Getting ready to buy a new VS

I thought your new year's resolution was to be nice? :)

JAY IAM DRIVING MY SECOND VS THE FIRST WAS PURCHASED USED THE SECOND TURN KEY KIRK AND HIS STAFF ARE THE BEST THEY WILL TAKE CARE OF ALL ISSUE!!! THINK ABOUT A 1915cc A LITTLE EXTRA ZIP COMES IN HANDY GOOD LUCK DAN

Larry, did I actually say that somewhere....$hit, blew it again....
Nevermind..
Oh Well, Hey Jay, I'll sell you "El Diablo" for 10K, and then I'll go have Kirk build me a new one....It's a win win situation, you get a tub, Kirk gets to build a new one, but it's for me instead of you..

Vince, are you doing that child psychology stuff?

I'm confused...I know I made a New Year's resolution, but I'll be damned if I remember what it was....
I don't think I was going to be nicer, just doesn't sound like me...

Paul,
What fun would that be? Besides by the time I pay Texas sales tax and the shipping there is no difference.

Lane,
It may sound odd but in my 51 years I've never owned a new car. I've owned a few vintage cars and many vintage motorcycles but this will be my first NEW "Vintage" car.
I don't want to insult anyones car but I don't want to buy someone elses problems I want to create my own.

Jim,
I will be calling Kirk on friday to firm up the schedule. We will fly into Vegas on monday and drive to L.A. on thurs to meet at VS on friday morning. Lunch at one of the marinas sounds good. I will PM when details have been firmed up.
We lived in Santa Barbara for years but rarely went to L.A. area. We will be comig in on Hwy 14 to the 5 and 605. If you have advice on a better route would be glad to here it.

Jay

Poor Jay. He starts off with a "near stock replica" dream and the next thing you know he's getting advice for a larger engine, freeway flyer trannsmisssion, disc brakes, a trailer hitch.

Wonder if Jay knows you can get air conditioning, gas heaters, killer sound systems, A-1 exhausts, clear Lexan side curtains, dare I continue?

If original 90 horsepower was fun - wouldn't 150 horsepower be even funner? Hint, grandma in her Kia may have more horsepower than you do!

But it's OK Jay, "the madness" takes a little while to settle in. You'll come around. But here is the dirty little secret nobody will tell you up front - a hand built car is just that, HAND BUILT - and you can REBUILD your car and rebuild it and rebuild it, over and over.

Jay - Don't think either of these are being sold for problems, but to finance new projects. Still, I can understand your wanting a new car for once. Either way you will have a lot of fun.

Vince - You caught me. In my secret life I sell used cars. I love the dark side. BWAH HAH HAAAAaaaaa....!!! Actually just tryin' to help out a couple of guys on the site here.

Lane,
wasn't trying to imply anything. Just want to start with what I want and then I can change it as my desires change.


And for those suggesting more horsepower.
My dad used to say "It's not about how much horsepower you have, it's about how you use it" :-)

Thanks for everyones input. I know were going to have way too much fun!!!

Haven't really changed any specs except the engine/trans.
Never understood the idea of air conditioning in a naturaly air conditioned car !?! and a sound system you can't hear on the road and everyone can here when your stopped, seems like a waist and a little embarrasing. Let alone annoying when your next to that car!
Would be fun to build a car but I have a business to run.
Besides time is short, we want to play now. Be sure I will be making modifications over time.

...or as Angela once put it...'aerodynamics is for those without enough horsepower'!!

its more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. bill

couldn't have said it better

Oh yeah, one more comment on the benefits of horsepower. Whatever you think is adequate now is not likely to be after you get used to it. I recommend getting something larger than what you think is adequate now, so that you won't want to make major changes in a couple of years. That's pretty common around this site. If you aren't hooked on big and fast, you might consider a bullet-proof 1835 like Jim Ignacio has. I think his engine will outlive all of us.

Lane, I agree that either John's or Warren's cars would be a wise choice, I just had to bust your balls a little...

Bust away. They can take it. Oooooo.......

This morning I met up with Jay Strite at Vintage Speedsters. Kirk let Jay & Kara take a black Speedster out for a test drive and they were hooked. Kirk helped them pick out the details for their car build.

Afterwards we had breakfast at 'Schooner Or Later' at the Long Beach Marina then they were on their way to Santa Barbara.

They are great folks that will definitely fit in with this band of miscreants.

'Welcome To The Madness' Jay & Kara!!

"ALL HAIL JAY".........(MIB)

Welcome to the Madness!
Jim, did you loan him the hat?

vince, ur new makeover with hives looks impressive.

