I do not seem to see many HAMB friendly cars around here at decent prices. There are some 60s and some 70s that are decent priced. Its hard to find anything from the 30s or 40 because of the rust factor.
I get your point, and I agree with you. The increase in price for project cars/low end stuff hasn't seemed gradual (strait line on a graph). Something happened 10-15 years ago and cars at the bottom of the heap jumped in price. (I don't mean cars you buy from your buddies or personal network, there's too many variables there to be considered part of an overall trend) Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
C/ L in my area is like F-ONE and Sguirrel said. Our sheriff's department and county jail are all located on 1 complex. They set aside an area in the parking lot to due c/ l transactions. I answered 5 different adds for bolt on speed eguipment and let's meet there. Long silent pause on 3 of them then click. Hung up. Other 2 transactions went OK. We have a car club in our area that hosts cruse in's almost every weekend. I now know them and have got parts and leads on some 50's and 60's cars. Sent from my SM-N910V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Try to find a good short bed pickup. I've been searching for a year, put probably 2000 miles on my daily. been to four states, nothing yet. Sellers tell you original paint and body, which means it was at one time original paint & body, but not no more. Talked to a guy about his Chevy short bed, told me never been worked. Cab corners were replaced so bad the door had to be slammed to close. Original, yea right.
Craigslist is tough, there are a few occasional good deals but it's mostly dreamer's relisted shit that's been on there forever. I feel like Craigslist is dying a slow death/being phazed out. If you're a member of Facebook, join some of the local buy/sell/trade pages in your state, I've bought and sold lots of stuff that way over the last year or two and there's quite a bit less bullshit on there since ads need to be connected to a real account, and it's easy to see if an account is just there to post ads or if it's a real person (buyer and seller). Far from foolproof but worth checking out. Also, see if you can get on the email lists of local auctioneers and keep an eye out for estate sales and such. It's a craps shoot, sometimes stuff goes sky high but I've also seen some incredible bargains on old cars at local auctions, especially the oddball stuff which you are looking for.
Get out of "Tunersville" much? Texan my whole life and don't know where it is. I even tried Google Texas edition. Is it a new place? Point, where are you looking?
Just wait till I start buying parts! One ft. of 3/8 ths. EFI hose nearly 4 bucks. EFI hose holds up to ethanol better. Tunersville near Waco.
I was watching a local C/L ad for a 49 F-1 it was just the body (cab, box, hood fenders, and running boards) and he wanted $5000 for it and it was on there for months with no change in the price. By contrast you can buy a decent roller F-1/ F-100 for almost half as much.
Expand your search mile radius. I find good prices if I go furture from home. Go to craiglist tempest. Com ... haggle them down too. Let them know it's overpriced. Be patient. Sent from my SM-J700T1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Just because someone is asking 20k for basketcase, doesn't mean it will sell for that price. I was watching the Barret/Jackson auction on T.V. while having a cold one at my favorite watering hole, and I was surprised to see cars sell for under 50 grand. From what I saw, a 1960 Impala 2 door hardtop sold for 28K. A 1964 Impala went for about the same price. A 1967 Chevelle Super Sport went for 37k and a 1969 Roadrunner sold for 39k. The hightest sell price I saw was 49k and that was for a Jaugar. Huge difference to what they were selling for in the years past.
I have had mixed luck with CL. Several times I met the seller and it didn't even seem to be the same part in the pics from the ad, as if they'd used pics they had found on Google use in the ad. Other times it was spot on. I do prefer to actually speak to the person on the phone to ask questions and if they seem to be in the up and up, I'll meet them in a public place. Most of the time I can get a read over the phone if they are reasonable and will negotiate a little. I will always err on the side of caution, however. I always bring my trusty friend in .45 caliber, and usually get a buddy to come with as well. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
People around this area think they are sitting on gold for their rust out hulks of a car.I usually have to travel an hour and a half to two hours away to find a decent old car.Bruce.
Saw this last sunday evening couple hrs away for 1000 or best offer, called the guy and was pretty sure it was legit but I just wouldnt have been able to get things together in time with work etc before it was gone unless it lasted till the following weekend but as suspected it was gone by tuesday. A deal wont last long on the net,Its the overpriced ones that you see lingering.
Any vehicle built prior to 1990 is a "Classic". Rust buckets are "ready for restoration". If it runs it is an "easy winter project". And they are all "my loss, your gain". I have sold a lot of stuff on CL but it has all been fairly priced or below normal market value and things have gone pretty fast. Can't think of anything I ever bought though. However I do like to cruise the adds and look at the cars and parts just for kicks. As lowbudget mentioned, I have seen some bargains on cars that are gone in a couple of days and others that seem to linger for years and the asking price never changes.
