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Well, that dreadful time has come. Time to sell the 1972 Cutlass Supreme. I do not know where to go or how to go about it. I live in norrthern North Dakota. My hometown newspaper only prints 2 times a week. I am 7 hrs. from the Twin Cities. The next biggest town, about 150,00 population area only prints its paper 2 times a week. I have no outlets to get the word out. I am a very senior senior, and not internet savey, someone said Craig's list. Heard nothing but horror stories there. Ebay, not so sure about that either. Any and all help, suggestions very much appreciated. Numbers matching, 86K miles. I put in new brake rotors, drums, calipers, pads, hoses, wheel cylinders, shoes, master cyl, power steering gear, PS pump, belts, am/fm cd radio from OPGI. It has factory A/C converted to R134, power trunk release, tilt wheel, Dakota digital cruise, day/night mirror, clock upgrade. led interior lights. It was repainted in 2015. Power windows, factory rear window defrost, (inop). 350 2bbl carb. factory. Auto trans 350. It is Matador Red. I just put on new Firestone radial tires. New spare tire that's BF Goodrich. Would have boughtt BF Goodrich, but no dealer in town. Suggestions anyone. I know there is always help here with ideas. If there are any serious buyers I can send pics. I am working on finding a shop that will let me bring it in so I can hoist it up and take pics of undercarriage. THANKS ALL
Well, the first thing you do is try to sell it here. Put an ad up in the cars for sale section with pictures and tell the story. Good engine bay shots, interior, all four corners, chrome details, wheels, underneath (when you get to it), cowl tag, engine and trans vin (when you get it on a lift, easier that way).
How long you've had it, vehicle history, when you bought it, where you in are in ND, and how much you want for it.
If no bites here, we can recommend a few places to list it.
It would be great to see some pictures of your car. There are plenty of tech savvy guys here to help walk you through the process of posting pictures and the other steps.
I am very far from being a tech wizard - always asking for help. I’m sure that everyone here will help you out any way possible.
Your hometown sounds like a beautiful part of the country.
It amazes me that people lack common sense anymore these days- I don’t care how old or young you are. You do realize your on the internet- yes? You have a ton of ‘outlets’ to advertise on- you just did it here for free! Did you not realize that?
I do not know where to go or how to go about it. I live in norrthern North Dakota. My hometown newspaper only prints 2 times a week. I am 7 hrs. from the Twin Cities. The next biggest town, about 150,00 population area only prints its paper 2 times a week. I have no outlets to get the word out. I am a very senior senior, and not internet savey, someone said Craig's list. Heard nothing but horror stories there. Ebay, not so sure about that either.
You're going to have to learn to live in the world you live in. Newspapers are not the only option any more. They were 30 years ago, but now there is craigslist, ebay, and about a dozen other websites that could be mentioned. Selling a car is never a pleasant experience because you're always going to be dealing with tire-kickers and the public in general. Just brace yourself. Recognize scammers when you hear from them. Put measures in place to protect yourself such as insisting on only cash and in person. Don't accept internet payments. Educate yourself on selling a car in the 21st century. How old you are is no excuse. My father was cooking away on his computer well into his 80s.
Craigslist gets a bad rap, but everyone sells on it, and everyone looks there, so you're doing yourself a disservice by not listing there. Your goal is to reach as wide an audience as possible. I've sold two vehicles in recent years using craigslist, and both went off with pretty much no problems. One big advantage is the quickness in which the word gets out. I listed my '67 Delta 88 convertible on craigslist on a Saturday morning and had it sold by 4 p.m. that afternoon. Try doing it that fast with a newspaper ad. The guy came over with cash, looked the car over, we made a deal, he gave me the cash, and I signed the title over to him. He brought his wife with him, and he drove the car he had just bought home while his wife followed him in their car. While all of this was going on, I had about another dozen email inquiries in my inbox, and I had to tell them all that the car was sold.
The other experience was selling my 2002 Dodge Dakota. It was listed for several days, and it was finally bought by a family who wanted it for their son who was in high school. Mother, father, and son came over one day from a city about 100 miles from here, looked the truck over, test drove it, the son loved it because it was going to be his and it was in good shape (from the look on his face, I knew I had them hooked), and they bought it. Same deal. They gave me cash, I signed the vehicle over to them, and they drove it away.
