Hot Rods Selling stuff, do you all get these questions too?

If that's the case then let me talk to the organ grinder not the monkey.

 

Had a OT wagon for sale on Craiglist asking $2800.00. Guy comes over to look at on a HOT HOT Sunday (me in no mood to deal with a fool). And proceeds to pick the car apart. Finally after hearing to much of this BS. I lock the car up advise said fool that I am done and going back in my house to finish my Mojito. Ten minutes later said fool calls me back tells me he had a blowout and asks if I have a spare he could use. My answer yes I do have one for $2800.00 with said OT wagon attached to it!! Also advised if he did not want my "tire" he better walk fast (in 105 deg. heat) to the nearest tire store because it is 3 miles away and closes in 15min. Said fool then hung up on me.

 

My story is not about buyers, but sellers. Spotted an ad in a local paper, for sale Chev 265 engine. Needed an engine and since I drive like a little old lady, thought a 265 would do nicely. Called the guy and did not try to bargain on the price and could I come and see it? Was told he couldn't get to it at the moment but to call back later. Weeks went by with tales of now he couldn't get to it. Finally after a real long time, said he didn't want to sell . Was willing to pay his price . Was he expecting me to grind him down on his price or what?

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Maybe he was "testing the water".

 

My buddy who owns a good repair shop buys cars from customers that need major work, like a OT VW that had a timing belt break. He puts $1500 and his free labor into it and his daughter drives it for 2 years, the car runs well. She gets a new car and he is going to sell the VW for $3000. A real nice car for someone with no problems, good brakes, tires and will pass inspection. I backed him up for a few buys. No shows for the most part, some show up hours later and we were long gone. Then they try to offer HALF of what he was asking. He finally sold it to a customer for a little less than the $3000.

 

I set up at a big southern swap meet and had five 35 Ford wheels that were very nice for $50.00 each. I had a bunch of lookers try to know them down on Friday. Saturday morning I put a sign on the stack that read”$50.00 each or best over over $300.00”. (5 wheels, do the math). I had a engineer looking guy with two young kids hit on them early. He measured and inspected each one. He even checked them with a magnet. He left and came back several times but never ask about price. Finally in the afternoon, he came back and said “I will pay $300.00 but no more”. H e said he was building a rat rod. I took his money and he loaded them up on his nifty cart. The older kid started yanking on his sleeve and the man just pushed him away and said later. I think he thought I would back out of the deal. They got down the isle and the guy stopped and let the kid talk. The kid held up five fingers and then one from the other hand, like do the math. The guy looked back at me and then just left.
I usually raise my prices on Saturday.

 

For some reason people loose all sense of decency when buying and selling. Many feel they need to “beat” the other guy at any cost including lying.

I had a seller tell me 351 and 302 intakes are interchangeable.

I had a car salesman tell me they would have to take $2000 off my trade because two of the tires were a little worn.

The worst for me is the people who fake interest in something you’re selling.
I really don’t care if you just want to talk to me and socialize, but don’t pretend to be interested in buying.

My dad does this,
Last year at a swap meet, a car almost identical to the car dad drove to college was for sale, even the same colours. It was a good driver quality car, mostly original. I could tell it had never been in a serious accident and probably had never had the engine out. It had a a few oil leaks and the carpet was faded but it was a good car and the price was fair.
We talked to the owner and I got the feeling he had some room to negotiate on the already fair price. My dad acted extremely interested, took the sellers contact information and said he’d bring my mom to look at it next weekend, the seller lived about 2 hours from my parents home.
The only complaint my dad had in front of the seller was the aftermarket wheels, but the seller had the original wheels and caps and they were included with the car.

On the way home I suggested to dad that I drive him and Mom to go see the car and I would bring my trailer, then if they bought it they could drive it home and I’d follow incase anything went wrong in the old car.
Dad laughed and said he had no interest in the car and that it was a pos.
I was kind of disgusted by that performance.



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I had a call from a punter who proceeded to tell me what sort of motor he was going to put in, how big the rear tyres were going to be, what type of transmission he was going to install...…...before he had even seen the car. It didn't surprise me when he didn't turn up to look at it. Actually, it's a friggin shock when someone says they will be there at 2pm, and ...they actually turn up at 2pm. Most times, these are the people that end up buying the car.

