“I’m on the corner of Perception and Reality Streets.” My buddies in Bingalum (Binghamton) keep finding trucks and cars and they are cheap bastards. The people that they are buying them from seem to be clueless as to what they have so it reasons that they are not surfing the web and all it’s marketplaces and aren’t getting or accepting advice like, “You could get a lot more for that…..”. I have another quote I think I invented, “Wanting and Getting are desperate strangers never to meet.” Poor advice I know Tony, but one friend always has 2k in his pocket and people are influenced by a guy in jeans rolling up in a 20yo car or truck with folding money.
Cosmo, I live in an agriculture area here in NY...Old trucks are commonly seen parked on lawns or next to barns. And commonly it takes a wad of folding money to get them fit for the highway...And most are thrashed 70's-80's 4 wheel drive junkers..
My friend rolls up to a house with a HAMB era metal that he would like to purchase in a 20yo truck, not a new car or truck to do business. The perception is different I would think than a guy in a late model rolling living room/wifi/truck.
What are you calling "Normal means"? I see what I think are decent buys on 60's C10's almost daily. I just bought a 1965 complete C10 with usual rust but complete last week that has a later model 350 that turns over for $600.00 and the guy delivered it to my house. Yeah there are some guys on here fishing for "Barret Jackson Money" but it seems like I see their same ad on here every week for the last year. I do not hate on anyone trying to get top dollar out of their Hot rod or Custom, The market is what it is! In my opinion over paying for a hot rod or classic is alot smarter than over paying for the China made Plastic piece of shit overpriced trucks being sold at the dealership! At least with the classic you have a slight chance of it going up in value. You lose your ass the first day buying new! And it just keeps getting worse from there. Just my 2 cents
"The perception is different I would think than a guy in a late model rolling living room/wifi/truck." I totally agree. when I see something sitting out and about when I am cruising in my Mercedes roadster, I go home first and change into one of my beaters and then pay them a visit. I also seperate out my money/wallets and have set amount in different location so I can pull out money making it look like an illusion that is all I have but have more for backup if I really like it. I know I play that game when people come to my house. Drive up in a new vehicle and I will be less likely to give you as big of a discount as the guy that really seems to need it. I tend to find better deals with older folks that are not internet connected which is getting harder to find. I take all the back roads and different routes to round up old cars and/or scrap. Drove the wife(girlfriend at the time) nuts at first because she would be clueless where we are being away from the main roads. but she enjoys it now and even helped spotting a few cars that I have missed.
They're still out there... The farther from "civilization" you get, the more they turn up. It's all about timing and "cash in hand"... having a trailer and the right ambition helps too.
The Jalopy Journal
