The Last Report

4 July 2001

(NOTE, 20 August 2001: Since there is now another report (after this one) on this project, obviously this is no longer the last report. I'm leaving this in place anyway, because it maintains the cycle of up-down-up-down that I'm going through with this car.)

It's important to know when to give up.

I've come to the conclusion that this car just isn't worth the effort. Mechanical problems are fairly easy (and, on this particular car, surprisingly inexpensive) to solve, and some amount of rust can be repaired on any car.

In the case of this particular car, though, the rust damage is just too extensive. Nearly the entire underside of the car would have to be replaced, to begin with. But if I did that, I'd still be left with a car with a lot of minor rust on the top. What finally convinced me was the shoulder-belt anchors falling out when I attempted to unscrew them. They'd completely rusted loose from the car, and it was only the upholstery that had kept them from falling out on their own.

All of that is besides, of course, the fact that the brakes are dodgy throughout, that it's got a VW engine, that the gearbox has a balky synchro, that the wheels are unoriginal cheap Fuchs imitations, that the interior needs knocking into shape (and any interior work is very expensive), etc., etc., etc.

So I'm giving up on this car. There's no point in spending any more money on it; for what it'd cost me to repair, I can buy a different 912 -- or 911 for that matter -- and have money left over.

My strategy now is to purchase another one, salvage whatever parts from this one that I need, sell any remaining parts (there are actually some things on this car in decent shape) to others who can use them, and scrap or give away the rest.

If you are trying to sell a rust-free Porsche 912 or early-ish 911 in reasonable shape (and preferably with at least a semi-documented history), you might want to let me know.