Amen. Rat rods are ruining the hot rod experience... Sent from my XT1056 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The HAMB classified ads section has a bunch just like this, too. I did, however, get my project '37 Chevy coupe from a nice guy in Texas on a HAMB ad. I agree that TV has made folks think their stuff is gold but if it does not sell, why would I care? I never tell a person that their stuff is overpriced. All that will occur then is an argument. I prefer to "vote" with my feet. Why argue with a person that wants $11,000 for something for which I would be willing to pay $2,500.?
Can't win for losing...for me anyways lol. Seems prices are high when I'm looking, but when I post my cars for sale, I get offers that are lower than the reasonable asking prices.
Fuck it, it's time. Everyone with something for sale needs to give it away for free. Yes, FREE. Imagine the love you'll feel, the release from the expense of owning it, the silence from your better 1/2. Give it away. Now since this priceless reward you'll get was my idea I want the 1st 3W Deuce. Y'all can fight over the rest in the who-got-there-1st rush. Holy shit, where did THAT come from...
There are occasional great deals on C/L, but you have to be Johnny on the spot with cash in hand. This means spot checking every hour or refreshing your screen while you're surfing the net or watching TV (or from work). You have to be prepared to grab your keys and go look at the drop of the hat. I've gone into work late, left early and even used a sick day to make a deal happen. Most people can't or won't go look at something at 10:00AM on a weekday. They want to stop by after work. By then, the real deals have been sold and the ad has been deleted. You'll never imagine how many great deals transpired between the time you browsed C/L before work at 7:00AM and when you got home at 6:00PM. I scored a super clean, near new, Beverly B-3 shear for $250 because I raced over during my lunch hour and tossed it in the trunk of my car. By the time I got back to work, the ad had been deleted. Also scored a heavy Chicago brake for $100 mid day. C/L has become a flipper's forum, so you have to sift through all the over priced bullshit and the ads that have been bumped for months by bottom fisher's. Even on the HAMB, I see ads bumped dozens of times without a price reduction. There's an old saying in real estate "if it hasn't sold in a month it's overpriced". Sometimes on C/L, complete cars listed in the auto parts section and garage sales. Look in the background of pics for entire old cars. Someone mentioned getting networked in with local old car guys. That's a good tip as they may have a back burner project they are 'casually' selling and don't want to deal with listing it on C/L and all the flakes that may want to come by just to case their shop. The other way is the old pre internet method of beating the bushes. Start driving neighborhoods and back roads.
I know some people who were in car accidents but I'm not going to be afraid to drive a car for the rest of my life because of it. LOL. I've bought and sold hundreds of things over the last few years on Craigslist and have never been "robbed at gunpoint" so don't let one overly paranoid person stop you from using it. Craigslist may not be perfect but it's hands down the best place to buy or sell anything and it's free! Good luck finding a decent project-they're still out there...
That's a deal. It's hard to strike when the iron's hot. Awhile back I went to see this hoard for sale (CL) There was also a yellow 2 door in the same condition, 2 more v8 engine blocks, several trannies including a 4 speed, boxes and boxes of parts. Lowered to $600. (It was legit) When I called still available, when I got there, sold. There was a running, registered '30 Roadster for sale a couple months ago on CL for $7k. The one HRP posted is a great deal. So, they are few and far between, but there are deals on CL, the problem is that they might not be there exactly at the moment you would like/need them to. Still fun to window shop on CL. For the most part, people are just trying to sell junk at really high prices, (but that goes for the HAMB classifieds as well, IMHO), but when they are buying it's a totally different story. We live in a Glengary Glen Ross world, put that coffee down, coffee is for "closers"... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
4 dr 57 Chevys priced at 6-7k that look like they were just hauled out of a pasture, 48-54 Chevy trucks priced the same way that are still sitting in said pasture, that's the shit I see constantly on CL. I can't tell you how many cars I see listed that were on there a year ago. Overpriced and the sellers don't seem to get it and they just keep reposting month after month. I have bought several cars off CL and have never had any issues (knock on wood.) Never go alone and I am always "prepared" for shit to go south. Every car I have purchased has been 4-6 hours from me. Be careful, don't ever ignore your gut-feeling. That being said, anyone know this kat? lol https://memphis.craigslist.org/cto/6195809558.html