I finally finished my Cutlass just over a month ago. It has been a 3 year project, although the car has been driveable since mid last summer and I have been driving it. Now that it is finished, I have been driving it as much as I can.

I had it at a larger local show yesterday and could not believe how much interest people had in it. I spoke with some while most just looked. It was surrounded by 3 custom Chevelles and a Nova.

I appreciated the compliments, but what surprised me were the people asking me "How much for the car?". I have no plans on selling the car and have no signs on the car so couldn't fully understand people just coming up and asking me that question.

In all, I think I was asked by about 4 people. Two were while I was away, but a friend told me about people asking and said one woman came and asked 3 times.

I had to laugh when I was telling a friend about this and his reply was "Tell them 35k, that should get you a nice W-30."

Is it common for people to ask how much for a car, or even make an offer, when there are no signs the owner want to sell their car?

 

Yes, it's common, them coming up with cash is uncommon.

 

yes all the time especially here in Chicago. I actually kind of struggle with it. I originally took it as a compliment but so many people ask I now know what most of them are really saying "hey are you dumb enough to sell it to me for nothing cause you don't know what you have and I don't have much money." I know that's my take but eventually I started telling people "well everything but my family has a price on it." Then when you let them know its worth more than the 4k they just offered they get po'ed or just walk away. Though occasionally you get people who say "what, you think I can't afford it is that what your saying, name a price I'll go get the cash now, FU" So who needs to tell someone like that the real worth.

So basically I just smile and say - I've had it for a long time I really have no intent on selling it. Its hard to explain to even halfway knowledgeable folks how much a W30 convertible is worth and there is no reason to let the world know either. Sorry was on my soap box

 

^^^What he said!!^^^

 

I think some guys want to feel like your equal, " I could own that."

 

I get no offers on my decent condition, car show worthy, Chevy. My 442 project though, inevitably, some hood rat wants to know if I'm trying to sell it. I'll be happy when I can get it to my new place and out of the hood. No hood scum will put huge wheels on any muscle I own, thank you very much, and if I had my way, that would all be illegal.

 

Amen, brother!

 

You never do know though. Years ago I was at a show with a friend of a friend with a gorgeous red and white 442 convert. He got the question and threw back a number a number bigger than he figured the car was worth. A couple hours later, the guy (who didn't "look" well off) showed back up with a paper bag with the quoted amount in cash... He wasn't originally interested in selling, but took the money and I'm told bought a nice '67 Vette convert.

 

When I finished my GTO back in '96 a guy at the big weekly cruise-in offered me 25K cash or a straight trade for his his wife's brand new Jaguar XJ something. His wife wanted the car and would stand a few steps back from him admiring my ride when he tried to deal with me. I checked on him and he owned a major vending machine company and drove a new white on white big Rolls-Royce to the shows and parked it on the street, he had the cash. I told him he could go buy A GTO convertible for 15K at the time but she wanted my car. He bugged me every week for years and the answer was always no, it always felt so good to watch that guy stew when I said it. He could buy her anything but my GTO.
It would of been like selling one of my kids or the dog, I still have the car and wouldn't sell it for 50K, well...maybe 50K.. Now my kids are fighting over who gets it when I croak.
I have a two year old grandson and I'm going to train him on proper car care and maintenance and if all goes well neither of my girls will get it. The only thing they ever wanted to do is ride in it and my son-in-law is clueless when it comes to cars like most of the twenty-something generation. He just knows how to goof with his smart phone, golf , and drink beer.

 

I've only had one guy I took serious with him wanting to buy my 70. I would always see him at cars shows for several years. We never talked money but he was driving a 69 Hurst Olds so I knew he was serious. The guy fell in love with my 70 and I thought my car didn't compare to his not because of the quality of the cars just because of his cars rarity! I have had it 25 years and just can't part with it!

 

I've had 3 offers in the past week. Usually in parking lots and one while stopped at a red light. I think that they just can't think of anything else.

