HarryD, Cajun, klach and jlkline,

Okay, I went and saw/drove the black '77 with the 7,000 mile ago rebuild. The results are....hmmmm....unsettling. It's a ten footer. Paint is beautifully glossy black and apparently excellent..from ten feet. Up close there are issues. In summary, it is probably a very good Maaco or Earl Scheib job done over inadequate prep work and no finish work by the paint shop. A couple of minor runs and a blob or two - stuff that no quality paint shop would ever let out of their shop.
The engine rebuild receipts are all there, but it indicates a "replace 2.7 long block" and later mentions 1 ea Cylinder, 1 ea. Conn Rod, 1 ea. Piston! WTF is up with that? Since when do you replace one cylinder set when the car has (at that time) 143,000 miles? Lots of other receipts. Clutch replaced, 2nd/3rd upshift is tolerably crunchy only if shifted somewhat quickly. All in all, the vibe just wasn't right and I will pass.
My '87 944 is coming home possibly as soon as this weekend and I will polish and drive her while I look for a 911....m o r e s l o w l y. You guys are right. The one for me will come along eventually. I will keep lurking and asking dumb questions. I am tending toward an early car, but would consider the right deal on an SC. Or even better - and early car with a 3.0/3.2!! The looking is almost as fun as the having...Naaaah.
Thanks Guys.

 

" I will keep lurking and asking dumb questions."

There are NO dumb questions! Maybe some dumb answers........

Keep looking, and like you said Be patient. If you are not a member of PCA, join. The nicest cars are usually sold amongst club members before they ever get to a Newspaper ad.
You might go to the Pomona Swapmeet. It happens every six weeks or so. There used to be a pretty good Porsche's For Sale corral. Not sure what it's like now though.
Good Luck!

 

Dan,

The car that you looked at sounds alot like mine. The paint job is very high quality, but I think it was painted some time ago, so there are some chips here and there and a couple of door dings. When I bought it, I was more concerned with the mechanicals than anything else. I was simply looking for a cool daily driver...

Hang in there man, many times you will find the best deals when you least expect it. My car had 143,000 miles on it when I bought it a month ago, the paint is 8/10, the interior was just redone, and the engine had been rebuilt within the last 10,000mi. The only problem with my car is that it does not have A/C. A REAL problem down here in Louisiana with a black/black car. Anyhow, I bought it for 5k off of an enineer who had been transferred to Russia and had to dump the car REAL fast. Deal of a lifetime.

One more thing that I learned while looking for a P-car...I made friends at my local Porsche dealer. Many times they know of all or most of the older P-cars in town because at one time or another they come through the dealership, or their owners have or have owned more than one P-car, etc. I have found that in most cases they know the owners of these cars fairly well and know when many of their cars go up for sale. I have gotten numerous tips that way...Just an idea...

Cajun

 

The shop that worked on my car has a cork board full of local people selling their cars.

My old boss had his 924 regularly serviced at a gas station near his home. While getting the oil changed, the mechanic said; gee I really like your car.......... my wife is thinking of getting an old 924.

Wanna buy this one?

Yea.

Car sold to the guy who took car of it for years. He still has it six years latter.

 

Cajun, Kach and RJt,
Thanks for the responses. I was off the board over the weekend. Yes, I go to Pomona every time. I have seen some nice cars but for the most part, prices are top end.

Cajun, no the car I saw probably did NOT have as good a paint job as yours. Even though it was brilliantly shiny, it was obvious the prep work was substandard. No good paint shop would let a car leave without blocking out a run or blob. Yeah, I will take my time. A real estate deal came available over the weekend which if it happens, will use up my 911 cash instantly. On the positive side though, my son bought a Lightning this weekend which results in me getting my 944 back (he's been using her for about 9 months). I will hold it until I buy a 911, then sell. It is in great condition, though I should have bought a 911 then and put the same money into it instead of the 944. Oh well, live and learn.

 

Dan,
I always say to people if a car in any way makes you feel uncomfortable then you should walk away. There is a car out there that you will know when it is the right one. It is always funny (in a way) to see some of the junk people try to sell. I once looked at a 914 that was "RUST FREE". but there was a hole in the rear trunk that was bigger then a basketball. Best wishes - Jay Gratton