1991 Isuzu Trooper
1995? Civic Del Sol
Rentals while living in europe, I can’t recall…
—> 2004? Opel Astra (had this one the longest)
1992 Honda Accord Wagon (stolen)
1997 Audi A4 Sedan
1998 Audi A4 Wagon (totalled by a cop)
1994 Toyota Pickup (current)
2002 Saturn SL1
2006 BMW 530 XiT (current wagon)
2012 Cadillac CTS 3.slow Base (6spd!) (current)
Sorry, that was an 85 Accord Hatchback, not 87. No edit!!!!
The A4 SEDAN was totalled by the cop, sorry again! (blamed us yet he t-boned us)
I’d be more interested in unexpected people with quirky car histories. I mean, sure, Leh currently has, and previously had, an impressive collection, but it’s more or less what you would expect a Porsche driver to have owned.
I find it more interesting to discover that someone completely unexpected is a closet car nut. Seems like with Beau’s business in LA, he would be able to provide some leads.