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First keep in mind that Pete is not a car dealer, per se. So, not many people have "bought a car" from RS Barn.
I have known Pete since 2005 and have spent hours (days) in his shop, we co-hosted the 968 Celebration in Newtown in 2006. I could spend days singing his praises.
I know this particular car...I have spent hours under it while Pete was sorting out, both when it belonged to Biotechee and afterward. The car is truly and accurately represented.
There is a general consensus that it costs $20,000 to get into a 968 that is right (buy one for $15,000 and you end up putting $5,000 into the car). This car has absolutely no deferred maintenance, so at anything under $20k you are buying a bargain. I started and drove this car a short distance 2 weeks ago. It started right up, sounded good and had no discernable issues from the brief time I spent behind the wheel (I was just helping Max move cars around, so it's not like I wrung it out or anything).
There is no one that I would trust more than Pete.
JMHO,
Jay
“Faster, Faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.” - Hunter S. Thompson
"I couldn't find the sports car of my dreams, so I built it myself." ~Dr. Ferdinand Porsche
"968Forums, a quaint little drinking community with a serious horsepower problem"
"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn-out, shouting, 'Holy sh*t! What a ride!'"- Unknown
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Good question. I personally would buy from Pete even though I may have not seen the car in person. I actually didn't see my current 68 in person either.
There is something to be said about a hands on test drive. But once you know the car and know what you want its not too big of a leap to buy from a 968 specialist.
I love my 968 for what it is & don't hate it for what it isn't!
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William,
There are many of us on this board who've bought our 968 sight unseen. Good idea?? Perhaps not, but as Jay mentioned, it usually takes about 20K to get a nice 968 no matter what you pay initially. I've got about 20K into my Cab and it's a pretty decent car at this point. My Coupe, well, that's a story for another thread (or blog) but I hope to get that into much better shape for significantly less than 20K, only because it was purchased so cheap.
If anyone can vouch for a 968, it's Pete. The costs for travel and/or shipping you mentioned will be incurred no matter who you buy from so all other variables being constant, Pete and RSBarn would tip the scales favorably in my opinion. Because there are fewer examples of nice 968s for sale, it's not uncommon to buy elsewhere. I'd make sure you have a good local place for when things do go wrong since you obviously can't "run down to the Barn" for every squeak and squeal.
Either way, good luck with your purchase.
- Darryl
1992 Slate Gray Coupe over Carrera Gray Full Leather interior....1 of 1
2006 Cayenne S Icelandic Silver Titanium Edition
2006 Cayman S Seal Gray over Black
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You know it's only about $300 round trip from Portland to Philly. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]
'95 968 Cabriolet White/Chestnut Brown
'94 968 Cabriolet Midnight Blue/Gray
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William,
That's a tough question Coming from Pete, the car will be "right", but it still might not be right for you.
Since you have driven Paul Bogaard's car, you know the ballpark. That's a cool thing he did for you. I think based on the mods on Pete's car, it seems like it has been improved over factory M030, but that also depends on how you define "improved".
All things considered, I would PREFER to buy a car from Pete. He has earned his good reputation by making sure we are all more than satisfied, well beyond what other shops might do. To me, it's hard to quantify, but car coming from his shop is like a 1st round pick. I place more stock and value in that pick over everything else.
(Then again, Iverson went higher than Kobe, and look how that turned out...)
As far as M030 goes, my car is very close to the factory M030 set-up, and my shocks and struts are set in the middle of the range. Folks who ride with me comment on the harshness of the ride, especially when the road gets bumpy. Over bumps and seams, my car is definately not "composed". The roads around here are now in the worst shape I have felt them since moving to this region 6 long years ago.
Since you are looking at at least $19,000, you are wise to ask lots of questions. On a personal note, the idea of flying out to get it, then driving it cross-country is just about the best thing I can think of, as long as I have my clubs in the back!
Best of luck!
-Scott
SOLD! 1992 - 968
2002 Lexus LS 430, Silver/black, "Ultra Luxury", with reclining, heated, massaging back seats, and 4 cup holders.
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And if you come out next week, you can stop by Hershey on your way home..
Current:
2016 Cayman S
Former:
94 968 Cab 6 Spd. Black/Cashmere D1R SC
86.5 928 Garnet Red Metallic
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Being from far far away I have never met Pete in person and only spoken with him on a couple of occasions on the phone. Despite this I would defo buy a car from him unseen where I in the hunt for one and the shipping was not such a big issue. I have spent so much money on parts from RS Barn and everything that he has sold me has been top notch and exactly as advertised (or better).
1995 Riviera blue 968CS with LSD, custom LEDA coilovers with t-bar delete, S4 brakes, RS Barn braided lines, Tarett sways, Racers Edge bushings everywhere, Rack Tack, Design 1 braces and short shift kit, air box mod, RS Barn stage 1 chip, RS Barn cat back, RUF BTR2 wheels with Toyo R888, Deutsch Nine TRS version 2 rear wing (carbon fiber), AIR repop splitter (carbon fiber), brake cooling intakes (carbon fiber), Sparco seats and belts, OMP steering wheel and a lot of other little things that I can't recall at the moment...
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Have Max do a PPI 1st [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]
I love my 968 for what it is & don't hate it for what it isn't!
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I'm betting you'll be happy with it.
Is that car chipped? If not, you should request a stage one chip to sweeten the deal.
I love my 968 for what it is & don't hate it for what it isn't!
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Well I guess I won't try and buy the wheels from him on Saturday. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]
'95 968 Cabriolet White/Chestnut Brown
'94 968 Cabriolet Midnight Blue/Gray