Post it here first I say. There is a lot of Cutlass Supreme love here. Pictures and a price here might find just the right person. You have us all curious now.
It amazes me that people lack common sense anymore these days- I don’t care how old or young you are. You do realize your on the internet- yes? You have a ton of ‘outlets’ to advertise on- you just did it here for free! Did you not realize that?
Is it really necessary for you to berate the OP for coming on the forum to ask for help?
Do you have some grandkids or other younger person to help you? That's who I go to for help with internet/computer/cell phone,etc stuff. They were born into it, not born before it like us older folks... Anyway I have used craigslist and had no problems at all, you have to ignore all the computer generated responses. I sold my 65 Coronet on there and a few daily drivers. And some other small stuff . Good luck with the sale.
Post some pictures here. Facebook is another option. While I have never sold stuff on Craigslist, I have bought from Craigslist ads. I don’t think Craigslist is nearly as bad as some of the rumors make it out to be.
While I’m closer in age to “geezer” than I care to admit, I’m not very tech savvy either. Usually I find a 10 year old kid to help me with the more technical crap. As someone mentioned, does the OP have children or grandkids who can help with placing a ad?
In any case, I would definitely arrange the transfer of cash/car/etc in a very public place. Right outside a police station would be a excellent choice. Unfortunately, this is a very screwed up world we are living in. You just can’t be too careful.
Lot's of good suggestions/possibilities for selling your car have been provided including selling it here on this site. I've had great success selling products on Craigslist. Good luck with the sale.
I've decided that when the time comes, I'm gonna trot my car(s) down to Arizona in January. An auction is definitely something to consider -- built-in audience, guaranteed payment, you get it over with quickly and you get the best possible price in the shortest possible time. No tire-kickers, phone calls or endless E-mails and no scammers. Call up Mecum, B-J or Russo & Steele or another big auction house -- I'm sure they'll be able to walk you through the process.
I am sorry, but we have no children. Sometimes the world doesn't treat everyone the same. Nieces and nephews have made it very clear that they have no interest in things of ours. My fault I guess. Kudos to 59-59-59 who has an 80 yr old grandpa, I bet he had lots of tutoring to get along on the internet. With me and the Mrs. it's just us to learn as we go. Remember, small town many miles away from big civilization, no classees to take no neighbors to help. They are all in their 30-45 range, no time for "old" people. Will try to list it here first and try to figure out Craigs list. Thank for the feedback, It IS appreciated.
One thing I don't believe was mentioned is consigning it to a dealer. I sold several cars that were in an estate I was executor of through a dealer and it worked very well. They generally take a 10% commission. They will advertise it and screen buyers and arrange shipping. You may have to go a few miles but it could be worth it.
Will try to list it here first and try to figure out Craigs list.
Don't sell yourself short. As 59-59-59 bravely and accurately pointed out and took heat for it, if you can post on THIS site, you have 99% of the computer and internet skills needed to post on craigslist or anywhere else.
No lie. What the H people. Give someone some help? Give him a break maybe? This site is generally always helpful. Guy comes on here for help. Going to sell his car which won't be easy for him. People take jabs? What The???
My neighbor said we could take a movie of the car with my cell phone. He would help with that. Can I send a movie here to this cars for sale section? Pardon me, but I am really not keen on this stuff. I am checking with dealers, but really got smacked in the face with the first one I approached, said I was wasting their time. No problem, didn't give a **** about this dealer anyway. Will check with one about 30 miles away. Any hoot, if I can put a movie here that would save a lot of picture taking. Thanks all AGAIN!!!!
I am checking with dealers, but really got smacked in the face with the first one I approached, said I was wasting their time.
What kind of dealer? If just a regular used car lot, I'm not surprised they're not interested. The market for a car like yours in any one location is likely very small. They want late model used cars that can move off the lot as quickly as they move them on. What you need is a dealer who specializes in old cars. Have you tried contacting someone like that?
Another alternative is Hemmings Classic Car. The site is full of cars like yours, and that site gets a wide audience.
It may not be possible to post a video here, but it can easily be posted to youtube with a link to the video posted here. People do that on this site all the time.
