Best Deal You Ever Got on A Car or Truck!

A customer came into the shop with a blown head gasket in his 69 BMW 2002. I put a new gasket in it, blah blah blah. Then we can't get ahold of the guy for a month. He finally calls, he's got a bunch of financial crap going on and can't pay the bill, it was about $500. My boss offers to buy the car from him for the cost of the bill. My boss knew I was looking for one of these, and offered it to me for the cost of the parts.

My cost on the head gasket set was $32.50. It took me about 2 hours to do the labor. I ended up selling that car a month later for $800.

In the '70's a friend of mine was sitting at a bus stop one day, and a guy pulls into the gas station in a 356 Porsche. He fills it up, and the car wouldn't start. The guy is pissed, yelling and screaming at the car. My buddy walks up and asks the guy what's wrong.
"This thing does this all the time! I'm ready to junk it!" The guy says. My friend says "If you're serious I'll take it."

The guy had the title in the car. He signed it over to my friend, walked over to the bus stop to wait for the bus. My buddy lifted the engine cover, twisted the dizzy, and the Porsche fired right up. Apparently the distributor holddown was notorious for coming loose.

He drove it straight to a friend of his who wanted one. The friend gave him 1200 bucks.

 

'51 Ford 4dr - $50.oo

For some reason, I passed on a '49 Ford Coupe for $75.oo. Kinda regret it... lol

 

About 1963 this one was. Had a 60 ford convert that was in the upholstery shop. Needed a car to get to work for a week, I had a friend whose neighbor had a 41 Ford cpe he never used, I asked the guy if I could borrow it for a few days. He said "hell no ,buy it I don't need it anymore." Told him all I had on me was 2 dollars-- "SOLD" he said! He actually sold it for 2 $ & gave me the title.
I had to drive it home using the E brake --the reason he never used it was the M/C was shot. A kit to fix it the next day cost as much as the car!!

 

Holy shit... I think I would've framed the receipt for the tax you paid on that car. haha..

 

years ago, and in another life. I bought a 50 merc convertible, had a bad trans, 2 carbs, duals, lowered and the top covered the rear 1/4 windows 54 pont grill. 125. then after 6 mos traded it for a 50 olds conv. wish they were around today

 

-Bought my complete, rust free '33 Dodge in 1986 for $1000

-Sold the engine and transmission to a restorer in DC for $800
-Sold the front suspension, rearend, steering box/ column, and wheels to a restorer in NC for $810

 

I got a 59 Belair for $50 and drove the crap out of it for years then gave it to my sister for a wedding present back around 91. They still have it.
Got a 62 Chevy II 2 door with a 4 banger and posi for free and drove it all winter before selling it off.
I could go way back and tell of 57 2 door belairs for $15 and 1st gen Mustang GTs for $100, or how about a complete 64 Ford hiway patrol car for $200. Or a one owner 66 Olds 442, 4 speed car for $750. Or a 33 Plymouth 3 window to haul it away.

 

Bought a 63 Willys 4x4 Wagon for $300 in January. It had been sitting in a driveway in the country for years originally offered up at $3000. Kind of forgot about it and them me and a buddy happened by it one day, went up and knocked on the door. Husband had moved to Hawaii and she was moving over there soon too. Loaded it on the trailer, got it running a few days later, wrenched on it a little more and ended up selling it in April of that year for $3000.

The best daily I ever bought was a 91 Subaru Legacy Wagon. Bought it for $80 ($50 cash and I picked up a bar tab for the seller). Seller thought it had a bad alternator, I charged the battery and drove it for almost 3 years. Sold to a buddy for $450.

 

In 1964 I bought a 54 vette with a 283 in from a 57 chevy with the three speed , had been painted candy blue with white fur looking stuff in it and www and chrome reverse rims way cool for a kid and only 1200.00

 

Thought of 2 more...lol.
1972 I bought my first car at 16. 1969 Olds 442, Siver with Black Vinyl Roof and Black stripes on the hood. The guy I bought it from was selling because he had been diagnosed with cancer and wanted to buy his wife a more affordable car to drive before he passed. The car was loaded...I gave his asking price of $1050.00 and drove it through High School and College. Had 134,000 miles on it when I sold it 5 years later and still only used half a quart of oil between changes believe it or not.

1980 Bought a 60 IH truck from a guy who bought it from the original owner. I gave 160.00 for it. Had surface rust all over it but the interior was absolutely mint and ran like a top. I used it for a year around the house for hauling etc. Sold it for 800.00 to a guy who had moved down from Michigan and bought a farm. He bought a couple gallons of Rustoleum flat black and a brush and is still using it today!

 

bought a 1963 Ranchero for $200, damn iI wish I still had it

 

I paid 30.00 bucks for our '55 Ford Victoria, but that was the goin' price for a solid body in '70. So I guess it wasn't a deal. Our merc cost us 75 and we drove it away, it was our daily for over a year.