 

For those keeping track I sold my off topic 4x4. A guy called me Sunday, while we were out cruising in the coupe. I called him when I got home. He told me he wanted to look at the truck, probably in the morning. He actually showed up at the time he said he would be there. He said his nephew was interested. We talked, but he didn't even want to hear it run. Around 4pm, he called me back and wanted to know if he could stop by a few minutes after 9 pm and pay me for the truck. Um, sure! A little after 9pm, there he was, money in hand. We traded paper (title & cash) and I handed him the keys. He told me he would be by this afternoon to get the truck. The 1st time he heard it run was after he put his brand new battery in it and turned the key. He left and stopped by with his nephew a few minutes later, and drove the truck away.

Don't give up, there really are people that are true to their words and don't believe in all the BS most think comes with buying a car. Gene

 

Selling an O/T Bronco years ago. I had $4750 or best in the ad. A guy calls and gives me some real fatherly advice that whomever told me what it was worth was on crack. "You'll never get more than $3500 for it, but I'll give you $3600 just to help you out." 'Are you sure? I really thought I had the right price but now I don't know.' "Yeah, I'm sure. I can be there in an hour." 'Ok, hold the line and I'll get a pencil and paper to give you directions.' "Ok, I'll hold" so I put him on hold. I wonder if he's still waiting? And I didn't get my $4750, I took $4600 from a very happy buyer. It was a nice truck.

Had 2 literally new OT bikes last year, on with 1080 miles on it, the other with 1204 miles. Milestone bikes, as new as day 1. Sold em as-is for $4800 for the pair, or if I had woken them from their 35 year slumber the price would be that much each. Had a guy get super rude with me, called me an asshole, where did I get off asking so much, blah-blah-blah. "Who the fuck are you shit dick? What are you, 12? Gimme directions and I'll bring the bikes over and shove em up your ass." I hung up and blocked his ph number.

Selling this 47 Cadillac as seen in the classifieds. Clearly says it's a desirable stick shift. I've had about 10 prospects ask me if it's an automatic. Not from here, but from Hemmings and another forum board. Reading is FUNdamental...

 

here's an idiot seller. looking at a 1970's OT driver. not much in the listing, so I ask him what transmission it had, since they have auto, 4 speed and 4 speed overdrive available. he says I don't know. so I rephrase the question, well is it an automatic or a stick shift? .. his reply "I don't think I want to sell the car to you"

my favorite was a 70's Ford pickup a friend gave me that he bought just for the motor and trans. put it on Craigs list for $100.00. guy calls and asks why it does not run, told him no motor, then he asks about the paperwork and I tell him I have a pink slip but it is out of date. then he gets all angry at me for trying to sell a car with no motor that he will not be able to register. dude was pissed off like I had done something to him.

my next not running car I just sold to the junk yard.

 

Posted a 3 window Plymouth a while back.....fire saled it because previous seller screwed me big time..made me wait 6 mos for the title.. got a call from an enthusiastic fellow...didn't think much of it...you get a lot of interest on stuff...he calls suddenly , wants to meet me next day...he showed up , paid cash , didn't even bother looking the car over....and was happy as a pig in slop...and I parlayed that money and doubled my money..things work out

 

Hello,

After our terrible accident with the 1940 Willys Coupe at Lions in 1960, my brother was in the intensive care of the local hospital with severe 3rd degree burns. But, his first words prior to being sent to the burn unit in the ICU were: “How is the Willys? Can it be saved?” Then my mom went berserk at the sight of him when they walked into the room. So much for that memory…

Everyday that I went to the hospital after school, we talked about what happened, what we did and what we wanted to do next. Despite his burn recovery, he had an attitude of let's get on with our next step(s) in our lives. There was nothing I could do to change anything, except to make him comfortable and agree with what he wanted to do next. On the following day, when things had calmed down a little, he told me to get Atts Ono to help me take apart the Willys that was sitting in his backyard.

The Willys was offered to Atts Ono, but despite the pristine condition, he declined due to intense feelings about the accident. So, we took the left over parts back to our backyard garage.

