What's bad is when your cars aren't for sale but people still try to buy them. I know some will say it's just a machine and if there's money to be made, sell it. Not me! I've bought and sold over 5 dozen oldie but goodies, but in their time. If I've put my heart and soul into them and still have a love affair going with them, they just can't be bought. Had another guy stop by the other day when I had one backed out of the shop and said, what are you asking for that one? I quickly said, it's not for sale! He still just had to walk around it and look in and check it over (Slamming the doors! that close with a touch) and offered me 2 1/2 times what I had in it. Sorry, no deal. I just don't like you....... Well if you change your mind, call me. Sure I will since you didn't even give me your number and I wasn't going to ask. I know I veered off of the original question, but these were still buyers, just not invited....... Am I an asshole? If following your heart is what it takes, you betcha....
I have had several English Sport Cars in the past and as most know they take a lot of tinkering to keep running right. I have refused to sell more than once to someone who did not know any thing about cars and did not want to learn, did not matter if they offered me more than I was asking. I always tell them if they get the car they have to take all of the spare parts I have accumulated over the years of ownership of the car. Sometimes it has been three or more pick up loads of parts, if they do not agree to take the parts they do not get the car. As my interest have changed through the years the type of vehicle has also changed and I have not gone back to an old interest although sometimes I see the threads on old go karts and enduro racing and I sure would like to try again and I am only 74 years old but still think I'm 21.
Rich I can assure you that i will treat that car right and wont change a thing, say the work so i can make plans to come see it! Damon from MN
In 1972 a friend and I put together an 11 sec mustang- originally a 390 gt we went thru several 390's in a year- finally stepped up and built a 428, overbored, big cam, good heads, etc. Some kid saw it and talked his father into making an offer we could not refuse- bought it on thurs night- Sat I saw it on the back of a wrecker with the right front fender pushed back to the rear axle. Listen to that little voice that says this is not a good thing!
I only deny a buyer because of money issues. If they pay asking price, I could care less what they do with it.
Had a dude drive down from Atlanta, offer me 1200 less than my asking price, and i turned him away, he even rented a hotel down the street. Next day got my full asking price, and some for taking it to the port.
Oh boy, a couple years ago I had some clown come look at a '63 Valiant that I had for sale (that I never should have sold in hind sight). After a test drive, then a half-hour of pointing to various things in the engine compartment (like the distributor! and the coil) and inquiring what they were, I knew this, or any old car wasn't for him. Then he declared that he wanted to be into a finished (painted,done interior, etc.) car for $5000, I told him that if I gave him the car, and $20k, he could accomplish that goal. He left.
well i see you guys stereotyping teenagers big time here! im 17. have more vehicles then fingers on my hands. im always asking about old vehicles if there for sale or whatever. now i drive a 55 chevy 3200 and if i drive up with that i get stuff for free or extremely cheap. but if i drive up in my parents 98 nissan frontier they slam the door in my face and say its not for sale. although if some kid came up to me in a 98 nissan and wanted to buy my chevy i would tell him its not for sale also. unless he had a large chunk of cash on him! so i can see where your comming from but not all teenagers are idiots -chad
It hurts sometimes when I won't sell something to fund another project; but I've never liked selling a car/bike to someone that I feel will thrash it; like you said. The right person that will appreciate the vehicle will come along and give it a good home I'm sure. =) And preferably, I try to never sell a very fast or overpowered vehicle to a beginning driver. Bad things can happen. I unknowingly made this general type of mistake once, and the way the person drove the vehicle sent them to the hospital within 3 months of being the new owner. Even though it wasn't my responsibility; I felt bad somewhat. The guy was ok, but still, not the greatest deal-ee-oh overall.