I won't give a total on my current driver cause I might want you to buy it someday, but suffice to say I'm in cheap, way cheaper than I see bare bodies goin' for just two years after the fact. And I didn't even haggle on the original selling price.

A little O/T for the board but:
I bought a Torino once (about '82 or 3) for 25.00 bucks, the guy said it didn't run. 15 degrees out, cleaned the monster rats nest off the top of the motor, some gas, and a jump. Fired right off and I drove it home.

 

I wrote an article in my local paper a few years ago about how much I loved old trucks. A former Sunday School teacher calls me and wants to sell me her dead husband's old 66Dodge. I go look at it, it had not been driven for almost twelve years, but it had been in her garage since her husband had passed on. It had 42,000 miles and was CLEAN. She said she would sell it to me for 50.00, but I negotiated up to 100.00, but that was all she would take. I changed battery, points and plugs and drove it home. Even though it was clean, I wanted to really go over it. As I pulled out the seat I noticed that something was wedged underneath. It was a breifcase. After I broke the lock, I opened it to find a half full pint of Jack Daniels-Black label, a Hustler mag from Dec. 1977, and 290.00 in cash. I kept the whiskey and Hustler, but took the money back to the lady. She would not take it, so I finally agreed to split it with her, 150/140, me with the 150. I drove the truck all over the state until a man in another town offered me wat too much for it, and I had to sell. I still have the mag.

 

I've gotten so many good deals and freebies over the years it's impossible to pick one as the best. But here are just a few that come to mind.

A friend's dad had a decent '55 Caddy Coupe Deville. He bought a '62 Cad and needed a couple of spare rims for snow tires. I gave my cousin 7 bux for a pair and traded them for the '55.

My neighbor had a '58 Pontiac Tudor post. He bought a '68 396 Bel Air ex- Ohio State Patrol car. One afternoon, he asked me if I wanted the '58. I said how much? He said get it the hell out of here. So I drove it home..

I bought a runnin' but rough '66 Buick Le Sabre for scrap for like $15. My buddy had a '64 Fairlane 289/4 speed. When he saw this Buick, for some reason he wanted it. So we traded. This same buddy sold me a nice '65 Nova for $10 just because he was tired of it. He also sold me a clean '61 T-Bird for $25 one afternoon. No, my friend wasn't crazy, but was just a helluva nice guy and got tired of cars rather quickly.

The best deal that I've probably gotten in the past few years was on a restored low mileage '79 T-Bird Heritage Edition. A dude in southern WVA posted to a Thunderbird list that he'd bought this '79 at Carlisle, had spent a ton of money on mechanical work and had advertised it for $2K. But it died on him on the way home from work, had no place to park it and he was taking offers. After a "heated" bidding war with a Thunderbird collector, I scored it for $160. A friend and I towed it home, I threw in a new timing set and it ran like new. I still have this one but I want just a "touch" more than $160 for it...

 

...in the 60's I bought a 49 Chevy 2-door fastback from a little old lady for $15.00. Rusty but a runnin, drivin car...had so much fun with that car, drove it for a least a year.
...also bought a 51 Chevy 2-door fastback around that same time for $30.00, runnin, drivin car; went in on it w/ my brother so I guess i only had $15.00 in it too. It was our backup car when our daily drivers were down for repair.
Those were the good ol days!

 

Late 70's, Air Force in Japan. "Bought" a 60-ish Honda Z car for a 6 pack of Bud. SMALL car, twin cylinder. Was a boxy looking thing, like those new scions I think they're called. Car became famous in the dorm. back end big enuff for hauling drunks home (one at a time), sliding windows for evacuation of "cookies". Hood was coronated with a number of International relations kind of thing.... drove it over a year, sold for junk for about 40.00. Bought a newer model for the 40 and ran local lowbuck autocross with it. Yes, I invented Drifting....

 

Man, where do I start? Ones that stick out are my 55,000 original mile '64 Lincoln convertible for $2500, was offered $4500 on it the week after I bought it and two years later I could easily sell it for $10,000 tomorrow, probably a $12-13,000 car. I have stuck maybe $1000 into it at this point and not much work. I think I will keep it around for a while yet.

I have a '73 Porsche 914 2.0L, paid $1100 at auction for it. Books for about $5,000 and I have seen them sell upwards of $9,000! Mine is in good condition, certainly not a $9,000 car but at least half of that for sure.

I also bought a '66 Impala ragtop. 327, tilt wheel, power steering, brakes, windows and locks. $1100. Sold it to a good friend for $2700, could have gotten about $6,000 for it if I wanted to put it on ebay but my friend will keep it forever and actaully do something for it so I didn't mind selling it cheap.

I let Squablow take an old kit car at on of our local wholesale auctions. Paid $200 I think, sold it for $3000 or something close to that. Same auction I bought a $100 '66 C10. Drove it home, put maybe a thousand miles on it before changing the oil, plugs and wires. It had a 283 that ran better than perfect, -20 degrees out it would start without the choke, two pumps, no joke. It had a propane/gasoline setup on it and the engine was cleaner than anything I have ever seen from running on propane for its whole life. Good dependable truck. I was going to take it to FL last year for Hot Rod Power Tour but couldn't make it due to other commitments. I was going to take it on a 2500 mile trip running on propane and I had a total investment of less than $175 in the whole truck!