My neighbor said we could take a movie of the car with my cell phone. He would help with that. Can I send a movie here to this cars for sale section? Pardon me, but I am really not keen on this stuff. I am checking with dealers, but really got smacked in the face with the first one I approached, said I was wasting their time. No problem, didn't give a **** about this dealer anyway. Will check with one about 30 miles away. Any hoot, if I can put a movie here that would save a lot of picture taking. Thanks all AGAIN!!!!
If your neighbor is willing to assist, you can post a video to YouTube (I'm betting your neighbor knows how to do this - hopefully) - it's really quite simple. Yes, you are correct, this site is not capable of hosting videos. If you're interested in posting to this site's Olsmobile's Cars For Sale section, simply post the YouTube link where the video is located. I'll post a link of my car just to demonstrate for you how easy it is. Good Luck with the sale.
A movie might be nice, but pics of things can be better judged by the potential purchaser.
1. Vin number,
2. Cowl data plate,
3. Engine serial number,
4. Carburetor number,
5. transmission vin derivative and tag.
6. rear end differential,
7. dash and instrument panel,
8. seat/interior pics
9. undercarriage/floorboards
Look for a place that sells "Classic cars" not just any dealership.
Don't be too intimidated by Craigslist. I sold my '72 Supreme a couple summers ago. Was flooded with inquiries a couple hours after posting, but that's here in Northern CA. SF bay area. The main thing is to be alert to scammers. Also I like to talk on the phone in person as opposed to texting, as you can generally get a better impression of what kind of person they are. I also like to show the car during the day, preferably with other people around, then if a deal is made, take them to the bank to deposit the money. In my case I needed to go there anyway to get the pink slip. Just basic 21st century street smarts. I know you have enough life experience to know about these things, it's just what helped me deal with it. Best of success on your selling!
Hey, all I did was suggest he investigate selling it at auction. If he does it next January, there's the added attraction of a trip to Scottsdale in the middle of a frozen North Dakota winter.
I was able to drive it to a Chevrolet dealer 30 miles away today and they put it up on the hoist for me. And they did it for free. So I took lots of pictures with my camera and cell phone, even a video of the undercarriage. Yes, I had help. I hope to have an ad for the weekend. I did try to put one on last night but I had too many photos, and couldn't figure out how to remove the excess so I lost the whole listing and will have to start over. Spent over 1 1/2 hrs to do what I lost. Will chalk it up to a learning experience. I really wish I could remember these computer things from day to day. If I don't do it frequently, I struggle with it terribly the next time. I do take notes though. Thanks for all the help guys. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
Last edited by yellowone; Mar 18, 2021 at 05:51 PM.
Reason: MISSSPELLED WORD
It amazes me that people lack common sense anymore these days- I don’t care how old or young you are. You do realize your on the internet- yes? You have a ton of ‘outlets’ to advertise on- you just did it here for free! Did you not realize that?
May need to read your own words before attacking anyone. Nothing good to say, do not say anything.
Yellowone: Classic car sales are more difficult than a daily driver, takes time. We have had good luck on FB marketplace, at least you can check out there page and how long they have been posting. GLWS
Last edited by classicmuscle442; Mar 19, 2021 at 05:41 AM.
Try Bringatrailer.com. They can if you want send someone out to take professional pictures and do all the legwork. It comes at a price as all things do. But maybe paying for the convenience of this is good for your needs. I love my 71 Supreme and it is not near as nice as what you've described with yours! Good luck and safe travels!
Good luck Yellow, It looks you are started on your way now. That was really nice of the dealer to put your car up to take pics. I think you will find, like any new unfamiliar task, that after you complete it you will say "that was easy". Sorry you have to sell your car, but sometimes it is for the best.
Good thread. I myself am in the position that I probably need to sell my 1972 Supreme. I just don't drive it anymore. I just truly don't know what it's worth.
There are a few pics on my page, but I'll post some more when I get a minute, along with the story behind it. This has been a helpful thread. Green interior. This car was originally green until Dad had it painted silver, complete with Chebby stripes. Wheels bought at a swap meet in Lawrence. Beauty rings, bezel inserts and caps. They were green. Had them painted to match the car. A little surface rust under the door trim. A little surface rust on the drivers side front fender. A "door ding" some careless person put in the passenger rear quarter.
Last edited by kevin.horton; Mar 21, 2021 at 02:57 PM.
Reason: A few pics
