Midlife crisis

[bas]

Hi
Forgot about no answers policy in classifieds section. Copied my post to this section in case someone would like to comment on the forum



Looking for a 911 SC Coupe 1978 in excellent condition. Preferably silver with black interior. Not widebody.
Known history/servicerecord is appreciated. Will pay good money for good car.
bsinding at gmail.com



Thanks for messages and offers received from all . Sadly the cars have not quite been what I am looking for. I guess when it has to be a 78 or 79 and it should be silver on black it somehow limits the number of available cars. After more than 2 months of searching I am starting to wonder if i should "give up" and buy a nice 911 of a different color.
My dilemma is this; I am a man in my early fourties and quite possibly in some kind of midlife crisis;-) Seeing my search in this context; will any other car, than one looking exactly like the one I saw as a juvenile, heal my condition?:-) ( it was silver on black with polished Fuchs in case you are wondering)
Thoughts and ideas and helpful advice from younger and older Pelicanites who have gone through similar experiences are appreciated.

Should I consider cars that are perceived as silver at dusk or dawn??!!

[mike monde]

Bas,
I would hold until you find what you want. I was in the same position and wanted a silver 911 targa. I ended up buying a red coupe. Great car, but the silver 911 targa is what I wanted. Sold the the coupe, bought a silver cab. Sold the cab and continued my search for what I really wanted. Both these cars where carreras,(great cars, but the wrong color and I wanted a targa for the same reason as you, Thats what I liked when I was teenager.
Finally found one after a 9 to 10 month search.
Silver/black leather targa 1982 911sc.
Low milage and appeared not to be abused.
Took a little longer then I expected, but was exactly what I wanted.
I wouldnt compromise my standards and just remained deligent in my search and eventually found what I was looking for.
Just remember this, your car is sitting in someones garage, eventually you will find it. It just may take longer then you expected.
While I searched I followed this board and became more educated about these cars then any book that I read (IMO). There isn't a better source of information for p-cars then pelican. Just reading the archived threads will educate you more about these cars and what to look for, what to avoid and what to expect when you own one.

Be patient and "the one" for you will appear.
Also keep in mind that most of these cars are 20K cars(IMO) when it is all said and done.
You may find a steal for 10K, but may soon find out why.
I ended up paying a little more for mine (15k) but put another 4K into sorting it to my taste.
I would pay a liitle more for a well sorted SC then looking for a bargain or a low end carrera and sortng it myself.
As you propable know, the tuition in this club can get expensive quick, worse if you buy the "wrong" car.

If you get into a higher price range, a well sorted carrera certainly will fill the viod, although I always wanted a SC because they just seemed more "raw" to me then my carreras.
I found what I wanted because I was patient and knew what I wanted.
I would hold out for what you want, part of the fun is the search for "your' car.
Good luck in your search,

[kevjandon]

I'm 33 and have owned several 911's. All beautiful and unique and with a price tag around 20K each.

The thing that I have found with 911's is that once I have it just doesn't seem special anymore. Then I get bored, then I dump the car and persue another. It is a never ending cycle for me.

So the last car I bought I thought would cure the cycle (I say that every time). I moved on to a BMW M Coupe. 2001. Amazing car that I loved dearly. However, after 1.5 years I moved on and sold it.

There is no cure for having the porsche/sports car itch. The problem is once you cure your first itch, then another itch starts. Then you either become a collector or you sell and buy something different.

My advice, buy what you want and make sure it is a documented car. If you wait long enough you will find it.

I sold the M Coupe just over a year ago. I have yet to find anything to replace it and I search daily.

Hang tight, you'll find it and so will I

[ossiblue]

All good advice, and let me add one more thing--two months is nothing when you are looking for a specific car! Don't get discouraged, the last car I got (73.5T) took me nearly a year to locate. Like other things in life, sometimes the thrill is in the chase and the chase makes the catch that much more pleasurable! Keep at it and as you check out cars, you might surprise yourself and modify your criteria. You've got a lot of company on this board.

[jpl500]

Wait til you find what you want. I wanted one since I saw my first one in 1980 and finally got one in 2007. I got the one I wanted and I have the biggest smile on my face whenever I walk into the garage.

[Pazuzu]

So...you want a car like THIS?




