Selling my IM

Congrats Banzai

Last Friday seller agreed to $60k pending my inspection. Akers could not inspect car til this Friday. I was allowed a 48 hour time frame when no one else could buy the car from Thursday morning to Saturday night. I had the money secured to buy it Saturday if it passed inspection. Any time before Thursday or after Saturday someone else could buy car. I told the selling dealer I would not entertain get into bidding war. My offer was final. So the car sold for at least $60k. I'm ok with everything. Everything was done appropriately. And I still have a beautiful watercooled completely paid for IM in my garage. 

Phil IM356D posted:

Henry told me Akers in Seattle was the best. Called last Friday for inspection tomorrow.  Not buying a $60k car 2000 miles away site unseen without inspection. Some day I'll build one to my tastes but unfortunately it will never be a new IM6. As the French say "que sera sera"

Wow. I guess I can stop trying to figure out how to buy your beautiful car 

I don't think my half pickled kidney would bring $40k --- I'd have to dip into the kid's inheritance. Sorry deal fell thru - "love the one you with" though.

Paid for is good 

I find long distance sales are always somewhat of an issue and often surprises show up for a gamut of reasons.  So,  I always feel there is another deal out there ... and there is  

Despite "AKERS" being the best, and that is a function of OPINIONS and RELATIONSHIPS, waiting a WEEK for an inspection is a chore in itself. There has to be a few others capable of giving a straight objective INSPECTION. BANZAI himself said that there were 75 WATCHERS on EBAY and as of 2 minutes ago, there are 79 with ad still up.

The ebay ad now shows 'SOLD'.

Phil, sorry it didn't work out for you.

When I first saw the car, I realized very quickly that there are NOT many of these around so I did some DO or DUE diligence. First I checked out the dealer, and then Supertec P as they built the drivetrain. They are very highly respected as a builder(world class even) of motors. I figured that with only a handful of IM6 cars in existence that I would need to act or not. After getting the IM build sheet, and after speaking to Supertec it became plain to see that this car would approach 125K if built today as the motor alone would be north of 30K. the build in 2008 was over 100k and the car had only 6500 miles on it and appeared to be well taken care of. It was loaded with options and upgrades and this FORUM raves about the IM build. After noting the heavy EBAY action and chatting with the dealer, it was plain to see that da bomb car was gonna go and soon. I ordered the inspection amongst a bunch of Porsche dudes in Seattle. I expected a few things would be an issue and there are a few oil leaks and the usual stuff but the pics and build were all right on. Yes I would need to spend a couple of bucks and I'm not fond of Fuchs on the car....I will sell them and go baby moons probably the luggage rack also. The dealer was upfront about all of the interest and phone calls and the gnarly ebay action pushed me a bit. I was also aware that in Washington, a car remains on sale until paid for so I would have to buy the nastee speedo or take a knap . Had to decide...sh*t or off da bowl and live with it. I like to look at the worst scenario and after the inspection it would be a few grand and I could always sell it down the road or goodness(?) make a few rubles. Heck we can all get across town in a Prius or Bronco and there aint no way to justify the buy except we go around only once...maybe. more than happy to share any pics or fancy. SAFE please.

Not sure how much this list contributed to the promotion and speed of the sale on the IM6 but I  for one learned something in any case.  More specifically should i be interested in something It needs to be  locked up before I/we open up discussion about the item here if I am in the market for it. 

Phil..when you make it out to Hawaii, feel free to take it for a ride.

I can honestly say that I did read the "KICK ASS IM" chat after seeing the ebay ad as part of my prep. It was apparent that some knew the car and thought it was a fine machine. Probably gained a smidge of confidence and I joined the chat forum as you all seemed to have the disease that was starting to chew on my ear. 

Thanks Banzai.  Dealer was honest with me that he would be honest to any potential buyer about my intentions.  All potential buyers knew that they had to come up with the cash by Wednesday or I would likely get the car.  Sellers just wants the cash.  They don't care from who they get it.  But yes in the future I will likely not discuss my intentions about purchasing a vehicle on a public forum.

I agree that a new one similar to this car would be about $120-125K.  And I also know that even a basic IM suby would be more than this car.  

Called Akers a few minutes ago and cancelled tomorrows inspection.  Guy said he was sorry I lost the car.  I am too.  Now I've just got to come up with some more modifications for my current IM.  And I did called Henry to find out just how much that stripped down suby outlaw would cost me.

Well, Phil, you didn't post the car here in the first place, so it was open knowledge that the car was for sale.  It did attract a lot of discussion and interest, irrespective of any one person's interest in buying it.

