My opinion,two way street can't stand f/s signs at car shows,but understand sometimes why not listing price.I my self have been buying and selling cars for a good 20 plus years.Buy it,fix it up,drive it, and then sell.Listing a price sometimes turns people away before they know what the vehicle is about.The changes you made to your car could be worth more then your selling it and for me I like to explain why its priced were its priced(and aways at a fair price).Most people that ask about my cars will say(nice car-how much-can I hear it run-nice car-ok I have to talk to my wife-I'll call you) What ?my wife finds out about my next car or truck when its in the drive way.So my opinion would be price or no price if I like it I'll make you an offer and leave you my number(call or no call I move to the next one).
The no price thing bugs me too. I can understand if you want to tell people more about the car to justify the price, but then print up a sheet with details on the car and hang it in the window (or include the details in your ad, depending on how you're selling it) with the price. That's actually one of the great things about eBay, sellers have to put a number on it one way or another. If the starting bid is more than I want to pay, or the reserve isn't met after my bid, I can walk away without trying to beat a number out of the seller. I think the "serious buyers only" is aimed more at people calling to look for parts and ask tech questions. Put an ad in a magazine like Hemmings or the local trader and a lot of times you'll have people call to ask if you know where they could find a good trunklid for theirs or if you know what to set the timing at, etc. That was a lot more common before the Internet. So that I guess I can live with.
Everyone has a different idea. I am in it for the love. I keep my love and by business separate. Anyway, I have an answer for the phone calls you don't want to receive. My answering machine says "I am not home. Do not attempt to leave a message, this is an announcement only" good-day.
I didn't say it offends me. The point is why waste my time and yours with the useless questions...Put it out there and if it's in my price range we'll talk...if not you can keep on having a good time and i'll keep walkin'
I can't stand the "make me an offer" thing either. What it means to me is "lets see how stupid you are" , and if you do decide to play the stupid game, of course you're going to start low, which usually ends with both parties walking away shaking their heads. Saturday a good friend went to look at a 57 Corvette project, Has the cash to buy what he wants, the owner says make me an offer, my friend says, "cant do that" and drove off. If the guy had stated an even close to market value price he would have sold the car that day. I dont get it.
I am the exact same way. Now when I drag a new project home the first question my wife asks me is "How much we gonna lose on this one?" My dad says I buy what probably should have been crushed, dump a ton of money in it and then sell it for half of what I have in it. He says I am just doing my part to help the economy.
I think that one problem is that Barrett Jackson has everyone thinking that they're sitting on a mound of gold. It seems that the idea of "passing your baby along to the right person" is lost. A lot of these guys buying and selling are simply investors and have no real "love" for cars. These guys are pretty easy to pick out. They're basically just sitting around hoping for a sucker. Kind of a sad state of affairs. I have to admit, I'm not terribly thrilled about this new wave of interest in old cars that Barrett Jackson has created. I kind of see it taking the hobby away from the little guy who actually has a passion for cars and giving it to the rich guy, who could care less about the cars and just sees dollar signs. Don't get me wrong, I'm not broke and I can still afford to have what I want. I'm more concerned about the guy who could barely afford to be in this hobby before the price spike. He's pretty much left out in the cold, and that kinda sucks.
Kinda reminds me of that old story. Guy goes up to the girl and asks if she will sleep with him for a million dollars. Girl replys, Yes. Guy says, Now that we have established you can be bought, lets discuss price. Or guy is approached at the bar by the girl who says, I will do anything you want me to do for a hundred bucks but you have to be able to describe it in three words. Guy pulls five 20's out of his pocket, looks the girl in the eye and says "paint my house" A little humor but still in it for the love
My thoughts on selling. Most of the hot rods I have owned have had a for sale sign on them. If you do not like the sign, do not look at the car. I usually have a flyer that gives details about the car and how to contact me. The price is always negotiable. Buyers are liars, liars are buyers. It is a game most of the time. You have to be able to live with all the oddities of the game. The value of something is only what someone else is ready to pay for it. When I sell a car to someone it is usually because they can afford to spend the money but do not have the time or skills to build one like it their self. I provide a service. I am not getting rich at someones expense. I do make a profit sometimes. John
I NEVER call on anything without a price. I don't feel like getting the hard sell from the outset. "Make Offer" is different I guess. But, if you have to ask you can't afford it. I may miss out on some deals but oh well
Years back when i would sell parts at a swap meet.... i would set my Crosley CoBra engine on the table as a display/conversation piece. usaully 1-3 people would ask about a price on it. I would tell them; " display only not for sale".... yet there is always one person :" IF you were to sell it , what would the price be?"
I'm guessing his buddy wanted it and kept stringing him along, not coming up with the cash, And he was using the idea of you buying it to pressure his buddy into ponying up the cash. This has happened to me before, pissed me off, I kept saying "yes I'll take it", "when can we get together and do this deal?" he kept puting me off until, "Oh sorry I sold it" (This was not a HAMB deal) Dan
Lots and Lots of for sale signs, the BJ thing got to many people thinking their junk is now worth $$$$$$. Best one I ran across was a guy advertising a car for $1500 or best offer. I liked the car and offered$1400. He said 15 was his bottom $. When I inquired why his ad said OBO he replied he would take offers over 15!. I would of gave him 15 but not to such a idiot!
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