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But it still doesn't excuse the behaviors of those that push crap products so that they can mine your wealth unscrupulously into theirs. There is a special place in hell for those kinds of folks, IMO.
Karma can be a b_tch and justice would be what comes around goes around.
I purchased my 57 on EBAY without an inspection and was more than satisfied. I wanted a project that I could do everything to it. (frame off) (The pic on left is as bought)
There were problems. If one thought he could just get into it and drive, it he would have been severely disappointed. (although I did drive it home)
The frame had holes cut into it, all the nuts and bolts were either loose or mismatched and the trunk had a hole in it big enough to change the rear end without jacking it up.
I did a complete nut and bolt restomod, and It is now a real good driver. (Just what I wanted)
Lesson for today, Do not expect more than what you get, life doesn't work that way.
:roc k:
Last edited by Roger Walling; 10-25-2017 at 09:46 AM.
The moral of the story is don’t buy any collectible unless you know what you’re looking at or take somebody with you that does.
Or both.
Hire a professional inspector in the local area for an initial assessment. If that check out, then travel to see the car yourself (assuming you know what you are looking at).
I paid for professional inspections twice in the last ten years. On for a Z-28 69 Camaro in Sarasota and again for a 61 Corvette in Ft Laudserdale. Different inspectors and about $750 for both. Passed on both cars - money well spent. Z-28 had replacement “010” block and 61 had been wrecked and repaired — badly.
This post/story should be the "poster child" example for the hobby concerning those who DO NOT do their homework. I looked at all the pics on their web site. The car looks great at all angles, is very desireable etc. Who would think it has the issues that 65 Pro Vette found. Dennis
This post/story should be the "poster child" example for the hobby concerning those who DO NOT do their homework. I looked at all the pics on their web site. The car looks great at all angles, is very desireable etc. Who would think it has the issues that 65 Pro Vette found. Dennis
I had it on my lift so I got a real close look at all of its issues. It even has a wristpin knock when it’s cold. Someone did a good job on the body work and paint to make the car look like it’s a high dollar car. Look at the pictures that they posted with the drivers door open and get a close-up of the door latch mechanism, you can push it in and out because that plate isn’t even attached to the door.
Last edited by 65 Pro Vette; 10-25-2017 at 06:44 PM.
They were just used cars in the 60s, 70s, 80s. Since then they have become collectible.
It is simply a fact even if some dinosaurs refuse to accept that reality.
I didn't hire anybody and I didn't thouroughly check out my '67 when I bought it (locally). I was naive. I checked it out after getting it home. Not a good way to go. I had it checked out afterwards on a lift and it's very solid, good condition. Numbers match on motor (which I knew) and M20. Bird cage looks very solid. The car runs great. Has a little surface rust.
The retiree selling it had it 17 years and wasn't trying to hide anything. I felt confident in the condition.
Bottom line, I was lucky but it could have been all bad news.
Even if you hire somebody, can we completely rule out that some luck is needed?
There is an element of luck in any purchase....many, even after due diligence, have found that their 'no hit' cars were cleverly repaired and had, indeed, suffered damage.
One person on here bought a car with an engine stamp pad cut off and JB-Welded to the PS head in a very well done bit of fraud.
Yes, there is a element of luck, but let's face it, what we are talking about here is risk mitigation. That is what I do every day at NASA.
You cannot totally eliminate the risks, so you take reasonable precautions to mitigate them.
Unless you are well versed in that model year car, have someone who knows what they are looking at inspect it first. The inspection report from that can then help you decide whether or not to pursue it further.
I traveled to Chicago area with the intention of buying a 1957 Corvette a few months ago. I knows these model cars very well, and I know that I would have to lay eyes on it before I made a decision, so I did not get an independent inspection first.
No big loss, as I had other reasons for traveling to that area.
The car was a real disappointment, with numerous area of bad repair work.
Then I subsequently decided on a C2 coupe, which is a car I am not real familiar with. I located one in Denver, and I hired a professional inspector to go look at the car in detail. Based on his report, I decided to go see the car myself.
The car turned out to be just what I was looking for, but I would not have even traveled to Denver to see it if I had not had the independent inspection done.
Look at it this way... you are considering the purchase of a $40,000 car (as an example). Is $500 inspection fee (again an example) really too much to keep you from making a big mistake..
St. Jude Donor '14-'15-'16-'17-‘18-'19-'20-'21-'22-'23-'24
Originally Posted by jv04
Look at it this way... you are considering the purchase of a $40,000 car (as an example). Is $500 inspection fee (again an example) really too much to keep you from making a big mistake..
No, its great insurance if the expert knows what he/she is doing.
If you’re buying from a dealer, it’s easy enough to post a question here on the forum asking about the dealer’s reputation and any actual experiences with him. It costs you nothing to do this. It’s likely at least someone on this forum has a a story to tell, good or bad, about any dealer out there.
There are reputable dealers out there with good quality cars. Research the dealer before you research the car. If the dealer checks out, and your inspection of the car by a knowledgeable person checks out, buy the car and you will be a happy camper.
Every time I hear a story like this I realize how lucky I was when I bought my car. I wasn't even looking for a car, I was just browsing a site I'd never heard of that was like eBay, but didn't charge anything.
My neighbor was into cars and had just paid 30k+ for a 65 coupe that had fiberglass damage, needed paint, nothing was matching, and the rear end was bad.
I saw my '63 for sale for 23K and it looked great compared to his car, so I contacted the guy. He told me the car was a big block and that everything worked. I had a friend from another Chevy site look at it for me because he lived in Denver, although he didn't know anything about Corvettes in particular. Also my neighbor told me what pieces were dificult to get because of being only one year and the guy assured me they were all there and functional.
I agreed to drive to Denver to purchase the car. I had no idea what to look for, all I new was the car looked pretty nice. The car turned out to be a small block 350. I didn't even test drive the car, I just handed him the cashiers check and loaded the car on the trailer. Thinking it must be worth the money he was asking because it looked so much nicer than my neighbors car.
Upon arriving home I looked in the glove box and found a paper that showed he had bought the car 8 years prior for $23,900 and sold it to me for $23K. He had only put 6800 miles on the car since it was refurbished/restomoded with a killer HOK Brandywine paint job.
This is a couple of pictures from the ad on that website that convinced me to buy the car.
And this is what it looks like now.
I've had the car for 10 years and have enjoyed every second of owning it. The only money I put into this car is what I wanted to do, not what I had to do. I could have been screwed big time the way I went about buying this car, but got super lucky.
I now know enough about these cars to realize how fortunate and foolish I was. I feel like I totally stepped in you know what.
I examined a "numbers matching" split window at a consignment dealer for an interested member a few months back with a price tag of $115K. The car had been hit hard in the front and rear, badly repaired and had a replacement block - but man the paint was just Soooo shiny.
How could you go wrong ?
Look, if you walk into one of these places like a country rube with money falling out of your pockets NONE of them are under any obligation to straighten you out...
Short of fraud, or, selling something unsafe to drive - you are fair game...and "as-is" means "as-is".
A note of caution about inspectors. If you are buying a Corvette make sure you get one that knows them in & out. if you are going to pay for a somewhat correct car you need to know not only about rust paint & mechanical operational info but if the components are factory & original to the car. Just because the ac works is it original to the Corvette & all the correct pieces are there IE the under dash ducts ETC.
10-25-2017, 12:48 AM
Karma can be a b_tch and justice would be what comes around goes around. 
Dennis
