I concur with your decision. Also, beware, there is a strong emotion, once
you've invested hundreds of $ in airfare and time to go see the car, to
close the deal even if you have reservations about it. I once flew a long
distance to buy a 78 Silver Anniversary Corvette (L82 engine with a 4 spd
for those that care) after agreeing on a price over the phone with the
seller. This was after a lot of time on the phone with him and reviewing
many photos he mailed me. I bought a one way airline ticket to Lubbock,
Texas, planning to hand over the cashiers check and drive it home. Long
story short, when I saw the car, it was not as represented in the photos
(you can make anything look good in pictures) and ran poorly. There I was
standing in Lubbock, Texas, far from home without an airline ticket. And
buying a one way airline ticket on the spot is horribly expensive. I was
feeling a great deal of pressure to just buy the car and take it home to
sort out how bad it really was since I had flown all that distance. I walked
away from it and never regretted it (although it was one of the hardest
things I've ever done calling my wife and telling her to pick me up at the
airport). For $14,000 to $16,000, you should be able to find a TR3 that you
will feel very good about buying.
Regards, Greg Hutmacher
Philip Haldeman wrote:
>
> Well, I've decided not to fly to Arizona. I feel a "critical mass" of
> negatives, and however small each one is individually, the sum total puts
> me off. Perhaps the worst, in this case, is the sheer distance of the car
> from me. I've never flown anywhere to see a car, let alone from WA to AZ,
> and as I imagine myself in a distant city--- having spent a few hundred on
> airfare---I have to consider the odds of it actually being the right car.
> So: (1) distance, (2) the question of price vs. condition, (3) the
> "attitude" and impatience of the owner, (4) the (perhaps) dubious oil
> pressure, and (5) the chances of finding something else amiss (pretty high
> odds, in my experience). The hunt continues apace.
>
> --Phil Haldeman
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