Art & Inspiration Am I Just Too Cheap?

this is true, but its not always what YOU are willing to pay. I would do what 56Don says and leave your number if anything changes. I have done it, and its worked, but sometimes it doesnt. guys have done it to me, but usually I have researched the living end out of what I am selling and I throw those numbers away.

remember, "a man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still".

this is amateur, picker/pawn show level negotiating. offer fair and stick to it.

 

She may me attached to it emotionally (widow?)

But that's her issue not anyone else's.


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My wife has a saying when I get frustrated dealing with a possible purchase.

"If it's meant to be, they will call you."

Recently though she made me go back and pay $1000 more than my offer for a car I walked away from.
In fairness to her, it was a '32 Ford...

 

Well, the fact that the owner calls back means that the offerer is the high offer. New day, new offer.

 

The old "stack of hundreds" thing, only works on me during the first visit, ya best have them ready when you meet me the first time, I could tell a few stories about this, but I'm sure many have been on both ends of the spectrum.

 

I agree. It's only effective if they're waiving the stack of hundreds around in your face

 

And then some! I walk away from anyone who won't give a price on something they are selling. I refuse to play the high bidder game unless the other bidders are in the room. 40 years in the car business and many long days at auctions are my teacher.

 

Looks like a nice built A motor + not A rusty roadster + title + history = someone else will buy it.....

 

To be fair, we haven't really established if the seller is greedy, or just mis-informed.

 

Likely scenario; After her husband, passed a friend of his came up to her at the funeral and said, "remember Martha, Joe's 31 sittin' out in the garage is worth a chunk of money, don't give it away." Then she sees on TV some show about how much cars are selling for at Barret-Jackson. Now she will die wondering why no one would offer more than $6000 for Joe's old car. Sad, hope my wife will get good help selling my junk.
Edit: Maybe Joe was the one telling her how much it would be worth some day.

 

My neighbor always said "I'm not cheap!... Just THRIFTY."

 

I never go look at anything unless I have the ready funds to buy it then and there. If it Is a might get knocked in the head over it amount I'll ask where the nearest branch of my bank is to their location and say we will finalize the deal there in the bank lobby.
Back 20 something years ago a gent left a note saying he would pay XXXX $$ for my 51 Merc coupe and caught me at a time I thought I would never be in. One I would sell that car. Called him back and said he had to take all the pieces that went with it and pay in cash green money in full. He was there handing my wife a very large stack of hundreds the next day. Cash talks.

 

This reminds me of a car many years ago that the owner had pie illn the sky thoughts about. It was an absolutely straight '29 Chevy closed cab pickup. Had it sitting in plain sight on his farm in NorCal. Dozens of people offered to buy it. "Nope, I am saving it for my son". He had 3 daughters. Want to sell the truck? "Nope, I am saving it for my g6randson". Had 5 granddaughters. Want to sell the Truck. "Nope, saving it for one of my grandsons - in -law. Come a nasty wind and rain storm in 1973 and the 100+ oak tree in his yard settled everything. A nice set of headlights and front bumper sticking out f to under the downed foliage. Some times great things don't go well gears of blind stupidity. Let's hope she comes to her senses before Mother Nature or something similar decides for her. Your 6k is a reasonable and fair offer, good luck

 

A $10k car becomes a $6k car when the stack of green comes out to play.

 

i'm going deep into W.V. tomorrow to look at a 37 Chevy sedan. might not have any money left for the A.

 

1 100 dollar bill ontop of a stack of 20s usually does the trick .


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It would be nice to know what was done to the motor, if anything. I'd say you made a good offer, but if its got juice brakes you probably couldnt build that car for $6000. Good Luck

 

I agree with HRP. Only I go with half hundreds and half fifty's. fold it in half when I show it and spread it out a little. This way it visually looks like more. It works more often than not.

 

Well I am not that impressed with the banger, I am just not a banger guy. But 6K for a garage find is a little low if it is in running condition IE a quick tune up and fresh gas. If it is something that needs to be reworked and repaired then 6K is very reasonable.

If you could fire that beast up and drive it then perhaps 7-10K is more reasonable.

As far as too cheap I hate to give much more than a grand for a project. LOL

 

You committed the cardinal sin of negotiating by making the first move (offer) as a buyer. ALWAYS insist the seller goes first with an asking price. They're (supposedly) selling the item. If the seller refuses to start the negotiating game I always tell them "You're selling the item, so you must have an idea what you want for it. I can't buy AND sell the item". If they still refuse to set an opening asking price, I figure they're FOS and really not selling the item.

I think you started too high at 6k.
When she said "you weren't even close", did you ask for her counter price? Maybe not even close meant she wanted 9-10k? You opened at 6k. Were you willing all along to go as high as 8k? Maybe you were in the ballpark at 9k, but how would you know?

The car looks solid and has a title. If it runs that's a plus.
The quote that a lot of locals already know about the car and fact that it's been sitting since 1951 tells me it won't sell until someone pays way over market for it. Maybe she loves the attention when guys come to ask her to dance and she gets off turning them down.

 

There was a gold 37 Plymouth that I drove past for many years. Finally, they had a yard sale and I thought that was my ticket in. I walked around the car and mad a solid offer. It needed a complete rewire, interior was in a pile on the floor from Arizona heat dehydrating the fabric. There was a massive dent in both front fenders. Perfect car.
I told them $1000.00, right now. Smokey the chain smoking grandpa said, with a laugh, he had been offered $10,000.
I smiled and told him good lck, paid for Tammy's trinkets and left my number with the daughter.
3 weeks later, I'm on the bike at an intersection, and the "We'll haul your junk and give you a tax writeoff" truck has a 37, gold Plymouth on the back.
You made a very fair offer.

 

Yep all the $$$$$$ ! Ed.

 

If it is truly rustfree, doesn't need patch panels or has been patched, has a title and will run 8-10k. A Brookville A body starts at $6800.

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Maybe he got a 10K tax write-off?

 

Lots of fish in the Model A sea. How about this wrecked Model A? You'd still be ahead.
https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/ford/model-a/2004325.html

 

Leave a number for sure. I did that on a 40 Ford PU once I wanted to buy, wasn't overpriced but NFS,"I'm going to build it some day". 25 years later I get a call, "do you still want my truck?". Seriously, 25 years later. And yes, I did buy the truck still sitting just like the first time I saw it.

 

There was no way they made enough for a 10K tax writeoff.
I don't,and I've asked. Ya kinda have to make a lot. Even with house, medical bills and a bunch more.
The smiling tow truck driver probably never reported that one.

 

Which begs the question ... "how much too high am I?".

 

I don't think your too high when you consider what a good A chassis and title goes for, and a Brookville A body is $6500 plus. You'd be $8k plus in just those two items not to mention extras needed. I think all the folks blowing smoke about they wouldn't have offered that much must be up to their asses in Model A's! Your offer is fair, nothing more nothing less. What I haven't seen mentioned here is how bad you want the car or not. If its something you have had a hankering for for a long time then you maybe could have offered a bit more. If its something that would be cool to have but not something you would go out of your way to get then the offer is right where it should be.

 

To answer your question, Yes! Well maybe not cheap, but definitely frugal.