[Matt Monson]

And when these cars don't sell it isn't a bubble popping. I really hope the insanity ends soon, if for no other reason than folks who haven't been paying attention don't pull their weekend driver and try to cash out.

A few years back when longhoods took off I drove up to Wyoming (no, not there!) to look at an actual '65 912. Poor little car. It had a fiberglass RS front bumper that had hit a cattle guard and was repaired with farm level glass laying. It had that BS aftermarket "impact bumper" rear center panel that was all the rage when folks were updating these cars. It had all kinds of window seal leakage rust and hadn't run in ten years.

I drove up on a Saturday morning and the guy was still trying to get it running when I showed up. He had drained the tank, refilled it, and was trying to get a leaking mechanical fuel pump to hold pressure long enough to make it run. It was parked in a barn under the wing of a homebuilt airplane that was just as sorry. Under the other wing was a Corvair in worse shape than the 912. And the guy thought it was worth $15k based on Ebay and conversations he saw here.

I felt bad for the guy. He had dying trees from failed irrigation attempts, a cracked greenhouse igloo that didn't keep the heat in, and dead jeeps, VW golfs, and tractors all over the place. Wife had left him and he was out in the middle of nowhere all alone with two dogs and some chickens. But none of that makes that car special. 5 years later it's still not a $15k car.