ridgerunner914 Options

[preach]

ridgerunner914 is my social media name if it isn't preach. It is also my new to me 1974 2.0 that I bought from the classifieds here.

This is the start of our story. It has trials, tribulations, swingers, and pirates!

Due to recent life events and too many projects for my age/health I needed a change. I did not really want to but a few weeks ago it got solidified.

My dad owned a repair shop when I was young, so I got into cars. His second location was run by an air-cooled VW guy that had a 356 Speedster as well. This is where I got into VWs and, of course Porsche. While doing research on these and could not get my license yet, I read about the 1970 24h of Le Man and the #40 car that broke hearts. Well it won mine. A 914/6 that dominated it's class and came in 6th overall beating many bigger classes as well. I swooned. I'd seen them driving around as this was the early 1980s, now I loved them.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777662460.1.jpg)

Now it's the 2000s and I finally buy one, I got it for $700 but it was a complete 1974 914 1.7l. Had dreams and dreams of rebuilding it and speccing out this way and that, but life always got in the way. It is also a piece of crap needing a ton of work.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777662460.2.jpg)

So I would not rush that build and get my fancy tickled I bought a 2007 Cayman S. That I love still, but it is not an air-cooled VW that my heart desires. No pic for that it is in my profile and not a 914.

Welcome to two weeks ago. I had just come off of a long work trip and made decent money, 46-ish days straight 10-16hrs a day. So I called work and said I am taking the week off. They said OK, understood. Now, at the end of that week, I did something I tried like hell not to do which is look at the cars FS here. But I did. Well sheet. Friday I called up work and said I needed another week off to buy a car and get it home, a more hesitant OK this time.

Mine is the one in the back.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777662461.3.jpeg)

I answered the ad and sent a DM. Ends up being a guy named Brad, and he is basically brokering the deal for the seller. He also built the car as it sits. he also has a very good reputation by name and by his old shop name. We talked on the phone quite a while about this car, that car, this other car, oh and this one, don't forget that one, etc. This was Friday. I said I'd buy it, sight unseen. We negotiated a price and after a few phone calls the owner accepted my final counter offer. I'd be there asap. But there was a storm brewing. Midwest got whacked with their last storm of the year (I hope anyway).

So I secured financing and a one way flight from Boston to Peoria Thursday at 0800 to fly out about noon. I packed a backpack with 2 changes of clothes, a sandwich bag of toiletries, and a stack of cash. I knew the car had no heat so I put on flannel lined Carharts and an Arborwear hoodie, not to mention my fuzzy lined Vans. I headed to Boston and grabbed the flight. A few hours and a couple of beers in Chicago I landed in Peoria. I was pretty spent at this point so I called up Debbie, the owner's wife, and told her I was in town and would just take an UBER to a hotel for the night. Both Brad and her had graciously offered to get me from the airport. I think this was about 5pm local so -1h from mine.

Continue next post.

[preach]

I had told her I'd be in touch the next morning and she replied around 0800 so she and her husband George could have breakfast done and whatnot. So I called about 0815 and she said that Brad would pick me up from the hotel as it was 10 mins from his house and on the way to theirs. Brad calls and says give me a few as I think I need gas. I said OK, so I check out and wait in the lobby. I had no clue what he'd be arriving in as I knew he has a 1 series BMW and a Cayenne GTS. Then I see on the approach to the lobby a red 914 (the one in this threads first pic with the booby bumpers) and I knew it was him. We meet in person and I hop in, off we go to the car.

His 2.0 is a hot rod, so we rip to their house with the top off and stowed in the trunk. Damn he could drive that thing.

So now I've met Brad, a wicked nice guy. Got a ride in his hopped up 914 and off to see another that he built and the current owners. We will come back to Brad, although he was there the whole time.

We get to George and Debbie's and hang out in their parking area a bit in front of the garage. And Brad tells me the owner's story as we wait for them to come out. Well, sadly, George has dementia/Alzhiemers and cannot drive his car any more. Debbie had no clue what to do with the car so she called Brad. And being faithful customers/friends of his he said he'd take care of it for them. If I had to bet Brad has 20 years on me and G&D in their 80s. She actually made fun of me for crying old at 55, I loved it.

The garage door opens in auto mode from the house and there is the car. DAMN! Debbie comes out and we meet and she is a lovely nice lady. Brad goes in and starts the car after a sec and pulls it out into the sun. DAMN!!! I can see it is not perfect immediately, but I am a driver, not a concours guy. A bit of paint runs and I knew there was traces of rust in places. We chat for a bit. Seems George wouldn't let Debbie drive this much, but they also owned a Pantera that she drove almost daily. Well, I am in heaven with car people. She named off a few others that they had owned and we were joking, laughing, et cetera.

She goes and gets George, and he comes down the the car smiling. Very sadly I see he is on a sine wave of coherence. We talk about cars and I hear some good stories from him and he helps us lube the trunk lock and other little things. It was hard to see a fella in this shape. When I told him what I own and have owned it brought a smile to him.

Having a look at the car, but no test drive yet, I hand her an envelope of the Bens that make the deal and told her to go count it while Brad and I went for a test drive. Brad tells me about all the things done to the car and chuckles at me learning the shifting, by the time the test was over I had a good grasp on the shifter and almost had it.

So we make the deal. Both parties happy.

I am ready to start rolling East.

Brad says otherwise. He says to follow him up to his house so he can give me some spares and check some things before I head out 1000+ miles away. So I do. Seriously I cannot say enough about this dang guy.

We get to his garage and he packs some fuses and relays and some other stuff in a little box for me and looks for a 12v compressor to give me for the inflatable spare but could not find one of his many. He checks the tire pressures while I check the oil, we make sure all the lights work, on and on. Finally I am ready, and itching to roll, but it was getting late. I had hoped to be on the road by 0900 and meet some folk from Grass Roots Motorsports since I was in the area, but it was getting close to noon. They come in briefly later.

Next time, the trip begins...