From: brooks@mcnc.org (Ted Brooks)
Newsgroups: alt.autos.antique
Subject: Old cars and wild goose chases (long)
Summary: Don't believe what you're told
Date: 12 Oct 92 12:10:48 GMT
Organization: MCNC Center for Microelectronics, RTP, NC


Awhile ago, someone posted a question about the hazards of buying a car long
distance, to which I replied _never_ spend money on a car you haven't seen.
A case in point that happened to me on a _local_ car this week.

Ad in the local paper:

Chev '46 Fleetmaster. Blk, 8640 orig. miles, garaged, $3000. xxx-xxxx

Now fellow netters, would that ad catch your eye? Sure caught mine. Despite
the fact that the last thing I need is another car, I couldn't help but call.
Who knows, maybe some old guy has a woodie or convertible stashed in his
barn and doesn't know what he's got, right? So I call.

I reached some half-crazy old lady who verified this info, and told me it was
a 2 door coupe. She knew the car - her father in law bought the car new, and
now he and the lady's husband were both dead, so she wanted to sell. Couldn't
tell me much more about the car that made much sense.

So far, so good. It's not a woodie, but it's a desireable body style at a
reasonable price, if everything else checks out.

I asked directions. After a set of incomprehensible directions
she finally gave me the street address. Good thing - I'd never found it
otherwise.

I got there and the car was sitting next to the house. Good thing. The house
had a fence all the way around it and there was a german shepherd (the 4 leg 
kind :-) ) inside. One look at the car and I knew I'd been had. The car had
obviously been sitting outside awhile because it had 1 flat & 2 nearly flat
tires on it. Never mind all the roadside dust & dirt on it. The black paint
was lightly peppered with rust. (In all fairness, there was very little
rustthrough.) So black - true. Garaged - probably not during this decade.

The odometer reading? Funny you should ask. Sure enough, it read 8640 miles.
But something about the bald tires, the worn pedals and wear on the driver's
door panel made me somewhat suspicious :-) 108K? probably. 208k? not likely,
but possible. 8k? no way.

I tried to talk to the lady before I left. The sign on the fence said 
beware of dog - blow your horn. I blew the horn, but she never came outside,
even though I could see the TV on in the back of the house. She must be deaf
as well as crazy. So I just left, knowing I'd paid $300 for it but not $3000.

My point? NEVER send money to some idiot for a car you've never seen & tell
him/her to deliver it. Chances are, whether by accident or intent, you will 
find the car wasn't what you'd expected from the owner's description.
As always - buyer beware.

I would like to hear other people's tales of wild goose chases they've been
on over old cars. The one I saw sure didn't turn out to be the stuff of
legends. Anyone else got a good (true) story?
 
Ted Brooks
 ______________________________________________________________________
| Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are my own, and do not reflect    |
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|                         _____|  1955  |_______                       |
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Newsgroups: alt.autos.antique