What's my problem?

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CyrusBlake

CyrusBlake

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Plainfield, CT
Hello, members!

New to forums entirely, and so far this one is proving difficult to navigate...but I'll learn.

I have a yellow pro street '71 Duster listed on this site and on Craig's list. I've had a lot of tire kickers, and no luck selling the car. I know my price is VERY fair, and was just looking for feedback. I know pro street is a tough sell. I also know you never get back what you put in. Every car has needs, blah blah blah.

Is the Discovery channel ruining peoples chances of selling their cars? Does everyone that owns an antique automobile think it's worth it's weight in gold?

Again, nobody wants to pay full sticker. That doesn't green light people to think they're on "American Pickers" and attempt to cut the legs out from under the seller by making a pathetic low-ball offer. It is frustrating, and a waste of time for both parties.

Unless of course...I"M the one with my head in the clouds. It's the 71 pro street for 16 grand...somebody...anybody...let me know what you think.

-Cyrus
 
there are certain things that make your car very attractive
and certain things that are huge turnoff for mopar purists and when you combine those things it makes it a little bit of a niche car

has it ever been down a dragstrip ?
showing time slips might help

personally, I think the car is overpriced a little BUT I am also the kind of person who will advertise whatever I am selling at about 20% more then what I want to get for it, knowing full well that most people do not want to pay sticker

the deciding factors in figuring if what you are asking is fair can be summed up in 2 words

build quality

and that is where your pictures lack


when is look at your add I see a nice duster with big wheels
I don't see the 4 link suspension, the 9inch rear, the tubs, the way the back seat is deleted

(I do see a black engine bay and that is one of the things that turns some people away)



consider where you spend the most money building this car and show those parts off to us
 
Never raced. Back half is well done. Thank you for your input. As far as the purists...It's tubbed. That says right away the car is far from stock. I know I've lost the purist market. That is not who is going to buy this car.

It's going to be a Mopar fan that wants a cruise night car that would be fine with a day at the track. Racing is not my thing, and the condition of the car is conducive to that. Fat tire cars are a love it or hate it thing, and I think that may be part of the issue. You can't throw the family in for ice cream. I was in my mid twenties when I got the car, (not that I don't love the power) but I'd like something a little less aggressive.
 
you need to paint that engine compartment body color. You are in the rust capitol of the world so put up some pics of trunk floor bottom of car and build quality/ suspension. Is it a 340 car or a clone. 16k is a lot of money for a tubbed car in a dead economy. The days of people refinancing their home to buy a money eating hotrod are gone. good luck and be patient your car has desirable grill dash and color.

You having two posts trying to sell a 16k car does not help you unless it is a local sale
 
you have to find the right person, at the right time, in the right place! and when you are talking that much $$, and the able buyers will be picky.
another point. what kind of car can a guy buy for that many $$$ ?
lets face it. the collector car/ and parts prices fell with the economy and economy has not really rebounded!
and the above points are very true also !!!!
 
When a car is as far gone from stock as this one is, I don't feel that the color of the engine compartment is that big a factor...although if that were true, the car might be gone already.

I get that the economy is still "recovering," and that has hurt the wallets of would be owners, but even with that in mind, these cars still retain SOME value.

The tin work is great, no rust, and it's just sitting in the garage most of the time. The car needs to be driven more than I have time for and that's why it's for sale.

If it were an original 340 car (which it's not) I don't think it would ever have been built like this. Mopar guys tend to be more conservative when it comes to any sort of desirable car being modified.

I've looked at all other local listings, and I know I'm not off my rocker. I will take in everything you guys have said, and hopefully this will all work out.
 
2 things paint the engine compartment body color..go to the track and get some time slips..i hear what your saying its a very nice car..
 
CyrusBlake said:
When a car is as far gone from stock as this one is, I don't feel that the color of the engine compartment is that big a factor...although if that were true, the car might already bemail sold.
Click to expand...

