What does that mean?

The car is owned by a regular guy that works at a gas station/mom and pop garage shop here in Charlotte...

Next question?

Throw some pics up for us and maybe Teo can check it out with you.

IMO there is no sense in owning a longhood with a 3.0 turbo. For all the risk (risk of rust, crappy work, etc) you'd be taking with that car you still won't own a 'vintage' Porsche. Yes it would be fast but, to me anyways, the fixation on longhoods is not just the body but the motor. The sounds are sooooo much a part of it and you would be missing out.

Catch a ride in some OE spec early cars and see what you thing before jumping in. I think you already have a great car to go fast in.

Maybe grams could cough up a cool $40k and you can go 356 shopping?

BTW, not my business but if you don't have a plan on purchasing your first home i'd put grammy's cash into that instead.

The car has got charm... but it will be a money pit... and unless you spend a lot on it... it will rust away

hmm maybe that's the underlying reason he's selling it...

The car's got charm, quirk, personality, and screams 'Katie' all over it...but that's only my opinion...;)

Katie,
maybe somebody already asked this and I missed it. But are you planning on owning two coupes and a Targa? Or will 'Augie' replace your '78? Seems like it may make more sense for your Gran to buy you an '83 targa- then you have both? Maybe backdate the '83 then you've got the 'classic' look? Just a thought.

Cheers,

Paul.

Katie,

So are you suddently completely dis-enchanted with your '78? I seem to remember several posts from you (not so long ago) about how much you love your current SC. What gives???

Like you, I got into Porsches pretty young. Bought my first one at age 21 (a 77 924), then my first 911 at age 25 (80 SC Targa) - so I know how excited and cool they can make you feel. To think of someone in their early 20's trying to keep 2 911's running gives me a queasy feeling in my tummy. You know you'll get plenty of support from this board no matter what you do, but I for one would hate to see you soured on Porsches and more importantly, financially damaged .

PLEASE sleep on this for a few days and ask yourself some of the tough questions that have been brought up on this thread. Personally I hope you decide to just keep and enjoy the '78 for a few years, but at a minimum I would suggest that you own only one 911 at a time for a while. So if you MUST have a longhood, I hope you would sell the SC first.

Good luck, Katie - we do love your enthusiasm!!

Well, for all intents and purposes, the SC is my dad's car. He bought it for himself, but also because he knows how much I love it.

The Future cars section in my sig is cars that I someday hope to own. Unfortunately, once I see/find a car I like, I tend to get hell-bent on owning that particular car. Or one just like it. And because that would make it difficult for finding another one just like it, it could take years before I could find the one I'm looking for (not that that's necessarily a problem; it'll take years before I'll ever be able to afford any of the cars I want) And I don't want to buy a car that I'd have to repaint to whatever color I want--that costs considerable money, plus I'm not big on changing a car's original color just cos you can or want to...having said that, if the 73 turns out to be a real rust-bucket, I could always save it for that RSR/BB2 replica I've got my sights on in 10-15 yrs...;)

I'm not sure that I'd want to backdate an 83. And I've decided to keep the SC stock for the time being.

Don't buy a project car, buy someone else's project. You know, the ones that get $40K pumped into it, ends up in divorce, and you get for $12K. That's what I did, and it worked out great. :D ...at least for me... ;)

No not disenchanted at all! Just don't get to see/drive it much. I'm still gonna do a post on how I got into Porsches and how I ended up with the SC...

The car needs a careful PPI to see how much of a project it is. The rust is a bad sign...

Do you have a job lined up, since you are about to be a college grad.? Are you majoring in a lucrative field where you are nearly certain to get a good job? Is your degree from a top school (Res. Triangle Park) or a small, well-regarded liberal arts college? Those are all things you should be asking yourself... and that maybe your parents are thinking of.

If you bought it, what would you do with it? Build it into a hotrod? Find a numbers matching motor for it and 'restore' it to stock?

In other words, what it be worth if you ever need or want to sell it?

Back to the job stuff... Will your job/major be likely to make you move to a large city where driving the car will be a chore? Or just storing it will cost a fortune (NYC, Boston, etc.)?

I'm not so sure about buying a hose, but yo u definitely want to start a savings and investment plan right away - the most important factor causing investments to grow is TIME.... if it grows enough, you can retire in your 40s and buy a real RS or a low level Fcar...

A co-sign loan is a horrible idea. If you can't get it on your own, you can't afford it.

Not the answer you want but it's the truth.

Finish school and get a job. THEN buy yourself a nice longhood.

I disagree.

Katie,
Time out, walk away from the vehicle, take off the Porsche blinders. Seriously, I know exactly what you are thinking/feeling--I was the same way four years ago when I got my Carrera. It was a college graduation present to myself. I had looked at a few dogs of cars then drove mine and it was all over, my dad was supposed to keep me from buying it on the spot but he didn't. I overlooked things that I shouldn't have and they have cost THOUSANDS of dollars to repair the right way. I should have saved that $$ for a house, but I had to have a 911 (it was my childhood dream). If you are serious about the long-hood get a PPI at one of the Charlotte shops and have a nice discussion about exactly how much rust repair and metal work costs. My body-man cut me a deal to repair my fender the right way at $50 an hour--he spent three days on it.