We took everything off of the coupe as we could. The pristine body, fenders, doors, hood and trunk were all in great shape for other builds. But we did not want someone to have the bad luck attached to the basics. No one wants to buy a house where someone died or was killed. This was similar in that despite what the car looked like, it had a bad accident and feelings lingered.

So, after depositing the coupe at a salvage yard, the rest of the stuff we got was brought home for our next build or whatever we decided to do with all of it. It sat in the backyard garage for weeks that turned into months, without doing anything. Finally, my brother (from his hospital bed) said we have to get rid of all of the stuff. So, an inventory was taken and things were listed at what we thought was a fair price.

Jnaki

One day after some time happened, he surprised me. He said if anyone offers something close to the asking price, come back with a close, reply offer and sell it. If you have to, just sell it at the price that was the first offer. There were only a few back and forth discussions about the prices. But, when they asked why I was selling all of this pristine drag racing/hot rod stuff, I told them about the accident and burns to my brother. Then there was no answer to that statement and they brought out the cash.
SALVAGED PARTS
There were some errors by the typist at the Drag News Classified desk. The main thing was the size of the original 283 that was now a 292 c.i. motor. It was a 292 c.i. build. Also, it was not a 1949 Willys motor and runnng gear, those things came out of our 1940 Willys Coupe, not 1949.
Similar motor by B.Balogh
Here is something that puzzled me for a while until I figured out what it was. We did have wide Chevy rims made at Henry's Machine Works, for the new, wider M&H slicks we had on order. If the Halibrand Mags, on order, did not come in, the first choice was those wide 15” Chevy rims for the new slicks. My brother had things all planned out.

 

I ALWAYS SAY YES, BUT IT STAYS HERE TILL IT'S PAID FOR

 

I get at least a dozen emails asking if it’s still for sale, no one who asks if it’s still for sale ever buys it, guess they’re just curious.


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Put two items on CL this week:

Riding Lawn Mower, needs engine, broken connecting rod, $75.

Email reply: Does it run?

Suzuki 500 dirt bike, not licensed, no lights, flat tire, $400

Email reply: Can I ride this to school?

 

Good read this morning! Which evokes the question " Could they be that dumb?"
There is a reason breathing is a reflex.....

 

Several years ago I had a 64 T-Bird advertised under the rebuilder section of the cars for sale. Solid body, no rust, $850. One of the many callers asked some good questions, when I told him that it smoked his next question was," so it wont pass emission's ? " I guess that he expected a reliable driver at a give away price.

 

What I love is when guys roll up in a 80K New pickup that they are losing their asses on everyday Yet are so proud of the hard Ass reeming with No lube they got from the dealership they got it from.. Jump out and want to haggle with you on a $100.00 fender that they need for a project they are working on that is actually going up in value.

 

I used to be the sheep....... Waiting for the call, someone to show up when they said.... actually gave the address....
That was then, this is now- \
Add's= You call me when your in town. No addy given. We'll meet at such and such place.
Add's are placed as price is FIRM. No haggleing, No BS, it is what it is...... Price is relevent to market, or what I have to get.... Also, on CL= replies are via e-mail with a # included. This way, I don't get a bunch of dick wads calling, or spam o ramma...
I might not have the phone ringing off the hook, but I keep the shit heads at bay.....
Works out great! If my selling isn't daily, it sure beats deadbeats..........
Sometimes i'de rather throw stuff away than deal with cheapskates. I always ask if there's any wiggle room too, but I'm not a dick about it at all. I don't insult, nor want the same........
it's a give/take with buyers/sellers....... It's how much your willing to stick your neck out........
I might seem harsh with add's, BUT- I'm descriptive, and very clear..........
just a perspective......... Obviously results vary........

 

I completely understand that caution must be used in this day and age. I have never been comfortable selling any of my stuff so I mostly buy, there have been a few occasions however were I have sold some stuff.

I had a 1948 Chevy 1/2 ton truck that I really didn't like, got it in a swap that I never should have done. Truck was OK but not my deal at all so I advertised it on CL. Guy and his wife show up to take a look he low balls it $5,000 below my very good asking price. I laugh at that offer and tell him he needs to find another truck. They are about to leave and his wife needs to use the head. Don't have one in the shop so I take her to the house. We get back to the shop and they split. later that day I find a lot of stuff missing. Couple of 2x4 manifolds with carbs and linkage, a set of 461 Chevy heads and some tools.

