the best excuse youve heard for not for sale

Two stories:

1--The only new vehicle my grandfather ever purchased new was a '64 F-100. Nothing special, but it was HIS vehicle. He had 10 grandsons and all of us told him not to sell it outside the family. He ws sick for a year or so before he died and sold it to some kid who stopped by one day to ask. When we asked grandma about she said he didn't want to pick favorites, so nobody got it.

2--'69 SC/Rambler gathering dust behind a gas station. I stopped to ask. The reply: "the owner is in prison." One day it just disappeared.

 

Panther Pink 70 Challenger T/A sitting in a carport. 6 pack long stolen, big hole in the hood too...
Guy wouldn't sell it cuz "They're pretty hard to find" and he'll restore it someday. Place looked like he couldn't feed his kids much less restore this thing. Still sits there.... I may try again this weekend.

 

THE EXCUSE I GIVE WHEN SOMEONE WANTS TO BUY SOMETHING I HAVE WHETHER HANGING ON THE WALL OR A CAR IS:
OH THATS NOT MINE IM TRYING TO BUY IT FROM THE GUY. HE LEFT IT HERE & IM TRYING TO BUY IT.

in other words ITS NOT 4-SALE! even some cars i drive all the time & when i stop for gas or whatever someone inquires about buying it - they ask if its for sale i either say id love to sell this car. they usually run away. or i say its not mine i just drive it its a friend of mines & im trying to buy it. easy as that.

ive bought A-LOT of vehicles that dozens of people had inquired & it wasnt for sale. pretty soon im takin er home.
BUT then again i buy cars for a living. im a buyer thats what i do.

 

About 10 yrs. ago I tried buying a 60 buick from a guy, got the same "its not for sale". A year later, car has a for sale sign on it. Stop by, and he wanted something like $2000.00 "firm" for it. Car ran, and drove, but it was a 4 door hartop, and "needed", but it was worth buying, but I didn't have the cash. So I offer to trade some stuff, but he wasn't interested. Car set there for about another year or so, then it was gone.

Went to a wrecking yard I get some parts from, and there it was out front. I gave $200.00 bucks for it that day.

 

This weekend I was working on my motorcycles and my 53 Desoto is in the driveway. A guy came up to talk about it and asked if it was for sale. I said no.
"But it's been sitting here for years!"
"I just moved here last month."
ZING!

 

An old lady told me once " I guess its for sale, if you got a lot of money you don't need!" ('60 Impala HT, one owner!)

 

Is any of it "For Sale"?

 

A back street we use a lot going to and from work had a 50 something car appear, but tightly wrapped with a tarp. Always stayed wrapped for several years, as soon as it started to weather, a new one would appear on it. Everytime we drove by we would all make guesses as to make and model, by the outlines that we could make out through the tarp. Had a lot of fun. Meanwhile I start a new project for my wife, a 55 merc montclair. Fair shape but missing a few small pieces. And about that time the tarp got weathered and we could tell it was a 55 or 56 merc! four door though. I knew it was an old couple that lived their, and obviously didn't want to sell the car, but always worth a try. So I sent in my secret weapon. My cute little wife. Good looking, 5' 2". Doesn't appear to know anything about cars but she knows plenty. She knocks on the door, and apparently the man was surprised and probably intrigued enough to not wave a 12 ga. at her. to make a long story short, the car is in my "junk yard" for the sum of $200. So from now on when we find anything that we are interested in, we send the wife.

 

I ve been staring at my cousin's big block vette (on blocks) since I was a kid. His excuse is "it s for my daughters college tuition"... Shes a freshman and its still in his barn.

 

Going to get it running next spring.30 ford truck not moved in 8 years.

 

bought a lot of cars that were "not for sale", my son and i would cruse alleys and backroads and if we found something he would go ask about it,at 12 years old he was a total gear-head,(he went from minibikes to a model a coupe in 5 years)still wheelin and dealin,now at 23 he own's a lot of cool rides,and 2 houses

 

"I need an excuse for not selling you my car?"

Said to you by me.

Seriously, why get bent if a guy wants to hold onto a something you think he should sell. It's his car, if he wants to watch it rust into the ground, oh well. Maybe there'll be enough left for your kid to buy it from his kid. The important thing is to grab up all the stuff that people will sell and save it from the crusher. I've also bought many cars that weren't for sale the first time I asked. Don't get pissed at the guy just go back and talk to him some time later. You never know, you may have planted an idea.

