badgering purchaser rant!

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My dad had a '36 Ford pickup that he drove around, it was ok looking but had an amateur paint job over shoddy bodywork (he bought it this way with plans to redo it). He complained about people constantly asking him to sell it, so he started telling people $20k just to drive em off. In it's condition it was probably worth $8-9k, so most people just said "hmm, ok I'll think about it" and walked away. Well one guy wrote him a check, and he sold it that afternoon for $20k. He made a profit of about $14k on that truck lol.
 
When people see a really nice or old car, they want to know what it is worth, not that they want to buy it, but like "how much do you make?", sometimes asking how much you'd sell it for is just their way of looking for a number to pin on it. Other people are looking for a bargain. If someone is seriously interested in buying your car for a fair price, they will be more careful, badgering you or asking dumb questions will just make you mad and drive the price up, which doesn't really matter if they have no intention of buying in the first place. It can be flattering and annoying all at once.
 
We were at a Mopar Club meet at Fincher's in Macon years ago. My buddy barry who owns an original 66 hemi charger he bought in 1970.....numbers matching drivetrain.....less than 60000 original miles.......original paint.....NO rust ANYWHERE.....even where the paint is SLAP down to the bare metal. barry waxes the car so much that the bare metal spots are shiney. It's ridiculous. he's slowly workin on restorin it, just broke like we all are.....anyway, this idiot walks up to him while we are all standin there and says "hay man, I'll give you 20K for it right now." we just all started bustin out laughin.
 
I get this frequently in my Duster. I'm convinced it's because the car looks like crap, but it's on the road. They probably think it's a $1,000 car.

On the other hand, I DID sell a VW Camper and a House (yes a house) that were not for sale because the individuals did not let up.
 
I think that often people have no idea what the car is worth, they just see a really cool car and wonder if there is any way they could afford something like that, so just give them a price that would make YOU happy, like the insured value, that should satisfy there curiosity, and if they are really serious about buying it then they can make a counter offer
i was going to start a post about this awhile back it seems its everywhere ,take it as a compliment relax i am sure you seen a couple of rides you wish you had so just take pride in what you have as a offhanded compliment take care
 
I have a few projects under tarps in my yard. One day I walk outside and some guy is untying one of them for a look see. I say "Hey what are you doing? This is private property." He tells me he is thinking of buying one. I got a little pissed and told him that IF he had come to my door, and IF he struck up a conversation with me, and IF I was interested, that "I" would decide whether it was for sale.

The nerve!

Grant's rant
 
The person that has possession has to give the starting number. The buyers number means nothing because the person that owns it is the last one that says yes or no to the sale.

In other words the person that owns it is only one that knows what they will let it go for, if at all.


Chuck
 
A fellow at a cruise asked about my car. I said it's not for sale, then he badgered me, and said he was going to own my car no matter what the cost. I told him $30,000.00.

He walked away.
 
The town cop (yes, singular as in 1) was on me a few years ago about an '81 Z28 I had sitting on the 2 car cement pad behind my house. I wasn't driving it due to gas mileage, plus it needed some work and we had just had a baby. I had let the license plates expire so he was on me about that, "You violating village ordinance BLAH! BLAH! BLAH! Get it fixed or I'll cite you!" Really all he wanted to do was compare Johnson's because at that time I was a peace officer in the State of Illinois. So I get a copy of the village ordinance and discovered that the car could be without current plates as long as it was for sale. I took some scrap wood and made a sign "For Sale 1981 Z28 T-Tops 305/4spd. $10,096 (10-96 is the police 10 code in Illinois for Mental Subject). I had the car another 3 years before I decided to let it go for another project. Never did have to put plates on it that entire time. Irritated the heck out of that idiot.
 
I have a few projects under tarps in my yard. One day I walk outside and some guy is untying one of them for a look see. I say "Hey what are you doing? This is private property." He tells me he is thinking of buying one. I got a little pissed and told him that IF he had come to my door, and IF he struck up a conversation with me, and IF I was interested, that "I" would decide whether it was for sale.

The nerve!

Grant's rant

Around here that warrants a shotgun in the face.
 
I have a few projects under tarps in my yard. One day I walk outside and some guy is untying one of them for a look see. I say "Hey what are you doing? This is private property." He tells me he is thinking of buying one. I got a little pissed and told him that IF he had come to my door, and IF he struck up a conversation with me, and IF I was interested, that "I" would decide whether it was for sale.

The nerve!

Grant's rant
Yep;I know what you mean.Some people will pull your sticker up on your radiator support
 
I have a few projects under tarps in my yard. One day I walk outside and some guy is untying one of them for a look see. I say "Hey what are you doing? This is private property." He tells me he is thinking of buying one. I got a little pissed and told him that IF he had come to my door, and IF he struck up a conversation with me, and IF I was interested, that "I" would decide whether it was for sale.

The nerve!

Grant's rant
Wow. He would have had to explain his actions to me and Max (my shepard) while staring at the sky from his comfy spot on the ground! That is completely out of bounds, you NEVER peek under another man's tarp.
 
Wow. He would have had to explain his actions to me and Max (my shepard) while staring at the sky from his comfy spot on the ground! That is completely out of bounds, you NEVER peek under another man's tarp.

Sort of like lifting my wife's skirt :).

Grant

And I did take my 130lb. Shep out with me.. pretended to give him commands in German lol..
 
so on the flip-side of that (not to hijack a thread) how many people on here had walked up and ask if the car was for sale when they see it rotting in some one's backyard, barn, driveway etc?

for me; out of respect i only ask if i see a for sale sign on it.
 
I have purchased many cars over the year by knocking on doors.. and my wife laughs because it is not uncommon for someone to show up at the door asking her questions.. but I would never snoop without the owner's permission.

Grant
 
I have had some thing sort of like that happen to me more than a few times.

Some one will come up to me and ask if my car is for sell. My standered reply is no not for sell. Then they start asking me what I think a car like that is worth. So I tell them what I think I could get for it. Then they ask if I would take that for it. LOL I say no, not for sell. Then they ask if I will take more than that for it and I say. No not for sell.
 
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