Hot Rods Whats the best way to approach the owner of that old car in the yard????

just don't be scared to stop and ask. worst that can happen is they say no and you hand them your post it note with your name and phone number on it in case you change your mind.
a couple months ago a friend scored a early 50's ford truck that had been sitting next to a garage for long time. he stopped and asked owner if it was for sale? yes, just lost job, wife needs money for bills, they negotiated fair price and buddy brought home sweet next project.
it never hurt to ask.

 

The last few projects I've bought came from friends, they set the price and it was fair, and I paid them and took the car away. If the owner gives you a price that is fair market value I'd pay him and not try to shoot some lower offer and risk loosing it. All this is based on a good inspection of the vehicle, you haven't seen it up close yet so maybe it isn't worth the effort. Post some photos with the next update to the story................Almost forgot, if you aren't really into the truch, do some research so you know what to look for, rot areas, factory options. You don't need to impress the owner with this knowledge, just helps you know what is there and how it relates to the value of things.

 

I usually do what most people on here say about being polite and asking about the car....I also go with a buddy and try to take an old car with us. If you drive up in an older car and explain its a hobby you are really interested in it helps. Plus if the person is into cars they want to check out the ride you came in, too. Anything to open up the conversation.

You always run the risk of "it aint fer sale" or just the door slam. Most people are reasonable. Some are assholes. Some just dont like being bothered. Just gotta roll the dice.

 

I lived in a house with no fence to the front and a tiny one car garage. lived there for 10 years. had all sorts of cars around that place and only once did someone come up and ask if one was for sale.

how come no one but me likes my cars?

 

OK,,I'm too much of a jerk to read ALL the responses.
So here goes,,,,
I say "Hello,,I've been driving by here for x number of years and (you better know what you're talkin' about here,as long as it's sat and that you've watched it sit), I thought I'd ask you if the car is for sale. My Parents had one similar and I've been saving a while and I'm at a point where I can restore one,,so I thought I'd ask you. If not maybe I can leave my number".
The suckazz part is that you may plant a seed in their mind and the car will be gone later when you drive by,, to someone else ahead of you in line.
Or they may call you and you take home something that means the world to you.
If that doesn't work,then,,
The only other thing I know is to wait til 2am,,get an old wrecker and park it next door maybe 200+ feet away and stretch the cable over to the car and winch it slowly out of the yard where the owners can't hear the engine or the PTO pulling it out of their yard.
Either way you get the car.

 

Oh,,I forgot!! The number One Rule Ever,
When asking if a car is for sale,,never ever pull up in a nice restored car (especially if it's like the one you're asking about) and inquire if it's for sale. That'll set the sale back 10 years.

 

With your Plan B, there's also a chance that you'll get a load of buckshoot in your ass and/or an all-expense paid trip to the local jail!

 

Just approach the situation like its a girl in the bar and say "Excuse me, i like what i see in the backyard & was wondering what would it take for me to get that?"....

 

One thing most of you guys don't think of, maybe the owner doesn't want strangers in their yard. If you have ever had someone steal anything from you or had your house of garage broken into, you might have another viewpoint.

 

It's NOT A CRIME TO ASK, so do it. People may have sent inquirers away 50 times, but YOU show up on the day when they've changed their minds about the old business coupe, you know?

As several guys show here, there are nuances (individual style, technique, comfort zone) to the approach, BUT the main thing is to be polite & non-threatening (I even stand back from the door after knocking -- their "personal space"). No reason not to be honest. If you or your family didn't have one like it, say you always liked 'em & wanted one. Be polite and introduce yourself right up front, by name (they won't remember, but it'll put 'em at ease because you won't seem so much a stranger or "up to something").

Let them know you don't want to inconvenience them, and they won't see you as high-pressure. If you do all the talking and they can't get a word in edgewise, they may be turned off. It may be rusty, but after all it IS their property, remember.

Have your name & number already written, so you can whip that out and leave it if they don't seem to be receptive to selling at the time. But, ASK if it's OK to check back, and if so, come back pretty SOON (for the reasons mentioned above!).

I have been doing this all my life since getting a driver's license. Bottom line, approach people with respect, same way you'd wanna be treated. It's just interpersonal communications -- people talking with people. I love looking up close at old cars anyhow, so I've used much the same approach, even when I was pretty sure I wasn't gonna buy the car, you know? But I've gotten the majority of cars I've gone after, AND the folks usually bid me goodbye with a smile or a wave, glad really to be rid of the vehicle. Either way, lay a groundwork to engender trust.

 

Oh, and as somebody who's had two good cars stolen and one broken into (one guy in prison, in fact), I keep my 12-G Remington 1187 loaded with #4 hi-powers. I may not catch a car thief in the act, but if I do and he cooperates, he's going to jail. I won't get into his other option.