 

Look at # 30, ditto-dude!

 

It pays to keep track of the cars, Some years ago I was doing alot of early camaros, I asked an elderly lady a few times about the 67 RS camaro she drove to work every day, she'd tell me that it was a classic, etc, and was not for sale. One day I went by her job once again, but this time noticed another car in its usual spot. She told me it had quit running, the 327 was pretty tired. I asked her about it one more time. It was mine for 400 bucks. The RS hide away headlights worked great which was unusual in itself, just an untouched original car. I guess I missed that car, I havent fooled with 1st gen camaros in 15 years, and yesterday I ended up buying another 67 camaro as a project with my son, now i'm back hunting RS parts again.

 

just a bit of history..

my dad was in Vietnam as a plain clothed military adviser, '56-'60, demolitions expert.

the French got their asses kicked out in 1954.

 

The thing about having old cars around, is that you can't spend them. If you weaken and sell one, blow the dough on whatever you'll never remember, then you end up with no toy and nothing to show for it. And now you'll probably never be able to afford what you let go, or a suitable replacement.

I'm not so sure what's so difficult about this theory, but my wife sure doesn't understand it.

 

It's sure great to read a good story,rather than the "car was totaled 2 weeks later"stories we've all heard or even experienced.

 

i was eyeballing this 1969 charger that was in a retirement home for a couple years (i was 15 at the time) that had a sign on it that said not for sale.. well couple more months go by and my mom was getting her hair done at someplace, she was chatting to the hair lady about my love for cars and mentioned the white charger i was looking at. turns out she is the daughter of the old guy who owns the car. she says oh he is tired of that thing sitting around...he will sell it to you for 1,000 bucks! oh what luck right? wrong i show up with cash.. the guys looks at me.( 5'1 98 lbs) says nah. this thing is way to fast for you. you will kill yourself! the car was gone two weeks later. but because of that i bought a 69 roadrunner as my first car and love it!

 

hahahahahhahahaha thats fuckin awesome.

 

"It's my fucking car! "

 

you guys got some great stories! got one or two myself.

when I was about 20 or so (28 now) I was hunting up some parts for my daily POS in a junkyard. when I finished getting what I wanted I asked the junky if I could browse the lot for older stuff. he said fine and off I went. I was walking the perimeter where the older stuff was and came to a beat down old fence that had old big rigs in it. Thinking it was just a divider between sections of his lot I went to check the rigs for Stewart Warner panels etc. I've checked about half the trucks in the lot for gage panels when this 60 year old 5 foot tall italian woman comes out of a trailer I hadn't seen on the other side of the lot when she gets within 50 yards she starts yelling and swearing at me like only a pissed off italian can! When she gets within 50 ft I start smiling, and she gets madder, when she gets with 15 I start outright LAUGHING. At this point she's blue in the face, ready to shoot me where I stand for coming on her lot without permission. finally she stops yelling and asks WTF I think is so funny. I stopped my laughing enough to squeak out. "aunt tish, you don't even recognize me!" Turns out it was my uncles aunt (I called her aunt tish since I was little) that I hadn't seen in about 8 years. once she realized who I was I got a hug and a kiss, and a "don't you ever come on my lot without telling me first!" LOL. I saw her at a bunch of family functions over the next couple years and it was always the big joke if she was gonna try and run me out

Another one I had was pretty amusing. when I turned 12 I got some money saved up for mowing lawns and doing work for friends and neighbors. I started looking for a good first hotrod project. back then good model A coupe bodies were still dirt cheap (500-1000 for decent) so that's what I was looking for. I was scanning hemmings etc for deals with no luck. I kept seeing this 32 cabriolet body listed for $1500 about an hour away from me. now, 32 bodies were way out of my price range even then and 1500 was ridiculously cheap for it to be in hemming for 3 issues. I finally called the guy up after my ole man said if it was savable he would spot me whatever I didn't have. I was just 14 by this time and had a grand saved up. the guy told me over the phone that it was junk and not worth my time! He also told me that the $1500 included an original frame! I finally argued with the guy that I should at least come down to look at the car regardless of how bad he said it was. I set a date and got my father and uncle to take me down there to look at it.
My ole man got out of the truck and the owner walked up to him and said "so you must be kevin?"
"Nope"
he turned to my uncle, "so nice to meet you kevin"
"not me either"
finally he looks at me "there's no way you're the guy I talked to on the phone"
"yep you're lookin at him"
He just laughed and said "well, it's over here"
Sitting under a pine tree in primer was a fairly hacked up but SOLID 32.
no floors, windshield posts cut off, doors welded shut, flat firewall but barely any rust. I crawled all over that thing checking it out and decided I could work with it. $1500 was a STEAL. I still had my game face on though (or what amounted for one at 14) I pointed out the worst issues to fix and asked the guy what was the best he could do.
guy looked at me and told me, "Since the car is for you here's what I'm gonna do. You make a check out to "xyz christian charity" in texas for $500 and take the car with you". now, this wasn't some guy who didn't know squat about cars. he had a finished glass 32 in the garage, a very nice big block ford powered replica racer he had just put on the road. I was SHOCKED. Out of habit I asked him if he'd take $450 LOL he of course said no so I had the ole man right him a check and we loaded that thing up before he had a chance to change his mind and got out of there.
I couldn't believe it. I had just bought a 32 ford at 14 with my own money, and my father got a free $500 tax deduction lol.
persistance does pay off. I had to call the guy 3 times to convince him that I should look at the car he was trying to sell

 

My great aunt had a 65 Tempest 4-door V8 (I was 13 and a car is a car then) and it was in great shape. I lived near her so I would change the oil for her and wash and wax it. She said something about getting a new car...mind you this is the early 80's...and she said something about giving it to me since I've helped take care of it. Well she gives it to her "can't hold a job" son. He never took care of it. It seemed like within a week it was a rusty dirty hulk. Then he wrecked it a couple of times. Don't know what happened to it.

 

Ones I have got the most "Imona fixer up someday" excuse, and "my son/grandson might want it". And the "that was my daddy's car" crap. Well, you are never going to "fixer up' n either is your son/grandson and do you really think your dead daddy would rather have it rust into the ground or see me fix it up and drive it?

Come in my yard and bring money, everything is for sale. I have had several people want my crewcab and I respond with "what would I drive if I sold you my truck?" They could buy it but it is worth more to me than market value would fetch.
However I have no problem with old cars rotting into the ground anymore. Some are landmarks and should just stay right there. If someone has looked out the window everyday at an old car and enjoy it that way, then wtf, leave it alone.
I saw a 57 2 dr hard top a couple days ago, in it's long term resting place amongst the dogs and old appliances, with the simple message NO painted in the back window.
Now what's up with the guys that park something right out by the road and put a "not for sale" sign on it. Maybe his dad shouldn't have married a first cousin.

 

If a fucker wants to sell his car, its his to sell. If he doesn't, then guess what - ITS STILL HIS NOT TO. What the fuck do you care? This goddamn entitlement ideology is bloody annoying anymore.

 

aaaahhhhh...classic, i will have to remember that next the wifey is bitchin about the oil spot in the driveway!

 

Well,. I will admit when I am wrong ,... I did get my dates mixed up, French were out in 54', Our "official"military involvement started in 61' if I remember right (could be wrong on that too),.. either way, the "party didn't start for me until 1969. (at that time in my life I was more interested in the future and not the past )

Sooooo, stretch 1320 , I owe you a public apology and here it is,......... Sorry dude,... I hope you can forgive me.

And plan9, thanks for bringing this to my attention.

 

brookville? i went to Kingman recently and saw tons of roadside finds... no one anywhere around to ask... where's brookeville?

 

It makes me laugh how one day we will have a "don't you hate it when people won't sell you xxx" thread, and then the next it's "don't you hate it when people keep bothering you about buying xxx"

I wonder how many HAMBers have run into each other in these encounters.

 

There is a 65 Corvette convertible not far from me that has been sitting for at least 25 years in the same spot. We have been knockin on the dude's door for that long asking "is it for sale yet?' Always the same "NO,NEVER, beat it" Car is now total junk, sunk into the ground, rusted, top gone, etc. My buddy goes to the door last year says " I just won the Lottery and I got a $100,000 on me to buy that piece of crap" Waving a bunch of cash.Owner screams at him "NO, how many times I gotta fuckin tell you NO" Guess whoever he ends up wanting to sell it to better have more than a $100K for a pile of rusted parts.

 

Best post of the whole thread, hands down!!!!!!!!


Please post pics if you got 'em!!!!!!