Craigslist sucks…for buyers

[slow84lx]

Originally Posted by Trip McNeely

Going to look at a '64 Bel Air this weekend!

Share some pics if you bring it home. Good luck!

[Gasser64]

Originally Posted by Trip McNeely

And that is my dilemma. I want what's in between this. I don't want a ready built car. I want to buy something with a straight body like doesn't have the frame or pans rusted to shit, or has bondo all over, but needs mechanical work/small cosmetic things. I can't mess with body work. It's a tough find.

An old truck that doesn't need body work puts them up into the $12k-$15k range it seems. I think your only hope (until the market changes) is to get some old beater that's rust free. Not a problem if you're still in texas. Save up the money and let the body man go to town.

Then again with this kind of inflation, I don't think you'd lose much. If you keep the truck for 10 years, you'll be able to sell it for the same price you paid for it. Maybe more.

Originally Posted by lowthreeohz

ya'll should scour fb marketplace out in my area (24501), tons of older barn/pasture/grandpa's unfinished projects out this way it seems.

An unfinished project might be the way to go, if you can look at it and tell the guy was good at metal fab. He may have poured a hundred hours of work into the frame and sheet metal, only to give up or run out of money. The truck is in pieces or has no engine and no interior, so you come along and get it for cheap.

That's like free money, imagine having to pay a fabricator's rate for doing all that. Well heavily discounted anyway. It's like the guy was working for $1/hour or something.

[bubbaearl]

the best bang for bucks is a project where the guy did the mechanicals but lacked the funds for body/paint/interior. i've bought many like this but the major expense is those 3 .
biggest problem is being able to negotiate price without them getting all butt hurt and throwing a fit. i have 3 fleetline chevys listed but dont get pissed at any offer on one of them.

[cool cat]

Apparently facebook is now asking for tax ID info before you post something for sale.

[bubbaearl]

not so far. at least they have not asked me yet.

[scootro]

Originally Posted by cool cat

Apparently facebook is now asking for tax ID info before you post something for sale.

no way! i call bullshit



Do you need a tax ID to sell on Facebook?

If you run your business individually as a sole proprietorship, you'll need to provide a social security number (SSN) or other tax identification (ex: country ID or passport number).

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by bubbaearl

not so far. at least they have not asked me yet.

X2

I’ll buy/sell exclusively on “offer up” if that’s the case

[Trip McNeely]

Well I was all set up to see the car this morning, and the guy sold it. It sucks because I messaged him when the ad on CL was 2 days old and he messaged me right back. I asked him what was a good day this weekend and he said Sunday at 9. I said ok cool. Literally a day later the car appeared on the site Barn Finds, and I knew I was never going to get the car, and sure enough I didn't. I subscribe to their email blast and saw it the next day after I messaged him. I knew right then it was over, but kept faith. I checked in with him yesterday to make sure we were still good and he was waffling, moved it to noon on Sunday. I said ok cool, I have cash in hand. Texted me this morning after I had loaded everything in my truck to go get it, and he said he sold it yesterday, sorry. Fucking sucks. It sucks because I wanted to fix it up and enjoy it. I'm sure it went to some flipper with lots of money who will sell it for 75k at auction. Such is the stupid market because of those people. Totally ruins the hobby for somebody wanting to fix something up nice for themselves and enjoy it. The hunt continues.

[bubbaearl]

i'v found that pulling the trigger on day one is the only way. i've missed out on several from procrastinating or waiting a few days. if i find something i'm on the road the next day. my falcon was only listed for a few hrs when i called him. i was about the 10th caller on it. all wanting to pick it up sat. i was there in 3hrs to get it. he had multiple calls all morning on it. i learned the hard way about waiting till the weekend. now i'm the guy that swopes in and gets it .

[Trip McNeely]

Originally Posted by bubbaearl

i'v found that pulling the trigger on day one is the only way. i've missed out on several from procrastinating or waiting a few days. if i find something i'm on the road the next day. my falcon was only listed for a few hrs when i called him. i was about the 10th caller on it. all wanting to pick it up sat. i was there in 3hrs to get it. he had multiple calls all morning on it. i learned the hard way about waiting till the weekend. now i'm the guy that swopes in and gets it .

I usually don't have time during the week, that's my problem. Plus I want to work with the buyers schedule at the same time and not be pushy. That's if and when they even reply to the email first off.

[bubbaearl]

i understand . i use to be the same but the first one there with cash gets it no matter what the seller says. i message them then go to texting right away. they will see a text faster.

[Gasser64]

Originally Posted by Trip McNeely

Well I was all set up to see the car this morning, and the guy sold it. It sucks because I messaged him when the ad on CL was 2 days old and he messaged me right back. I asked him what was a good day this weekend and he said Sunday at 9. I said ok cool. Literally a day later the car appeared on the site Barn Finds, and I knew I was never going to get the car, and sure enough I didn't. I subscribe to their email blast and saw it the next day after I messaged him. I knew right then it was over, but kept faith. I checked in with him yesterday to make sure we were still good and he was waffling, moved it to noon on Sunday. I said ok cool, I have cash in hand. Texted me this morning after I had loaded everything in my truck to go get it, and he said he sold it yesterday, sorry. Fucking sucks. It sucks because I wanted to fix it up and enjoy it. I'm sure it went to some flipper with lots of money who will sell it for 75k at auction. Such is the stupid market because of those people. Totally ruins the hobby for somebody wanting to fix something up nice for themselves and enjoy it. The hunt continues.