Sorry, I just bought it, it's the last silver on black SC coupe with polished Fuchs' on the planet

[MT930]

Don't settle for anything less than what you want.
The search is part of the fun.
Don't fall in love with a inferior car.
Patience will pay off.
You get what you pay for, negotiation is critical, keep your poker face on.

[bas]

Thanks for friendly advice and supportive comments.
I guess I already knew that I would keep at it, but its good to hear from others that its possible to find the perfect car.
Your suggestions regarding budget corresponds fairly well with mine for a car that ticks all the boxes.
In my younger years I always bought the cheaper cars because I would build it up again as the car I wanted anyway.
This is slightly less appealing to me than it used to be. Again, must be my midlife crisis playing tricks on me.


I am at this forum daily obviously + samba.com, hemmings, collectorcartrader, autabuy, rennlist, craigslist, pca.org , cars.com has been unavailable lately

Are there any other good sites you will recommend?
Hopefully I am not violating any forum rules by asking for/mentioning other sites

[GothingNC]

Take your time and test drive as many specimans as possible.

My quest lasted about 2 years (on and off)

Here is a link with a few P-car listings.

http://www.rallystuff.com/pcar_sources.html


My next itch is an air-cooled pre-67 VW 21 window bus, but they are way over my budget for now

Good luck !

[bas]

Thank you for an impressive number of links. I will explore each and every one.

[ossiblue]

Originally Posted by bas

...Are there any other good sites you will recommend?
Hopefully I am not violating any forum rules by asking for/mentioning other sites

I see you are in Norway and I don't know the availability of P-cars there, but over here it's always good to cultivate word of mouth among owner groups and mechanics that you are looking for a particular car. Regular check-ins with people that have a common interest can pay dividends in revealing a car that is not really "on the market". As some have said before, some of the best cars are never advertised.

[WPOZZZ]

Are you set on a 1978 for a specific reason? If not, you can open up your search to 78-83 silver/black SCs. That will give you a greater range of cars to choose from.

[trader220]

Take a look at this one. It sounds like its right up your alley

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1978-porsche-911-sc-3rd-owner-109k_W0QQitemZ140234975793QQihZ004QQcategoryZ10156 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[bas]

WPOZZ;
It has to be a 78 or 79 because if its not 30 years old the registration duties here are silly. If they are 30 years old they are classified as vintage cars and avoid this. A 79 I can import and drive next year.
Trader;
Thanks for the ebay link.
I have seen this car but when there is visible rust on cars my general experience is that there is more of it elsewhere....

I am sure it is a nice car, though.

I would rather buy a car in mint condition and pay the right price for that.

[bas]

Thanks for the advice.


The selection of silver on black 78 911s is quite thin here (small country) Compared to the number of 911s being bought and sold in the US it is microscopic.
I have read that Porsche has exported 50% of its production to the US and 50% of that again to California.



[QUOTE=ossiblue;3970717]I see you are in Norway and I don't know the availability of P-cars there, but over here it's always good to cultivate word of mouth among owner groups and mechanics that you are looking for a particular car. Regular check-ins with people that have a common interest can pay dividends in revealing a car that is not really "on the market". As some have said before, some of the best cars are never advertised.[/QUOT

[trader220]

Its not my car it was just a suggestion, good luck with your search

[bas]

Originally Posted by trader220

Its not my car it was just a suggestion, good luck with your search

I did not think it was.
Thanks again for the tip

[gerrygug]

As Spock once said on Star Trek "I think you will find the wanting is much better than the having."

Sometimes it is the journey that is more pleasurable than the destination.

Keep searching.

Gerry

[bas]

Originally Posted by gerrygug

As Spock once said on Star Trek "I think you will find the wanting is much better than the having."

Sometimes it is the journey that is more pleasurable than the destination.

Keep searching.

Gerry

Too late for instant gratification after 2 months of searching I guess.

Fulfilling a juvenile dream is a tough act to follow though, so you will probably be right no matter how good the car!

Sad isnt it?!!

[bas]

Hi
After a lot of waiting (3 months) I recently picked up my new, fantastic 1978 silver SC coupe.
The car is in fantastic condition and possibly even better than the former Oregon owner described it. The car really flies and I cant help laughing out loud whenever I rev it.

The car is everything I hoped for and I am really happy I waited for the right car with the right spec turned up.
Thanks to all the nice people here to told me to stick with it

tried uploading more photos but got some error message