Once again, someone knocked on the door to ask if I want to sell my 2002 Yamaha R1. I understand why. Between lack of time and crappy weather, I seldom ride it anymore. Still, it’s weird that people keep asking to buy it.
The SO has a 2000 Toyota Extended Cab (not Crew Cab) Tacoma. It has a four-cylinder engine and a five-speed standard transmission. She had it repainted about a year and a half ago, to its original bright, non-metallic red. Even before she had it spruced up, people frequently asked if she wants to sell it.
Do strangers approach you to ask to buy your vehicle?
A friend of mine just sold his 2003 Subaru WRX STI. Very low miles, great condition. He had another friend put it on a Facebook group and a guy was interested immediately.
After a little phone conversation the buyer met my friend at our local bar, with $23,000 in cash to buy the car. The buyer was a young guy who said he was a car collector who made his money in real estate, I think he was one of those people who purchase cars and then “flip” them and resale. Whatever. The deal was legit.
My 2002 Trans Am WS6 was parked right out in front and the guy caught me in the hallway and wanted to buy it right then too. It is a very clean, mostly stock, version of a car that most have been modified and raced. I declined because I am keeping it until death do us part.
My house is off the beaten path and the car is usually in the man cave, so no one would just drop to ask about it.
The SO’s Tacoma has little more than 100,000 miles on it. (Plus it has some very nice – they were rather expensive – ‘aloha’ seat covers I bought her for Christmas last year.)
When she was laid off, she said she would probably have to sell it. Now she’s employed, but she still said she’d sell it if someone offered her $7,500 for it. When she was unemployed, she was thinking of asking $6,500 for it. If she does decide to sell, I’d rather buy it from her and get rid of the Jeep. But she’d think I was giving her ‘charity’ if I bought it, and she’s using the Jeep for her new job.
I sure wish people would ask to buy my car , but I have no such luck. I have a 1998 Toyo Camry. My SIL said it was a good and I should buy it . I am sorry I did , I had it 4 years now .
In the mid-late 80’s I drove a '69 Pontiac LeMans convertible. I had to keep a waiting list and show people that I was putting them on it to stop them coming by. At 10 names I refused to keep doing it. One guy called to make sure I had his new number when he moved.
At one point I threatened to get a custom bumper sticker saying “No, it’s NOT for sale!!!”
I had a 1961 Ford Falcon Ranchero. I had it from about 1995-2006. People stopped by all the time to ask if I was selling it, and sometimes left notes on my windshield.
I finally did sell it when my son was a baby, and I realized I wouldn’t be able to work on it as much as I needed to, to keep it in good shape (if it was well-tuned, it got 25mpg, but it needed to have the gaps on the sparkplugs checked monthly, and the timing checked every three months, etc.) It also wasn’t really safe to transport a carseat in. It had seatbelts, because I installed them, but it didn’t have shoulder belts, and we acquired a more suitable second car when one of my cousins moved from Chicago to Oregon; he knew his 14-year-old car wouldn’t pass Oregon inspections, and he wanted a new car when he got there anyway, so he gave me the old one, and I’m still driving it. It’s 21 now, and a really good car-- it’s an Acura, if anyone wants to know what kind of car will last 21 years with original engine and transmission.
At some point, I expect people to start dropping by and asking if I’m selling the Acura.
Happened to my Step Dad all the time in the mid 90’s he had a 73 Nova that was in bad repair in the driveway that he never got around to fixing. At least once every 3 months people would come ask about it.
We had a 48 Chevy in half our garage people always wanted to buy. With the dust and all I clearly wasn’t driven and I understood the interest. I had someone at a low-rider show make me a serious enough offer on my 58 Edsel (there wasn’t enough to restore so I made it more a rod) that I took the cash and a bus home from New Jersey.
I presume you mean the ones without a “for sale” sign in them. Yes, I got rid of two cars that way, one junker and one good one. I still have a '77 300D that several people have asked about, but now it paint is peeling and folks have quit asking about it.
Happened to us in the late 70’s. We had a '56 DeSoto that we always parked in the driveway, visible from a couple of blocks away in both directions. It was in very good condition, with extremely low mileage,* but was nearly as large and unwieldy as a barge. It was also fabulously ugly: about 70% black, 28% turquoise curvy patterns, plus white hardtop. Although it felt and sounded fine, we knew that the transmission (automatic, of course) would soon need expensive attention.
We’d had it for a few years, and were starting to think about moving on to something smaller, newer, and non-garish.
Wouldn’t you know it-- One evening a stranger rang our doorbell, wondered if we’d ever considered selling the old DeSoto in the driveway. We told him everything I just told you folks, plus a lot more.* Full and honest disclosure. Named our price, he agreed, drove it away the next day.
It had literally belonged to a little old lady who seldom drove it. We knew this because she lived across the street from my best friend’s mother, who had known the barge since it was brand new.
Freak neighbors wanted to buy our Subaru. Sold it, but elsewhere. I didn’t want to see it every day or hear, “wow, did you see how much I stole that car for???” :dubious:
