StarRacer

A member recently posted about car shows. Call this the cousin post to that...................

This past weekend I sat in a car corral for 3 days at a local swap meet. This isn't Carlisle by any means but rather big for the area. Old cars take money so I'm attempting to sale my 1980 C10 for cash to put towards my Oldsmobile. These "square body" trucks are through the roof right now in value and price. I priced mine accordingly but realistic. Sitting there for 3 days, here are some things that I observed:

1. People purchased a spot in the car corral just to park their car to hang out with their buddy......have a paved spot......be closer to the entrance. On Sunday, I had a new Ford right next to me that was NOT for sale. INFURIATING
2. I was amazed at the number of people selling who would park for an hour then get in their car and move it to a different area of the parking lot, sit there for an hour, and then move again. LOL. This seemed very strange to me.
3. The number of people who think they know what they're talking about but have no clue is staggering.
4. I had a sign taped to my window CLEARLY LISTING all of the trucks options. I watched people read that and then come to me and ask me a question that was already answered on the sign. This happened a lot. Perplexing.
5. Men making sure their kids / wives / girlfriends / friends "know" the truck was a 76' 78' 81' etc......even though 1980 was clearly listed.
6. I learned that "MAKE ME AN OFFER" is a waste of ink. Out of everything, this seemed the most baffling. Not a single person attempted an offer.
7. Some people would run to the truck, see me sitting behind it and quickly walk away. Huh????
8. Some people would walk past, see me sitting behind it then feel they needed to look at it. Huh????
9. One guy just wanted to make sure I knew he had $6000 cash in his pocket. Even after I told him I didn't need to see it, he still showed me. Unreal Just unreal. I have seen way larger amounts than that at BJ, Mecum and even the Charlotte Auto Fair. Big shot in his own mind. So dumb to me.
10. Not surprisingly the truck is back in my front yard with the FOR SALE sign.

Comment as you feel ........just found all this to be entertaining yet strange.

briane

I went to Carlisle this Spring. In the Car Corral we noted lots of late model pick-ups that were not actually for sale. Guys bought spots so they could park within the gate. I'd estimate this was about half of the Car Corral spots. Others commented on it. I find this a disturbing trend.

StarRacer

I could have made THIS #11!! It happened where I was too. In fact, I had a late model Ford right next to me. It wasn't for sale! Infuriating!

don71

I've come to realize that selling can be a daunting task. Do everything right and its still taxing. People.

I can relate to number 2. Maybe they were trying to get more exposure to their "stuff", better traffic, etc. Because, you know where all in a hurry for instant gratification.

I wonder why people don't make offers. Are they really not interested in buying, or are they somehow clueless in the art of the deal and bargaining when pressed to do so?

Good luck with your truck sale.

Koda

People don't make offers because they've had bad experiences with sellers who get offended.

Fun71

I think this is universal in just about every area of life.

Tri-Carb

Regardless of whether you personally feel it is an overshoot, applaud your fellow man for taking precautions (masks, distancing and vaccinations) against further spread of the virus. The overarching issues today are the same as they were when you were vaccinated for tuberculosis, smallpox and polio—-health and science, as opposed to politics. We all share a stake in pandemic related safety measures and outcomes with our local and international brethren. (The dominant.Covid 19 variant in the USA is the more contagious British mutation.) Our experience with Covid will not be over in the near term. Just ask India which reopened too much, too soon and now has about 400K new cases per day.

therobski

At this stage of the game, in the 18 months we have almost completed our downsizing project that included selling all but 1 of my collection. I placed ads in Hemmings, with full up front description and transparency. Had no issues at all without the crap and frustration you described. You have a very desirable truck, just and idea from my recent experiences..

joe_padavano

Thirty seconds skimming posts on the Oldsmobile sites on FB should have told you that.

StarRacer

EDITORS NOTE: After some introspection, I decided to change #1 to what would have been #11. My original #1 was just too political and didn't need to be voiced. Sorry for any confusion reading the first few replies on here.

StarRacer

I have seen you deal with this on here quite often. I am here because I DO NOT know things. It's a great place for help. It just baffled me to sit there and listen to the conversations. I mean, I was sitting right there!! I AM THE OWNER!!! Yet, the "experts" didn't care.

BangScreech4-4-2

The guy who wanted you to know he had $6K in his pocket was actually making you an offer.

StarRacer

Um....no he wasn't. The guy had zero intention of buying the truck. He said, "I have six grand in my pocket right now"..........I replied, "You need to come a little stronger". He never asked what that was......never came a bit higher.....never asked me where I needed to be. If he was serious, at least one of those would have been discussed. It was all about showing off. Again, I was adamant that I didn't need to see his money. He proceeded to show me the wad anyway. He was a clown. Even my reserved fiancé said, "wow, what a douchebag".
Clown show.

StarRacer

It's an option, although I am not sure it's "Hemming's worthy". That said, I was contemplating Craigslist but after seeing what I saw this weekend, I'm not sure I want a train of that coming to my house.

Koda

The idea behind flashing cash is the concept that it is "money right now." Many people put on ads online "I don't need to sell this; I'm not divorcing or needing medical bills paid, so I'm not desperate; low ***** will be ignored" because a lot of people assume that anything for sale is a desperation sale. Hell, I had one guy chasing me with cash on the power tour for 5 stops for my ride.

therobski

Craigslist, mostly likely you will deal with the same type of crowd.

Weezer

Funny, I was going to reply about that particular point, but decided not to. It wasn't overly political, I understood where you were coming from. I started typing, then thought better because I didn't want your thread to go that way.

