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Projects Project car "deal breaker"

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by 40FORDPU, Dec 22, 2019.

  1. bob b.
    Joined: Aug 30, 2009
    Posts: 231

    bob b.
    Member
    from peoria az.

    price title shipping
     
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  2. "Not running/driving " is a deal breaker for me. I don't mind upgrades and making a car safer and more reliable, but I don't have the time or money for a long term project anymore...
     
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  3. jazz1
    Joined: Apr 30, 2011
    Posts: 1,534

    jazz1
    Member

    I can deal with some rust but rotted structure or patch of grass growing through the floor its time to walk away.
    Lack of title not a problem at all in my area,,,a few minutes, sign the $10 affidavit at the license office and done.
     
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  4. Vinyl top. I'm not afraid of rust, but 90% of vinyl top cars out here are hiding a tragedy and I don't want to mess around with roof skins and crap.
     
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  5. "No Trades" I traded my way to a 53 Buick Skylark, 3 Cords, 2 La Salles and 2, 39 Ford tubs and many more, Trades are happening!
     
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  6. choptop40
    Joined: Dec 23, 2009
    Posts: 5,114

    choptop40
    Member

    Clean title , little rust , mostly complete , negotiable price..
     
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  7. 56sedandelivery
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 6,695

    56sedandelivery
    Member Emeritus

    Along with having a title, and being a "decent" car/truck, don't come across to me as someone being knowledgeable when you're not, or trying to flat out lie to me. Those last two things mean a lot to me. I don't lie, I don't cheat, and I don't B.S. anyone, so don't try it with me. I have walked away from liars and B.S. artists. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
     
  8. When i'm looking at car/project I leave my rose colored glasses in my pocket. A sellers bs/lies or inclination to cheat me has no effect on the way I deal, except that the more shit I hear the harder it's going to be for him to get anywhere close to what he wants outta me. All sellers stretch the truth, whether it's knowingly or unknowingly. It's just the nature of the game. I know the rules and play accordingly.
     
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  9. S10_Man
    Joined: Oct 29, 2018
    Posts: 22

    S10_Man

    Titles would be #1. I've had a car that I got a bonded title for, but at my age it's just more grief than I want. It's 3 years in this state. Rust is a problem, but like others here have said, if it's not an orphan then patch panels can fix it. Just don't have the steam I used to have - if possible, I'd rather tinker a little and drive it a lot and enjoy it.
     
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  10. At this point in the game, just being a project car is a deal breaker.
     
    56don likes this.
  11. G'day, It was about 38 years ago last August that my wife, brother, and I drove down to Kansas City to buy a 1958 Corvette race car. When we arrived and saw it the car was junk. As we are walking around the car a guy says I know where there is a 1959 for sale much cheaper. So we went and looked at it.

    It was a drag car that had never been street licensed and there was no title. I bought the car on the original dealership MSO. North Dakota had no issue putting a title on it. When cleaning up all the boxes of stuff that came with it there was an instrument cluster with 0.3 miles on the odometer. There also was a Doug Nash 4+1 in the trunk. If things go well I hope to drive it next summer.
     
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  12. topher5150
    Joined: Feb 10, 2017
    Posts: 3,338

    topher5150
    Member

    The big one for me is the price you pay for what you get. I've been seeing a lot of people lately who have been trying to sell their car, which usually consists of a body(minimal flooring), a rolling frame, and some trim for roughly the same price as a similar complete car.
     
  13. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,292

    jnaki

    Hello,

    In the late 60s, after we were married, we were interested in getting another 50’s hot rod. We thought that if I arrived at various magazines and customer photo shoots in an older car, that would win them over. Even if I had to go to some motorcycle photo shoots, arriving in an old hot rod would win their hearts, instead of a modern car. We were looking for something that we could fix or add to to make it drivable and of course, very reliable.

    Growing up at or near the beach, a woody wagon would have been perfect. The one we saw and looked at was nice, but it did not work out on a sale. So, this 1950 Ford Coupe had just the old time look and a little power with that bigger Flathead motor.

    The 2 door Ford Coupe was black (slightly faded paint), had light grey upholstery, with a built up Flathead and a LaSalle floor shifter. The guy had several 1950's cars and wanted to get rid of one. After looking at it, inspecting it for oddities, we made a good offer near his asking price. We are sure that because he had several old cars in that garage, he assumed he had the upper hand in any bargaining.

    So, he refused the offer we made. It was a Flathead powered, three, two barrel carbs, chrome rims and nice upholstery. It even sounded nice on starting. But, it was not to be on this road trip. My wife was anxious to leave that garage. Something did not smell right.
    upload_2020-1-27_4-12-58.png upload_2020-1-27_4-13-12.png similar looking Ford
    Jnaki


    Did the floor shift ding the purchase? On the way out of the over-stuffed garage in Central OC, my wife said, it did not have A/C. Ha! That sealed the “no deal.” If that was the case, A/C could have been added, but that was an episode that was never mentioned again. I also think that the seller was a big head guy that thought his old cars were worth the price he was asking, without any bargaining. I kept seeing the ads for several more months. My wife finally told me that she did not like the way that garage AND car smelled. So, she could not get out of there fast enough.
    upload_2020-1-27_4-16-51.png
    A few weeks later, we moved on to another 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery that was for sale at a small speed shop just around the corner from this industrial garage in Central OC. We drove home happy with that 327 SBC sedan delivery purchase, in A/C comfort.

    upload_2020-1-27_4-15-48.png
     
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  14. uncleandy 65
    Joined: Jan 14, 2013
    Posts: 4,140

    uncleandy 65
    Member

    The deal breaker with me is. If he says it doesn't have a title but it's not that hard to get one. Well if it's that damn easy to get one why don't have one. At that point it doesn't matter if it's a rust free body or not.
     