I have had too many cars bought for $200-300 bux that I have sold for $2000 profit or more. All in the last four years.

One public auction from last fall, I bought three cars, $700, $600 and $300, sold for $1725, $2600, $3000. Not bad for one days work! Squablow made more than I did off from this auction, with less of an investment but a little more work as he had more smaller stuff.

Those of you that bitch and carry on about ebay better realize there are still MANY MANY deals out there to be had.

 

I saw this truck in a backyard about 40 miles from my house (48 Mack), I stoped and asked the guy what his plans were for the truck, He told me if I would move it I could have it. He said he had given it aways to seven other people before me but no one ever came to get it, I did!
Cost to move it was $150 bucks, I think it a cool truck although it is not a hot rod.

 

Similar deal---I bought a '71 Pontiac Catalina for $95 for a winter car in the late '80s, got sideswiped by a hit and run at a stoplight, got her plate number, and when the cops ran her down, was awarded $600 by her insurance company. I drove it for the remainder of the winter and traded the engine/trans for a paint job on my first '53 Chevy in the spring.

 

So what did you do with the Jack Daniels?

 

I swear that being of sound mind and a bonafied car whoarder
I wish I had some of my $50.00 cars (over 35 of 'em) or my free ones (about the same number) oh yeah I do have a few of them. keeping good karma I give away as much as I receive (but that a different thread)
in the interest of shorter stories I'll limit this to a few of my favorites

51 Olds club cpe 374 ci packard powered 13 1/2 compression solid 12 sec. car in the 60's $250.00

48 plymouth cad powered power steering, brakes and air. had it over 140 mph on several occasions $400.00

38 ford p.u. 289 ford, on a shortened 65 ltd chassis daily driver for 3 years (75,000 miles) had a 50 gal. tank in the bed drove from Boise Id to L.A. Ca. on a tank of gas. gas prices were lower in the 80's but it was still nice to pick your stops drove thru every state west of the rockies $100.00

46 ford sedan delivery, flat motor with 39 trans and zeypher gears daily driver also well traveled $125.00

I have to stop before I start to cry

 

In '94 I paid $500 for 3 '58 Chevy Pickups, took the best to make a good big back window/fleetside/short bed, sold off the others for way more than I had in them..... Ended up selling the truck for what I thought was an offer I couldn't refuse, learned I couldn't build another for that....

 

I bought an all original (damn fine lookin when cleaned up) 1965 Fairlane from a guy for $500. He couldn't get it to run for more than a few minutes and had given up on it years before. Turns out it had a bad 2 inch section of fuel line. Still had all the original paperwork, manuals, brochures and a host of 60's state maps in it.

Damn fine car.

 

Back in 1982 I bought a 1966 Dodge Charger from the original owner. Stock, 140,000 miles, and a 426 Hemi with auto. Drove it home for $350. I though I made a killing 12 months later when I sold it (remember this was 1983) for $2500.

Steve

 

I almost forgot--I bought a '67 Buick Electra 225 for $20 from a nerd that had inherited it when his grandfather died. He had just bought a new Nissan, and was going to call the local yard to have the Buick hauled away. I put a u-joint in it and drove it through the winter, selling it to a college student in the spring.

 

Went to look at a 39 ford 2 door sedan,it was in a woods under a big pine tree that looked like a big umberala over it. The owner parked it there in the 50's when he went to the service,and about 4 other cars. He wanted $125 for it. He said he drove it there,so every thing was there. He didn't want to cut any trees to get it out. The only way out was to pull a 47 pont. out of the way,so as we were walking out of the woods,he said that he would throw the pont. in with it for nothing,sence I have to move it to get it out of the way. 2 for the price of 1. The pont. was in wet land,and sunk down to the frame.pain in the a** to get out,the frame was shot and the rear axle about came out while towing it out. The 39 was in great condition for this area,because of the pine tree. I will be starting on it in the spring,if it ever gets here. Bought these 2 years ago. Sorry pic. are to big.

 

'58 Olds 4 door hardtop for $875 last year. It ran, but the brakes were gone. Still working on it. This deal pales in comparison to some of yours, but old cars aren't very common here in the city and I don't know many farmers...

 

Nothing old, but good deal anyway. Four years ago I bought a 96 saturn for $1200. A few months later it got beat to hell in a hail storm and the insurance company gave me $2250 to get it fixed. Couldn't care less about the dents. Drove it for another 8 months before trading it in on my truck. The dealer gave me $1100 trade-in for it with a blown head gasket and a flat tire!

 

Bought my '37 Plymouth coupe out of the impound yard for $297, after the old guy that owned it refused to sell it to me and let the city tow it away.

 

Free