another barn find..."not worth the effort"

So i got a lead on another car. Its a '31 Chrysler four door sedan about 30miles from me. A buddy of mine lives on the same street so we went to inquire on it this past saturday.

Luckily, when we got there the owner was out in his front yard gardening. We asked if he would be willing to part with the car, and he was hesitant to answer. He did walk us over to the old barn for a quick peek, and as he opened the door a whole heap of junk fell out. Then he points toward the corner of the barn and says "its over there" Now im standing there looking, and in all honesty i saw nothing that even came close to resembling an automobile. The junk in the barn was stacked to the rafters.

The man said his father bought the car as a parts car for his other chrysler, and stowed it away in 1950. So sight unseen i know i gotta have this car. It was put indoors when it was 19 years old, and has never seen road salt. So what if the motors gone.

The owner said "It would take a 3 man crew a day to get this car out." I responded by saying "if i was willing to do the work, could i buy the car?" He sat there thinking for a while and said "No, its not worth the effort." WTF??? This guy wouldnt have to lift a finger, who is he to tell me what my time is worth?

Sorry for the rant, i just dont understand it. He admitted its just a junk car burried in his barn. The man is 52 years old, and he was complaining how he just had to spend $100 to fix the brakes in his daily driver(a rotted out '95 shit-10). If he is complaining about that, why not make a buck off of me?

I give it a year or two and the snow will bring that barn crashing down ontop of it. At that point its just scrap.

Also, the guys next door neighbor has a Model A pickup in his garage. Same story, wont part with it, yet will not do anything with it...

 

Why would you want a '31 Chrysler four door in the first place? Move on to something else thats worth your time.

 

Make it worth his time, offer him more $$. Everyone has their price, sounds like a awesome find.

Ryland

 

I know... It's damned inconvenient when these old farts think they should decide what happens to their stuff. The nerve of some people.

 

so how much did you offer him? if it is not worth the effort make him an offer until it is.

 

Well said...

 

It may be a possibility that he is afraid of you emptying the barn well enough to get the car out and then leaving him with a mess to clean up himself. Assure him (if you haven't already) that this will not be the case. If you make it a positive experience for him, he may sing your praises to the neighbor, and you might get first crack at the A pickup!! GOOD LUCK!!

 

Don't give up!!!

 

Seems pretty straight forward - he doesn't want to hassle with the whole thing. He doesn't want a stranger going through all his crap (which he actually is sentimentally attached to), and probably really doesn't want to part with the car.

He probably isn't real into the idea of the car being made into a hot rod either.

 

Not worth the effort....

 

Contrary to popular belief some people like 4 doors,,I know I do and it appears that the Chrysler 4 door is a good looking car to me.HRP

 

thats sad, its really common though. i know where there is a couple of old cars by me and the guy will not sell them, they been in the same spot in the grass, sank down for probly 30 years and the guys house has tarps on the roof and instead of selling the cars and fixing the roof so it dont leak he just lets them sit. i even offered to fix the roof for one of the cars plus give him money. some people just dont want to let go i guess, but who knows , we might be like that one day.

 

i understand its his crap to do as he pleases. but its fucking retarded to let shit turn in to a decomposed hulk of its former self. i some times give shit away that i know ill never do anything with just so it can be used.im just saying. flame away if your that guy.

 

I didnt offer, i told him to name his price.

Atleast then, i would find out if i really am wasting my time.

 

Not everybody wants a duece with a flathead.

I've been wanting to build a chopped sedan for years.

 

Maybe he needs more time..

gotta think shit over, ya know?

I have to say that i got some years to make it that far.., but if i owned something that was a part of me for that long, like say...my hot rod if i owned it like 40 + years

It wouldnt be a snap decission

Ive got somethings i just dont want to get rid of too

 

Man, my pa had a experience like that one of the fellas he knew had a old mustang in his garage took him 8 years from when my father first asked to let him see it to decide to part with it. he originally wanted to give it to his son , maybe the old fella was hoping the car would go too his next of kin and just made up that excuse?