Banzai Pipeline posted:

...Probably gained a smidge of confidence and I joined the chat forum as you all seemed to have the disease that was starting to chew on my ear. 

If it's just chewing your ear, it's totally manageable; it's when it absorbs your wallet and takes over the bank account that you're in trouble...Al

Do you have a first name or are we really going to call you Bonzai for all eternity? 

Hi. Hi japanese for yes

Now that you own it If the car is in Seattle my suggestion is to have the car picked up by IM 

and get Henry and his team to go over it and give you a full report then you can have him swap the wheels to whatever you want and dispose of all the goods this side of the ocean just saying.  ....

Live an exhaust fume from the Banzai Pipeline so BANZAI works....By the way, I will make those "FUCHS" available to anyone interested. I am not begging for RUBLES...rather making them available to the BOYS before I post them elsewhere. Supposedly these AL REED deep Fuchs are well respected items and want to give a shot to any interested.

Yes need to mull over options on wheels and shipping.

SELLERS do want cash AND a "bird in the hand" is their mantra. The BAY action drew serious attention and the dealer was overwhelmed with calls. They deal in high end LAMBO stuff and cash is good.

Phil - You could send your existing car to Henry for a makeover.  He could swap the Audi engine for a Suby (possibly turbo-ed) if you want that, while at the same time modifying the look to make it into an outlaw.  Just a thought.

These AL REED "FUCHS" are 15x6 FRONT/15x7 REAR with the appropriate offset(?) not sure how that relates to the IM6 axle setup vs a potential buyers interest. When I saw that original speedie on EBAY for 295K with the moons, it just worked and as I compared the pics to the IM6, I was certain to sell the FUCHS...again just another opinion/asscrack...we all havem

Banzai Pipeline posted:

You might want to start a separate for sale ad rather than in this thread.

Prior to my Speedster purchase I was conflicted on how to use this group. At first blush, I felt it was an amazing resource to help me evaluate possible Speedsters of interest (after all the brain power and knowledge of this group is much greater than mine). But I will admit, there was a brief period prior to the purchase of my car that I wondered if I was assisting others in the market that may jump on these deals before I had a chance. 

My Speedster purchase was shady at best. I did everything a buyer should not; but I wanted the car and didn't feel like watching what I felt was a good deal slip. 

The seller of my car was very upfront with me. He told me why he was selling (purchase of a new home) and that he didn't have time to haggle. He listed the price of the car to sell, and sell quickly. To sweeten the deal, he laid it all out on the line. He told me exactly what he owed on the car, and asked me just to pay it off. That's all he wanted. It was Monday and the earliest I could see it was that Sunday. On Thursday, he notified me that a gentleman was coming Saturday to check out the car (with cash).  Since he had spoken to me first about it, he felt compelled to offer that information. The earliest I could see the car was Friday at 8:30pm. Terrible time to review the car. In the night. But I did. That's when my wife said we need to buy it. 

I made arrangements to be late to my father-in-law's 60th birthday party so that I could visit the car once more Saturday morning before the other gentleman showed (it's a good thing my wife saw it Friday night and fell in love or else this would have put me in the doghouse for sure). This time I had cash in hand. I did bring a mechanic with me (about the only smart thing I did). With the mechanic's approval, I purchased the car right there. In cash with no title. Ouch. 

The seller since paid the car off, and drove the title to me. The fees were paid at the DMV and everything was cleared. A very risky move indeed. Had I not purchased a home in CA in the past 5 years, and not know what the seller was going through, I probably would have walked. It just seemed too fishy. What if the seller had gambling debts?  What guarantee did I have that he'd take my cash and pay the car off?

anyway, it worked out. And for what's it's worth this forum helped my purchase. I'd still recommend it as a resource to newbies. 

@550 Phil after being the back-up offer on 11 houses in a competitive housing market, I can seriously say everything happens for a reason. It stings for a bit. But the way I see it, you have an amazing Conv D, and Bonzai had no speedster or conv d. Now we added another member to our madness, and another buddy to have when in Hawai'i (which is always good to have!). 

-Kevin

SF-Speedster posted:

Prior to my Speedster purchase I was conflicted on how to use this group. At first blush, I felt it was an amazing resource to help me evaluate possible Speedsters of interest (after all the brain power and knowledge of this group is much greater than mine). But I will admit, there was a brief period prior to the purchase of my car that I wondered if I was assisting others in the market that may jump on these deals before I had a chance. 

