Well, I got the news today, oh BOY!

I finally took the 911 in for it's inspection today. Got some seriously bad news. The engine has a number of broken headstuds. This is not a small dollar repair. I am surprised that Stoddard did not let me know about this - it is fairly obvious once the car is up on a lift. You would think they would tell me, once the car was sold and they had the cash. I had always heard good things about them.

So, do I sell the car as a broken head stud car? Do I fix the car and sell it? Or do I fix the car and keep it? If I am keeping it, do I just rebuild it as a 3.0 $$, have the 3.2 upgrade kit installed $$$, or go whole hog and replace the motor with a 3.6 from a 996 $$$$? I am very upset right now, so please - don't say "I told you so" or "you should have had a PPI" or even "that is what you get for buying off eBay". I'll say it now - you are right, I am an idiot.

The honest truth is that I know the "right" thing to do is fix it and sell it. I'll take a loss, or break even - depending on the cost of the repair. I can get another 911 later, and "once bitten, twice shy" so I will do it right the next time.

I just don't know. Likely I will go with a combination approach. Try to sell it unfixed, fix it and try to sell it, then end up keeping it as no one else wants my mistake.

YouTube video

This video is of a 911 SC on a track, following a new 911 997. I have the feeling that either 1) this SC has been modified or 2) the driver of the SC is significantly more experienced than the driver of the 997.

Enjoy -

Picked up the 911 today

Okay, today I picked up my 911. Bizarre experience. There is no manual. There is no documentation of the service history. The car was pretty much as I expected. There are a couple of minor items that were not visible in the photos. A bit of rust here and there, the interior is a bit more worn, but overall pretty much as I expected. Stoddard was great. They detailed the car before I got there. They put a full tank of gas in the car. They took care of the paper work quickly and so on.

Driving home, I was very cautious with the car. I did not rev over 4000 until the temperature lifted off the bottom peg. Duffy, my patient and understanding wife, followed me out of the dealership. At some point we lost each other. I turned around to find her, then had to turn around again. During the second turnaround I hit a patch of snow. Whiz - bang, just that fast, the car swapped ends. SCARY. Made me very nervous on the highway. I was very aware of every patch of ice, snow and possible wet areas, let me tell you. I did not want to speed at all in the car.

It was a gorgeous winter day here - about 28 with clear blue skies. As I drove past downtown and onto the west side, the skies darkened, snow started to fall and I got very cold shivers down my spine. My drive took me on a bit of road called "dead man's curve". It is a very sharp left turn, about 90 degrees, right in the middle of a 4 lane highway. I wanted to zip through it at top speed, but after the issue in the parking lot, I took it at a more normal turn of speed. Some guy in a Olds 98 nearly side swiped me at the next on ramp.

We had seen an accident near Lyndale on our way to the dealer. We were not sure why. On the way home, I found out why and nearly had one myself. The road had not been cleared through a corner. There was still about 5 inches of snow, just cleared out where people's tires went. I hit that and almost lost it again.

Then there were the heater controls. I had no idea how to make them work. I just read online that I need to a) pull up the levers on the floor b) move the levers on the dash and ignore the levers down by the gear shift. Bizarre. I must locate a manual for this car. I'll post new pictures once I get to a PC with a USB port.

Oh, one last thing, as I got home it started to snow in the car. I think the window seals need to be replaced.