I hate the "I've got cash now" type of guy. Funny thing is with my Starfire, I have yet to have any offers. So, of course that tells me I'm too high for the current state of the car. I'm actively taking steps to address a few things to change the perceptions of potential buyers. On other things I've sold, I have gotten the occasional Craigslist jackass that sent an email "OVERPRICED" on items that were very fairly priced, and wound up selling for close to my ask.

joe_padavano

While I have not tried to sell any of my cars, I've found that few people have clue as to what it costs to put a car together. I had my 62 wagon at my vending spot at Spring Carlisle, not to sell it, but because that's what I drove up there. Many, many people asked if it was for sale. My response was "everything is for sale for the right price". As we talked, it was clear that none of these alleged buyers had any idea of how much money is in the car as it sits. When I told people that I had about $10K in it not counting any of my labor, people thought I was joking.

oldcutlass

Yeah, that is a sad truth about the costs of todays car hobby!

Vintage Chief

My Indian motorcycle could be the death of me. It takes me 30 minutes to fill the 5.5 gallon tank. I always enjoy talking to anyone about any subject - if they have something noteworthy to say/discuss. Someone always wants to start a conversation as soon as I've donned my helmet and I'm ready to leave in 90°F temperature w/ 90% humidity. One day a bubble-headed trilobite came rushing over to the bike to tell me all about someone in her family who owned the greatest motorcycle she ever saw and mine was nearly identical to that motorcycle. I listened to the babbling brook for nearly ten minutes - all the while she's staring at the motorcycle (with Indian emblems on the frame, top of the gas tank, side of the gas tank, license plate monogram, transmission cover & odometer/speedometer (not to mention the windscreen, as well). When she finally stopped babbling long enough to ask what year Harley Davidson it was - I politely said "have a pleasant day" & headed out with the sun to my back. They're everywhere - you cannot get away from them, they will hunt you down.

Yellowstatue

" Trilobite" Glad the C. O. D. is right by my hand. I am learning a crap load of stuff here. But, my head hurts from the constantly expanding universe.

Koda

Never called someone a trilobyte. Troglodyte, on the other hand, yes.

no1oldsfan

Was six grand anywhere near your asking price?

I swear the more time gets behind us the more clueless people seem to get. The time I had a guy want to fight me because I wouldn't admit that my 70 442 was actually a Challenger topped it for me. Funny thing was also is that his friends didn't know better either. Hell that was in the eighties also. Stupid is just stupid.

chip-powell

Don't meet them at your house. Arrange a meet at some other public area.

StarRacer

It's amazing, frustrating and sad.......

StarRacer

This is an excellent idea. Also proves that the truck runs and works properly.

StarRacer

[QUOTE=no1oldsfan;1339657]Was six grand anywhere near your asking price?

I have always been under the belief that you show an ASKING PRICE but also have a "BOTTOM LINE" in your mind. Is that "old school" thinking? Is there a new way of selling a vehicle?
What frustrated me more then anything was his "offer" wasn't far off from my bottom line but we never came close to even discussing it because he wanted to make sure I saw his cash. I mean.....great dude, you have money in your pocket! But what about this truck? Are you serious? He obviously wasn't serious.

OLDSter Ralph

[QUOTE=StarRacer;1339755]They say, "Cash is king". I doubt he was carrying the money around in his pocket just to impress you. You have to ask yourself, did he have more cash in another pocket ? You could have given him a number. You may have missed an opportunity.

StarRacer

[QUOTE=OLDSter Ralph;1339776]This post is becoming as frustrating as the sell.......

I will try and be as CLEAR as I can be ........even though I have already stated this I will break down the conversation.
Man: I have $6k in my pocket
Me: Well sir, you need to come a little stronger....
Man: No seriously, I have $6K in my pocket right now
Me: Sir, six grand isn't gonna do it. You need to come a little stronger.
Man: Do you want to see it? Look, let me get it out....
Me: No sir, I do not need to see your money.
Man: Look! Here it is, six grand!
Me: Sir you need to come up and we'll talk
Man: .......... walks away

For the few of you defending this guy (were you there?), please show me in that dialogue where he attempted another offer. He could have said "Ok, $6500". He didn't even do that. I mean my goodness, He never asked me how strong.....or what my bottom line was.......or where I needed to be. NOTHING!!!! I am at a loss here how this is my issue or that I missed a sale? The entire conversation was about the money in his pocket and not where I was willing to go in price. So again, he had NO INTENTION of buying that truck.

no1oldsfan

Not trying to rub you the wrong way. What were you asking? Have you thought about trying to sell here or other like sites?
Selling a car be very frustrating these days. I think plenty of us are used to posting and selling a vehicle quickly. These days not so much. Try and be patient. It will work out.

StarRacer

No worries. And I agree with you about selling in today's market / climate. As someone else stated above, we do know what vehicles are worth while the general public has no clue. Yes, a truck like mine would have sold for $5-$6K a few years ago. That's just not the case today. Any GM truck from 1968-1987 is hot! With that said, I think some of the auction prices are a bit absurd for these things but nevertheless, I was and still asking $9500. If that gentleman would have wanted to discuss another number, we might have came to an agreement. I'm not sure if it's financial or the way people think these days or a mixture of both but it can definitely be frustrating.

1969w3155

I prefer Australopithecus. It throws them for a loop.

Yellowstatue

Shouldn't they be called Africpithecus if they are found in Africa?

1969w3155

That would be Australopithecus Africanus.

Yellowstatue

Ahhhhh. Excuse my oversight.