jeff_and_wheels

I started searching for a car last November in preparation for paying off my current car. I was originally looking for a 996, I know they are the ugly step child of 911, but they’ve always held a special place in my automotive memories. My brother lent me his 02 Cab for a few weeks in 2003 when I was in school, and on the drive back from LA to SF, I got to experience what the car was capable of and fell in love.

I was able to locate a 996 locally, and checked it out in early Jan. Everything looked good so I scheduled a PPI. I was starting to get excited, as we all do when we’re closing in on a car. At the PPI, we determined that the car was not worth the asking price, mechanically good, but cosmetically there were a few flaws (visible once car was in the air). As we chatted more about my search, Tony mentioned that there might be a car available if I was interested, he points to the back corner of the shop.

Sitting there was an impact bumper Porsche. I stopped searching for air-cooled cars because prices were out of reach (main focus had always been 356, still regret selling our 61, biggest mistake), and most IB cars on CL have been neglected. Tony said for the right price, the guy is ready to let the car go, due to age and health, he’s not able to enjoy it anymore, and compare to the 996, this car should hold value. So I took a look, jotted down some info and went home to do my research.

The car was a 1977 Carrera 3.0, in my favorite color, GP white (I know, white is boring, but it fits perfectly in my garage). There’s very little info on the C3 due to the low volume (~3,687, 2-year production run) and not being available in the US. I felt like the way in which I stumbled upon the car at the right time was a sign. Similar to how I found my E46 M3 the day it was posted on CL and lucked out by being the first to contact the seller. I scheduled a PPI for the C3, we checked it out, noted down what needed to be done. I slept on it for a few days, and decided to make an offer. Stopped by the shop a few days later, and immediately I noticed the car was gone. Tony tells me the owner was talking with some friends about the car being for sale, and a friend decided to buy it, so the owner was going to sell the car on his own. I was extremely disappointed, but have missed out on enough cars to understand that this happens.

Couple of weeks later, I get a call from Tony that the car was coming back to the shop due to lack of space to store at the owner’s home and the sale was taking longer due to financing. Once it arrived, I stopped by and made my offer, and told Tony that if the first buyer backs out, I’m ready. As you can tell, I got the car.

The car is not in perfect condition and needs work, but I feel like the restoration/modification process will make the car more meaningful, and I can personalize it. Most importantly, I can enjoy it instead of having it be a garage queen. Anyway, I’m very excited to be part of the Porsche community again. Cheers.

old man neri

I really like this car. I like the newer looking headlights and the rims (I think you should paint the center caps or something). I never realised that whale tails could come in one piece. It's two pieces on my Carrera.

I hope it works out for you.

PS: White is not boring.

993PET

Very nice, these cars a relatively rare. I would keep it as original as possible.

JF

jeff_and_wheels

I keep going back and forth between what to do. The driver door pocket broke off, so I'm torn between repair or replace with RS door cards with pull straps. And maybe some seats with more support, MOMO steering wheel. But just little stuff like that, nothing extreme, I prefer stock.

Carrera3

Jeff, you found a beauty>> I oversee the North American Carrera 3.0 registry. Take a peek at http://911Carrera30registry.PCA.org
I'd sure welcome a new member to our small family. Since the site is hosted be PCA, 'they' want the members to be PCA members as well.
If you like the format of the site, give me a buzz at 570-764-5751 (or) throw me an email at Mill911C3@hotmail.com & I'll grant you access
to dig into it deeper.
Regards: Mill Beatty - Carrera 3.0 advocate

Bloose993TT

Very nice. Rare car. Keep us updated.