nilus

Hi. First post after a LONG time lurking...thanks for all the info along the way.

In short, I'm looking for a U.S. 964 speedster with the Recaros still there. Specifically looking for yellow w/ yellow cups although I would also consider silver or an interesting color-to-sample. 100% original and FSH only. Bonus points for LSD and/or no A/C. Manual trans. only.

That just about narrows it down to 2 or 3 cars, huh?

Still, if you guys/gals know someone who has the above, please pass me along as a current/future buyer. I would prefer to do things the old-fashioned way--owner to owner for a fair price. Brokers/dealers have only turned up nine-owner, sold-at-auction cars at above-market prices. After months of going through the usual channels (PML, autotrader, etc.) and 15+ cars, I still haven't turned up the right one.

I realize this is a tall order, and I had almost considered giving up and getting some other 964 (RSA), but I'd rather wait another three years for exactly what I'm looking for. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that patience always pays off. Still, I'd rather be driving it NOW, so any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Nilus

J-McDonald

There was a yellow, non-tip 964 speedster listed for sale in the DuPont Registry magazine maybe 6 months back (I think the car was located in Florida, but I'm not sure). It had 993-style turbo-twist wheels, but was otherwise stock. I'm not sure about the seats-- keep in mind that the "comfort" seats were an option, so not every Speedster will have the hard-back sport seats. In any case, the sport seats are readily available in the used market.

The sellers were asking a lot of money for it, so I suspect that it may still be available. Good luck!

P.S. Since you like painted cup wheels, check out this America Roadster with them on ebay:

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1843698397#DESC" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1843698397#DESC</a>

J-McDonald

Paul Stephens has exactly what you were looking for, except it's in England. Speed yellow, yellow cup wheels, Recaro sport seats, manual trans., LHD, 32,000 miles. 23,000GBP ~ $36,000. See <a href="http://www.paulstephens.net" target="_blank">http://www.paulstephens.net</a>

[no affiliation with Paul Stephens]

joey bagadonuts

Oh my God, J! Nice work! Now I know who to contact when I'm searching for my next p-car.

nilus

Oh, man. That's torture. I'm half-tempted to call about it, but I've been down the "bring-it-across-the-sea" road before.

Although it wouldn't be too bad to bring it up to spec (since it was a legit US model), why not just go for the gusto and bring over an RS, right?

Thanks for the continued help,
Nilus

Andy Roe

Nilus,

That Speedster at Paul Stephens has been on sale for a long time - perhaps 6 months or more. I'm not trying to temp you, but you may be able to get it for a good price, or there maybe something up with it!

Happy searching & be patient!

Andy

J-McDonald

Nilus - I think you hit the nail on the head -- the difference is "americanizing" a car that was never sold here (from what I understand, the RS America is a completely different car). Also, RS's are pretty expensive in Europe, whereas this Speedster is cheap enough that shipping/conversion is economically feasible ($36k + shipping + conversion should be about equal to the $45-50k that car would cost here).

Joey - it was really an odd coincidence, I was looking through a British car magazine and it caught my eye. I then remembered that someone on Rennlist was looking for one, so I posted the link.

nilus

Well, I have to say that after further consideration (before I checked back to see the latest comments), I contacted them. Waiting to hear their answers to all of my **** questions. Interesting that they've had it for a while. Anyone have any insight into the English market for Speedsters? Is the price typical over there? I need help deciding whether I should like that it's been at the dealer for a while. Speaking of which...how about the dealer? Anyone have any experience? Might be putting the cart before the horse, but feedback is helpful.

In the meantime, I'm gonna contact a licensed importer near NYC who specializes in Porsche, Ferrari, etc. I think the main differences between US and Eurpoean speedsters are airbags (Euros had a cooler Speedster steering wheel), and exhaust issues. Speedo would probably need to be changed as well. At any rate, since the precedent for these cars has already been set here, I don't foresee a lot of problems with bringing a non-US one over. But it's true that the taxes, shipping, and necessary modifications might bring it up to U.S. prices. I'll have to see.

Anyway, I'm glad you just happened upon the ad, J...we'll see where it goes.

Nilus

J-McDonald

Niles - I'm happy to see that it might work out for you. Keep in mind that it's a "left-hooker", as Brits refer to left-hand drive cars, which may be partially responsible for it not moving quickly and for it's (relatively) low price. You may want to pick up a british car magazine to get some comparable prices, but from what I've seen it's pretty much on par with what low-mileage LHD 964's are going for there.

nilus

I was thinking the same thing regarding LHD. I have the few-months-old Porsche/911 World 964 buyer's guide issue. I'll have to revisit it to refresh my memory on the pricing.

Just please don't tell my girlfriend I'm in the market for a "left-hooker."

Sincerely,
Nilus

nilus

Just in case anyone's still following along...

I contacted an ICI (registered importer) and it's just not worth bringing one over. However, if anyone is ever interested in doing so, I wholeheartedly recommend JK Technologies in Baltimore--definitely knew what was up. Basically, I would be looking at a minimum of $15K when it was over. Some of the items are ridiculous--"objects in rear view mirror..." message has to be added, rollover valve, etc. Not to mention driver and passenger airbags, headlights, etc. I won't even start in on a "free country" rant.

Anyway, looks like the search will continue. Have to admit, the longer I wait, the more visions of an RSA or a 993 dance in my head.

nilus

J-McDonald

Nilus - I assume the $15k figure is for shipping + conversion -- I've heard quotes of $6k or so to ship a car from London to New York. Of course, it's your option, but if it's exactly the car that you've been looking for, I wouldn't let a couple extra $,000's get in the way.

If you decide that the British car isn't a viable option, you might want to investigate the DuPont Registry lead that I mentioned in my initial response. It shouldn't be too hard to call up DuPont Registry's subscription department and get some recent back issues (like January-February of this year).

More generally, you mentioned not wanting 8-owner cars -- unfortunately, because of the nature of the car, I suspect that many Speedsters you see will be "impulse buy" toys that people grew tired of and sold onward after 1 year or so.

Good luck!

nilus

True enough, but in addition to the money (which did include shipping, paperwork and most of the mods), there are the issues of:

risk--harder to assess the condition, damage on the way, rejection after mods, etc.

time--the months waiting for everything to be worked out

mods--the fact that a number of aftermarket mods will be made. In a sense, I'd be paying to add weight and unnecessary parts--the very things most of us spend money getting rid of

And lastly, I'd be stuck with a scarlet letter in the VIN that might ward off a future sale should I ever want to get rid of it.

In the words of the potential importer--"Are you sure you can't just find what you're looking for here?" So, the search continues. The truth is that I have time. And there are a number of other P-cars I like should my search get boring.

As far as Dupont, I don't know how that car escaped me...I watch the print and the online versions.

nilus

Jgordon

Nilus, there are all sorts of exemptions for this type of thing. Hell, they got the 959 legalized, with some modifications necessary. Try going down the lines of "limited edition vehicle" and "specialty vehicle", or "show car only" and see what happens. If people can get an old model T registered and on the road, you can get this thing going.

Rick964

I believe the exemptions that get 959s and others into the country only apply to vehicles/models that were never available here in US trim to begin with. Since Speedsters were offered here they would not be covered.