That's not the point
because mopar guys are so "conservative" the tend to be picky
a die hard mopar guy might take one look at that engine bay and go "what a hackjob" and not even consider the quality of the build
Not saying everyone would but it is a very real possibility
 
Mopar guys will rip any Mopar with a black engine compartment. Seen it posted here a million times paint the engine compartment and it will help the sale.
 
I wouldn't worry about the color of the engine compartment, nothing else is stock either. It looks like a nice car, but you said it yourself- pro street cars are hard to sell.

$16k is a lot of money for an A-body that's been heavily modified for drag racing. Mopar folks usually want bone stock. The big money mopars are stock, "rare", and usually not A-bodies. Really nice A-bodies are sold for less than $16k all the time.

I'm sure you probably have 16K or more into the car, so, if you want to keep your price point the same you need to show WHY it's a $16k pro-street car. Get a photobucket account so you can host larger pictures. Take a lot of high quality, BIG pictures showing the detail work. Take some "glamour shots". Make sure everything is in focus, make sure all of the pictures are right side up. A dozen tiny pictures don't show what the car really looks like. It's the little things. All of the pictures in your ad either have shadows, are cropped so you can't see the entire car, are at weird angles, or are upside down. And they're only 500x281. That's tiny.

When I hear "pro-street Duster with tubs, no rear seat, 9" Ford rear and a 4-link" I think hacked up race car. And none of your pictures really prove otherwise. Show all of that work and prove it isn't just a hacked up race car and you'll have more prospective buyers.

For example:

Would you buy this car?

57d84048-f73e-44ce-9d4e-a14ce1cfb0d7_zpsdai1kpmj.jpg


Or this one?

IMG_3619.jpg


Hint: it's the SAME car. The side moulding was removed and the rims changed, but that's not the biggest visual difference. It's the same car, just a better picture.

I took this one with my iphone in a parking lot. Nothing special, but its a far better picture than any of the ones you posted in your sale ad. If you do a better job of representing your car, I think you'll have a lot more interest. If you want to sell a car for $16k, the pictures should look better than what someone can do with their phone. Drive your car to a park, put it up on a lift at the muffler shop, borrow a camera, etc.

IMG_2059_zpsgwedlaiu.jpg
 
No offense but you joined this website to just sell a car. That sticks in my craw and probably a few other members. I've been here for many years and have bought and sold things. You show up with a car that you want to sell and then complain?

I just looked at your ad. A few things stand out.
#1 and this is a Mopar thing, you obviously had the car painted, or it was recently painted and you cheaped out on the engine bay. That is a warning sign to MOPAR guys that if you cheaped out on that what else could you have scrimpted on. Notice everyone said something about the engine bay???

#2 The hack job on the shifter, looks like you just cut up the rug to get it in.

#3 No underbody pics, you live up north, if you want people to open up their wallets for 16K the open your trunk and show the trunk floor and undersides.

#4 You just said a 450hp 360, well no offense but every built 350 Chevy has 450 hp

#5 A 2 seat car is also not a big selling point to people with kids, I know its "pro- streeted", but that too is played out. Its not a trendy car.

I am not trying you be mean but you asked and I am not one to pull punches. Then at the end you put an jerk like statement, "No trades, no tire kickers, no dreamers, no scammers, and no, I don't need your help selling the car." That really doesn't make me want to deal with you.

So in a nut shell don't be a rude when your new to a site just to sell a car.
 
CyrusBlake said:
Never raced. Back half is well done. Thank you for your input. As far as the purists...It's tubbed. That says right away the car is far from stock. I know I've lost the purist market. That is not who is going to buy this car.

It's going to be a Mopar fan that wants a cruise night car that would be fine with a day at the track. Racing is not my thing, and the condition of the car is conducive to that.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how to read this
really, your best bet is to show the workmanship that went into the car to prove it is a 16000 dollar ride
 
The engine bay was by choice. I like the way it looks, and the car is so far removed from stock, I don't really think that one more "flaw" matters.

450 horse is an underrated guess. The components and performance indicate far more, but I'm not the type of person that over states things.

