356 C I am thinking of buying

Steve777 · Post by **Steve777** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:01 pm

What do you think ?

Helen · Post by **Helen** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:17 pm

really hard (almost impossable) to tell just from pictures.

is that alittle bubbling along bottom of doors & wheel arches or just a trick of the light ?
otherwise it looks streight & tidy to me.

if in doubt then get it checked over by a 356 expert. like Paul or PR services. could save you a lot of money in the long run.

Steve777 · Post by **Steve777** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:59 pm

It's actually a bit of mud you can see on the wheel arch. I went through a puddle on the test drive

There is some bubbling on it, but it seems to be confined to the front and rear bumpers and is only the size of a 5 pence piece in each case. More worryingly there is definetly an issue with the drivers side wing. There is an area on the top of the wing that has clearly had some work on it in the past.

It's never been restored, but was re sprayed in 1981.

Mechanically it all looks good. Lots of new parts and the engine was rebuilt about 1000 miles ago.

It isn't a matching numbers car and the guy that owns it (My Uncles best man) is a mechanic by trade, so all mechanical work has been carried out by him.

I'm not looking for a perfect car just something that is original so it has a lot going for it. I just don't want to end up with too many expensive problems

Steve

Steve777 · Post by **Steve777** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:01 pm

Some more pictures

Steve

Dakota · Post by **Dakota** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:19 pm

Hi
it looks like attention has been paid to the small details and the motor has the right tin and filters etc for a C but it would be worth checking to make sure it hasnt ended up with an earlier motor in it , as for wether its worth buying it depends on how much it is really , there was a well sorted right hand drive C coupe on here recently that I think went for around twenty five , but I don't think being up north helped its cause , the main problem with 356's is you simply cannot go and look at four or five together there are not enough of them so pricing is a bit hit or miss, it seems rather obvious to say if you are not loooking to fix it yourself buy the best one you can find and look after it. And what is the relevence of the FOUR little switches to the right of the steering wheel , has it had driving lamps etc in the past?

Steve777 · Post by **Steve777** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:35 pm

I don't know about the switches. I'll ask him next time i go over

It's priced at £18.5K to me with there being a family connection

I am told that the engine is right for a C.

I'm thinking about getting an inspection carried out on it in the next few weeks

Dakota · Post by **Dakota** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:46 pm

Hi
if the shell is in reasonable shape and there are no major issues the price seems reasonable , to be fair you cannot expect it to be perfect as its over forty years old , however a 356 should not drive like an "old" car they should be light and responsive and are good performers for their capacity and period not rocket ships but definitely not sluggards , the motor should have a type number on it which starts 616 it then has a dash and the last two digits denote type , Icannot recall what a standard C is but it may be 36 as in 616/36 , its stamped on top of the case in front of the fan housing.

Dakota · Post by **Dakota** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:49 pm

Is it twelve volt , as it has a small voltage regulator .

speedsterboy · Post by **speedsterboy** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:50 pm

couldnt tell from the photos where the wing damage was but I do know that when they get a hard knock to the front a kink and damage gets caused to the top of the wing about the area next to the hinge location at the back end of the bonnet.-no big deal if repaired properly. Ive seen cars with this damage where instead of fixing properly they simply cut the kink out and stick back a flush patch not addressing any possible chassis alignment issues .. as long as you know what your getting nothings a problem .

Steve777 · Post by **Steve777** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:58 pm

It's 6v.

It starts each and every time, no problem.

It's difficlut to see the small area of bubbling from the photo of the wing. It's on the wing top. You can't see it from the photo. Its a very small area

I've not had a good chance to check the numbers yet, but i will do next time i go over. I want to see all of the paperwork as well.

Dakota · Post by **Dakota** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:59 pm

And who like Velocettes??

Steve777 · Post by **Steve777** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:00 pm

Same guy who has the Porsche. He restored them both

Nice too!

Dakota · Post by **Dakota** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:11 pm

Well good luck , I know they are only little pictures and you really can't tell alot from them but it appears to be a decent little car and as I said try to be realistic on your expectations as far as condition is concerned but a second opinion would be a good idea but for a rhd C it does not seem expensive though with world finances factored in who knows , but they are not about to build any more and savings are not earning a toss at the moment so enjoy yourself.

Helen · Post by **Helen** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:24 pm

for the price it looks good to me.

its even got a tool kit

Mike Smith · Post by **Mike Smith** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:16 pm

Steve,

You REALLY, REALLY Do need to ring me and talk to me about this car

Tel 07718 660 499 OR 01268 711 142

DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

356 C I am thinking of buying

356 C I am thinking of buying

Possible Purchase of 356 `C`