The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (long)

[arcsine]

The Bad:
About a month ago ago, the decision was made to sell the 911. Looking forward, some things will be changing for us that made having a 911 not such a great idea. I do not like the idea as I have waited MANY years to get one, but selling it is the rational/prudent thing to do. So I put an add out here as well as on the PCA website and slumped in my chair with the heretical thoughts of selling the car running in my head. I know the car has 1st & 2nd syncros that are useless but the car has some good upgrades and got interest immediately.

Forward a week and I have to drive across the state (300+ miles each way) and the delemma of which car to drive comes up; the Scooby-Do is the rational/prudent one to take but boring; the 911 will be the fun car but I am selling it and what if something happens on the drive? Could be an accident or mechanical failure or .... So after much internal deliberation and at the last minute clarity rang through, take the Porsche, nothing is going to happen, besides the long drive will be good for it.

So off I go. Minimal highway time to get myself over the mountains then drop off onto secondary roads and enjoy the rolling green farmland and surprisingly curvy roads. Had a great drive out.



Until I get to my destination and my first stop light.

The Ugly:
I am immediately enveloped in a huge cloud of smoke. What's up with that! I drive through the town trailing this cloud of smoke and choking myself each time I have to stop. OK time for some damage control: I have oil pressure- that is good; the oil level is still mid gauge - good as well. Maybe as I changed the oil the night before, I over filled it and burped some into the air box and I am just buring it off. Yeah that has to be it. So I get to my hotel and pop the air box cover and filter to see nothing, bone dry. With a dread that sinks with me, I get on the ground to look underneath. Oil everywhere, dripping off the cases, burning off the headers, sprayed onto the wheels, making a big puddle in the five minutes I have been stopped. A few thoughts burst into my head, "This is not an easy fix", "How am I going to get home?", "I cannot sell a car that is doing this, what am I going to do?".

Well at this time there is not much I can do other than some theraputic tequila. I park the car, hang out and do the things I came to do, buy some oil for the drive home a day later. I kept one eye constantly monitoring the oil pressure and stopped every 100 miles or so to top it up. Ended up going through two quarts on the trip and freezing my butt off as I would kill myself with oil fumes if I cranked on the heat but I made it home intact.

The Good:
How to procede from here is the question? I have a sick car with a bad tranny that I am selling. Do I sell it as is and get almost no money for it? Do I fix it and hope I can recoup the costs when I sell? Do I fix it and keep it? After some more tequila it was decided to fix it and keep it. Oh boy.

So I make an appointment with John Walker and drop off the car. We need to rebuild the tranny, find and fix the oil leak(s) and rebuild the CV joints (I don't want to experience what Moses did. They were clicking anyhow). While we are at it you might as well throw on a pair of SSI's and give it a valve adjustment/tune up. John found the clutch was at the end of its life so we are swapping that out to.

End result is that I get to keep the car and get a bunch of issues dealt with at once just in time for summer. This is good.

[ChrisBennet]

Personally, I think it would be worse to sell the car and have this happen to the new owner on his way home. That would make me a little ill.
-Chris

[Tim Walsh]

I think chris is entirely right I'd hate to spend 10-15 on a car and it start smoking very early like that. At least you get to keep your little piece of heaven.

[Superman]

Scary story, but I like the ending. I'd guess that the leaking oil problem turned out to be something simple, as opposed to something that belongs in Doug's "mechanical mayhem" file.

Gary, I'm glad we're keeping you in the fold, and it seems to me that decisions to sell beloved vehicles are some of the most often regretted in the long run. In the meantime, I also hope you can achieve the family-related goals. There is usually a way.

[arcsine]

Chris is absolutley correct. I had a guy very interested that wanted the weekend to think about it. I told him that I would get in contact with him as soon as I got back from the trip to see if we had a deal. If he had bought the car and it blew up soon after purchase I would be sick.

[tiorio]

Allright, so where did the leak end up being?

Glad you're keeping the car, it usually turns out the cost of selling the car (monetary and emotional) greatly exceeds the cost of keeping it.

Of course, I have yet to actually 'sell' a car and I've owned quite a few!

[Drago]

Good to hear your keeping in the fold, Gary. Scary story....did JW diagnose the source of the oil leak???

[arcsine]

It appears to be the thermostat.

It was a sign.........

[Yargk]

You were going to sell her !?!

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Originally posted by Gary Carlton

The Ugly:
I am immediately enveloped in a huge cloud of smoke. What's up with that! I drive through the town trailing this cloud of smoke and choking myself each time I have to stop.