Looking to buy flared 356....help needed....

Hello to all,

I am looking to buy a flared 356, I live in NYC and looking for a second everyday car, It will have lots of highway driving. I would like to know what dealer is best and reliable considering i will be buying it sight unseen, also which engine option is best as well. I love creature comforts, so i would love a builder that has the driver in mind when they create the cabin.

Thanks in advance for the help and information.

Felix Straton.

Felix, have you read this locked thread?

http://speedsterowners.com/reviews/newbies.asp

Your question is bigger than a bread box, perhaps even than a boxcar. Have you perused this website thoroughly yet? I think that many of your questions will be answered if you can find the time to do this; there is no magic solution to your quest, but 356 replicas are really fun cars.

Personally, I would not consider one for a daily driver, particulary in the north where you have to deal with snow, slush and (ugh!) salt.
I grew up near Syracuse, NY, which has more extreme weather than NYC, and If I still lived there, I would want to protect my baby from the extremes of mother nature with a winter layup. There are guys who do drive in the bad weather, but the car I think you are describing will not come cheap, so you need to consider what you want to expose it to.

All the "makers" (see the tab on the top) build nice cars and should be given a once over. With what you are looking for, you will want good heat, good weather sealing and nice appointments. When you start to narrow down to what you are looking for, check through the "registry" and contact owners directly to get their views; I'm sure most would be happy to help you.

Good hunting
Hoss
ps. Stay away from dealers and buy directly from the maker.

I'd like to add that you can also look in the Classifieds section here for used cars; it can be a good deal.

There are several nice cars for sale in the Classifieds right now. Anyone who is buying a "new" one really ought to have their head examined. Running cash through a shredding machine has got to be more fun than pissing it away buying a new car from a middleman.

Felix, congrats on your wise choice here... as Hoss mentioned you need to do a lot of work before you pull that trigger, and in fact this site offers great insight as well. I made my desision based on what I learned soley from what I picked up here.. and I have not looked back yet... Most guys are very willing to help out even to the point were if you find a car out of state you can locate someone near by and we'll check-out the car for you and take some pix upclose and personal. So do not just look for a car on the east coast. you have new friends here arcoss this sweet country and even Canada! and yes Ricardo.. San Juan too! LOL..

Gotta love this site!

Speedster "D"

Thank you guys,

i really appreciate the advice, i read that link Hoss it was very informative, i also checked out the classifieds, the only problem is that i could not find one that was a flred body, which i really want.
The 356 wont be my primary car, have a truck for that, but i want it for summer driving.
If anyone knows any flared 356's for sale i am game.

thanks again guys, and lets hope i can be in a speedster by the summer.....lol

Felix

I believe there's a flared green CMC in the classifieds right now and you contacted the owner.

Felix,

What the guys are telling you is good info. Here are some more points to ponder. You can get an all-made-up-from-scratch welded tube chassis or one built around an old VW pan. The first is a new car, according to some states, and the other is an old car, redone. Could be some advantage wrt insurance and titling in the latter case, as having that VW VIN can make a difference. Some VW pan designs include a welded tube subframe that makes for a very tight ride. Independent rear suspension and 4X disk brakes put the roadworthiness at a level that I think Dr. Porsche would admire. Creature comforts in NY year round are going to be hard to find in a Speedster. Dry cold days are going to be manageable, wet/snowy ones are really going to try your patience. Have you considerd a Coupe? Also, the convertible D design (higher windshield, roll-up windows) could be a reasonable deal. Some builders will install roll-up windows in the Speedster versions. The Forum here has some threads on gas fired heaters, so search for those and get a feeling of what that means. For a builder, I selected JPS MotorSports in N. Hollywood. Did this based on personal praise for the principal there, John Steele, offered to me by many of his customers, and info found here in this Forum. Sealed the deal via a visit to his shop and spending most of a day with John asking a zillion questions, looking at his cars in work. Most here will say that the JPS fit and finish is as good as it gets. He is building my car as I type, so you can take my recommendation w/ a grain of salt, as I have yet to drive the beast. JPS also makes Coupes and two Outlaw style Speedsters: flared-fender, in two "temperatures": elegantly flared, and in-your-face flared. Go to the JPS website and look at all the pictures. Call John and talk to him.

Kelly

Kelly

thanks guys you've all been a great help...the search continues....also you think JPS is better than Vintage?????

felix

JPS has more attention to detail than a Vintage but it's basically the same car built with most of the same parts (including the body shells).

Think of Vintage as the mass production version and JPS as the custom built, lovingly hand made by a perfectionist version. Both are good, but one costs a little more - and is probably worth it.