"A free Porsche?"

I stopped-by to see my bartender friend Gerri after work today and she provided me with a printout of some digital photos of the Porsche. My first response was: "Oh my...", as I tried to conceal a look of disappointment.

At a quick glance, it appeared that the car was a mid-seventies 914 that had definitely seen better days. Immediately, I started counting everything that was WRONG with the car... and that was just by looking at the exterior.

As I studied the photos, my friend explained that the car is owned by her friend's son; whom parked the car "about ten years ago" with the intention of someday "fixing it up". Supposedly, it ran and was driveable at the time it was parked (left). Her son "went on to bigger and better things" and neither he nor his mother want the car any longer.

I asked and was told that the California vehicle registration had expired in 1996 or 1997 and no notice of non-operation had been filed with the California Department of Motor Vehicles. In California, that means that the amount of fees due on the vehicle COULD be more than what the car is worth! This, coupled with the fact that the car obviously needed a LOT of work, caused me to express little interest in purchasing the vehicle. In fact, at that point, I was feeling guilty that my friend had taken her time to drive-out and photograph the car for me.

Our conversation continued until finally, out of curiosity, I asked Gerri: "Okay, what's the deal - so what does your friend want for the car?" Gerri responded: "You don't understand. She doesn't want anything for it. If you want it, just come pick-it-up... you can have it!"

Suddenly, I gained a newfound interest in acquiring the car. A free Porsche? I figure it had to be worth something to somebody - even as parts on Ebay!

I told Gerri I'd be interested in the car and we agreed that we would drive-out to see the Porsche together - in order to determine what it was going to take to trailer the beast home.