Should I drive 500 miles?

[Olds64]

Hi guys. The question is... Should Oldsguy and I drive 500 miles this weekend to see a 1972 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Coupe? It is our early Memorial Day vacation, so we won't be doing anything. I just don't know if I can justify to my better half that it would be worth looking at this car.

The good part is that it runs and is decently priced. The owner says the body is decent and the interior is ok too. The bad thing is that he hasn't posted any pictures.

Should we drive that far to see a car that MIGHT be cool? I guess I could always bring the money with me. Tell us what to do...

[Lady72nRob71]

Demand pictures - they will say a lot. Have him email them directly.
If he does not have digital camera, I am sure he can get someone who does to help him. If he want to sell, then he should do...
If he refuses, there could be some things he wants to hide.
500 miles is gonna cost a lot - it is better to see if it is worth it.

I had no problem getting almost 40 pics of my '72 before I flew to Hilton Head, SC to see her in person.
When I got there, no real bad surprises, so I drove her home!
Just my reasoning.

Now it it is a scenic country drive in your Olds, it may be worth it regardless of the 98's condition...

[Starfire61]

With gas costing what it does, I'd sure want to see some pictures first!

Chuck

[The_Jeremiah]

Get pictures, and if it looks half way decent, make the trip, there is nothing like a nice roadtrip with a buddy to help clear the mind. Me and a buddy recently drove 10 hours south to get a jeep we only saw pictures of. Was one hell of a trip. But it was worth it

[Oldsguy]

I just got a call from Jesse. He decided against it, so I guess we will be smoking cigars and sipping on a beer this weekend (which is fine by me, either way).

[Oldsmaniac]

As said I would need some kind of pictures first. Have been on too many trips like this to find a turd waiting at the other end. With the price of gas you could almost pay an appraiser to look at the car. As a last resort bring the trailer as you wouldnt want to make that trip twice!...just incase you are still thinking about it.

[J-(Chicago)]

Hell, if you guys have your heart set on making a 500 mile trip, you could come get this 403 out of my way. My Delta 88 partial re-assembly starts this weekend. Finally got all my suspension parts in the mail after 3 friggin weeks. They look to have been worth the wait though

[59-59-59]

Why wouldnt you see a car in person BEFORE you buy it? I was thinking of bidding on a '55 98 on Ebay and according to the pictures, it looked like a decent car. I spent the money ( airfare ) and time ( 2 days )to see this in person. Am I glad I did - the frame was rotted to the point where I could almost take chunks out with my bare hand..in several places to boot. But it looked great in pictures ! Doing this has saved me thousands in repairs and alot of headaches. I have no sympathy to anybody who buys a car sight unseen and then complains this wasnt what they wanted - especially to a 30+ year old auto

[Olds64]

Thanks for the advice. I guess I could call the guy and have him e-mail me some pics. The problem is that if we went out there it wouldn't be a pleasant country drive in one of the Oldsmobiles. We would probably be doing 80 miles per hour on the turnpike in my wifes VW Bettle.

We will keep everyone posted.