.....................

I bought a motorcycle like that from Miami, sight unseen. He had a loan from Honda credit, yet they told me themselves that I couldn't pay it off, the owner had to. So I wired him money with no real assurance that he would pay off the note. It wasn't a ton of money but would have been if I had to pay it off twice 

I don't remember all the details of how and why but I bought a very unique bike sight unseen, had it shipped to a dealer in Detroit and drove across the border to bring it home. It was pretty dumb but I wanted what I wanted. He mailed me the ownership with zero liens a few days later. It all worked out and I still have that motorcycle. 

Lane Anderson posted:

Phil - You could send your existing car to Henry for a makeover.  He could swap the Audi engine for a Suby (possibly turbo-ed) if you want that, while at the same time modifying the look to make it into an outlaw.  Just a thought.

I don't think going Audi to Suby is an easy swap.    Plus, I think Phil wants an outlaw Speedster this time.  

Going from my 2.0 vw/audi to a 1.8T Audi engine would really be the only way to upgrade the performance with my car (140hp to 180hp).  I'd also need to switch from a 3.88 R&P to a 3.44.  But Marty's right.  Its not just the extra power I need.  I really want a completely different car.  Performance oriented speedster is what I want.  I'm not sure my Gentleman's Conv D could ever be that.

It could be done Marty, but... you still need to move stuff around and whenever you undo it adds to the time. Only the Master Jedi could tell you if he would undertake such a project.   If you also had to change the tranny it then adds some more challenges.   The Audi already has a front rad so engine change and hub changes are just bolt.  

Should you want the bigger trunk then you have to do two radiators and a new Gaz tank and if you have to paint the whole car then you need to seriously consider what the new build difference it going to be when and if you sell the car.  

Having said this Phil's IM is pretty new technology and full 914 so it could be done.  I would send it to IM in the early fall  

Update after reading previous post....

I think the issue is like a reno on a house or a new build sometimes to do all the renos will be so much cost but you do it when you have no choice other than that you build new...

I am such a fan of Phil's car as is, ... seems a waste to try to make it something it was not intended to be.
Also converting to more hp could open a Pandora's box. Next comes the transmission gears to handle the torque, mounter mount upgrades, suspension, engine support to handle the extra twist ... and a ton of unforeseen stuff.
There is a fine line (I know so well.) between stuck to the road and skating along side ways.  Has to do with overall dims , weight, galance, etc... pretty complicated really for us home shop guys.
Of course Henry is the Master. But I wonder if when all is said and done, a subie speedster outlaw would be a better way to go.
550 out of the question?

Generally from my experience, the frame is built in consequence to the engine, tranny, rear end and front end requested by the buyer.  To change to another platform can be done it is just a lot, a lot,  of work so no one does it. The cost difference is borderline new build.

WOW.  All this back and forth, I think i got lost somewhere.  IM6 vs IM Audi??  Did someone here actually get to buy this car??  All of this is sort of like elephant sex: it all happens with a great deal of commotion, can be dangerous to bystanders and takes place at a level way over my head.  All I know for sure is that Henry makes a really nice car, best in the business (IMHO), and that his 911 Speedsters are the epitome of the art.  Had the distinct pleasure of driving a '80s vintage IM, 1600 I think (Will Pierson's) , for a few days some years back, and found it to be a really nice ride.  A delight on the highway, comfortable and quiet, at least compared to my JPS.

... and so it goes.

There is a time for renovation, and a time for selling and starting over. A very nice Convertible D with a VW/Audi 2.0 is never going to be a Turbo Subaru speedster. This is clearly the time to start over.

The thing is-- even the IM/6 wasn't what Phil wanted in his heart of hearts. There's a lot to be said for letting somebody else have the car of their dreams (Mr. Bansai, and/or the potential buyer for Phil's D), and just getting what YOU want.

There are things worth swapping around. I've dropped my engine and transaxle enough times to do it in my sleep. Bigger engine, smaller engine, "just right" engine, longer fourth, shorter fourth, "just right" fourth, etc.-- it's all just plug-n-play

... but if I want a 911 front suspension, or something similar-- it's a new car. The frame on an IM with the Porsche front end is completely different from the bulkhead forward (out of curiosity, I asked Henry for an estimate-- he told me he wouldn't do it, which I suppose is answer enough).

If Phil wants an outlaw speedster with a blown Subaru, then starting over is where the smart money is.

