In short? I lost it

It was my girl friend's nephew who called me at 10 am on Thursday to tell me he'd just found this old 911he was sure I'd be interested in (he and I talk cars and specifically Porsches all the time). I looked at/drove the car Thursday night just before the shop closed, posted to you guys for advice "ASAP". The nephew drops by late Thursday night and we talk about the car. I tell him all the advice I got here. At this point I am thinking I will cut my losses fast and sell him my 944 as he had asked me last Saturday night at a family party what I wanted for it? I told him I'd reluctantly take $5,000 as I wanted to find a 911.

I went yesterday on my lunch hour and got the shop to put the car on the lift and thoroughly checked it for rust/damage. Told the shop I'd be back before they closed at 5pm. I am running 15 minutes late so I call the shop to ask if they will be open when I get there or are open today...Saturday? The shop tells me "my" nephew is coming to get the car today at !0:30!!!!!

HE FRIGGIN SWOOPED IN AND MADE A DEAL FOR THE CAR HE TURNED ME ONTO AND WHICH I"D DISCUSSED WITH HIM!!!

Hell, I did the leg work, he's never posted to Rennlist. He was telling me on Thursday night if he would buy "that car" he do a color change to silver or something. On an original owner early 911 with 47,000 miles!!!!! He's got no appreciation for the unique-ness of an earl 911. He will likely do a relatively cheap paint job, I was long term planning a bare metal paint job, big dollars, but I've been waitng for a '71 since, well...'71!!!

I can't believeit! I agonized over buying this car for myself as many of you know and I got jobbed on it. Sure, whoever gets there first with the cash ought to get it. But I feel he ought to have called me and told me he was going to make an offer..hell, we're extended family and he'd already made a solid offer for MY 944!!

I am temped to get to the shop 30 minutes early with $500 extra and make the deal before he can, but I've got to keep peace in the family. Crap, I had already scoped out the carpet kit, door panels and was getting set to search for original low back seats for it. I am SO dissapointed.

P.S. Andthe worst part? Every time I pull up to a family get together I will see MY '71 911T in some freakin nasty cheapo silver paint job, unwashed, Fucs all nasty and unrestored, etc........

 

Generally, you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family. In this case, you can pick your future family! Is the the rest of your girlfriend's family like this? Your in-law crash-detection warning light should be lit up like the Vegas strip!

Kidding aside, that does suck, but its not the end of the world. It worries me a bit that the seller would do that to you as well. Maybe this deal wasn't meant to be.

You didn't ask for advice so sorry for giving it unsolicited, but...

If it were me, I would have a sit down man to punk with him. No one else around. At best, you end up with the car. At worst, you teach him about respect- something you will gain by sitting down with him.

Or, you could just break his knee caps.

I would not let slide his solid offer. I would move forward in your deal on the 944. If he can't afford both cars, you will have the upper hand and this "deal" could end up in your favor.

Good luck- there are other cars out there. Part of the joy of owning the car is a smooth transaction. One tainted by family conflict might not be the best for anyone. Let him own the car purchased with deceit- you learn from this, buy a better one, and enjoy the ride...

 

Wow, obvioiusly your girlfriend's nephew has little respect for friends and family. You don't want to do anything for revenge, but maybe this car will be a money pit for him and he will have saved you from a 'dog' of a car. You can only hope I guess.

Also, what goes around comes around. He'll probably ask for more of your advice on this "new puchase of his". I'd be pretty brief/short with him and not offer much in the way of help in the future. I doubt I'd spend much time with him in the future either... He's shown his true colors...

Jay
90 964

 

Carnutzz and Jay, Thanks for the kind words....now I think I'll go kill myself! Just kidding. But I did get all worked up about this. This guy is not usually an assclown at all. I think there was some serious miscommunication, and I suppose the "if you snooze you lose" motto applies. But I don't think I snoozed at all. He's now the one buying a Porsche without a PPI and without standing on his head to know what he is getting. I wasn't going to act rashly, I wanted to do a thorogh inspection before offering a dollar figure. As it is, I was headed over to MAKE my offer within 1 day of even hearing about the car. It'll be alright. I'll keep saving and keep looking and maybe I'll end up with a '72S in Signal Orange which is my personal ultimate dream car...unfortunately, I won't find it before I turn 50 freakind *** years old in a few weeks....boo hoo.

