Answer: I’ll call you. Lol Ford been sitting outside for 40+ years. Plymouth has NO: rear end, front end, motor, trans, Floor pans. The list goes on. Maybe they will call.
It will soon be a buyers market for restored cars as people age out....don't waste your time on those that were stripped before and/or need a miracle (owners remorse ) to move them.
I'm not into restored cars,. The Ford would be to get it running and drive it. The '58 Plymouth is a parts car.
Been awhile since I've seen a 4 way lug wrench. Most kids today wouldn't know what the hell to do with it!
Some people like the idea of having things..it doesn't matter if those things are falling/rotting apart in front of them. Ownership gives you the right to do with it/them as you choose. In the case with those posted, he may be doing you a favor, by not selling them to you.
I had my truck parked in my driveway for several years as at the time I had no money, time or place to work on it. Many people seemed to feel I owed it to them to sell it cheap. It is now in my garage undergoing a rebuild, sometimes the I am going to fix it someday happens.
I was trying to buy them not steal them. A tree limb fell on top of the Plymouth and the top is crushed in. The same fate could happen to the Ford. ......and when these people die we are secure they would be crushed. China needs more of OUR good scrap metal. By the comments I guess none of you guys have ever knocked on a door or try to buy and old car sitting for years.
I've seen worse than the Ford rescued and put back together right here on the HAMB, so don't let the naysayers get you down. They aren't building them like that new anymore, so every piece you save is one that didn't get melted down and turned into a Honda or Kia.
No, I haven't. I wait until they're ready to sell them. Makes for an easier transaction. And lately I've been really picky about the cars I buy....they have to fit a need I have, and be in a condition that will let them meet that need with the appropriate amount of work. Some folks haven't figured out yet that there are still more old cars around, than there are folks who actually do anything with them.
I recently stopped at a guys house in the hood and talked to the owner. He has a 1972 Corvette parked on the side of his driveway which has been there so long it has mildew growing all over the paint, which has pretty much turned to a white powdery substance. He has 4 Corvettes. Two out in the driveway, a mid 2000 convertible, a 1977, and a 1981 in the garage. Two bay garage just full of stuff. The 72 has a built 383 4 speed. Runs but needs a fuel pump. He stated he just has no time to do anything with the 1972 and its not like he is hurting for a Vette to drive so the white one sits and decays. I asked him about selling it and he said he would sell any of them but put what I consider is a ridiculous price on the 72. His cars and obviously he is doing what he wants with them, but what a shame to let a 72 vette sink into the weeds. Pretty soon it won't be worth saving.
I still knock on doors and leave notes. Sometimes it pays off. I also intentionally have cars visible so sometimes people will stop and tell me about a car they get rid of. I love buying cars trucks and tractors. Some of my favorite cars ive built were rotting not for sale in a side yard and I walked up and bought them. I dont care too much about condition. If I like it and its calling me I want it. Car values are all bullshit anyway. I dont care what theyre worth.
Id try to buy them if i found them somewere! I love to save an old car! I like knockin on doors askin about old rust buckets! Sometimes u make a new friend during the process and sometimes u find out were to not take your kids trick or treating! And plus, how can you call yourself a hot rodder if u just buy a already restored car?!? LONG LIVE RUSTY OLD CARS!!! Get off ur butt and Go save one today!!!!!!!! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
No, I've never knocked on a door to ask if a car was for sale, as I always figured if I saw it and asked, so have a bunch of others. And since it's still there the owner is likely tired of guys asking! I have an old Suburban that is my daily driver, so it sits outside all the time. It's no creampuff, but still very original, and decent. I get a note left on the windshield about once a month to ask if I want to sell it. Only had one guy actually knock on the door. I don't respond to any of the notes, and told the guy it wasn't for sale, and wont ever be for sale.
Did anyone ever think how arrogant someone sounds when they make disparaging remarks about the way others decide to treat their own possessions ? As if " they" are the only ones worthy of making those decisions I've gotten that vibe from potential buyers in the past & the item in question suddenly becomes unavailable .
i will say, it doesn't hurt to ask, but generally if an old car is sitting in plain sight for a long time, there is a reason its still there. not for sale, price is too high, "i'm gonna fix er up some day", the grand kid wants it etc, etc.
I`ve got a gas pump by my garage. Lots of people ask if it`s for sale. I say no. No one has ever tried to make me an offer.
I've had the opportunity to talk to a few folks about me buying their cars. Sometimes the cars were advertised and sometimes the cars were just there a long time. The ones just sitting there may look like they need a new owner, but ultimately the current owner gets to decide when or if it will be for sale. If it's not for sale I just walk away. If our chat was friendly I might leave my contact information. The ones that are advertised as for sale aren't always for sale either. Some "sellers" are just fishing to see what it might be worth. If I can't make a deal I just walk away. As squirrel so correctly pointed out "there are still more old cars around, than there are folks who actually do anything with them." It's very likely that the car you would like to own, in the condition you want to buy it in, is available for sale at a fair price.
Never hurts to ask if you really want it, but I think a note on the mailbox is the best approach. Some folks (like me) don’t like strangers approaching and looking things over. Heck, when I sell something I move it out front when someone wants to come by and look it over.
I asked about a Model A Ford coupe body shell that my wife's uncle had left out in the elements, uncovered (he had purchased it as a complete car). "I can't sell it". I tried again a couple of times over the years and same answer. "Good things come to those who wait" didn't happen to me. The property was put up for sale (which is an invitation/excuse for people to be on your property uninvited ... there was no house on this property, just his workshop) ... the body was eventually stolen. At first I was pissed as I had been prepared to offer good money for it but then I realized that these thieves had actually done the car a favor. When I first saw the shell it had windows and the seat back (maybe seat bottom too) as well as the roof insert. Next time I saw it (couple years later) the moron had started to strip the paint of it while leaving the car OUTSIDE IN THE ELEMENTS (Ontario Canada). Next time I saw it the roof insert was caving in ... I never went back, it was too heartbreaking. Then it went missing. No, I didn't take it.
I've never knocked on a door but when I was younger I was a Meter Reader for the electric company and went into hundreds of backyards a day. I saw a lot of old cars sitting.. If someone came out I'd shoot the shit with them about the car never asking if they wanted to sell. I didn't feel that I was bugging them. I was just reading the meter. I was supposed to be there. And people like to talk. Especially older folks. They'd see me and out the door they would come. All I would do is show interest and listen to them. I bought a lot of cars that way. One old lady even gave me a 66 Chevelle more door with 4 flat tires. She just told me to just get it the hell out of her yard. She was sick of looking at it. I bought a 69 Impala convertible. I talked to that guy for months because I had to knock. He had a crazy mean dog that he had to put up before I could go in. He never wanted to sell it...But then he got remarried and the Impala was his first wife's car. The second wife didn't like it around. He told me a low price and I said SOLD! I sold that car later for the down payment on my first house. I made 100K on that house. Not a bad investment. I'll never forget signing the papers on the Impala. It was evening and I wasn't in my uniform. The guy let me in and the dog was in the house and it was really friendly. It was laying by my feet as I signed. It kind of freaked me out. I was terrified of that dog. But suddenly he was my buddy. I wasn't the Meter Reader.at that time. Just a guy. Go figure.
One of my good friends was a meter reader as well. He knew where all the cool cars were and we pulled several out of folks back yards about 20 years ago. I figure the ones out in plain site have been asked about WAY too many times, so I rarely ask...unless they just happen to be something I am really looking for. I have bought a few by knocking on doors over the years.