My 73E Restoration. I have to buy the records?

wm711 · 07:10 PM

Hey everybody. Here is the link to my original post where I bought a car I could not afford at the time.73 911e Fs I have a 71T and a 73tii that I was restoring when I bought the car. I got cold feet and tried to flip. I decided it was way to nice a car, and an OCD restoration began. Try and do 3 cars at once... never again. I have finally found the guy who has maintained the car from 1980, complete with the reciepts for the engine rebuild in 2003, complete with Ollies flow charts for the heads. I think I have a good relationship with him. I offered the fellow $100 for the paperwork. He failed to return my call. The owner of the car is deceased, and this fellow has kept all the paperwork for all the repairs. The paperwork means nothing to anyone but me. Am I being cheap? I thought 100 bucks is generous. What do you guys think-Here is a link to my 73E restoration. I will have it completely finished this weekend...very exciting! TIA-Bill link to resto photos, just slug through the tii pics, I took those to remember where everything went, I am detailing the engine and engine compoartment. http://s167.photobucket.com/albums/u137/WM711/

Bobboloo · Bobboloo's Garage

$100 is more than generous. Actually he should give you the paper work for free and he knows it.

How far is he from you? Could you go request the papers in person?

He probably doesn't feel right accepting the money but at the same time doesn't want to go to the trouble of doing it for free. He's got probably got other things on his plate that are more important to him. If you can get him to move on it he'll probably refuse the money.

I think gingerly applied persistance is your best move. He'll eventually want to get you off his back.

The car looks fantastic. What were you thinking? Three projects!!

I've come so close to having three projects so many times. Just this week actually. I was able to control myself however so right now I've got two.

Porsche · Porsche's Garage

I agree, he should give it to you for free. Why should he keep the documentation?

Jays72T · 06-26-2007, 10:05 PM

Pretty scummy if he charges you for the records but he has them and you want them, he thinks they are worth something. If the records he has are copies and he wants more $$ then say "oh, I found the records through the estate, thanks..........but hey, if you want I'll still give you $50.00 for them so I can have a copy.

Good luck.

70SATMan · 06-27-2007, 05:09 AM

Unless I mis-understood the post, the fellow in question with the history was not the owner of the car. Was he the seller of the car? That is not clear unless it's in your linked post.

If he is just the owner of the shop who maintained the car then he is not obligated to give you his records on the car.

However, I believe the owner of the shop who had the records on hand for a particular car should be more than happy to supply copies for a modest fee to cover the copying charges. It's good business practice.

JeffreyNMemphis · 06-27-2007, 05:38 AM

Hello WM,

Your location is not filled out. Maybe you live in a country where anything can be held for ransom?

It was not clear in your post; did the shop tell you that their records were for sale? Did they give you a price? Did you make an offer over the phone live or just leave a message?

I agree with the others who said he is not obligated to give you his records, but I also agree that doing so would be better than withholding. I could not imagine a shop wanting more than $100 to provide a copy. Maybe they are just busy?

wm711 · 06-27-2007, 06:51 AM

Thanks guys, hey Jeffrey, im just north of you, in Paducah, KY. I offered to compensate him as soon as I was able to contact him, my initial contact was several months ago. I told him if it wasnt to much trouble, to locate the paperwork and let me know. We never spoke money. I spoke with him last week, he had the papers in his hand, as he reflected on some of the repairs. I called Monday, offering 100 bucks, leaving a message via voice mail. He has always been good about immediately returning my calls. We seem to have a cordial relationship, he seems to have fond memories of my car. He was a Porsche tech, who performed service and repairs on the car on the side. He was a personal friend of the previous owner. Copies are just fine with me. I sincerely hope I can resolve this. Thanks for all the advice. Bill

JeffreyNMemphis · 06-27-2007, 07:05 AM

Well... Howdy Neighbor!

I bet he is just busy.. If you lived in Kazakstan, it might be another story!

You should join us for one of the West Tennessee Fun Runs (WTFR). You are not that far away. The more the merrier1

tonythetarga · 06-27-2007, 07:06 AM

If he is close, drive up and show him the car and talk about how his old friend would be glad to know the car has been restored and how it will live on. The mechanic/shop owner may have been offended at the offer of money left on a voice mail or not know how to respond tactfully. Go see him, give him an envelope with the money anyway and tell him it is to cover the copying expenses.

on-ramp · 06-27-2007, 07:13 AM

time is money. I would charge you $250 for the records, for my time to put them together, etc.

Danimal16 · 06-27-2007, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by on-ramp
time is money. I would charge you $250 for the records, for my time to put them together, etc.

I concur with On Ramp. You need to ask what your time is worth as well. Although it is kinda' cheap of the guy, but it is not out of line. I would seriously just send him the check and get the docs and be done with it. Instead of makin' mad or driving up to see him to discuss it with the cost of gas and your time, why not just be done with it. You could be out driving your car having fun instead of fretting over the cost of docs

You are lucky to have someone who has preserved the docs, so I would just do it.