I believe that I know the reason for this though. At least in my neck of the woods, mustangs are everywhere, camaros and vettes (you can't take a short hop to the local walmart w/o seeing at least 4 or 5 of them).
But an Olds cutlass convertible...even as a driver and not a show car, I turn heads everywhere. I think it's because there are no others around where I live.

 

There are lots of people who visit car shows specifically to buy cars "wholesale" so they can turn around and sell retail. Nothing wrong with that. Every business buys at wholesale and sells at retail. I just am not a wholesaler. Maybe if I had been trying to sell and needed to sell, with no luck, then I would entertain wholesale offers. But until I want to sell, I don't want wholesale offers!

 

I've only had my car for a year and a half. Everytime I take it somewhere I get the thumbs up from people on the road, people come up to me in parking lots to ask about it. Last weekend I took it to the Irish festival in St. Paul and even had an older gentlemen yelling at me while going 80 down the highway asking me what year it was. When we got there all the parking lots were full but I ended up getting a spot right by the entrance to the fair because the guy letting cars in liked my car so much he made room. To this point though I haven't had anyone ask if it was for sale. I am going to take it to my first car show this Saturday, just a small local one. I am curious to see if anyone asks there. While I like my car I would certainly sell it for the right price.

 

I did get some guy in Chisolm, MN, of all places, wanting to buy my Chevy. We had driven it up there to see family. He had a car collection and wanted to trade me a Corvair, of all things. Had to fend him off while touring the collection.

I don't mind decent people asking if it's for sale. I do mind people who assume it is, and get offended when it isn't, or when I don't like their lowball. The assumption can be blamed on car shows where most things ARE for sale, like the Thanksgiving Daytona show. The lowball thing; I guess people are just natively cheap.

 

no one ever asks me how '' how much i want for my car'' a lot of people ask me how much its worth...not sure how to take that

 

i seem to spend more time telling people '' no its not a 455 high output'' after they look at the hood

 

I think it has to do with people trying to get into your head on how much the car is worth. Hard to walk right up to someone and say: Hey how much is that thing worth? Easy to ask, how much are you asking for it? as a follow up question to: is it for sale?

 

I get that a lot also, but think of it as an opportunity to build interest in the hobby. People watch Mecum and other "reality" TV and assume it takes $30k to get in the game. I explain a good driver (Olds or otherwise, just not a bowtie) can be had for $10k or less. If you can afford most any new car you can get a classic and a used practical daily driver for the same money or less.

 

Read this thread then the daughter and I went to DQ.
"Hey I got an extra 10,000 would you let it go?"

"Not today"

 

I've owned my '67 442 convertible since 1968. First car we bought after we got married. I get that question at about half of the shows I go to. Though I've gotten offers for probably more than it's worth, I just can't sell it. Too much history. My wife feels the same way.

 

I don't think I've ever gotten that question at a car show, but on the street, all the time. In my '87 442 people are constantly pulling up to me at a light and asking "you sellin?" or "how much you want for it". I get it less in my '68 but then I drive that less than my '87. My dad and I were out in his '49 98 4-door the other day and some fine gentlemen having a cookout in their front yard started yelling "what year?" "you sellin?" . I just always say no and take it as a compliment that they like my car.

 

i always use it as a starter convo for someone who owns a car i always wanted and i just want to learn more about his car, i dont really have no intention of buying or him selling, thats me though lol

 

Wow "hood scum".
On the other hand some people ask "how much you want for it" and really what they are saying is "how much money do you have in that car".
Or like already stated Cutlass drivers are an uncommon site and an Olds cutlass convertible...even as a driver and not a show car, It turn heads everywhere.

 

I have had people ask me if a car I was showing was for sale, but I often find they are not serious. I had one guy beg me to sell my car to him so I threw him a price and he said he would do it and then I never heard from him again. Typical.