As far as the comments at the end, maybe you've never tried to sell a car before. There are a lot of clowns out there, and a person's patience wears thin. Apologies if you've taken offense. It's a product of Craig's List.

Lastly, this is a website, not a union job. I'm not robbing you of any benefits being the new guy on the block. I'm a Mopar enthusiast like every other person on here who just happens to be selling a car. I would think you would appreciate someone looking to send an A body to a good home. If people weren't creating commerce within the hobby, sites like this wouldn't exist.
 
that is another thing i noticed
a 450 HP stroker 360 ?

we need details
we need to know what crank, cast or forged? what rods, pistons, compression ratio, what work has been done to the heads? what cam, what converter?
and heres a big one, WHO did the work?
did you assemble it yourself or was it a shop? if it was a shop, which one and do you have receipts?

being able to offer answers to all these questions will help you prove the asking price is fair



oh, one more thing, the latter section of the for sale add got some attention
i know it is pretty much standard wording for a CL add but unnecessary here, you're among brothers
 
and speaking of moneyshots, here's my favorite of Ginger

 
I've had the car for a decade, and never had paperwork on the build. I bought it in it's current state, and made changes based on my ability, taste, budget, and needs of the car. I've had a few of my mechanic friends look into the engine, and was told that it has high dollar internals. Since they did not do the initial build, I didn't think they had any right to produce a receipt.
This is the pickle I'm in.
I could rattle off brand names and components the car has in it all day, but the proof is in the pudding. I need to supply better photos.
 
I'll throw in my 2 cents, most of which has already been stated before...

1) My first thought is lack of detail. You list some of the modifications that went into the Duster but you list no specifics which can bring up a lot of questions. For example, you say, "9 inch ford with 3.89 gears 4 link." What did the Ford 9" come out of? Were the gears OE or did are they aftermarket? If aftermarket, what brand did you get? What kind of differential are you running? Did you rebuild this 9"? What bearings and seals did you use? Who built the 4-link and with what materials? In a car ad, the more detail you have the better even if the detail shows some of the bad side of the cars.

2) You have a lot of pictures, mostly of the exterior, which is probably better than 75% of the CLer's out there; however, there all of the exterior of the car. I have no idea what the most of the interior and underside of the car look like. Also, your pictures are like puzzles, your 2nd-4th pictures all show details of the passenger side of the car that my mind has to put together and decipher how it looks. With 1 high definition photo you can cover that basis more accurately and show a more presentable car. Not only that, but I'm a person who dislikes discontinued pictures. For instance, if you're going to show off the hood scoop, I want to see the entire front end with it too.

3) I'm not usually a purist, but black paint under the hood is an absolute turn off for me. First off, it's not a Chevy. Second, if the entire car is going to be painted, why wasn't the K-member dropped so the engine compartment could be worked on? It shows lack of detail for me. And third, black engine paint is a sign of a repaint and a repaint means there could definitely be things hidden underneath the surface.

I'm not saying it's a bad car. It could be an awesome car for all I know. To sort out how strong the engine and drivetrain is, take it to the track and run some times. You might help yourself out if you filmed a video doing a complete walk-around of the car showing detail of the entire exterior, engine bay, interior, trunk, some of the underside and suspension, showing how the car runs, and revving the engine a bit.

I don't mean to be hard or a jerk, I'm just trying to offer some advice.
 
I'll jump in on this

1. Try to create a in depth list of the parts used on the motor and transmission.

2. If there is any minor rust at all or scratches then post pictures.

3. Lower the asking price. There may be someone out there willing to pay that money for it but personally I would pay around 14 for that car.

4. Do something about that carpet man. I am not sayying the car is hacked together but seeing the carpet like that is going to make people question the rest of the car.

5. Don't use so much negativity at the end of the posting. I completely understand posting that sort I stuff on Craigslist but don't come onto the forum and word your posting that way. Turned me off before I even looked at the photos.

Good luck with your sale!
 
