Excuse me while I rant. I started looking for a decent driver-project car for my next restoration. I started out looking for a specific type car, but soon decided that I would improve my odds by opening up my search to all cars and trucks from 1955 to 1972. With the only criteria being that it be capable of being driven, low cost and hopefully a unique base for a restro-mod. <O</O While I have found a few candidates in the past 6 months that I have been beaten to punch on, I lost count of the number of misrepresented cars I have seen. That is, cars described as being sound and a driver only to find it was nothing but rust and frozen engine. <O</O That brings me to the point of my rant I absolutely hate the folks that place ads with either no photos or old photos, and cant seem to get you current pictures and the single phrase It was running when I last parked it! Shit, no joke it was running the last time you drove/parked it. Then you couldnt drive it anymore!!! <O</O Do these clowns think that if they misrepresent their cars in print and mislead over the phone that when we get there to look at their POS we will feel so bad for them that we will buy their junk anyway?? WTF? <O</O I understand that sometimes we are just looking for a parts car or just a body but dont advertise it as an easy restoration, driver or diamond in the rough. It is what it is provide an honest description and some pictures and no one will waste anyones time. And if you think your car thats been sitting for 10 years in a field can be started then try it yourself before placing the ad simple or tell everyone that it will not start at all
Last week, 651 people knew where you were coming from... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=502106&highlight=peeve
Running when parked. Perhaps a true statement, but not a good description. I looked at a Model A pickup once that I know for a fact was driven out into the field and parked there. Of course it had no head on the banger and the brake peddle was missing as well as the brake rods and clevises. But it was running when parked. Wasn't represented that way and I didn't really care all I was after was the body but it would have been a true statement.
HRP it goes in cycles man. Next month it'll be rants about the color of wheels. Or what's up with car shows. I normally keep a little cheese on my desktop just in case I need to whine about something I can have a little cheese with it.
Guess we're running out of traditional topics. If we come up with new topics, they technically aren't traditional - they're new.
"Running when parked." I don't see what the problem is. That means it was running and the guy parked it, and it probably hasn't seen any maintenance since then. What's not descriptive about that? If he just said, "not running" then I'm sure everyone would assume he grenaded the thing. A lot of guys sell stuff as-is, and they don't want to mess with it. They're just off-loading it. Again, he's just saying there's no reason (i.e. it hasn't been grenaded) it wouldn't start. You have to take it for what it's worth, and with a grain of salt.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
yea it like the "Best Mexican Food in Town". A couple of years ago we were in a little burg on old route 66 and there was a restaurant that said that. my grandaughter asked why it said that and I said well if it said the worse mexican food in town you wouldn't go there to eat. Same with run when parked. if the ad said doesn't run or worthless piece of dung would anyone call about it?
The thing with food, is that it's based on opinion pretty solely, whereas buying a car is mainly built around facts, with opinion being a way smaller factor. People sell cars that don't run all the time. People sell cars they claim are rough all the time.
why don"t you try running an add stating exactly what you want how much you want to spend and must run and drive,delete all the stupid ass responces. anytime you see an ad don"t sit on your ass wasting time because somebody else will scarf it up quick.
You must be looking at the Houston Craigslist... There's some seriously overpriced JUNK on that site.
True...but some of us have a day job and can't run out in the middle of the day to snap up the great deals! But that is not what my problem is--I know "you snooze - you loose" Its the jerks that out and out lie about their cars and make you drive across town or state just to find that out! (Any way I feel better now! - Thanks for letting me blow off steam)
it was hot rod black /red wheels when i parked it . if a man thinks for one minute he is going to the field & drive one out , i got ocean front property in kansas for sale. No , really , i do . the end .
This is how I see it. Whenever someone asks a question on a topic or posts a topic they're told do a search. Here's the thing I've noticed, when you do a search most times it has nothing to do with what you're looking for. But then when you do find what you're looking for and post on an old thread, you're flamed for raising an old thread. Now what we have is a group of people who are wanting to make a post but don't want to listen to the same old tired bullshit they get.
I don't understand , it ran find when i parked it in 1951, then the garage fell on it in 73, then the tree, then the tree was struck by lightning and set the entire mess on fire, you think it'll start?
personally i love those ads and if your persisant you can find yourself some great deals. not everyone is mechanical and that's a good thing my wife's 64 t-bird ran when it was parked, thought the guy was going to cry when i brought 4 tires, gas and a battery and drove it out of his yard with some minor adjustments. now i always take my trailer, no need letting them know, off the top of head i can think of a few great buys i've made "running when parked" in just the last year, 38 chevy sedan delivery, 63 galaxie convertible, 69 rambler, 77 shovelhead it's a hit and miss thing, but then i suppose not everyone enjoys the thrill of the hunt like i do...
well I just got this 90 towncar for 1000 excellent, was taken care of, bought it from a friend of mine, he drove it about 6 times in a year, got bored with it, the guy he bought it from took really good care of it over 20 years, the person I bought it from, my friend, just doesn't want to mess with it, it needs an idle air valve and a tune up. easy stuff, big classy car, with a 302. sometimes they do run when parked, they just don't idle
I'm with seventhirteen on this. Over the decades I've bought all kinds of bargains that had been 'running when parked', either stored away or something happened to prevent the vehicle from being restarted - usually it was a simple fix, in those cases. My brother once bought a '59 El Camino that had been advertised as mentioned and would barely run. The seller thought the pick up had blown a head gasket. When I went to have a look with my brother, I started the car, did a short drive, smiled and told him to buy it. The problem turned out to be a dead condenser, which i picked up on immediately. Purchase one very cheap Camino that needed a $1.50 part to run properly. I understand why you other HAMBers might get annoyed, as I'm sure a lot of cars, trucks and bikes are misrepresented in their for-sale ads. Still, I like the thrill of the hunt. There's a VW Variant for sale down the road going really, really cheap that sounds like it's got a minor ignition problem, not that I need another project..!
And one more final pet peeve.... What is up with all the folks taking the time to post an ad to sell their car, but not posting a picture or decent description - only a telephone number? Or only an email and then they insist you call! And when you do call or email they would rather waste their time and yours trying to describe their POS to you. Dude how about while you are on the computer posting that ad, take the time to include a few pictures and an HONEST description....year, make model, engine size, transmission type, the options that work and the items that need repair, the goods and the bads. Unless you are either the world's best salesperson or an incredible story teller, I doubt that you can do your car justice or sell it to someone easier than giving the info in the ad. I cannot think of any other example where someone is trying to sell something sight unseen with only a verbal description.
One of the best buys I ever made was a "ran when parked" one. It just didn't run when they went to unpark it. 150 bucks for a 5 year old longroof buick that needed a rotor.
Whether or not it runs is the least of my worries. It's easy to get something started. Is it complete?" Rusted away? Rear end blown? Stolen? Etc., etc.: plenty of more important things to worry about.
I bought a 354 Hemi from a guy that swore that "It ran great last time we used it!"I got it home and found a hole in the number six piston big enough to stick your fist through. Buyer beware......
IMO - if a seller either doesn't have the initiative or intellegence to buy a cheap battery and squirt some carb cleaner in the engine just to see if it will crank, before putting it up for sell, then I would rather not deal with him. And if the seller is not lazy or stupid and still can't tell you anything about the car or its engine, then he's probably a crook. I am not a professional and do not buy and sell cars for money, so when I buy a car I want to know what I am getting and for the seller to have told me the truth. Gas is too expensive to waste running after lies.
Geezzz, would you lay this thread to rest already? Your arguing a mute point. Stop! That says it all.
The Jalopy Journal
