356 values conversation

[merbesfield]

I know this is nothing new, but has anyone else been following this thread over on the Early911Sregisty?

http://www.early911sregistry.org/forums/showthread.php?87096-Where-are-we-in-the-early-911-appreciation-curve...comparing-to-356s.

[JTR70]

Thanks for posting this Mark! I had to laugh at the comment about "Its just him but the 356 looks too old now". What does that even mean; looks too old for what?? Too old to be considered beautiful and desirable? There is an undeniable reality that these 911 only guys are going to have to come to grips with; the value of the 356 has and will continue to dictate the prices of 911's. I am of course speaking of the market trend in general. Justin

[bbspdstr]

Hummm....I have a perspective from which to comment.

"Bubbles" come and go, I've seen at least three in my 42 years as a pro Porsche guy, but I always have work but have learned to stay small, learning in the late '70s the hard way. All along, at the peaks, owners of various Porsches have thought of their cars as better for driving than their portfolios, and that's true right now.

The peaks and valleys of the Porsche market have favored the peaks. When they fall back, it never seems to be to where the peak climbed from. When a $25k Speedster climbed to $75k and fell back, it only fell to $65k...then climbed to $90, then $100.....now where are they?

Yes, the model preference is a generational thing and it's flowing in the direction of the early 911 right now. Do I wish I had kept my '69 911S, my '72 T, my '85 Carrera? Do bears s........? However, there are still those in their 50s and 60s now who are "financially comfortable" who like the 356. There are a few younger guys here at my shop who are "budgeting" their ~$7 356s "finds" in time and money, as they don't have the money but do have time on their side (of course begging me not to retire before their 356 gets done)

Three weeks ago, a young woman came to the shop with her father to see a Cabriolet her (72 year old)father bought and is having restored WITH her input. She had obviously been doing her homework about the cars, impressing me with her interest, but had never been in one or driven one.

I offered her a ride in a comparable 356, it was a gorgeous day and she couldn't wait to help me lower the top.....and she was all smiles, impressed as we drove of how the car handled, how it had power that was better than she expected.

On the return to the shop, I offered her a chance to drive. She hesitated, wondering if the owner would mind. I retorted that he would only mind not being in the car with her while she drove, as he is a PCA driving instructor! (with a '97 Twin Turbo 993)(I also said that I had restored that 356 32 years ao and if anything happened I could do it again ) She had a ball after stalling it the first try at taking off...and she, at approximately late-30s/early 40s (I didn't dare ask!), a successful lawyer with a terrific mind....was like a kid again, now a true 356 disciple.

The old crude concept of "There's an ass for every seat" is actually true. I can add to that my analogy of "Each time a Ming vase is dropped, the rest go up in value."

[JTR70]

Great story Bruce! There is hope for the future of this old porsche model. I know waht you mean about the price fluctuations. A bit like the price of gas; goes up and comes down but never quite gets back to the previous low price. Justin

[Manolin]

The 356 and 911 models are apples and oranges, both are fruit.
but some old economic rules apply.
I am not in the business of selling either model with such intimacy as a dealer, but we can find parallels in other brands with no real statistics needed. Ferrari or classic American iron.
Replicas now command ridiculous money. Fake speedsters, fake RS clones, and that Barbie looking babe at the grocery store. ...and that is why birds of a feather flock together.

[merbesfield]

For me it's all about the love of the brand/Porsche, both356 and 911. Each one his it's curves and sexy lines.as you mentioned, apples and oranges, blondes and brunets, big tits or little, they are mostly all beautiful. Though I have to laugh bc I like an old rusty 356 hot rod, but not sure I would like the same analogy in a women. Cheers, Mark

[roy mawbey]

[merbesfield]

I think e reason we are seeing some of these prices is since the market is so crazy and people don't want to leave money on the table they just figure that they might as well put a crazy number on it and let it just settle out. Tells me that someone is not in a hurry to sell I guess. In the real estate market you have comparisons to use for pricing, but with the cars that form of valuation just does not seem to work unless you are professional and only buy according to the market analysis. I am sure that is why you read about some folks getting burned on pricing bc they don't have the proper car valuation analysis available or ignore it and jump in when the train has already left the station only to get burned when the train derails. I myself am just enjoying what I have and the fact that the prices are going up and the fact that I was able to buy my cars before the big price surges we are seeing. Get out and drive them.

[356JAGER]

For all who actually use these cars:

' The more wrinkled the raisin, the sweeter the fruit '

Granny Sloth, Ice Age, Continental Drift.

[merbesfield]

Here is an interesting post from the Early911Sreistry.org by Jim Johnson regarding patina and beasauge.

"I wrote an article along these lines in 2007 in my Daily Driver column in the 356 Registry magazine. Let me steal a bit from the article... The same concept under discussion in this thread has also been called "beausage" - a label for those qualities that make something pleasing to the senses as a result of being used in a respectful and loving manner. Beausage comes from something being used well for its intended purpose. It's a kind of beauty earned by using things we car about and therefore use with appreciation, if not some reverence. Examples are everywhere - your mother's cast iron skillet, your high school baseball glove, the wear marks on a leather easy chair, the worn heart pine floors in a plantation home, or Willie Nelson's guitar.

Beausage is different from patina, which is about deterioration on the surface of things. Whereas patina is two-dimensional, bueasuage is more three-dimensional. It's about wear that goes deeper, perhaps eve involving scars, cracks, and tears. Patina merely comes from age or wear. Beausage develops from something being used as intended by its design, so it's a kind of wear that's applealing because of what is says about that purpose. Patina isn't necessarily beautiful, but beausage is about the particular kind of beauty that comes from something acquiring a certain type of experience.

Jim Johnston"