 

Years ago a friend was checking out a car in a shit hole barn and the old guy gave him the same basic line. My friend wouldn't leave it alone and told the guy " your not doing nothing with it. I want it and will cherish it and love it like no one else will,you should give it up and make me happy"
The old man said "your right, that girl friend of yours there,your not doing anything with that right now,I want her and will cherish and love her like no-one else.You should give her up to me and make me happy" My buddy says" I get your reasoning ,sorry to bother you" I laughed my ass off for weeks.

 

He's the guy who owns the car, period.

 

Just make a habit of stopping to visit for a few minutes once in a while with little or no mention of the car. Just a hi, how ya doing thing. Sometimes us old farts won't sell stuff to smart assed young whippers that we don't even know or let them move our stuff around to get to it.

 

I'm going through the same issues here. About 5 miles from my house there's a '55 Chevy Pickup thats been sitting since the seventies. I found the owner and asked him if its for sale.....his response....no I'm going to fix it up some day. He's in his 80's. Oh well.......I'll just wait and drop him a line every once in a while.

 

If you really want the car, make him know you're serious. Deliver a letter, with your price, and add that not only will you excavate the car, you'll replace the 'stuff' that's not included in the sale, stacked neatly, organized, and inventoried. Leave him a couple references to call if he wants, to check that you will follow-through.

If you can't make a solid offer on the car because you can't see it to know the details, explain that in your 'offer', and give a range that you'd be able to pay. Note that you'll have cash in-hand.

He may still not be interested, or ready to sell, but you will have done 2 things... show you're not just some guy who 'wants his car', but you've also given him your contact information, so when he changes his mind in a year or two, he might be able to find you again.

 

the man is 52 years old, dam he may fall dead anyday, better make a bigger offer, ha,ha,

 

step up to the plate and make a cash offer! i'm 50 and i get tired of people wanting to low ball me all the time. i still think i can restore a few. i am going to live forever. so far so good!

 

You know I've ran across plenty of people that won't part with a car for whatever reason could be sentimental could be their only claim to fame, as long as people want what they have it makes them feel important,like their somebody.I've returned many times, sometimes I win, sometimes the owners passed and the car went someplace other than my place.Ya just can't buy em all no matter how hard we try.

 

Did he have it in the yard with a for sale sign on it ? NO.,you wasted his time,he didn"t waste yours,52 years old hell ,that ain"t old, They say money can buy anything,not always the case. It never hurts to ask but work on your approach.
.

 

If it something you want stay in touch with him. Don't be a pain in the ass though . A friend of mine stayed in touch with a guy for 2 years who was 60 miles away and got to buy the guys 59 Panhead that had be sitting since 1978. He was 1 of several people who were after the bike.

 

I have had a few girlfriends that I would have taken that trade for.

 

There is a '30 Chrysler 4 door, in a warehouse 10 miles from me. The owner is in his 80's and used to be a dealer. He buys up garage sales and stuff, and thinks everything is priceless. My dad and I spent a couple hours climing around looking at stuff. As we're talkin, he mentions the cars in the other room. BAM! Partialy disassembled, no roof, reasonably straight body. I'm acctually pretty interested, until he tells me he's asking $30,000! I thought he was joking (or trying to scare me away) but he swore up and down "it's rarer than a duece ford, therefore more valuable. I still think about it, maybe I should stop again. He was fun to talk to, old car guy in his late 80's and razor sharp, still.

 

Unless I invited someone to look at a car anyone who asks me to name a price is sent packing.If you came to look either your a buyer or a time waster.Know before you get there what you'll be willing to pay.Isnt hard especially if you already knew what was in the shed.
Someone shows up at my place and wants to know about stuff better be prepared to make me a offer.You came looking for me so it's your move.Better have cash in hand too.