I drove two hours to look at a car last night. On the phone the guy said the car is mechanically sound, just has a small spot in the frame that needs a patch . If he doesn't sell it as is he's going to paint it and sell it that way. That tells me, if he had a brain, that the car must be in somewhat decent mechanical condition since the paint didn't look very good. Well, I show up at his house and it takes me two minutes to see that the thing is barely a parts car, rust everywhere. Does anybody remember that damp rusty smell? Standing beside the car thats all you could smell. The frame had a hole in it big enough to crawl in and inspect the inside, couldn't even get inside to see all the cracked door panels and dash pads that were evident, the bumpers were also sagging. The a-hole new I was coming that far. I assumed, after he mentioned that he has owned a few vettes that he new what he was talking about.

 

Some buyers will commit to spending thousands just to go look at a car. They don't ask the right questions up front or ask for pics of critical areas. The seller is trying to sell the car. you could have asked alot more questions, reviewed more photos. It is not always the seller's fault.

A small spot on the frame that needs a patch? Thats a big hint to stop right there. If it doesn't sell he is going to put 5-10K in a paint job and then try to sell it? for 5-10K more? I don't think so. These are red flags that would either make me run, or ask lots more questions and insist on more photos, before I would come look at the car..

This forum is littered with buyers with corvette fever that go look at cars, get their eyes glazed over and buy it without thinking it through. Then they ask for advice.. Or perhaps if they do ask for advice, they ignore it.

I have had sellers get really mad at me because I didn't buy the car and they wasted their effort in even meeting me for me to look at it.

I even had a buyer wanting me to reimburse his travel expenses, over an issue that I was truly ignorant of. Questions he should have asked prior to comitting to look at the car.

The seller can't read your mind. Nor should he be required to extrapolate your requirements from the questions you ask. Of course he should not lie. just learn from this and ask more questions next time.

Keep looking and good luck.

 

Hey Joe, no Corvette fever here. I asked all the right questions regarding the parts I was interested in. I was parting it out. Unfortunately the only lesson I learned from this was that some people tell bigger lies than others. You can't assume everything someone tells you is a HUGE lie. You can bet the average seller might leave small things out but the degree of difference from description, pictures and actual was huge. I've seen many cars with only a small issue in one spot on a frame as the guy described, not the gaping holes this car had.

 

The guy was very much like many of the corporate leaders of American financial institutions...he's a money-grubbing a$$__le who doesn't give a damn about his 'customers'. I hate people like that; they care about nothing but themselves.

You really can't trust what some folks tell you over the phone. You have to read "between the lines" and judge how open, truthful and/or cautious they are when talking to you. If someone is evasive or gets 'politically correct' in how he/she describes shortcomings on the car, I usually don't even consider following up. If they talk about the car freely and clearly describe problems with it, I'm interested.

 

Thats what bugs me, he seemed upfront and decent, non evasive. There's no self respect involved letting someone drive that far knowing you're lying to the them.

 

Just put him in the "Scum of the Earth" pile and write it off to 'experience'. In general, life is good.....

 

There's your problem. It's a good rule of thumb never to assume most sellers know anything other than generalities.

Obiviously his idea of "good shape" isn't the same as yours.

Fortunately, your only losses are your time and gasoline.

 

Yup already done, just had to rant for a bit. Easy is right, just time and gas. I don't know how people buy cars from sellers they have never met before and have them shipped. Now thats trusting.

 

How about a link to the ad for the car to warn others ?

BTW..........I lived in Fort Henry Heights in Kingston for 5 years.......nice little city you got there.

 

Regardless of whether I get a warm fuzzy talking to a seller, I assume everything is as bad as it can be.

I drove 2+ hours last weekend (cold!) with $ in hand to buy another '69; really thought it would be a good purchase. As low as my expectations were, I was surprised at how bad the car was and dismissed it in 5 minutes. Comes with the hobby.

 

Its a great city. Close to everything and always something to do. I take it you're CDN military.Where do you live now.

 

Yah....I dismissed this one pretty quick too.

 

When I was searching for my car I drove an hour and a half to look at a 71 Coupe that the seller said was 'fully restored" with new paint, rebuilt engine and trans, new interior, etc. He had it on Craigslist for $15,000. The pictures he had posted on the ad were not very clear..Clue #1
I should have known better just by the price, but I made the drive anyway.
I guess I was looking for the "deal of the century" When I pulled
up I could not believe it was the same car that was being advertised as "fully restored" The red paint was almost pink from fading, the interior need to be completely gutted, and when he started the car it sounded like it was running on 2 cylinders..Very Rough..

Needless to say, I ran away from it as fast as I could..
Make me wonder about how people can buy cars off of Ebay for thousands of dollars based on a few pictures and the sellers word..A buddy of mine got ripped off on an Ebay Camaro last year.. he paid the seller all of the money and had him ship the car across the country based on some pictures that were sent to him.based on the pictures it was a pristine fully restored 68 Camaro with a new rebuilt 400 hp small block. When the truck arrived with the car it was a pile of rusted metal with a non running engine.He traded a nice C5 Corvette worth around $15,000 for the car. He ended up selling the the heap of metal at a local swap meet for $3,000

 

These type of people do this kind of crap because they know they'll get some newbie sooner or later....


A few years back I saw a 65 Mustang, out in the boonies, with a for sale sign on it.

Stopped to check it out and the owner comes out, to see if had a sucker, and we discuss price.

I made a, for the condition, reasonable offer of 2k and he replied that since the car had been completely restored it was worth at least the 10k he wanted, if not more.

Guy got really mad when I asked "exactly what part of this thing has been restored?".

 

Good advice........as Ronald Reagan said......."trust, but verify".......

I ws an army brat at the time (69-74)......but to answer the other part of the question when I was in the forces I was based here in Calgary, and I still live here now, but as a civvy. Really liked Kingston though......

 

You know, people are now thinking Fort Henry IS the military base.

Google Fort Henry Kingston...

 

Just imagine the descriptions if old husbands and wives could be sold!!!!
I won't even mention 'test drives'!!!!!
Regards,
Alan

 

Usually sooner....but, hey, we were all newbies once.

 

Happens way to often. Are they just lying??

In all the years I have played with these C3s I have only found one that was in the shape the guy claimed. I bought it on the spot and drove it 869 miles home! Every other one I have looked was NOT as described. I still have the one I drove from Oklahoma. Had it 7 years now and have only had to put a new set of tires and change the oil!

That's the 72 ... the 74 has turned out to be the Devil's car!