ps. sorry Bash. We purged PML from your thread and it has come to this. In all honesty that's part of what set me off on Ronnie. Eric and I were debating a pure CIS SC and a modded one with Webers, which matters to your buying decidion. and this blow hard dropped in...

Since you mentioned SPICA, was your bad Weber experience on an Alfa?

I take exception to this statement. I don't start with anyone. I'm here for information. I said a gearbox rebuild was $6k, and you said I was "talking out of my ass". Even if a gearbox was $5k, not $6k, I wasn't that far off base.

Yes, sir, I certainly did. Someone had taken off the original SPICA, and put on Webers.

Now, SPICA injection can be a total biotch to get right, but the Alfa manual on SPICA is pretty clear on how to set it up properly.

Getting to default settings is the hard part. Fine-tuning it after is a cakewalk. :)

If I never see another set of Webers - hell, ANY carbs, it'll be too soon.

You no carb tuning, K-Jet humping, MF!!! http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/fi...y-emoticon.gif

BTW, thanks for the "sparkplug help"! :D - no homo!

Yup, Ronnie - it's the internet. You gotta roll with it, because the amount of "characters" you meet out there is truly mind-boggling.

There are mechanics and there are maestros. I mean no offense but there is a reason the dealer list on my website is so short. I sell parts to several hundred mechanics in this country. My dealer list are actually recommended installers.

It's like being a chef. Seems pretty simple to follow a recipe. Some recipes are pretty simple. Any monkey can fry an egg.
But make a quiche. It's not just the recipe. It's experience in knowing within a degree how hot the oven needs to be. And how many seconds, not minutes, to leave it in there. And not peek and change the temp because you looked.

Some things on cars can be done by any old chefs. Other things require someone with a bit more feel and 6th sense.
I've currently got a ring and pinion coming back from France on a "warranty" claim. I can see from the pictures that he "peeked". But with 25 years in business he won't hear it. Once I hold it in my hands and photograph the finer details of his mistakes he will likely quit crying foul.

Point? We each have different skillsets and number of quiches we are wilmg to screw up. I was lucky. A maestro walked me through tuning my first set of Webers. He wasn't around on the second set. I was lucky the jets were already right and all I really had to do was get the oven temp right and respect proper cook time. And it still took me a month of fiddling. I'm really just saying that because one is a cook, and maybe even prefers fried eggs to quiche, doesn't mean quiche sucks.

Yeah Ronnie, I like quiche. It is best with bacon though. None of this Spam quiche for me.

Matt,
love the quiche reference, I am a chef so it all makes perfect sense.
No one has pondered a "price" for this car. With all the emotion here on carbs or not, how much would anyone pay knowing that you either have to get the carbs right, pull them off & go back to cis, as well as redo the targa seals?
b

I'm glad you used that analogy, Matt. I will never be a Weber expert. And the fact that it takes experienced and knowledgeable hands to make the things work makes me feel a LOT better about my choices and opinion on the subject.

I would say that for those who do not wish to subject themselves to the frustration that Webers can bring, stick with the system that came on your car to begin with. If you have them and they are set up right, then be thankful, and hope you never have to dig into them.

Yep, we each have to draw our own line in how much effort we are willing to put in to learn.

Coming from the 914 world there is a certain bias. The stock FI on those cars is a biatch if it goes amiss. Carbs were always the cheap and easy way to make the car run again. 914 FI experts are Gods in my book.

As for the car in question if it were just the running issues I wound pay close to $15k for it. Add in the targa top and seals and I'm down another $2-3k.

Thanks for getting this thread back on topic.

Each of us has an opinion on carb's. I have been telling Bash for a couple of weeks that carb's are not the way to go for his intended purpose.

Gents,
still looking. Missed out on one or two more. Driven two that I passed on, mostly sc's however. My expectations have grown with my experience & my budget too seemly. Thanks to a few key people on this site I have stayed away from some real slugs.
But, is it just me or "where have all these cars gone"?
Everyone I talk to has story's of these cars being more plentiful just a few years ago....
Bash

I think the cars have gotten pretty sparse on the ground -- at least on the DC craigslist, which has generally had half dozen at a time. Now there are 1-3, and they tend to be serious projects or long term denizens that are top dollar.

Based on the comments from Hershey, there were not a lot of cars there either.

The grand predicted surge of cheap Spring cars leading to dropping prices was a figment of someones imagination.

Bash,

I have seen many more cars coming to market than a month ago.
Sellers are indeed taking advantage of this 100% spike in prices.
However, the flippers are crawling everywhere now. Bubble market.
A fairly priced car will literally be sold to a flipper within hours.
Then the car is then relisted at the top end of market.
Be patient, and you'll eventually find a non-dealer car FSBO that you like.
The best attitude to have it a take it or leave it.
This is bubble territory, so hold your ground.

If you are worried about the fact that a $20k car in 2012 is a $25k car in 2014, you are probably over thinking it. That is not exactly the Tulip Bubble.

Certainly don't panic, but if you are expecting a glut of cars to emerge in the next year, you are likely to be disappointed.

Just have your money ready, and be prepared to act quickly if you find the right car. But my sense is that you know what you are doing.

Gentlemen,
I know that I may offend some here on this site but PML hit the nail on the head with his last post. Now I don't want to get into all this bubble talk but there does seem to both more cars coming to market-in most cases either someone else's make work project or something that has been flipped.Although I may disagree with some of PML (even his handle pushing my luck?) thoughts on everything, I agree with his hang back & wait with cash at the ready.
I continue to "just miss out or next in line" to these market forces,
On with the body count
B

There is always always a rise in the number of cars available at this time of year. Its spring and therefore easier for everyone involved in the process of buying or selling a sports car. PML's famous test drive is even possible now.

Thanks Bash. There are lots of good 911's stored out there, and owners are starting to realize how much prices have gone up. The supply for sale will only increase if these prices hold. Its law. If the economy corrects, that will be yet another reason supply increases. So, it should only get easier to find a car going forward.

It seems like you've dodged a few dogs. Good job. This thread is only 2 months old. It may seem like forever, but you started your search in winter. The real search starts now. You have some geographic flexibility being in the middle of the East Cost.

Is your budget still $20k? Low priced cars are immediately grabbed by flippers and dealers. If your budget was mid 20s, you'd have a better shot at a good car with less competition from dealers and flippers. I personally think you should keep looking but also increase your budget. You might consider waiting until your budget is $25k. If you find a $20k deal in the meantime, then go for it. But, keep in mind it will be hard to PPI a $20k car. You can PPI a $25k to $30k car since the cash paying flippers will be out of the picture.

Why not hold out for a 3.2? Wait for the right car and seller. You will not regret that. But, you will 100% regret buying a dog of a car, especially when you see better cars coming across your screen after you buy one.

I have driven/given offers-even had ppi done on cars priced from $14k to $24k.My budget has expanded with my knowledge but so has my expectations.
My number one requirement is that the car is loved& I refuse to purchase from a flipper, I don't want to feed the beast so to speak.
Now the number one requirement for me, as a few on this site can attest is patience
B

What were the various PPI results? What issues were uncovered to stop the deal?

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