BUTCH- DA Speedster

Erick & George,
Thanks for coming out today to experience Butch. I truly enjoyed swapping gear head and melt down stories (O: Please explore this site and read up on Butch's pedigree. There is more polish out there but none more soulful. Welcome to SOC!

I know who Butch is, everyone knows who Butch is. The manliest of 356 Speedsters. But who are Erick and George?

Erick is a bone fide Speedster owner looking to expand. George has the desire to become one. They both came over to experience DA only Speedster that forces one to carry spare undies.
Please join in E&G!Ask questions, post thoughts and share gear head experiences. That's how I started in 2001...(O:

...Eric can heel & toe in funky sandals too. That's very important to me in finding Butch a new home.

I was kind of wondering what Rick was doing showing Paul's car to someone who wasn't known to the rest of us ... Like maybe there was some kinda shady something-or-other going on out there in California ...

Paul, your selectivity is appropriate. I think everyone on this site feels that it's important for Butch to find a PROPER home.

Cory,
Nothing shady here in CA., especially now that the weather is hitting the 100's again. Paul did all the showing. I just happen to be there mowing his lawn while the prospective buyer(s) came by. They asked about the twin scroll turbo charger on my lawn mower and we engaged in gear head talk. Oh... and after the demo ride in Butch, I passed out clean underwear (Paul keeps a good stock of one size fits all on his porch).

jeez, those were my soft-touch car covers Rick!

...I thought those were your helmet liners! ;>)

No, the helmet liners are made of Laytex.

Going to latex has eased a lot of frustrating traffic stops as the full-face pantyhose aroused just too much attention!

PS, there have been a few serious inquiries as a result of Butch's most recent visit to eBay. Two of those parties have asked me to contact them when the auction closes. I don't know if that's good or bad, like they are bottom-feeders thinking I will be desperate maybe???

Recent attention to the steering damper, a height adjustment, a new rear hub, some bulbs and two new wires to the gauges and Butch is updated for the road ahead.

Eddie, I stole your tail pipe treatment and got some of them cookie-cutter tips, Yowza!

Best of luck, Paul! Hope everything works out!

Paul, many times I email the seller and tell them to contact me if they end up with a no-sale on ebay...my thing is, I prefer not getting in a bidding war, and I want the time to negotiate a possible deal without others involved, also If it wasn't sold in the alloted time, it is a psych thing on the sellers mind....
I have purchased many cars from ebay, but never by winning the actual auction....
67 Ghia
67 912
Vintage speedster
58 Ghia
just to mention a few

War? I'll settle for a police action, I'll fund a skirmish,Hell a mild insurgency with picketers & signs proclaiming replicas as Satan In-car-nate!

Ebay is a giant trashy flea market, I don't blame anyone for trying to bypass it. On the other hand if I saw Butch on Ebay and had the cash I wouldn't risk waiting for the auction to end, I would want to see it in person, drive it, and make you an offer ASAP.

I think it's a shame that Butch has been for sale so long. Do you have an ad on craigslist?

To fully appreciate Butch you would have to be on the SOC to know it's history, or at the very least be fimiliar with these replica's
to understand the amount of work, time and money spent, it is very unique and that isn't fully understood by the average ebay surfer...
Personally I think ebay is a good thing in many ways, but it does leave the door wide open for scammers

If you want it off ebay... Contact the seller and strike a deal.
Always........ talk to the seller, don't rely on the auction text information.
I just bought this one on Sunday after a quick Q & A with the seller.

Item number: 160128597111

Switches on the dash! Cool!
When does it come to you, Alan?

NO offers from the last test pilot. Rumor has it that Butch is too highly personalized for his taste. Oh well. There's a lesson for those who have expressed concern about bailing out of the replica speedster; leave it stock-looking maybe, eh?

That said I've dropped the price another $3000; I'm hoping someone out there knows someone out there, oh you know the drill. $29,500.

At this price it is like getting all the speed equipment and a speedster thrown in to carry it around for $10K.

Lesson II

Figure out what you want first and then do it. Don't build, rebuild, sculpt, tear down and sculpt some more! I had hoped to recover about 2/3 of what I spent on Butch and I've learned that is folly!

It's a good thing I have driven this car as much as I have and enjoyed the company and friendships built around these replica rascals. Guys like Rick A., Dale B. (sounds like an AA meeting!)and many more including perhaps the big Kahunna of replicarzzz, Jim Ward.