 

RatFink wrote: "I lived in a house with no fence to the front and a tiny one car garage. lived there for 10 years. had all sorts of cars around that place and only once did someone come up and ask if one was for sale.

how come no one but me likes my cars?"


YO, MAN! MAYBE IT'S THE TWO DOBERMAN PINSCHERS IN YOUR YARD! LOL -- Jimi

 

Today is Thursday, raining but going over again, First trip no one came to the door.....Better luck this time.......

 

If no answer again, don't forget to leave a note. My 103 year old grandmother won't answer the door till she knows who it is. I guess it's the changing times.

 

Hey!!Easy!!
I was just kiddin' about the wrecker at 2 in the morning thing !! I know that made a few old farts flinch!!! hee heehee.

 

I used to drive the alleys looking for VW Bugs. I'd just go to the door and ask if they wanted to sell it. Most times it was yes. Had one of the "my son is going to fix it up", and it sat there for over two years afterwards, then disappeared from sight.

When I had a corn burning stove, I was looking for a gravity feed wagon, and I saw one next to a steel building. I stopped one day, and asked the guy if he wanted to sell it, and he said yeah, he'd quit farming and got into trucking instead. He set the price, which was more than fair. I paid on the spot and hauled it off that same day.

When I was looking for cars, I always carried at least a couple hundred cash with me. None of this "I'll go home and get my checkbook" business.

Good luck.

 

Yo, Markz, that wasn't a rock aimed at you, man. Sorry if it came off like that! It's just that when you have a '78 Kentucky Highway Police 440 hi-po stolen for scrap, it makes you "testy."

Though you were joshin', I've seen a few guys post SERIOUSLY about this on the HAMB. A lot of landowners don't take kindly to people traipsing over their land and snooping around. Guys just need to be careful.

 

It's illegal to go in a mailbox unless your the mailman (person)
Thats why you see flyers rubberband' d to doorhandles and such.

 

Jimi'shemi touched on something important - back off from the door after you knock. I actually step off the porch if possible. Give them dominance over the conversation in your stance and your words.

 

i do this and usualy send my sister over first to just see if it is for sale she gives them the line my brother like old car and i think he would like this one the other thing i do if im the first to make contac i do not were a hot rod t-shirt and drive my daily and i do not let them know i have a shop

 

That's exactly what I do to reduce any intimidation that may be felt.

 

Whats the best way to approach the owner of that old car in the yard????

"HELLO, I LIKE YOUR CAR".

 

Years ago when I was into Volkswagens I past a field with several in it
(later found out 53 VW's). I walked up to the house knocked on the door
woman came out, asked her if she owned all these volkswagens, she answered No but her father-in-law did. I then asked is he around?
She told me he was around back with her husband working on a tractor.
I asked her would it be alright to go back there. Her reply was Yes but the VW's are not for sale. I went back introduced myself, told him I was
interested in the Vw's but told they were not for sale. We talked about an hour about any and everything told the man I had to leave and he said
it was good talking to you and he said who knows the next time you come
by I may be ready to sell all of em. I've looked at that field of VWs for
10 years missed a few years come there they were all gone and a shopping center put up there. I never could justify putting 50 VWs in my little yard so I never stopped again but knew they could have been mine.

jblizard

to have a friend you must be a friend semper fi

 

1950Chevey, MarkZ & Big Kahaunaa, yeah! That's right! It's "body language" ting. It's psychology, but not so DEEP. If peope don't feel intimidated, hey are way more likely to deal with you.

Add, old people are often afraid to "encourage" someone at the door, for fear they MAY have to wind up letting that person into their home! So, they just turn people off, like a telemarketer!

 

Yeah, what Alfred said. MY approach is just to tuck it between the screendoor & facing by the handle. People aren't gonna miss it there, and they won't report you tothe USPS.

 

um knock on the door see if he wants to sell, have cash in hand!

 

Approach with courtesy. Whats the worst that could happen, you get turned down. C'mon, its like trying to pick up a chick in a bar, you could crash and burn or you could end up banging some chick in the front seat of an f100.

 

I have had a few show up and ask about some of my OT cars & trucks. Most of the time they are very insulting. They ask a price, then procede to nitpick every thing. I know the value of everything I have. I also won't budge from that. If you are going to insult me, don't even stop. I will let everything rot to the ground before I will sell to someone like that.

I don't have a problem with someone saying they can't afford it, or thinks it is too much. They will have a better shot at it in the future.

 

Yes I traded my off topic custom pickup for a nice 35 ford sedan turns out the frame was junk but I was only looking at sheet metal got it home and was really upset with my decision so if your ever selling a car and the potential buyer is crawling around under it more than looking at the top side it could be me , I got me an education on that one!

 

2nd time at the door whit no answer....First time a car was there "Hood was cold" no answer...This time no car no answer....Will go back later today to try again..will leve a note..