Seeking advice on 356 purchase
11-02-2017 | 06:20 AM
#16
Miserable Old Bastard
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Los Angeles
15-20% discount if not numbers matching. Unless a proven show winner over restored garage queen car IS NOT #1 BY HAGERTY SCALE #2 Hagerty is 84,700 #3 60500 #4 38200 The T5 B coupes are probably the least sought after 356 in coupe form but are very nice driver cars. Prices have softened the last few years so I think Hagerty values may be a little high. No car perfectly fits Hagerty's scale. Each car will have positives and negatives. We joke that all 356s started rusting at the factory but there is some grain of truth in the statement. It is indeed cheaper to rebuild both the engine and transmission than to redo a body correctly. Good luck! https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuati...T5)-1600_Super Having a mechanic along to check mechanicals is great. Better if you can also bring along a bodyman who knows 356s. And if the factory lead is still on the car magnet will probably not stick to leaded areas. A friend is restoring the C his wife bought when it was 2 years old. In some areas there was close to 1/2 inch thick lead under the original paint when he stripped the car. 3 basic engines in 61 Normal with 60 DIN HP Super with 75DIN HP and S90 with 90 DIN HP.
Good luck! Please check back!
11-02-2017 | 06:31 PM
#19
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Joined: Nov 2012
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From: Rhode Island
Seller is a fastidious, multi car owner mechanic, machinist hobbyist.
Car is numbers matching, very nice paint and chrome, everything works except headlights. They need a relay that he supplied but did not get around to installing before the sale. He is selling all his cars and his beautiful 25 acre property with garage space for 10 cars and separate work shop with lift etc.
The 356 came with two manuals including a 3" thick official Porsche workshop manual and CoA. I paid $60K, I think it was a fair price for all. Two local mechanics knew, and backed up the car, one was trying to buy it for himself but could not swing it at the moment.
This all happened so quickly my head is spinning a bit, as I was not even looking for a 356. Hopefully it will be a happy adventure, and it is obviously such a different driving experience from the Boxster S. Kind of brings me back to the cars I learned to drive in, however they were not Porsches.
Car is numbers matching, very nice paint and chrome, everything works except headlights. They need a relay that he supplied but did not get around to installing before the sale. He is selling all his cars and his beautiful 25 acre property with garage space for 10 cars and separate work shop with lift etc.
The 356 came with two manuals including a 3" thick official Porsche workshop manual and CoA. I paid $60K, I think it was a fair price for all. Two local mechanics knew, and backed up the car, one was trying to buy it for himself but could not swing it at the moment.
This all happened so quickly my head is spinning a bit, as I was not even looking for a 356. Hopefully it will be a happy adventure, and it is obviously such a different driving experience from the Boxster S. Kind of brings me back to the cars I learned to drive in, however they were not Porsches.
11-02-2017 | 06:38 PM
#20
Pro
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 513
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From: NY
CONGRATULATIONS! 356s are FABULOUS cars. the T-5 B is the best value - easy to upgrade with disc brakes and myriad engine mods. You can also put the motor on the shelf and install a Type 4 2.0L motor. The BIGGEST change is to put in the WEVO 5 speed transmission (it fits in a 4 speed case and requires no mods) The are WONDERFUL cars!
11-02-2017 | 06:39 PM
#21
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 130
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From: Augusta,Mi
Impossible to really evaluate a 356 from pictures but it looks worth every penny you paid for it at least. Lights are about the easiest electrical problem you could have. Join The Registry. You won't regret it.
11-02-2017 | 06:48 PM
#23
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From: Rhode Island
One curiosity for me is that the upper door trims and dash pad are a darker shade of blue than the Aetna blue on the dash and exterior. Would that have been correct? The owner was not sure, he said that is how he received it back in the early 90's before he did his restoration.
11-04-2017 | 11:19 PM
#27
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Joined: May 2007
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That is a very pretty car and I love that blue color - pay no attention to the previous poster... Two of my three Porsches have been blue.
It looks like you got a good buy on that one - driving a 356 is a whole different experience to a modern Porsche but you'll learn to love it. You can actually feel what each tire is doing on the road - especially since the front wheels are right next to your feet and the rear wheels are right behind you. The feeling of being very intimately connected to the car is what hooked us 356 guys way back then.
It looks like you got a good buy on that one - driving a 356 is a whole different experience to a modern Porsche but you'll learn to love it. You can actually feel what each tire is doing on the road - especially since the front wheels are right next to your feet and the rear wheels are right behind you. The feeling of being very intimately connected to the car is what hooked us 356 guys way back then.
11-06-2017 | 10:28 AM
#28
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 130
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From: Augusta,Mi
https://porsche356registry.org/article/223 Yes dash pad and garnish rails were usually a complimentary color. I love the simplicity of driving a 356. Pretty amazing that 50+ years later they can still be driven at modern highway speeds without a problem. And with obvious Porsche handling. Having owned 63 and 65 356s a 70 911 a 75 911 and an 80 911 there is a non linear but obvious similarity to the way they drive and handle.
11-06-2017 | 08:07 PM
#29
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From: Rhode Island
Thanks for the positive comments guys. Yes, I guess the garnish rails and dash pad being a blue darker than the exterior is not so unusual after all. As a total 356 newbie, I have a lot to learn. As for the driving impressions, it definitely drives like an almost 60 year old car, but that's okay. I have other modern cars, so it is a nice change of pace.
And Jack, that's a nice pair of blue Porsches
And Jack, that's a nice pair of blue Porsches
