Everyone, thanks for the feedback/head check. No reason for me to alter the plan! Except to also include the 3.2 in the search...

Some thought provoking and funny posts here !

911therapy
 

I have had my 1978 targa for 25 plus years. It has 104000 miles at this point. It was a great investment. I also drive it for therapy when I need some cool down time. Last year I was debating buying a 2004-2008 911. I finally decided to stall the decision by renewing the upholstery and the carpet. Dan Pectel is now restoring the top. The addition of sound mat (road kill) to the floor has made the car much quieter. I have already figured out the decision: I am going to drive the car for the next 24 months while looking for a newer Porsche. After the purchase I am going to keep the car and leave it or give it to my daughter. It is not really a tough decision. She will never enjoy money like she will enjoy this white 78 targa with the bulletproof engine. How many things in life can you appreciate every day?http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1390279892.jpg

Overheard in a cafe, and the reason electric and self-driving cars will never ever catch on with the masses:

"Ya get stuck up in tharr mountains, and then what? You can't bring electricity to a car"

And self driving cars:
"...and then what if it decides to suddenly take a left turn?? Forget that!"

Tomswa, beautiful car and you are giving yours a great heritage! Lucky car and wonderful legacy to pass on!!

PushingMyLuck, thank you for asking why I was passing up the 3.2's. Expanded my search to include them an found a great 86 911 locally. The utah market is slim and I would have missed it if wasn't for you.

Thank you all for the kick in the pants I needed. Next post… suspension upgrade : ).

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1391327388.jpg

Her she is!

Very nice!
Tell us more about it.
Looks like it is wearing 7&8" Fuchs.
Very classy colour.

Congrats! Is that diamond blue metallic?

Nice looking car! Can you share the miles, price, and service history?

Nice!

This is what I did. Now I just go to the garage to... get my motorcycle and ammo.

I kid... there is still PLENTY to tinker with on the Cayman. In all honesty the time to play and cost are about the same as an older 911. But engines and transmissions are easier to come by.

I'll have to double check, believe the color is Meteor Grey Metallic.

96.7k miles. They were ~3rd owner. Original window sticker and maintenance records back to 86, which was a pleasant surprise! While chatting with them learned they had leak down and compression test done a few thousand miles ago. Looked over the numbers and they were spot on. Everything on the car is stock except radio, original paint and dry climate car so no rust. Just the normal assortment of small rock chips one would expect.

Came across a few similar cars for less online, but after meeting the woman selling it and her husband I knew this was the right car for me. Very nice couple who moved here from Germany (bought car in US). Husband's brother is an engineer working at Getrag in Germany, which would have been way to spooky if it had the G50!

Very happy I didn't have to fly around the country looking at cars, deal with dealers or roll the dice and buy site unseen. Got to meet some really nice people. Not a lot of Porsches in Utah… not a practical car for the locals to fit all their wives in. ;)

routah, with the right owner, stock car, and long service records, the smart move is to pay the $24k and avoid the slightly cheaper "deal".
With a classic car, paying a few thousand bucks more is a drop in the bucket, a mere rounding error. You can spend that in 1 or 2 visits to the the shop.
I think you made the right move and bought the entire package, not just the price. You will never regret that decision. Congrats!!

Wow that's pretty slick. Nice job!

rjp

Nice choice. I considered the Telsa Effect before my purchase in '12. If there is another fuel crisis then the Porsche not driving isn't going to be a worry. We'll all have much bigger problems to worry about at that point.

Seller was happy and I was happy. Doesn't get much better than that in my book!

I was pretty sure I was making the right choice going with this car versus chasing saving a few K on a car I didn't know as much about or had documented history… always nice to have the reality check and hear my instincts were probably right. Thank you!

So… in the process of searching cars I picked up a 1 month unlimited subscription to AutoCheck. I'm done with it, but if anyone wants a report on a car they are looking at or if you just want one on their own just PM me. Might as well use it! I did learn it doesn't work on earlier VIN #'s that aren't 17 characters. My way of giving back!!

Got a ride in a coworker's tesla s, and while very quiet, composed, and fast, it was essentially a limo. hence all the limousine liberals buying them, i guess :)

I imagine in 10 or 20 years we'll start seeing lightweight sports cars with good electric range... and more practical then the tesla roadster.