FOr me it's about attitude. If you have the buying style that points out all of the flaws to me with an air of indignance (I know they are there....9 times out of ten I put the flaw there and I always declare it upon sale) just to get a better price....then the price goes up everytime you make an offer. Now if you may me a fair offer on a car just because of the barganing process and the thrill of the "game" then game on.... I've pissed off more than one idiot wether it be CL, the local rag, or a swap by uppin the price with regards to attitude. (with a smile on my face). On the flip side I've sold stuff for way way less than asking to the "right" person, and in one extreme case hadda friend of a buddy, his son poured his heard and soul into a drag car project....got the car done and took it out to the track....ran so good he hadda get into a full suit.....I just so happened to have a current suit that fit the kid like a glove....cept he was way short $ wise.... He ended up payin me $40 and a case of Dr. Pepper (on site) then showed up on my doorstep to help me move 25 yards of river rock a few weeks later.....I thought I gotta pretty good deal in labor....He was elated as he could no longer race and hadda wait to scrape together a few paychecks to buy what he needed (new)....ended up being mutually beneficial for both of us. The kids still racin far as I know....
Sometimes....it's better to not respond...... I do find it refreshing to see guys sticking to their standards......there is hope. I sold one of my jeeps (89 Cherokee) a couple of years ago. Craigs list no less. Guy told me up front what he planned to do with it....long arm suspension...chop the front fenders...etc. Bottom line....he was taking it to the next step...not a mall crawler. Had cash....in the range I was willing to take....he got the jeep. Money only goes so far. I think it's pretty obvious on this forum that guys take cars to heart....sometimes it's not always about the money.
Sold a truck to my brothers friend. He begged and begged for me to sell it for two year. I finally said yes when he came with cash and have received dumb calls and text about it ever since asked simple questions but he knows nothing about cars.
Deposits, always make me worry, and from the sounds of it this guy may not be a buyer after all. Payment in full is the way to go IMO.
I've told people no. The one that comes to mind is the 72 Mercury Monterrey I had. One owner car, big tank of a thing, very floaty, fun to drive in a land yacht way. I daily drove it every day for a few months. Put it for sale at the swapmeet and had a young couple asking about it and I started in telling them the replaced parts and what I'd fixed and how things worked when they stopped me and said "We don't care about that, we just want a cheap car to destroy for fun." To which I blinked...handed them a buddies card for an auto salvage place, said 'never mind then' and walked off to sell someone else some parts. Ended up selling the car for asking price ($800) to a porn model that loved it and drove it to California. I had pictures emailed to me of her doing porn, so that was a perk. Four months later when visiting a buddies new apartment I looked out the kitchen window...and there was the car. parked cocked in the spot where it had been pushed. I don't know what they did to it in four months but it no longer ran, something had caught fire under the hood from her stoner buddies trying to jump start it, the drivers glass was knocked out, the front fenders and grill were crunched from someone on a motorcycle running into it, the wheel covers were gone, and it was scratched all over. It sat there for a few months without moving, filling up with rain, before I think it was towed. Shame. Just shows ya never know what really happens to stuff.
some dude offered me a reasonable amount for my 51'. he then told me the first thing he would do is (throw some chrome dub deuces on it)!!! yea, i told him to walk.
Yep, Approx. 1,1/2 years ago I was going to sell one of my coupes. Kid (17-21) calls 3-4 times, set up a time to come down. Shows up the morning agreed on with his mother! The age of the guy, and the mother coming was not the problem!! He walks in the shop, looks at the car, says he'll take it. This is where it gets cheesy!! He goes back to the car, they are talking. Before ya know it the mothers crying, the kids screaming in the car, things like, you bitch, if you love me, you'll give me the money now, if ya don't give me the money you'll be sorry, etc., etc. I'd had enough, walked out to their car, told the kid to get his ass off my property. I told the mother I thought she looked like a wonderful lady, and asked why she put up with a grown up spoiled brat like that. She broke the tears, smiled and said thank you, for putting him in his place. True story!!!
I've turned down buyers before when they've had the money, got a bad feeling about them, never regretted it.
I agree...If it is yours and you built it....You have the right to be picky about who you sell it to. Grommet
I didn't sell my '61 Bel Air to a guy simply because he said "it's going to be worth alot more in parts". 1 week later it was bought by a guy that is currently restoring it with his young son. I got less then the other guy was willing to pay, but the car is better off in my book.
i only show a car by appt. usually i can tell by the email or phone call who i'm dealing with. in the end, money talks and bullshit walks. no matter how attached i am to a car, i can always get something else to attach to.
