[Early_S_Man]

These kinds of buy/sell questions come up every couple of years, and usually turn out rather memorable. Sometimes they have involved youngsters with wide-eyed aspirations ... other times, divorce court loomed on the horizon?

Katie,

Don't take any of the previous comments as personal, even though they may seem judgemental. Most so far have been sincere, if a bit blunt and off-the-wall. Some only see humor in the thread, and have nothing to add to the decision process.

Just for some background info, I have no kids ... but I am five years older than your father, and I have a 25-year old niece who is close and still going to school working towards a BS in Nursing. She has not been 100% successful in maintaining her academic goals, either.

From your first pics, I don't see a car that is worth $12K, and it probably isn't a 1973 911S at all, just another misrepresented, poorly maintained 911T with some new badges after an accident and poor repair work that was never finished to professional standards. It certainly isn't ready to be driven as a daily driver by a college student.

If your father is mechanically inclined, then he should be involved in the evaluation of this car at some point. If he sees a flicker of spirit in the car, then I suspect he will be much more inclined to become a team member, and willing to take on a long-term project with his daughter to bring back some former glory and pleasure from that car's past ... perhaps even if it means sitting in storage for months while you finish school without having to deal with it as a distraction away from school activities and important educational commitments.

You have the opportunity to let this car become a wedge between you and your parents, or it could become a long-term, unifying member of the family, including your grandmother!

Let us know what the VIN number is, both inside the trunk, and on the pillar visible through the windshield. Look for evidence of removal, tampering, and damage to both VIN plates. Pop-rivets can be replaced, but R&R without some visible traces of damage is very hard to do by amateurs ... and that car hasn't had any professional body technicians near it in a long, long time! Hopefully, you have access to a high-quality digital or 35 mm camera to take some 'family' pics with ... that could be the beginning of a large album in the future!

Good luck!