78-83 911sc

[husker boxster]

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but keep these things in mind...

The 77 VW bug conv I bought for my winter project has brittle wire insulation, petrified gas line, and sketchy ground wires. It's 37 yrs old, that's par for the course.

And we wax nostolgic for cars of our youth and remember all the good things about them. Plus we think cars of yesterday are reliable like cars today and they'll go 150K care free mi. Remember how we used to sell cars at 70K mi because they'd be junk at 100K? No one wanted a car back then w/ 100K mi. The VW has already stranded me on a short jaunt around the neighborhood. A VW mechanic stopped to help me and said my best purchase would be Triple A towing service.

That 78 is a beautiful looking car in the pics. Just remember it's 36 yrs old and there's bound to be foibles.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but keep these things in mind...

The 77 VW bug conv I bought for my winter project has brittle wire insulation, petrified gas line, and sketchy ground wires. It's 37 yrs old, that's par for the course.

And we wax nostolgic for cars of our youth and remember all the good things about them. Plus we think cars of yesterday are reliable like cars today and they'll go 150K care free mi. Remember how we used to sell cars at 70K mi because they'd be junk at 100K? No one wanted a car back then w/ 100K mi. The VW has already stranded me on a short jaunt around the neighborhood. A VW mechanic stopped to help me and said my best purchase would be Triple A towing service.

That 78 is a beautiful looking car in the pics. Just remember it's 36 yrs old and there's bound to be foibles.

+1 An excellent reminder of the realities of owning older cars. Everything you say is accurate and thanks for bringing me back down to earth just in time for the PPI tomorrow morning. Now I can inspect the car with my usual cynical, jaded, and untrusting point of view. I'll be ticking dollars off that asking price as fast as a gas station pump ringing up the total. But I have to say that I felt pretty good up in the clouds the last few days.

And yes, I already have AAA towing with the extended range option.

[TeamOxford]

Originally Posted by thstone

+1 An excellent reminder of the realities of owning older cars. Everything you say is accurate and thanks for bringing me back down to earth. But I have to say that I felt pretty good up in the clouds the last few days.

I would think you could stay "up in the clouds" as long as you realize that initial maintenance will encompass more than what is the norm.

And there's a reason why the owner "is asking well under $20K".

Good luck..................and just sayin'..........

TO

[Porsche9]

Originally Posted by TeamOxford

I would think you could stay "up in the clouds" as long as you realize that initial maintenance will encompass more than what is the norm.

And there's a reason why the owner "is asking well under $20K".

Good luck..................and just sayin'..........

TO

Double that and I'm saying that from experience on my '78 SC which at the time was just 25 years old. Still loved every minute of it but I did learn the hard way what old cars are about. One good thing about the SC is their motor is known to last 200k plus.

Hope the PPI goes well and I am jealous.

[coreseller]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but keep these things in mind...

The 77 VW bug conv I bought for my winter project has brittle wire insulation, petrified gas line, and sketchy ground wires. It's 37 yrs old, that's par for the course.

And we wax nostolgic for cars of our youth and remember all the good things about them. Plus we think cars of yesterday are reliable like cars today and they'll go 150K care free mi. Remember how we used to sell cars at 70K mi because they'd be junk at 100K? No one wanted a car back then w/ 100K mi. The VW has already stranded me on a short jaunt around the neighborhood. A VW mechanic stopped to help me and said my best purchase would be Triple A towing service.

That 78 is a beautiful looking car in the pics. Just remember it's 36 yrs old and there's bound to be foibles.

Point: All very good advice, but given the current market on these cars taking time to think it over could quickly cause you to lose your place in line, especially if the seller learns of the demand these cars are in. When I bought my 993 locally a few years back it was literally hours after it hit Autotrader on the web, while looking at it in the first 20 minutes the guy's phone went off 8 different times, at the hour mark when we struck a deal it rang nearly 30 times, not exaggerating. I initially thought it may of been a ploy but later asked the seller (we still correspond) and they were legit, half of them brokers.

Counterpoint: My initial search for what proved to be a unicorn to me; a 1980 911SC in Venetian Blue sans rear spoiler, did indeed open my eyes to exactly what Husker was referring to, a lot of hidden work. Having no stomach to dig deep and go into full restoration efforts I then decided to buy a garage queen example of the newest air cooled version which even then needed attention / updating.

[Swhitcomb]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but keep these things in mind...

The 77 VW bug conv I bought for my winter project has brittle wire insulation, petrified gas line, and sketchy ground wires. It's 37 yrs old, that's par for the course.

And we wax nostolgic for cars of our youth and remember all the good things about them. Plus we think cars of yesterday are reliable like cars today and they'll go 150K care free mi. Remember how we used to sell cars at 70K mi because they'd be junk at 100K? No one wanted a car back then w/ 100K mi. The VW has already stranded me on a short jaunt around the neighborhood. A VW mechanic stopped to help me and said my best purchase would be Triple A towing service.

That 78 is a beautiful looking car in the pics. Just remember it's 36 yrs old and there's bound to be foibles.

I too am a VW guy. I disagree however. My 71 Ghia has never left me stranded and I drive it 100s of miles at a time. My wife owns a 73 Thing. Never broken down. The key is to keep up with the maintenance. I am my own mechanic. I only use good german parts of whenever possible. Take car of it, and it'll take car of you. Same thing with a 78 911.