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  15. One of the great things about living in Alabama is that no title is no problem since old cars here do not need one.
    So I guess the deal breaker for me would be a car that is too incomplete to be worth the effort or too rusty to be worth the time and money to bring it back.
     
    bchctybob likes this.
  16. No title, I’m not dealing with anymore title problems. That’s always the first question I ask.


    Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  17. DERPR30
    Joined: Jun 3, 2010
    Posts: 839

    DERPR30
    Member
    from HARVEY LA

    NO TITLE NO DEAL
     
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  18. Colonial Coupe
    Joined: Dec 22, 2010
    Posts: 74

    Colonial Coupe
    Member

    Title. Its getting to difficult to get them straightened out. Friend in New Mexico tells me it's getting worse all the time out there. The DMV must be watching to much TV as they are jacking up the tax rates on getting a car titled. Here in Virginia I haven't tried and don't feel that I need to add that process to my retirement pastimes.
    Say what you will but a rust bucket is worth at least $1500. But a clean roller without a title isn't worth the time to put it on the trailer.
     
  19. WB69
    Joined: Dec 7, 2008
    Posts: 1,958

    WB69
    Member
    from Kansas

    Currently 3 projects on going. Don't need any more at this time!
     
  20. Don't throw money away...sell it to someone in a non-title state where it is golden..
     
    anthony myrick likes this.
  21. lonejacklarry
    Joined: Sep 11, 2013
    Posts: 1,498

    lonejacklarry
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    That is my "get in the truck" moment, too. I have even offered the seller extra money to obtain the "easy to get" title but have always been turned down.

    As I've gotten older rust is a deal breaker, too. Too much trouble for me..................and/or my checkbook.
     
  22. mgtstumpy
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 9,214

    mgtstumpy
    Member

    Completeness is a must as the distance and shipping costs of parts is a killer impost! No titles here, only bills of sale so that's not an issue.
     
  23. 1) No title, vin tag missing, not interested. That includes already signed in the wrong spot, title not matching the vin, etc. And while we're on the no title thing, what has led people trying to sell cars with no title to think that they're worth every bit as much as the same car with a clean title? Hint, it ain't.
    By the way, "paperwork to file for a title" in your state ain't a title. Neither is "it's out of the system". In my neck of the woods title problems are a 100% deal killer. Someone else may want to deal with it but I'm not that guy.

    2) Distance. See lots of stuff in Utah, Montana, west coast, etc. that I'd pull the trigger on but it's $$$ & time to go look at a car that far away from the east coast. How many cross country flights/road trips can most people afford?

    3) Rust and completeness. Whoever said "Buy the best car you can" was a genius. I'm on the wrong end of this now but too stubborn to give up. I don't think the ability to be able to drive a project while you work on it can be overvalued. Some guys can bang out multiple projects with no issues but for the rest of us nothing is more soul crushing than looking at a massive project that seems like it won't ever be done. No more basket case empty bodyshells on a frame for me.
     
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  24. 57JoeFoMoPar
    Joined: Sep 14, 2004
    Posts: 6,138

    57JoeFoMoPar
    Member

    It really depends for me. Obviously price is a major contributing factor. Typically speaking, if the car has no title, I'm not going to pay more than $1000. If there's no VIN, it's a bigger issue and I'd likely walk away entirely. In NJ I can get a duplicate title if the car has a VIN. But if there's no VIN, and no engine, and no numbers, then I'm SOL.

    When looking at a project, I try to make a quick monetary total in terms of what the car probably needs. Are there any parts that will be difficult to locate and expensive to purchase? What's an engine rebuild going to cost? These are all relevant factors.

    I'm at the point now where there are only two classifications of vehicles I want to buy; total projects and completely finished cars. This is a lesson that I'm currently learning the hard way and I'm vowing to never make this mistake again. When I'm looking at a finished car, I don't want to do a damn thing to it. Maybe change wheels and tires. But that's it. It should have good interior, run well, not smoke, stop and steer well, and generally be a car I could drive across the country only checking fluids periodically. Anything short of this standard will piss me off because I've probably paid a fair price for the car. On the other hand, a total project is just that, and it will need everything. In this regard, I try to buy as rust free as possible, but major rust doesn't totally turn me off because I know this is a complete build. Where I have gotten into trouble is buying cars that are good but not great. Maybe the paint is presentable, the engine smokes, the trans leaks, etc. Because inevitably you wind up doing the same amount of work as if you'd have bought a complete shitbox, except you paid for a running and driving car. The worst of both worlds.
     
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  25. Do you really know who owns the vehicle without any documentation??????
    A registration, out of date title or a hand me down bill of sale will indicate the person selling the vehicle is the one who owns it now. It is a process with the DMV no matter what info you have, but it can be done (in Florida) I have gotten a new title three times on project vehicles, three different ways.

    With a lot of changes in bellhousings flexplates and starter locations I will not buy an engine with out a transmission.
     
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  26. 49ratfink
    Joined: Feb 8, 2004
    Posts: 18,829

    49ratfink
    Member
    from California

    I have no money for projects. any cars I buy will have to be something to make money. looking at a 49 Chevrolet that had bad floors, so the guy cut the whole car into pieces.:confused: waiting on a price.
     
  27. Surprisingly no one has mentioned bio-hazard such as animal shit or dead things/people. For some reason I find more vehicles these days with rodent/critter evidence than in the past. Are there more rats than ever? It hasn't stopped me yet but after the last one I dragged home and cleaned out I will think twice before doing it again.
     
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  28. whats a title?
     
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  29. I dub thee, "Sir Anthony of Myrick"

    There's your title.
     
  30. jimmy six
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 14,802

    jimmy six
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Better the Henry Ford Clinc than the Betty Ford Clinic.....
     
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