[olug] The definition of OT...

[Phil Brutsche]

Be wary of scams.

My dad tried to sell a 1967 Dodge Charger on Craigslist. One of the few
responses he got was someone in Nigeria (the evidence was in the email
headers) trying to pass off as someone in FL... turns out the name was
of someone with a history of fraud (and got prison time, according to
the FL department of corrections), and the given mailing address was for
a vacant house in foreclosure (my dad is a real estate agent and can
easily find out such things).

Just because you list it on eBay doesn't mean someone won't try
something similar.

Common method of ripping you off: send someone with a fake cashier's
check to pick up the car. Once the fake check bounces you're out the
cash, the car, and have no way of contacting the "buyer".

Some other comments, partly to echo what others have said (and to help
you and your buddy understand some nuances of the "classic car market",
in case a price hasn't been set yet; warning, very long!):

Depending on the model year and condition of the vehicle you will have a
hard time selling it, primarily due to the current recession. The only
things that were allowing people to buy muscle cars at the
hyper-inflated values that were seen a year or two ago was the
now-collapsed housing bubble that provided equity and easy credit.

This is what I mean about year and condition:

A good condition 1981 Corvette - regardless of whether it's original,
properly restored, or customized - won't ever have the value of properly
restored or good condition original 1968 Corvette. Once you get newer
than the mid 1970s value - and desirability - drop like a rock.

When I say original condition, it is typically understood to be a car
that has *never* been taken apart and has some flaws (faded paint, torn
upholstery, cracked dash). Depending on the condition an original car is
worth more than any restoration - sometimes they are in such good
condition that you would swear the thing had just driven through a time
warp.

Be wary of people who "restore" vehicles but end up installing extensive
modifications. A properly restored vehicle will always be worth more and
will sell faster.

As an example of a "proper" restoration that will help it hold it's
value, the car doesn't need to have the exact wheels (or engine, or
transmission, or interior, or ...) *that exact vehicle* had from the
factory, they just need to be correct for the overall model year or body
style. Restored cars that hold their value have minimal customizations,
especially if the customizations can be easily reversed. One example
would be putting on aftermarket (but correct for the year or "vehicle
generation") wheels because the owner thinks they look better.

"Cool" customizations that many apply - forced induction, a modern
fuel-injected engine & matching transmission, modern wheels with
excessive diameters and offsets that destroy the suspension, excessive
amounts of chrome, etc - are quite undesirable on the market and you
need to either deduct from the price, or understand that it will take a
lot longer to sell *if* it sells at all. Any customizations that involve
cutting into the vehicle will easily cut the value in half.

Remember, many guys buying these older vehicles are older guys who pined
over them as teenagers or 20-somethings and want them as they remember
them. Or they are restorers that want an unmolested vehicle that some
teenager or 20-something didn't alter in ways they thought was cool.

Noel Leistad wrote:
> Been asked to dispo a Corvette on eBay (for a friend). My eBay
> experience not at that level. Anybody here done same or similar? Willing
> to offer any advice RE: land mines, pitfalls, etc??

-- 

Phil Brutsche
phil at brutsche.us