Olds442redberet

I want to send out a big thank you to everyone here.

I joined this site four years ago shortly after picking up my first A Body, a 1970 442 Convertible. The car pictured in my avatar. Over the past four years I have bought and sold a lot of parts on Classic Olds and I have learned so much about the hobby from the people here. The experts here have help me in so many ways. From getting the correct parts for a 70 442 down to decoding VINs and figuring out what a car or it's part is worth in the real world. Whenever I have a question concerning an Oldsmobile car or part I come here first. And whenever I have a part to sell I post it here first.
I do post ads on FeeBay from time to time but I focus most of my attention on Classic Olds and Craigslist. I have met so many fellow car guys over the last four years using these two venues. Classic Olds has given me world wide exposure selling parts to England, Germany, France, Canada and Australia while Craigslist has led to me meeting so many car guys in my neck of the woods. And I really enjoy meeting and talking with those folks, both young and old, who label themselves a car guys.
Also over these past four years I have bought over 25 Oldsmobiles. I sold a hand full of these cars as running / driving vehicles and three as restorable cars which the buyers did actually restore. I know this because they sent me pictures of their builds during and after their build ups, which I really enjoyed. It's the people that makes this hobby so enjoyable.
Over the last four years I have also benefitted from the assistance of fellow members in finding quality cars and parts cars. Most recently AlleyKat sent me a lead on a 1968 Cutlass S that was only a few miles from my shop. Oldspackrat has stopped by a couple of times just to talk. I have learned a lot about what parts sell and what doesn't as well as pricing from Oldspackrat. I used to throw away so much scrap metal, but that was before I met Oldspackrat. Now I do a better job of cutting cars up and keeping anything that can be used to save another car. I Rick out in Oklahoma and I talk on the phone regularly. Another great Classic Olds member.
I'd like to also take this time to ask for more assistance in the future. Should any of you find a car located within four hours of Birmingham and you decide to pass on it, please let me know. I'd really like to continue specializing in parting out A Body Oldsmobiles, but it is getting very difficult to find cars priced at a level where I can buy them, move them, store them and take them apart and still make money doing this. Lord knows I've lost money on a couple of parts cars. It's a very tight margin when your trying to find cars with quality parts. So any help would be greatly appreciated.

So let me close by again saying thank you very much for your friendship and assistance over these past four years.

Tom
Birmingham Alabama

2blu442

Good post Tom. I agree, the people we meet increase the pleasure of the hobby. And I too have met a lot of great people through here.

You might consider expanding to full sized cars. Over the years I've purchased several 1966-72 88, 98 & Toronado's that had some really desirable parts on them. I also expanded into the 1950's when a 1954 and later 1955 showed up at good prices. Since your out of the rust belt you may be able to find a lot of good parts from these other years/models. If you come across something for sale, don't hesitate to contact me or Oldspackrat for advice on what to look for. I've also had help from some of the members with 1954, 55 and 56 cars on what to look for on them.

John

Olds442redberet

I was considering the full size vehicles since a few have turned up locally. But I was afraid of getting stuck with a large car that I couldn't do anything with. And I don't know how to price the parts on the full size which makes it hard to know what I can afford to pay for a complete car. Any help in this area would be greatly appreciated.

droldsmorland

And thank you Tom for being an honest parts seller. Remember me for anything 68-69 mint, NOS or even whole rust free cars. Steve.

Olds64

Tom, it's good to hear your last 4 years on the site have been a good experience.

You could always drive it! If you think your La-Z-Boy is comfortable then apparently you've never driven an Olds 98.

Koda

Buy low, sell high, especially on the big cars. There will be high, concentrated demand for specific rare parts because about 5 guys will need them, but they will really need them, whereas a complete car is worth not much, overall. On buying whole cars, I would look for completeness and restorability of the the unique parts, because you won't be able to find them elsewhere.

marxjunk

ill never buy a full sized Buick or Oldsmobile again..unless its a 4 speed or super rare..just too hard to sell stuff...

Ive even ran pre sale ads and say "i found this car..anyone want parts before i decide if i will buy it?"

and everyone screams save it..i'll take parts, blah blah...get the car home, and not sell one single part off it...if i do buy another, it will be at scrap price, thats for sure..

I cant say its that bad here..but those Buick guys...those guys...i swear...(insert cuss words)

Olds442redberet

I have to admit, I also have a very hard time selling full size parts so I tend to stay away from them. I don't even hunt Toronados.
I don't do so well on 68 and 69 Cutlass models either. I've lost money on three 68s so I tend to under pay for them when I do buy them. I get them at a great price or I walk away. But 1970 through 72 model years seem to always pay for themselves and as a result I tend to pay more for them.
I've had three 67 Cutlass and I did ok on two of them. I credit that to the nice dash components each of them had. The third one was destroyed in a fire shortly after I bought it. What a loss but that's part of the cost of doing business. LOL

I've tried to branch out into other markets including fox Body Mustangs and I have learned a lot about the different markets and their prospective clients. They each have their own positives and negatives. I prefer Oldsmobile guys.

IMO: Anytime there is a large after market available I have found it almost a waste of time to get tangled up in parts cars. An excellent example; Chevelles. IMO: A majority of the people out there will buy cheap Chinese parts over originals even when they know the difference in the quality. Oldsmobile guys seem to prefer nice originals even if they are only driver quality.

I am looking to expand into the 1973-77 Cutlass model years. If I do this I will need more space and space does have a cost.

marxjunk

73-77s..wow..that market is a freakin' mess...only a few valuable cars, and theres usually a reason why they have them...most, not all...are cheap, cheap, cheap

Olds442redberet

Mark,
Give me a little more info on the 73-77 market.
Thanks

VI Cutty

I've been doing air cooled VW parts and cars for decades, primarly Beetles but occasional forays into Vans, Type 3s and so on. The Vans are hot these days and it's been a steep learning curve finding out what people want (or don't want) as can be expected, but more so on pricing the parts. Imagine my surprise last night at discovering an easily overlooked accessory stool I valued at maybe $40 Cdn is selling for over $200 USD! (No, I didn't sell it at $40!!!).

I've toyed with assorted other vehicles...early Rabbits, Sciroccos, a '77 Cutlass and although I've made out ok on all of them I did find it's better to keep your focus on a smaller selection than to try and hit on everything. At least at a hobbyist level. Amongst other things it's easier to learn and sell for interchange and (as you've observed) learning what sells, for how much, and what doesn't.

These days I'm trying to stick to Beetles, Vans and 68-72 Cutlasses.

I won't get into the parts sorting/storage discussion...I'm just looking forward to when I can go into my shop and just work on the car I want to work on!

I wholeheartedly agree with you on wanting to thank everyone here though. This is one of the most helpful forum communities I participate in (and I'm in a lot). The amount of valuable information I've learned from everyone here is awesome.

don71

Its nice to hear positive feedback about this community.

Were all learning and living. Hopefully well enough to appreciate that. I think its the sharing of this we find common ground in.

That's where the fun is.