Go to the junkyard and drag something home that doesn't run. Lots of stuff in the junkyard that is only there because the transmission or engine finally died. Otherwise it's all straight, save for a few dents and dings. Forgot this is a car discussion, I was thinking trucks. You still might find something at the junkyard, even something not wrecked. But no engine or trans and busted glass. But you can get it for $800-$1500 instead of $8k minimum.

[Trip McNeely]

Originally Posted by Gasser64

Go to the junkyard and drag something home that doesn't run. Lots of stuff in the junkyard that is only there because the transmission or engine finally died. Otherwise it's all straight, save for a few dents and dings. Forgot this is a car discussion, I was thinking trucks. You still might find something at the junkyard, even something not wrecked. But no engine or trans and busted glass. But you can get it for $800-$1500 instead of $8k minimum.

How often do you find a 60s or 70s Classic in a junkyard these days? I might give this a try and see what’s out there.

[bubbaearl]

they're out there but you have to really search. but any 60's survivor is going to be around 10k. montana and wyoming have tons of yards. they didn't crush like other places.

[Jimbo]

Originally Posted by Stephen

X2

I’ll buy/sell exclusively on “offer up” if that’s the case

I'll have to look that up. Better class of customers?

[kingjason]

Originally Posted by Jimbo

I'll have to look that up. Better class of customers?

Hell no, it is awful.

[Gasser64]

Originally Posted by Trip McNeely

How often do you find a 60s or 70s Classic in a junkyard these days? I might give this a try and see what’s out there.

Here's my experience: You might have to travel, but you'll find them in Alabama. There's these "little guys" with smaller junkyards that have all manner of old crap. Probably texas too but I'm aware of some in alablamba. Hunt down the little junkyards in texas. There's one in the smaller town of alvarado. There's prine's in cleburne. When you go there ask the owners/workers who they know that might have some old junker trucks. They'll probably know somebody.

Another way is just riding the back roads. Those trucks are definitely there. You might catch some old guy that doesn't know about the gold rush and will sell some old old non-running truck go for $800-$1,500

As for the model, I only saw a few 60's trucks but there's lots of 73-87's. Which were the parts I was looking for. The repop interior pieces often don't fit, it's often better to just refurbish the crusty old originals.

Why not go with a 70's square body chevy? It's a 70's truck like you said, and they are plentiful.

[AnthonyS]

Gasser is kind of right. I live in a smaller town now and commute a lot of backroads to work. I see lots of cool potential projects daily and lots of wildlife. None of this cars or trucks will be on FB or CL but I’d you had cash, you’d be in luck. If I knew what someone was looking for I could ask around. I happened to find my new to me OBS on CL, but it was in the middle of nowhere and I had cash. It was a photo of cash I had that finally got the guy talking. He texted a bit but a photo of hundies got them a lot more chatty.

On my route to work I see an OBS a Buick GS / Skylark, a clean IROC Z, and other potential projects each day. I saw a V8 S10 out making a test hit one morning too. I also saw 3 kids on an ATV one day the youngest in diapers. And then the deer……. The deer, and raccoons, armadillos, turtles, and possums. One night I got called in and on the way home I saw 14 deer to zero cars on a 40 mile stretch.

[Trip McNeely]

The problem with most people out here in the country is trying not to get shot pulling up at a place asking about a vehicle. There’s tons of them though around. My problem is time or lack of it, I don’t have time to drive around and look.

[Gasser64]

The advantage of starting with some old crusty shit is that you get to make it the way you want it. Buying something already kinda nice, you don't want to spend money to change it. Not when the paint job still has some life left in it.

Just budget $4500 for an interior restoration, $4k-$6k for a paint job. Maybe another $5k for an 5.3L swap. Another $4k for odds and ends, like A-arms and wore out steering boxes. Now you have a very nice truck that's the envy of everyone who wants an old truck. And you're not even going to lose any money when you sell it. Keep it 10 years and you'll probably come out $1,000 ahead.

Redoing the interior is easy you can do it all yourself. Order those parts from USA1 (not LMC they suck). Try to do the door panels and any other interior plastics with SEM color coat, it will save a lot of money. A good quality set of door panels for the square body trucks is $600 new. If they're toast, buy them off ebay in decent shape and use the SEM. Saves you about $300. The sun usually gets those. Mine were fine on the texture but had warped. I've seen plenty that were the opposite, straight but disintegrating.

Don't know your skill level on engine conversions, but there are guys who have tackled the job themselves and it came out fine. You could always get it in there and get it running, then pay someone else to hook up all the little pita fiddly shit. Like the gauges and cruise and things that get on your nerves trying to make em work.

If you don't mind the truck being kind of weak in terms of power, you could save thousands on the engine conversion and just repair the original engine.