Look...I appreciate seniority...in the correct setting. None of this is tangible (that means able to be touched or felt) and therefore really doesn't matter. I thought this was a virtual gathering place for like minded people to exchange ideas. I guess if you show up late to the party, everybody gets offended.

The first time ANY of you sold a car..how was the post? Was there an internet? I'm all for a good ball breaking, but why don't you help a guy out instead of grabbing low hanging fruit?

As I stated in the FIRST THING I POSTED...new to forums. Maybe all the hostility will calm if I visit the welcome wagon...
 
CyrusBlake said:
Look...I appreciate seniority...in the correct setting. None of this is tangible (that means able to be touched or felt) and therefore really doesn't matter. I thought this was a virtual gathering place for like minded people to exchange ideas. I guess if you show up late to the party, everybody gets offended.

The first time ANY of you sold a car..how was the post? Was there an internet? I'm all for a good ball breaking, but why don't you help a guy out instead of grabbing low hanging fruit?

As I stated in the FIRST THING I POSTED...new to forums. Maybe all the hostility will calm if I visit the welcome wagon...
Click to expand...


It's not your seniority, it's how you come across. :twisted:

This is the internet with all different personalities, you have to have thick skin and let some of it bounce off. If you ask for opinions, that's what you will get. Some of them you won't like, that's life, not everyone is going to agree with you...

If you can't handle someone's opinion, then don't ask for it. :violent2: (You can't handle the truth ---> I always wanted to say that to someone..)

Just because you think that your car is worth alot of money doesn't mean someone will pay that much for it. I've had to sell cars for less than I wanted also. Grow up and face the facts, stop blaming us because nobody will pay the price that you are asking for your car, it's not our fault. :violent1:

Get a reasonable asking price if you really want to sell it. If not, then keep it...

If you are going to advertise it on free sites, you may get some grim results and a few loonies replying. Why not go to a higher end site and pay to advertise it or even put it in an auction if you think it is "worth the cut"...

Don't kill the messenger - maybe do a little self reflection and ask yourself, "what if they are right?" #-o


*Note: edited to match 6pk2goDemon previous edit while I was posting... (You're welcome C..)
 
Nice car..you should get what your asking..you need to remember its a Mopar and Mopar guys are the CHEAPEST people on earth they want everything for nothing:violent1::violent1:
 
Part of the hostility is coming from having to tell you over and over what makes these cars sell, but you have your own justifications for why these guys are wrong or why it shouldn't matter that much.
Some people like purple paint on their house, and some know that purple paint will make the house harder to sell.
It makes ZERO difference if you like the engine bay the way it is, or made that decision on purpose because buyers don't like it.

Same with the Craigslist ad.
It would be nice if the only person that contacted you, looked at it, or asked questions was the one person that was actually going to buy it.
That isn't the way it works unfortunately.
That's kind of like saying you are starving to death but only want catfish to bite the worm, and won't listen to people telling you ANY fish will keep you from starving.

You want to be right, or do you want to sell the car?
 
Even if I were in the market, there's a lot of assumptions being made that aren't being followed up on.

360 stroker. What, exactly is the cubes? Are you prepared to answer that question? From your previous posts, here, no you're not. How do you know it's been stroked?

What are the internals? Your mechanic buddies tell you that it's all good. How do they know unless they've torn the engine down and actually looked? Again, for potential buyers you have to be able to prove it.

450+ hp. Based on what? You've made the claim of no dyno pulls, no quarter mile times, yet you make the claim, offering no evidence. For potential buyers this means something.

The usage of the term "pro-street." Most people think pro-street they think tubbed, tubed, tunnel ram or blower. Something that's meant to run the 1/4 and still be (barely) streetable.

Issue is, you bought this car without doing your own homework and asking the previous owner what he put into it to make it what it is. That's not blaming someone here for what you aren't covering. If someone is going to make an initial investment on the car then they want answers to those things as they would with most cars.

You're not selling a Toyota where all you have to do is make the claim what the mileage is and that you've maintained it regularly. You're selling a specialized car with no specialized information without backing up the claims.
 
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