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Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe
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carock
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 6:47 pm    Post subject: Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe Reply with quote

Guys, I am giving up motorcycling and getting back into cars. I am looking to buy a restored 356 C Coupe. I am out of my league when shopping for a car that is this expensive. I am used to paying $30k for a car, not $100k and the used 356 market has changed in the last 20 years since I last bought a restored car. I am not sure if private sellers even offer these cars anymore and I am very leery of going to the classic car dealers.

Okay, so given what I know about cars, the best car to buy is the best car on the market. The only problem is defining what is "best" for me. My idea of the best car is the car I can drive the most in the next 15 years. If I buy a concourse winning car, the value drops 30% as soon as I put 3000 miles on it. So I am looking for a fully sorted drivers car with great cosmetics. How much money am I looking at? 65k, 85k, 100k?

Can anybody point me in the right direction to get started in my search? I live in San Diego County and am willing to go anywhere in the west to buy a car.

If I can't find anything original, I am tempted to go the kit car route. The problem with a kit car is that they don't go up in value, so all things considered a real 356 could be a better buy when measured in dollars per mile.

One thing I have learned about myself, is that I absolutely suck at restoring cars. I just never get them finished. However once I have a running car in my hands, I can do a pretty good job of keeping them maintained and on the road. It is body work that scares me, so I like all the body issues taken care of before I buy a car.
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dsrtfox
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 8:57 pm    Post subject: Re: Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe Reply with quote

This one is not to far from you. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2025095
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carock
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 9:52 pm    Post subject: Re: Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe Reply with quote

Well, that car is only a few miles off my normal commute, so definitely worth going to take a look.
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dsrtfox
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 11:23 pm    Post subject: Re: Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe Reply with quote

It looks real nice in the pictures. Let us know how it stands up to a PPI...
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roy mawbey
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 7:26 am    Post subject: Re: Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe Reply with quote

That does seem a decent looking car. Good idea as stated though to get a Porsche guy to look at it. Don't forget the milage trip on the speedo goes back to zero when it reaches 100,000. So the stated milage equates to around only 1,000miles per year. That is low !! ( Might have done 3,000 miles per annum?)

Maybe the history file will make that all clear. Price for a nice runner seems in keeping with others on the market.

Roy
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sraucher
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 8:09 pm    Post subject: Re: Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe Reply with quote

The 356 registry web site is a good resource. Craig's list San Francisco recently had a very nice black B Coupe for like $53K.
Good luck.
Steve
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carock
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 4:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe Reply with quote

Okay guys, keep looking for me. I received a call for a 356 advertised in 356 Registry. Fully restored red 356 C with sunroof, and 912 engine case for $92k in Portland. Assuming the car is really fully restored 90+ point car with zero rust issues, is it worth 92k? It looks to be one notch below show level with fully stripped bodywork, new interior, wiring, suspension, yada,yada.
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carock
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 4:18 pm    Post subject: Re: Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe Reply with quote

I must admit that I was kind of bummed when I went to the big 356 show in Anaheim last week. Everybody talks about investment value and "it will be worth so much later". So much for people actually driving 356's any more! It is getting like the Ferrari club...
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Jon Schmid
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 7:43 pm    Post subject: Re: Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe Reply with quote

carock wrote:
I must admit that I was kind of bummed when I went to the big 356 show in Anaheim last week. Everybody talks about investment value and "it will be worth so much later". So much for people actually driving 356's any more! It is getting like the Ferrari club...


??? Not sure I understand this comment. My son and I drove both of my 356's to the Anaheim show. Both cars are street and freeway driven regularly. I don't recall seeing 356's being trailered there. Just curious why you think folks don't drive these cars anymore.
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carock
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 10:45 pm    Post subject: Re: Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe Reply with quote

Several 356 were trailered into the show.

