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Finally, the long and winding journey is coming to a close. Some of you may recall my posts about various this and thats regarding 987s and 981s. All due to my search for … her. The perfect companion for my wife and me (and my dog, if we can stuff his 15 pound bod into the footwell) as we cruise the highways and byways of Napa, Sonoma, Route 1, and basically anywhere we can find a windy road. Preferably with some beer or wine at the end.
The final chain of events was one that defines serendipity. After having searched country-wide, combing through Porsche CPO, cars.com, Autotrader, etc, I was feeling at a loss. Where else was there to look? Wait, I said to myself, there IS one more avenue. If I join PCA I’ll gain access to their classified ads. And so, on the morning of the 23rd of last month, I did just that. And, unbeknownst to me (obviously), the owner of “the car” (hereafter to be referred to as Rosie since that’s her name) put her up for sale in the online PCA classified listings. But hark, what is this? I can’t see any ID information, no contact information? Oh no! For it appears that, although the automated take-my-money, send-thanks-for-joining didn’t actually enable the “see information” part of the membership. It was a Saturday and that would have to wait for Monday.
NO! It cannot be! And it wasn’t. I sent a PM to a worthy Rennlister, asking for a particular listing’s info, and in a trice, he replied. Unfortunately, I’d already logged out and it wasn’t until the morning of the next day that I saw what I needed. And so - a dial to Milwaukee, WI, a pickup in Milwaukee, WI and an hour long, excellent conversation with Milwaukee, WI. Well, not with Milwaukee, with Rosie’s dad, who shall be referred to as “my pal” henceforth. Because what became instantly clear was that we were simpatico, two peas in a pod, a couple of like-minded knuckleheads. Do you know how sometimes you just click? No? Well, can’t help you with that. But it certainly happened here. So much so that all the accepted wisdom of “don’t trust people you haven’t met” “crooks are everywhere” “never buy unless you’ve personally checked it out” and all the rest of it became moot.
I sent a couple of questions and by the end of the day had made an offer, the offer was accepted, and that was that.
Well, not quite, I guess. There was now the “do I travel up to WI and check it out and drive it back?” Snow, cold, summer tires, 2100 miles, boring road. Hmmmm. So tempting but … no. However, how about checking it out? Ah, do I hafta? What if another Rennlister, someone who actually lives in my pal’s city, offered to check it for me? Wouldn’t that be neat? And what if, after checking it out and saying “wow, this car is awesome - just buy it” he then told me that he was so taken with another car my pal was selling that he went ahead and bought it! How about that?! The chain of good car karma just keeps growing!
My pal had a PPI done at Ye Olde Porsche Place and they said it was one of the shortest “here are the problems” lists they’d ever compiled. It amounted to “there’s a small scratch here and a very faint scuff there. Oh, and zero over revs.” Also asked my pal why in the world he’d ever sell Rosie. (answer - moving to the city, less space, cars must go)
So that left transport. After searching the archives here and in BMWland for transport experiences, one name kept coming up roses. Intercity Lines Inc. Big BIG trailers. How big? Big enough to have their own, as my kids call them, potty truck. Basically a small RV joined to a big trailer. The trailers treat the cars with tender care with an air suspension coddling the contents. Each car secured and doubly covered. A barrier against drips between the bottom and top row. Hydraulically operated, level loading. Okay, getting tired of listing it all. Go to their website and you can see it and watch a video of Jay Leno as well (he uses Intercity).
I called and they said … at least two to four weeks. Oh no …. Oh yes. My own speculation is that it was tax season and all the drivers are home doing their taxes. But, no matter. I’ll wait. And wait. And … wait.
Argh! Will the call never come?! And at last - it does. My pal calls to tell me that they’ll be coming by on Friday. Friday arrives. And Rosie starts her journey. 19 days after we set it up. Not too bad.
Next up - the 2100 mile trek to sunny California for Rosie and her six truck mates.
Time passes. Slowly. Oh, so slowly.
And then, yesterday AM, a call! Three cars to be unloaded before mine. ETA - 10-12 AM tomorrow!
Ahhh, I can finally sleep well.
Whelp, up at 4 AM. It’s like Christmas but worse. Time to hit the pool. And then to a cafe. To sketch and relax for a bit.
So dramatic!! Although I somewhat know how you feel. I purchased mine sight unseen in Seattle and had to wait 10 days before picking it up myself. Let's just say: it was worth the wait Congrats and enjoy the 987!
The same but different. My 911 that you see pictured was sold a month ago to a guy in NYC. He will see it for the first time, and drive it out of my garage today.
So dramatic!! Although I somewhat know how you feel. I purchased mine sight unseen in Seattle and had to wait 10 days before picking it up myself. Let's just say: it was worth the wait Congrats and enjoy the 987!
Well, she's a Rothaarige. So drama comes naturally!
Nice story. Looking forward to pics and driving impressions over the next several weeks as you and Rosie settle in.
In the watch world there is a common phrase, "Buy the seller," and the same thing certainly holds true in the car world. You can usually tell in the first few minutes of a call with a seller if you're both "on the same page." Glad it worked out!
Cool, the anticipation is fun. I had a Lotus shipped 1000 miles from Denver once, when it arrived and was lowered from its perch on the transport my older across the street neighbor came out with his afternoon cocktail to admire the "race car."
You're totally right about buying the owner. When I bought my Cayman R from its owner and came to pick it up, I bolted on a license plate, and the owner wanted to clean it before I took the car away.
Yup, soon. Have to wait until this sun goes down. Overhead intense sunlight and nice pics are mutually exclusive.
In the meantime, I got her smog certified (twice in a month - thanks, CA). And next up, getting registration. I HOPE SO MUCH that they'll accept a video I just made of the car, VIN, and top of engine cover in one continuous shot. So as to not make me disassemble the top and covers while at their office. It's technically not a big deal. But in terms of PITA and awkward - yeah, rather not have to repeat the exercise in the middle of the registration.
One of the leaps of faith for me was the red interior. So many of the pics I've seen (I'm looking at you, BaT) are super saturated and make the leather look like bright lipstick. I felt it unlikely that this was accurate and seeing Rosie today validated it. Exactly the sort of red I was hoping for. And leather. All .. that ... leather!!
Full leather is a very nice upgrade on these cars, it imparts an upscale look one would expect when buying a Porsche. The turbo shift **** and the matching top is a nice touch too. I don’t believe the Turbo **** was standard on the RS6 but I could be wrong.
I know you were waiting a long time. She looks beautiful!
I believe the perforated shift **** on the RS 60 was unique to the trim. For sure it was standard as every one of these I have seen (3 now including mine) has it.
04-24-2019, 11:11 AM
Rosie's Journey and Officially Joining the Club
Congrats and enjoy the 987!