Lesson learned on that very expensive lack of judgement on my part. Never again at my house no matter what it is.

 

I try to be as honest as possible in my ads, If I know something is wrong, I write it in the ad. Just part of being a "MAN" and honest. I get that some folks ask a metric shit ton of questions to try to cover the bases before making a drive, and that I respect and can understand, I think too many folks have made honor and respect something every buyer who has half a mind think about and doubt for good reason. Even after I sell something and it has a problem, I try to talk it through with the buyer on the phone, figure out what might have gone wrong etc.. give them guidance, but that only lasts so long unless someone wants to pay for me to fix it all the time. There are tons of flakes everywhere, bandwagon bandits, rockabilly greasers without a pot to piss in but try to lowball everyone and at some point they may find something that sticks... I normally never have to sit on a car for more than 30 days roughly... am I leaving some meat on the bone? yes but I price things fair and true, some people asking ass monkey prices and will have that shit till they die and their wife or kids will sell it for scrap. Do nice folks or young folks wanting to get into this hobby get better deals?, yes... I will do what I can to help a kid or someone with a true love for this hobby/lifestyle as much as I can, I will even go so far as to sell something for exactly what I have in it. Yeah its not good business practice, but I realize us old farts wont be around forever... Whatever I can do to keep people from buying a prius, preserving history, and passing things down through generations, I try to do it.

There are tons of dishonest people everywhere these days, use your gut, don't leave people around your shop unattended, cash talks and bullshit walks... Someone offers you half what you are asking and are you are already priced at or below what its worth... Give them the number to the local comedy club and tell them to go tell their jokes to someone else.

 

Online sellers who will only respond to buyer inquires via phone are missing out on a HUGE audience and potential for sales. I understand that they are trying to weed out the flakes, but it goes both ways. There are plenty of idiot sellers out there too. I don’t want somebody calling me at all hours, nor do I want to play tag calling the seller. If initial communication is via e-mail, replies can be made at times convenient to both parties, with phone calls later if needed. Like it or not, this is the age of e-mail and text.

Case in point: At the end of a recent Craiglist ad for a unique engine part a seller mentioned he had some project cars of a certain type available for sale. No exact years or prices. I replied asking just for the years and prices to see if it was even worth my time. He replied asking for a phone number. Sorry, not gonna happen. If he can’t even reply back with that basic info, he’s already going to be a pain to deal with. For project cars, this is a buyer’s market and he just missed out on a guy who buys lots of stuff.

 

The good old divide and conquer team effort. Here's another thing I have learned to watch out for, and that is the prospective buyer's disinterested lady friend wandering around with a handbag. I also do not allow anyone in my house any more that I don't know and trust, I just tell them the toilet is broken. Like you, some lessons I have learned the hard way.

 

I had posted a part for sale for $15.00 shipping included several times. I received a reply much
later asking (do you still have the part for sale?). I replied that I still had the part for sale and
gave him the info he needed to close the deal (address & pay pal info). I never hear another
word from him.... WHAT a waste of his time and mine...for a $15.00 part shipping included.
You would think H.A.M.B. members would be more considerate...I GUESS NOT...

 

What about when you pay a H.A.M.B.er for a part and get ghosted? No shipping, no tracking number, no response to messages? And it’s someone that should know better...
r


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Did you ever consider that something may have happened in his life that prevented him from being able to complete the deal?

 

Back when phone calls were more common than Email. I would often get a call by someone asking if I still had 'it'. Never specifying what 'it' was, or at least asking anything about 'it' that would let me know exactly what they were asking about. Or if 'it' would fit in their trunk. 'Not sure, it's kinda big.' was my go-to, trying to drag more information about what 'it' was that they were blathering on about.

My favorite, back in the pre-caller ID days of answering machines, call up leave a brief message on the item they were interested in and if I could call them back. Without leaving any return contact information. Or in recent years, a blocked number would leave a similar message.

Sometimes I wonder if the person just got ahead of themselves due to excitement or social anxiety and blanked when leaving a message.

 

I haven't sold any cars on the H.A.M.B. but, I've sold lots of stuff elsewhere. The thing that's getting old..."consider it sold, I'll come by some night after work to get it". No more. First come, first served