How do you handle a guy who has his car priced way too high when compared to the market or the price guides? I am interested in a car (that does not run and needs a full resto), but the guy has the car priced at about twice what it's worth. After much deliberation with some enthusiasts, including the president of my antique car club, we figured the car is worth about $8,500 as is. The guy is asking $15,500. As far as we can guess (based on the evidence) he will never get the asking price; there are cars of the same make and model for the same price or less that are good runners and look presentable. This car has not run in 20 years and needs a total resto; the seller is the son of the third owner. I would like to make an offer, but the asking price is so far off that I am really apprehensive. I don't want to steal the car from the guy, but I don't want to rip myself off either. I am totally ready to walk away if he says no to my offer. I don't want to insult the guy either, but I am afraid that will be impossible to avoid with the asking price and the going market prices being so far apart. If I make an offer and he squawks, what should I do? Should I show him what the cars (cars that run) are going for in Hemmings or on line? The evidence is out there and we did not pull the $8500 figure out of our butts. Any advice is appreciated. T Did not mean to hi jack the thread, but this seemed like a good place to post this question.
You can explain the basis of your offer and see where that leads. He will probably disagree, but you don't know, and there is no penalty for trying. Even if he comes around, some people would rather sell to someone else rather than to admit to you they were mistaken about the car's value. I have seen cases where a person wanted too much for a car and can't find a buyer/victim/sucker. Over time they perceive the car's value to increase, while its condition deteriorates. The car eventually decays to where it's worth what it weighs, and the owner ends up with nothing. I have also seen cases where the asking price was too high and the seller stands firm on the price. Years later inflation finally catches up to their price and they sell the car. They think they finally got what they knew the car was worth, but they actually received dollars worth 70% of what they were when the car was originally offered for sale. In any case, don't get too attached to the car. That can cause you to do things you shouldn't do. If you get it you get it, if you don't, you don't.
If the car has been for sale for a while tell him you will make a standing offer of $X for the next 3 or 6 months, and leave your phone number. If he sells to someone else he is happy, and if he calls you then you are happy. A friend has a stack of old for sale ads and every week he calls on ads that are months old asking if the car/parts are still avail. If so the owners are usually ready to take much less than the original asking price. He's been doing this for years and has barns full of stuff!!
When I sell a car I never look back! On the other hand, I hate selling a motorcycle. If the somebody would get hurt/killed on a bike I sold it would really bother me. I recently sold my hopped-up ironhead Sportster to my God son, who is a responsible 23 year old, but it still bothers me! (His dad, who is my oldest and best friend is a biker!)
Reading through this thread has taught me one thing: when buying a car, never reveal your plans for it to the owner.
Over the years I have refused the sale several times to those I felt would not do it justice. I have never had a total POS and most of my cars through the years I have put a lot of time and money in and just wanted to see some one who would take care of it be the one to buy it.
If the buyer will pay your asking price there shouldnt be an issue. Because you do want to sell it right? Once it's gone, its gone... If he's lowballing it would be a reason to reject his offer. But on the other hand, I've bought many cars that meant something to the seller saying I would baby it just like they did, only to cut, chop and modify it to make it my own. The only person you can trust is Benjamin Franklin.
I've been denied 3 times... 1st time was on an airplane... 1949 Aeronca Chief... I mistook the McCaully starter for the emergency brake... hey it looked like an "E-brake"! Once on a 57 Corvette fuelie because I wanted to run a 350 engine until I could put together all the correct parts for a 283 fuelie... he accused me wanting to "butcher" the car up into a Hot Rod! Next was a 36 Cabriolet... that I lost to his nephew... might have been a good thing because I've had to sell off everything lately to survive!
Just this morning I was denied the purchase of some Oldsmobile stuff from a guy who is an old acquaintance/friend. The guy has been unable to work for four years and is struggling to make ends meet. He knows I am not a hustler and am only trying to repair- improve my vintage Olds motor. He got this stuff for free and has never built or driven an Olds. He is converting the Olds coupe he also got for free to chevy power. When I asked about the parts all he did was quote the high prices seen on E-bay. I am willing to give him a fair cash price for the parts. He is so sure he can get more money from some internet buyer that he won't quote me any price at all. So lets see... cash in hand versus ebay hassles, oh well it is his stuff, and I won't ask again.
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