 

I called him at about 11:00 to see if he was stopping by with the car? (the shop where WE were going to buy it is nearer my house than his). He was already home.

But get this:

He tells me, "the engine races way up at idle and in between shifts, I'm going to have to get used to it".
I tell him, "This car has a hand throttle, you know what that is, right?"

Response, "Uh no, what is it?" (Holy &*&*% Batman!)

I say, "This car is carbeurated, your old one (78 SC) was fuel injected, your old one was the third iteration of engine after the one in this one. Yours was a 3.0, this one is 2.2, the 2.4 and the 2.7 came in between. No 911's came with chokes."

"What's a choke?" (At this time I want to kill something)

I explain what a choke is and how I doubt he's going to be happy with this car, he asks why. (I know he's thinking it is just sour grapes on my part...partly it is, but truthfully, he won't be happy long term, maybe not short term either). I explain "...this car is has 25-30HP LESS than my 944, about 55HP less than what you had in your '78. You can't just jump in and go, you've got to use the hand throttle, let it warm up, it has no AC, it has a 901 trans" ("What's that?")

In short, he wants a regular driver. Not a daily driver exactly, but certainly not a true classic that a '71 is. I really do think he won't be happy but by then he will have put a less-than-it-ought-to-have color change paint job on it and maybe over rev'd the hell out of it trying to make it be what it is not. I'm sure he'll offer it to me when he decides he doesn't want it, but I'm not sure I'll want it then. I guess we'll see.

 

Personally, I'd follow your first impulse - show up and outbid the kid for the car. In my experience, being the one concerned about keeping the peace in the family means being the one that always gets screwed over: nobody pays you back the money you loan, returns the stuff they borrow from you, fix the belongings they break. Why worry more about it than your gf's nephew does?

Edit: saw your follow-up just now - never mind

Emanuel

 

Look at the bright side, once he blows it up, you'll probably be the first one he calls, then you can buy it from him on the cheap!

 

Once he realizes that buying it is just the first step and that owning it is a long term commitment he'll be begging you to take it off his hands. Hopefully before he messes it up in some way! Just keep tabs on what is going on with it.

 

Well, he saw it first, right? Also, maybe he thought you were not very interested -- note you said you were "agonizing over it"... Really, it depends on exactly what you told him about your intent and the context.

He will surely come to you for advice and help on the car. Start thinking about some advice that will screw the car up but is easy to reverse and won't cause real damage....

 

You're right. There was miscommunication. I don't believe it was malicious...but it doesn't matter, I am out the car maybe forever or at least or now. I will be poised for my own "swoop" if it happens

 

You know, I'm a big believer in karma, so maybe this happened so you CAN find that cherry '72S (in signal orange, of course). That probably does nothing to take the sting out of it, nor does it dampen the desire to smack jerkyboy in the head every time you see him.

But hey, look at it this way. You've got one of THE cleanest NA's on the List (LOVE the polished phones, by the way). Just invite jerky to a DE and show him up on the track. Or hell, your fave backroad will do so long as conditions allow and others aren't placed in danger.

I dunno, Dan. We can all what-if and bull**** this thing til the cows come home (where the hell DO those cows go, anyway??), but it won't change ****. I wouldn't resent the kid openly (ya gotta keep that hate DEEP down inside ya), but then I also wouldn't trust him very much, either...

 

Taylor, I am very flattered that you (anyone?) remembers what my little NA looks like. I try to keep it as nice as I can, make it all it can be (Jeez, sounds like an Army commercial Thanks again.

As to the nephew? Yeah, I am pretty unhappy about the situation. But what goes around comes around, 'ya know? At least I have always beleived it.

I happened to notice an early 911 in red passing me in the opposite direction today at lunch. He gave me as long a look as I gave him, that was cool. This car appeared to be so clean and frankly? Just like what I'd have done to this '71T I've been talking about. I'll get there if it was meant to be. If not? well, I'll just keep polishing and fooling around with my 944. Things could be worse...I could be driving a Dihatsu or something! Oh Thank You God