It wasn't that nobody drove their cars to the show, it was just that every conversation I heard was people talking about "values" and "investment" and "appreciation". Even worse..."buy and hold". And I mean EVERY conversation I could find. I saw this happen to Aston Martins and Jaguar XKE's. When people start talking like this, the annual mileage goes down like a rock in water.
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Jon Schmid
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 10:39 am    Post subject: Re: Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe Reply with quote

I guess I'm a YOLO kind of guy when it comes to my cars. My main concern is that in a few more years there won't be any qualified 356 specialists left. Or very damn few anyway.
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_Trevor_
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 11:37 am    Post subject: Re: Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe Reply with quote

carock wrote:
Several 356 were trailered into the show.

It wasn't that nobody drove their cars to the show, it was just that every conversation I heard was people talking about "values" and "investment" and "appreciation". Even worse..."buy and hold". And I mean EVERY conversation I could find. I saw this happen to Aston Martins and Jaguar XKE's. When people start talking like this, the annual mileage goes down like a rock in water.


I am a member of the board for the 356 Club of SoCal (the group of volunteers that puts on the Sunday show & swapmeet). I coordinated the vendors under the tent as well as worked the entry at the drive-in gate of cars being displayed for show. Cars were not allowed to be trailered into the show or main swapmeet area. To my knowledge the only 356's arriving by trailer were by CPR, and they all arrived Saturday afternoon to set up in their designated vendor location just outside the tent.

In your original post you comment:
carock wrote:
If I can't find anything original, I am tempted to go the kit car route. The problem with a kit car is that they don't go up in value, so all things considered a real 356 could be a better buy when measured in dollars per mile.


Isn't this a version of "buy and hold"? Of course values going up (or down) are going to be a topic of conversation, however I heard many more discussions about what is or is not factory correct on certain cars - IE guys educating themselves by sharing their knowledge and listening to others. I also heard lots of talk in the swapmeet area about guys looking for that elusive part that they need for their car.

Good luck finding the right car for you!
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roy mawbey
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 8:45 am    Post subject: Re: Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe Reply with quote

As you know already, the 356 can be a difficult car to make a decision on unless you have these days a lot of money and you can see the fully documented restoration history and the guy who visits for a PPI can state its first class and therefore it will be in the high price bracket.

Buying a decent runner at the lower price range is difficult as these cars do seem to run and handle quite well when really old and needing work. The rust on cheaper cars will probably extend well past the areas that might have been plated of replaced. I have a runner, owned it for 48 years completed all the work myself right or wrong and its on the road usually a couple of times a week. Nearly all the car is original, numbers matching, original colours only the outside did I spray last time 30 years ago. It has patina and is never taken out in rainy weather. And this rule I started 45 years ago!! I have owned other 356 cars that did get wet over the years and they suffered.

Maybe there are cars from Arizona or parts of CAL that are almost perfect underneath but so many people will be looking for them.

Now for my surprise, if I had the need for another 356 I would buy a nicely done Speedster replica. The reason, they look good, the shape matters, the performance will be fine for current roads in the UK as well as probably those in the USA. You might not make money but maybe you are less likely to lose it. You say you don't think you could restore a car then best
you don't have to.

Spend all your money on a real one and you will end up looking out for trouble on roads which takes some of the shine off ownership. And I think the real ones have to be driven, to keep them reliable.

I paid £440- for my car I don't know how I would feel parting with over £100K I seen them going for now. I would go I am sure with fun and have the plastic Speedster.

Roy
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Starbucket
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2017 2:00 pm    Post subject: Re: Starting to Look for 356 C Coupe Reply with quote

I think you need to look at the classifieds under Porsche parts/356 so you will understand the phrase "old Porsche gold" then you have to understand a lot of parts require a lot of searching around. I would look at the kit cars on here for sale and buy a complete runner. Parts are readily available, cheap, and they are VW. Most people will think you are in a real speedster and it will feel just like one if you can find a 356/912 motor to put in it (think $5-8K). The motor really is the heart of a Porsche and most people don't understand IT'S A HEMI. You won't be afraid to park it and go golfing or whatever and worry if your big chunk of gold will still be there when you get back.
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