Jay, be aware that among the features of your new car will be included a cerebral encabulatory deflator. Said device is used to reduce the pressure within your cerebrum by removing those portions of the brain associated with good taste and discretion. It is a relatively painless procedure as you will be anesthetized with liberal quantities of Oban. This procedure must take place after you have spec'ed out your car, as taste is paramount during that process, but before your first social outing with the other denizens of this website. Consider yourself properly informed, and WELCOME TO THE MADNESS!

Ah, I see they are bringing my nightly pills. Oh goody!

"MISCREANTS".....
I resemble that remark.....

I didn't mean to forget Jim.

Thanks for meeting us at VS and for lunch at the marina!!
Had a great time and plan on doing it again!
Next time PCH and the Rock Store.

Jay and Kara

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the welcome!
We pick up our car next month, so we're in for a month of sleepless nights!
Kirk was great. I got everything I wanted and Kirk threw in several things I wanted but didn't figure were in the budget and we even came in well under budget!!!
We spent the weekend with a buddy in Ventura. he just inherited a box of Vasek Polak memerabilia (can't spell) lots of photos of speedster and spyder racing in Socal in the 60's. I scored a NOS POC badge. How COOL is that.
Anyway that box is for sale if anyone is interested let me know.

Jay

I'm going to mount the POC badge next to a Vintage VW Club of America badge.
They can represent the split personality of the car.

Jay - glad you made it home safely!

You may already know this but Vasek Polak was THE premier Porsche Dealership/Mechanic/Race Crew on the West Coast in the '60s & 70's. His memorabilia should be worth quite a bit. Google Vasek Polak for some insight as to the worth of those items.

...I'm just saying...

I just bought that green color on my 2010 VS from Kirk. The color is called Auratium Green and it is an original Porsche color from the factory, but it was optional and available only on Speedsters and only in 1957, pretty cool.
Just a thought: I would not take off in a brand new car for a long trip. These are not Toyotas and they do have teething problems on occassion.
Blake.

Blake,
The auratium green is a beautiful color and a great choice for anyone wanting to get away from the norm yet still use a factory color. I don't know how many replicas have been painted that color but in 1957 less than 3% of the real speedsters were. The color actually was available as a special order on all body styles from 1957-59 and there is evidence that at least one 1960 car left the factory painted this color. Enjoy your car and get used to people gushing over the paint. I hope it was you I passed on upper Newport Blvd a couple of weeks ago (I had my green JPS coupe out for a ride) or else there is another auratium green speedster in the neighborhood. So much for exclusivity, lol.

> These are not Toyotas and they do have teething problems on occassion.

What kind of teething problems should I expect with a VS?

Thanks,

-Srdjan (a potential VS owner).

Srdjan,
I have had my VS with a 1915 engine for nearly 5 years. On occasion I have had to put gas in it. Other than that and regular oil changes and an elective Larry Jowdy tune-up, that has been it for me.

Heres a short list of problems my car had right after delivery:
Plugged carb jet in left carb, engine runs rough.
Stuck float valve in right carb, engine dies.
Battery dead in 2 weeks with bad cell.
Speedo does not work, jerks around (how fast am I going?).
Tach jumps all over and won't go past 3500 RPM.
Cracked windshield at mounting point.
Strong gas smell in car, traced to too short gas overflow hose.
2 hub caps detached from car and went sailing down the road while driving on busy streets.
Brakes pulling badly to right side with mushy pedal.
Spare tire I bought had bad rim with crack that leaked air fast.
Side window frame bent , won't fit top.
Horn button sticks on in steering wheel rim.
These problems were fixed by me mostly (and some by VS).
So heres the funny part. I just love the car now that I have it fine tuned to my liking!!
VS builds an excellent and sturdy basic car, but the details and the final assembly check out need a lot of work. I'd say the car as delivered was about a 85% effort with the last 15% falling to me. Taking off on a long trip without putting a thousand miles on the car first is inviting possible trouble.

Hey Tom, That was me on Newport!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My wife and I saw you but thought your car was real. I forgot JPS builds a coupe. Great to know your nearby. We live in North Tustin off 17th and Newport. It would be great to get together some time and just talk cars! How long have you had your JPS?
And thanks for the color info. I gathered my info from the Willhoit restoration site. They have all the color chips and data.
Let me know if you'd like to swing by my house for a few minutes some weekend and just look over the cars a little bit.
Thx, Blake.

Tom, So you have a JPS coupe and a VS speedy?
I also have the 1915 motor and it is a great engine. Very torquey and runs sharp.

I would want a better heater than what I comes on a Vv for mountain runs or those cool texax nites.. that catch you off guard