Sad sight

[L48]

I haven't had the experience with strangers cars so much, but definitely with people I know:

#1)
When I was a teenager, one of my friends had a 63 convertible in the garage. It was his father's car - in fact his father is the original owner. When I saw it, the body was on blocks and the frame was up against the side wall of the garage. The car sat in the middle of the garage. As my friend says his folks tend to "fill up" all horizontal surfaces, so the car was covered with boxes.

I thought it would remain there forever, filling up the garage and never getting fixed. And it did, for 20 years or so.

About three? years ago the project to restore it started. A replacement frame was found and the car was put back together. A lot of the work was professionally done, and the car looks great. My friend has a great situation now as his Dad paid for the restore, but my friend drives it most of the time.

#2)
Another friend of mine bought a 67 Camaro to restore. He has done a lot of work to the car: near complete disassembly, sandblasting, painting. Now he has four kids and it is not clear if the car will ever be done. This project is at least 15 years old and stalled out big time

#3)
One of my former co-workers has a 55 Chevy. It is a really nice car and IIRC it still has the inline 6, but he never drives it. Last time we talked it needed some wheel cylinders and maybe a few steering linkage parts were worn out. Of course the tires were also old. The car could be back on the road for well under $1000, and a couple weekends of work. Yet it sits in the garage for decades half covered with boxes. This one is the most painful becasue it is so close to being ready to go and enjoy.

#4)
One of my co-workers does charitable work for his church. He looks after things around the house for an elderly woman (95 years old I think). She has a copper 65 Mustang with 42k miles. She actually quit driving it in the 90's because too many people would follow her home and ask if she would sell it. This one is definitely sentimental, as her son owned it when he died. At least it is still in running condition, and it does occasionally move in and out of the garage on its own power.

 

[LVMYVT76]

This sounds like my father in law. He has a 55 chev convert that had everything done to make it original except door panels. I was the last one to drive it. That was over 17 years ago and the brakes and transmission were leaking then. Its sittting in his garage with tons of JUNK on top of it. AND he also has other 55-57 chevs that are sitting around outside rusting away including a 57 sedan delivery that I would like to help his restore. People ask to buy them but he won't sell anything. He has other cars in storeage that never get driven. His wife doesn't even know what he has or where they are.

 

[C3 4ME]

I used to drive for FedEx Home delivery on the side around rural central VA. I could tell you where a lot of classic cars are sitting rotting away. One I personally know of that kills me is a guy who bought a 71 Lincoln mark VII I think it is ( the 2 door coupe body style) brand new and it has sat for probably 20 years BESIDE his garage. It only has about 80000 miles on it and started up the last time he had it running several years ago.

 

[IH2LOSE]

Bring cash. Money Talks and BS walks. If they are in financial trouble, a little green under the nose goes a long way.

What make you think there may be financial trouble?

What makes you think somebody wants to give up what might be there dream, or the last connection to there youth for some cash.

This might work with a young adult selling something who is strapped for cash because he has too many payments, or carrying some high interest revolving dept.

But with the gray haired folks who purchased these muscle cars in the seventies and have them sitting in a barn, back yard, garage, Field ,what ever.

They are normally property rich, Meaning they own there home and just have to pay there property tax, Living what they consider comfortable off of there pension plan.

They come from a different time when you did not make any payments to anybody except for the bank who owned your mortgage.

Most of the time you get chased off the property because some ******* was there before you shoving cash under there nose.

Want to save a car

better understand why they are keeping,

So if you been able to use your line

Cash talks and BS walks

I would say best of luck to you

I have had plenty of fools come up to me, trying to purchase a car that's not for sale. throwing the word cash around like its magic and make somebody lose all sense of intelligence, only to call them to the plate on there offer and they have a total of 17,000.00 cash to there name and are going to the bank to see if they could get the rest.

 

[TWINRAY]

Some of us do eventially get 'um going again. I bought my '67 in 1975 while I had my '69 as basically a daily driver except for the winter. I drove it for a year to determine it's mechanical soundness. I then disassembled the trim pieces, bumpers and lights - stripped it, primed it and left it in storage until 1989 - at which point I finished it off. That's a 13 year sitting period. It wasn't a concours restoration but good enought that at its first outing back then, it won 1st place for street division. Photo is from a car show last year.

 

[BruceBed]

Bring cash. Money Talks and BS walks. If they are in financial trouble, a little green under the nose goes a long way.

It's NOTabout the money, if it were the car wouldnt' be there. Take a Psychology lesson- it's called emotional attachment.

 

[vett boy]

After all these sad posts I was cleaning out the shop this past weekend.There under boxes of papers and a few bails of hay was A 69 Saab I was going to restore for my wife five years ago.I've been shamed into at least considering this as a winter project.

 

[Garagetoyz]

I went back to the gents house on Sat. Asked if I had a chance..HAHA no way he says, ole sonny boy gets it first. Bah I tried, its just amazing to me how much these cars are worth and they sit. I know....sentimental value. My neighbor has a fine 66 GTO candle lite cream to die for. I guess after 20 years of asking I really should give up..Nah

 

[BruceBed]

I went back to the gents house on Sat. Asked if I had a chance..HAHA no way he says, ole sonny boy gets it first. Bah I tried, its just amazing to me how much these cars are worth and they sit. I know....sentimental value. My neighbor has a fine 66 GTO candle lite cream to die for. I guess after 20 years of asking I really should give up..Nah

Tell him that you started to look around for a GOAT, but would much rather end the search now. Let that sit on the air and see what happens. He knows you want it, you have to make him think otherwise. I think women call it "hard to get."

 

[81' Corvette Guy]

This beautiful vette has been sitting on this trailer since I was a kid...on the street behind my parents house. I am now 42 and still try to catch someone outside to ask if there would be anyway to buy this prized piece of history. I know the owner/care taker will put a new cover on it every couple of years as the last one would rot away..here is a glimpse of it with one of the rotted covers gone over the years. I would even include the owner in input into restoring the vette..to help him/her feel some personal imput into the resto project of this beloved car..(sentimental value must be real high here). Would love to have this ..trade my turn key 81 + cash for this one..is all original.

 

[zachh]

Theres a clue its been sittin for a while..... the trailer is even sittin with no tires.
good luck gettin it
zachh

 

[L48]

Maybe you could get the VIN and track down the owner - send a letter. It's a longshot but worth a try.