 

Don't remember anybody asking me if any of my cars were for sale..... but in 1980 or so, I did have the sales manager at Camelback Porsche threaten to call the cops on me for trespassing and have my Olds impounded so that it would end up where it belonged if I did not move my steaming pukin overheated 70 Cutlass Supreme that I had pulled off of the road and into the sales lot. I guess he figured my shoulder length hair and my weezin Cutlass was not a good impression on the few customers at the dealership at the time. He calmed down after a few minutes and let me use the water hose to cool the Olds down so I could limp off his lot.

And another thing, not one of those sales jockey guys even asked me if I would like to test drive a new Porsche, JEEEZ talk about profiling.

 

Yeah, hood scum. You know the type. Sideways hats, sagging pants, fathers of abandoned kids with women they never married, criminal records longer than my....well, LONG, tinted windows as dark as they are, playing rap music you hear for five minutes before you see their car, gangstas, g's, homies, playas....in other words poor black people in the bad part of town that are usually up to no good at all. I've got no issue with the race, but I very much dislike the ghetto culture many of them buy into.

Anyway, they always want to buy my 442 because the paint is bad, and they think they can fix it up into a real slick ride for cheap.

 

I actually had a guy pull up next to me at a traffic light yesterday and his exact words were (shouted from his window), "I'll give you 15 grand for it right now!". I thought that it was really funny at the time considering he was driving a mid 80's Toyota POS.

 

I have trailer park scum asking me to buy my car whenever I drive it. You know the kind with the jacked up 80,s ford truck listening to this country/hillbilly music with a bottom lip full of dip. Their teeth is the same color as wood. Overalls muddy boots.. In other word poor white people.. I've got no issue with race but very much dislike the redneck culture they buy into.. NO MY CAR ISN'T FOR SALE TO YOU. Stop spitting that dam dip everywhere...lol...

 

I just tell them it is my baby and is not for sale. Most of them have no idea what the car is worth and the rest of them are full of, well you know.

 

I had a couple in the last couple weeks tell me if the won the Powerball they would like to buy mine. I should check to see if the local winner was one of those guys. It would take insane money to part with it.

 

I'm just waiting to see which group of people gets chastised next? Is this really necessary?

 

I don't think it is, but the dude chose to criticize my words, so I elaborated, although I appreciated KB's efforts for a riposte.

Back on topic, everyone wants to buy, but they want to buy for cheap. It stands to reason that anyone who sells for cheap needs to sell, or is a sucker. If you're not sitting there with a for sale sign and plugging it, then you obviously don't need to sell, so anyone that comes up and lowballs you is trying to play you for a sucker and basically insulting your intelligence.

Best thing I've found is just to say no pretty curtly. "How much you want for it?" "No."

 

I've had a couple of offers from the PO to buy ours back, especially since the motor has been rebuilt.

 

No oldscutlass it is so not necessary but it just bugs me to see how some people stereotype people. Trust and believe I'm not here for that I'm tring to learn and get all the information I can as possible. This is a nice website with a few accept ions.

 

I hope I'm not one of your "acceptions."

 

Spontaneous unsolicited offers to buy a car are likely rarely serious. Or put another way, you'll know when one is. Most of the time, its just an excercise in what I call "platonic flirting"; in otherwords, bullsh*t conversation, which for some people is all they can muster.

 

What a freakin g jerk!

 

I always tell people the car has sentimental value and would probably have to get twice what it's worth. I've always found that responding that way puts an end to the money talk and puts the conversation back on the actual car rather than the value.

 

The first person that comes up with the amount that the voices in my head say it's worth it's theirs. I have no sentimental issues on any car, I can build another.

 

So basically, what I'm reading is that offers to buy the car are common, serious ones are not? That's what I figured.

Some of the stories in this thread are interesting to read.

I would have liked to talk with the woman that came to ask 3 times since it sounds like her ex-boyfriend had one. I guess she liked the car more than him

I guess I'll just have to come up with the "right price" and if I get asked again just tell them.

My Delta 88, I would not sell since it has been in the family since my Grandfather bought it new.

The Cutlass on the other hand, I am not looking to sell it, but as someone said, if I was offered "stupid money" who knows.