If your car is just sitting looking pretty you're missing out!

have you thought about swapping the engine out for a stock 1600? High tuned engines have been selling on the samba.

In sales timing is everything. A year ago I wudda jumped had I know. Now I'm two cars in and not even remotely in the market. I've refferred a number of folks to see the pics, but most novice folks just don't seem to appreciate whatta work of art Butch is. I don't get it. I hope Cory doesn't run into the same problem.

Yes I've thought seriously about pulling Butch's teeth as well as doing a repaint but then I'd be another $8500 into an already $60K project.
I'm not confident there are any folks willing to pay near what Jake's engine is worth, on the Samba.

Hell I can't seem to sell it in an attractive package.

Yep, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That's the problem when you personalize anything be it a house, car, whatever. You really narrow down the size of your market.

If you've ever seen those programs on TV like "Sell this House" or other such stuff you'll see that in order to get top dollar you have to appeal to the masses and de-personalize what you have to sell. Hard as it might be.

The option is to part it out..again, hard to do when you've put so much of yourself into it. I'm amazed at what I'm getting for parts from my 1966 912 project car that I've given up on. I'll easily get double what the project may have been worth as a "car" and I'll probably still be left with the rolling chassis! Still, not what I paid though ;-(

But like I told the wife...kept me out of the bars.

Paul, perhaps this'll convince you to find a way to hang onto Butch. Would that be a possibility?

Paul:

Contact Simon Hambley and ask about the best way to advertise it for sale in Europe. There's a LOT of interest in cars such as Butch over there, and the Euro is very strong right now against the dollar. They get a terrific car on the cheap (for them), and you get your asking price. Win - Win.

gn

What gordon said seems very reasonable......
Highly modified anything narrows the market considerably....
I think that's my problem with my Harley...

Paul,
I transport an unbelievable amount of autos to Exporters at the piers in New Jersey where they get exported overseas. Lead Sleds, Street Rods, rusted out hulks that don't even roll, Cobras, MGTD Gazelles and 356/Speedsters are always being loaded into containers for their trip across the pond....perhaps your selling venue.
I am not sure if, there a way to post your eBay auction in a Europian eBay venue?

I second Gordon, Alan and even Vince.
My convert. went home to Germany a few years ago (with the help of an agent that made his $$ on the currency exchange rate).

Hmmmm. ... Alan?

And......the Feds just messed with the interest rate again, and the Euro took another leap upwards against the Dollar, making it even cheaper to buy Butch from Europe, while Paul STILL gets his asking price. In fact, it's even cheaper to SHIP the damn thing to Europe (for them) than to get it to the East Coast (for us).

Isn't Monetary Policy and Macro-Economics Wonderful??

And the Mercedes Benz Gazelle I bought at Carlisle is going to Denmark .

Thank GOD ! ! !

EVERY Mercedes Benz Gazelle ought to be sent to Denmark . . .

Isn't that where they came from in the first place??

July 27
Butch and I will be tooling around Monterrey today and possibly tomorrow. I have an appointment with a consignment dude. He wants to have plenty of ammunition for the upcoming Hysterical Car Races at Laguna Seca.
707.246.0924

If those are the races in August on the 17th I will be there,

How COOL would that be to see Butch in the Historical Race at Laguna Seca kicking ass (Turn #9 is my favorite viewing area)?

Got close again, but in the end, another prospective buyer that has not done his homework. This particular buyer only wanted to spend $25K. Anyone in or near South Carolina with a decent speedster to sell, contact me and I'll give you the guy's info?


I'm posting my regrets here with regard to the two recently delivered JPS cars. I always say something good about John's efforts and steered my latest prospective buyer his way. If he gets to this site and reads those other threads, my name will be mud!

I was behind ol' Bruce when his oil line went on the road to Knotts in 2004. I guess JPS uses the theory that few cars if any will return to be fixed so why upgrade them???


After reading the threads about the new cars with issues, it confirms that what I've done (not the cosmetics, that's an easy reversal)to upgrade Butch to fend off motoring misery has to have some resale value!

I still have a fast, reliable, well-sorted speedster for sale and it is discount priced to SOC folks.

Paul, I'm right there, bro.
Give the guy my number. lol