Another thing, if you must get your own 911 put the cash in a money market for a year and then take the 15k and get the nicest, cleanest, SC or Carrera you can find (might talk to Bob Saville at Exclusive Motors and see what you can get in your price range). Do not jump into this early car without researching the heck out of it. Good luck and be patient the "right car" will come along eventually. You should probably drive/ride in some different 911's and see what you like the best.

Katie, it seems to me that Teo actually knows and sees this car in his rounds!? If thats the case, do whatever you can to get him to give it a good close eyeball. If he thinks it has merit, then go deeper. Maybe a PPI would be in order.

I love the idea of getting something thats less than perfect and improving on it...as long thats part of the original goal.

And thats the point, figure out what the goal is, then ss if this car fits. If it's to be a daily driver with little maintenance, then be VERY careful!

This kind of "charm, quirk, and personality" could be expensive - this car is going to cost you in the long run. Factory turbos are expensive. Double that for aftermarket.

I'm with the others who say to buy a clean SC and enjoy the car (not dump money into it).

(P.S. - You've got a cool grandmother!)

Ok Katie, you are 20something...........you can wait. When I was a kid 5 and under, my father wrenched on Porsche. I grew up with them around me, and have wanted one for as long as I could open a Porsche door. Fast forward to today, I am 42, I bought my first Porsche (the lovely Lanna) 2 years ago. I waited for several reasons, The biggest was money,( I paid cash, you don't want to finance fun) the second was I knew I couldn't keep my foot out of it. I am so happy I waited, I couldn't be happier with my car and all the waiting just makes the having that much better. I am still like a little school girl when I get behind the wheel.
It also took me 2 years of looking for the "right car".
Please don't try and make this deal happen, if it's right it will, if not oh well. There will be others, and thier is nothing but time on your side. Good luck with whatever you decide.
I know-I know the color......................yeah!

The lust for a car that Dan mentions has cost many people a lot of money. Ask me how I know? LOL!

+1 what Dan said. Please step away from the vehicle.

Good luck what ever your decide.

this board doesn't like purchasing non-stock cars unless the car has been modded by a fellow pelicanite.

starting with that knowledge some of the comments make sense...lol....

now, saying that, I'm young (er then even you) and have already been hit hard in the bank a few times, and unforunately my grandma won't buy me a car.... not that i am complaining, i got great grandparents :P

instead of just saying no, i'm going to tell you a few things to look at, and if you find these negatives with your own eye, you can probably talk yourself out of it. and if they aren't there, then hell sounds like a good deal...

- i am not a purist, probably the furthest thing from, though i do prefer porsche parts to any other-

first: ask him of any issues, and mention the fact that you are not looking to sink big money just to keep the car on the road....most people are actually good people, and won't lie to your face.

then: open the front hood, lift up the carpet if there is any, look and FEEL around the battery to see if there is any rust, this is a very common location, and if its rusted out badly here, you forsure need a new front pan, and possibly its eatin through to the suspension pickup points....and then theres BIG money.

do a gernal look under the car, look as to where he normally parks it and check of any suspicious drips. there will be some, which would be fine, but there should not be lots, the 3L is a good engine, very reliable in N/A form....adding boost takes years off of its life though.

now, you have driven a 911 before, you should tell him that, and if your really serious you MUST test drive before you buy. Check the first a second gear synchro, reverse can be a nice indicator also, if they are raming it in gear it will show.

w/o and other real knownledge it'll be hard to say. Does he have a boost gauge? it should read in bar, or psi...if he does not that is something to worry about.

then, bring your camera, go and take TONS of pictures of it. post them here, this board is THE largest source of information and expertise. there are easily 100 stories on either side..

12 000 for a running 73 911s, even non-numbers matching, screams deal in my head, and i am not even a longhood fan. i like more power, i like modified...

so lets get some pics and inspect with a critical eye. Teo has very high stanards, and could defiently help you out, the car he is building will probably be one the nicest n/a street driven 911s.

i'm excited for you, and i can't wait to see some pictures...but don't rush, there's 1000's of p-cars out there, and many of them will have your name on it.

cheers
Nick

Enough lessons, its a car. Go buy it, don't let it change your life, don't sit in class day dreaming about it endlessly, just know you have it. Drive it if its safe and good to drive, keep it running, don't restore it, don't modify it, and then when you are Miss America and rolling in money do what you want with it. I will be disappointed if you don't get this car because of something silly like has been mentioned. Not to mention its only $12,000 not $200,000 and things like this make older people happy. Your grandma will deeply enjoy this purchase, don't tell her that she may not be able to do it later, she might and hopefully will live to 200, tell her how much fun you guys will have cruising in it. If its clean and you determine it is worth the money go ahead and enjoy, you can always just sell it, its not the end of the world.

I like that last bit of advice...buy, drive it, and take your grandma for a ride! Seriously, she'll cry! (of happiness!)

(I'd still have it checked out to make sure it's not a total POS, and you CAN drive it, LOLO)