El Frazoo posted:

WOW.  All this back and forth, I think i got lost somewhere.  IM6 vs IM Audi??  Did someone here actually get to buy this car??  All of this is sort of like elephant sex: it all happens with a great deal of commotion, can be dangerous to bystanders and takes place at a level way over my head.  All I know for sure is that Henry makes a really nice car, best in the business (IMHO), and that his 911 Speedsters are the epitome of the art.  Had the distinct pleasure of driving a '80s vintage IM, 1600 I think (Will Pierson's) , for a few days some years back, and found it to be a really nice ride.  A delight on the highway, comfortable and quiet, at least compared to my JPS.

Did someone here actually get to buy this car??

No and Yes.

Phil was going to buy it but someone else (Banzai Pipeline) bought it before he could. Just before buying it BP signed up on the SOC and became a Supporting Member. The car is going to Hawaii.

All of this confusion is the downside to our thread drifting.

Methinx Dr. FERDINAND himself would have had an IM6 if his tech was 911 back in the 50s.....low and behold, we needed to wait 50 years for the fruition and peace....SAFE DRIVING 

Banzi: I completely agree, and it has been said many times before.  I think The Good Doktor would approve mightily at what we (the entire Speedster replicar community) have done.  The sincerest form of flattery, and all of that.  I am not sure even if  FG body technology had been perfected back then if he would have thrown over his steel unibody and gone FG, but maybe.  I had two of those bodies once upon a time, and they were rust buckets, no doubt about it. When the old '56 A went out of the garage, it was carrried by two guys in two halves, that's how bad it was. Talk about rusty tubs . . . I LOVE the idea that my Speedster is plastic.

The LONG and SHORT of this SAGA IS:

CATS EXOTICS put an IM6 on EBAY for all the EBAY UNIVERSE to VIEW, CHEW, and STEW including all of you, the ZOHAN, and the DONALD himself. Many folks clamored and called but after looking at an original for 295K and the IM for 63K, I felt that short of the FUCHS, I was gonna go for the IM6. After calling the dealer AND seeking out inspection, my research brought me to speedsterowners.com as I sought to dabble in"WHEELS"....I ponied up my $49 as I figured it appropriate AND fit to pay for my education AND disease! After noting the huge EBAY audience I arranged for an inspection and PURPOSELY did NOT call AKERS as I had been privy to this IM6 having been serviced there from the service records AND IM BUILD SHEETS that I requested and PROMPTLY received. I felt "FRESH EYES" with "NO CONNECTION" might serve my paranoid eyes better. After ponying 500 BIG ONES on TUESDAY 4/4 and the subsequent report with 30 great pictures, in addition to reading about BABY MOONS, I bit the bullet on Wednesday 4/5 with a FAT WIRE to CATS EXOTICS. And I did read about the KICKASS IM FOR SALE a good week PLUS ago....even reading PHIL's:

PHIL IM356DFEAR THE YORKIE! SUPPORTING MEMBER

3/23/173:34 PM

TROPIXX shot me a message as he is familiar with the PIPELINE which is where I live AND near him ...... we discussed my recent score of the aforementioned NASTEE SPEEDO.....the BLACK RAVEN NASTEE IM6. I hadn't the FOGGIEST IDEA who in creation was trying to buy this thing along with me and 78 OTHERS and wasn't even tuned in to the "small world cult' SNAFU that was unfolding. COMEDIC is a good word.....and just a small world we live in despite the fact that I'm 3000 miles away from CATS in SEATTLE and 5000 miles away from PHIL in VA. AND YES indeed I was made aware that the FIRST FULL CASH PAYMENT was the ONLY vehicle to lock it up....I actually tried to give a fat deposit but was told they dont DO deposits in WASHINGTON STATE.

The END.....SAFE DRIVING

" but if I want a 911 front suspension, or something similar-- it's a new car. The frame on an IM with the Porsche front end is completely different from the bulkhead forward (out of curiosity, I asked Henry for an estimate-- he told me he wouldn't do it, which I suppose is answer enough)."

It obviously is more money than starting from scratch or building new so,  he wisely abstained.

YES INDEED...tough making SHRIMP SALAD out of Macaroni and CHEESE with a sprinkle of BACON BITS(sh*t I'm funny and its only 5:16 here in Hawaii)

If this car was 120k new seems like 60k was a no brainer even without an inspection. Interesting how some people prefer the simplicity of vw parts and costs while I'm guessing the repair on a car with all 911 parts gets insanely expensive. 

Kevin has a great suspension setup with Mendeola. I bet it rivals the 911 setup for a fraction of the cost.