MUSCLE CAR PEOPLE, Is it just me, or is this deal WAY too good to be true?

[Countryboy96]

So I was browsing craigslist today, and came across this here muscle car:

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3335203771.html

$5000 for ALL that? I'd have that car in my driveway waiting for my buddies at Maaco to fix that paint, and the seller would have 50 Benjamins, if not for one thing: The car has been for sale locally for well over 3 months. It started out priced at 7000, which gradually decreased to the 5000 it is now. According to the owner, it needs to be dyno tuned but still runs great, and is perfect mechanically. Have not seen it but did speak to him on the phone.

I have the money to get it and spend several more hundred to get the paint fixed and get a tune. I want a true muscle car I can enjoy for a few years and then sell without losing money. But why has nobody bought it and copped this steal of a deal in over 3 months? There's plenty of guys around here who love this kind of cars and have a lot more money than me. And old shells of these cars go for half of what this "street & track" ready beauty that "turns head" and only needs about 500 bucks to be perfect is.

(EDIT) The owner also said the car has ZERO rust, this was one of the first questions I asked as it is a 40 year old car.

So, what do you muscle car heads think?

 

[beerdog]

If it was such a good deal someone wouldhave bought it. Then again, it is just a cutlass and not a 442. No matter how nice you make it......it is just a Cutlass at the end of the day. Plus it has a custom green rusty paint job that needs to be redone. Would probably cost a pretty penny to get it redone. You would have to redo the whole car since you could never match that custom color. We will know what it is worth when it sells.

 

[steve]

It is not turn key, needs work. You would be getting this guys headache for $5k.

 

[beerdog]

Sometimes buying someone else's project car that is "almost finished" is a good deal, but many time sit is not.

 

[tixer]

It's nothing a couple cases of flat-black Krylon wouldn't fix...

 

[KStromberg]

I dunno. Doesn't look too shabby for $5k. Then again, my buddy bought a turbo regal that is fast as hell with 23psi of boost for $5k and he hardly drove it this year. Cracked intake, bad heads, and puffing white smoke after we put the screws to a crotch rocket coming back from getting race gas. It was hacked to hell but looked good on CL.

 

[Countryboy96]

Well, I finally took it upon myself to go look at the car, after seeing it relisted for the 20th time. What can I say... all you guys saying if it's such a deal someone would have bought it were RIGHT!

Let me start off by saying the car was located in one of the worst areas of Durham, NC. I heard most street names I was driving on on the news, and was asked if I got crack to sell twice (don't know if it was my pimped out ES or just the sight a white boy in a polo in the hood). When I got there, the car was in the backyard of a house that had 5 thugs hanging in front of it, 4 of whom left pretty much as soon as I hopped out of my car with my 9mm on my hip. The fifth was the car's owner. When I had to tell him to pull the car out of his backyard to the street because I don't feel comfortable going back there (and I'm the one with the pistol) and he sighed, that should have been my hint to make like a tree. He obliged and went back there, as he went to start the car, surprise, it didn't. Over... and over... and over again. "Oh, it's cool, it just sat for a minute", yeah, sure. When it finally started, it sounded like two cylinders were dropping on and off sporatically. "Oh, nah, that's the computer that need to be tuned", NO IT'S NOT, YOU FREAKING IDIOT! IT'S BAD VALVES, BAD HEAD, BAD INJECTORS, BAD WHATEVER, BAD ENGINE! I offered 2500 cash. The guy replied I'm trying to rob him. I replied that it's funny he said that, I felt like HE was the one trying to rob me, first him and his homeboys that bounced as soon as they saw I was strapped, and second by trying to sell me a car with a bad motor. He said it's not like that. I said have a good day.

MEMO TO EVERYONE: IF YOU GO MEET SOMEBODY YOU MET ON THE NET TO BUY SOMETHING, BRING YOUR GUN, OR BRING SOMEBODY THAT WILL BRING THEIRS. I'M 99.9% SURE IF I DIDN'T HAVE MINE, I WOULD HAVE LOST $5000 AND MAYBE MORE TODAY! BE SAFE PEOPLE!

 

[beerdog]

Did you have the 5K on you?

 

[Countryboy96]

Did you have the 5K on you?

Yeah, I was ready to make a deal, and normal people who are not thugs or liars are much more negotiable and take you a lot more seriously if you got cash in hand.

 

[KStromberg]

Reminds me of a time when I went to look at a "low-mile" 92 Grand Marquis. A couple thugs were standing by this car too. It had cancer all over it and they took advantage of the fact it had a 5 digit odometer to tell me it had less than 100K miles. No way! My buddy was with me and we crawled under the car and the transmission was almost laying on the ground! The crossmember was completely broken and as our eyes met underneath the car I could see him saying "let's get the hell out of here" with his eyes. LOL Guy wanted $1500 for it. We walked away and he stared at me the whole time. That was nervewracking!

 

[Countryboy96]

Reminds me of a time when I went to look at a "low-mile" 92 Grand Marquis. A couple thugs were standing by this car too. It had cancer all over it and they took advantage of the fact it had a 5 digit odometer to tell me it had less than 100K miles. No way! My buddy was with me and we crawled under the car and the transmission was almost laying on the ground! The crossmember was completely broken and as our eyes met underneath the car I could see him saying "let's get the hell out of here" with his eyes. LOL Guy wanted $1500 for it. We walked away and he stared at me the whole time. That was nervewracking!

You know where I'm coming from. I would have had my buddy and I take turns crawling under that car, y'all left yourselves vulnerable by going under there at the same time!

 

[KStromberg]

You know where I'm coming from. I would have had my buddy and I take turns crawling under that car, y'all left yourselves vulnerable by going under there at the same time!

Valid point! LOL Talk about post-traumatic stress disorder! I don't think my heart quit beating fast until we got to the highway. SHAAADY as fook! LOL

 

[Countryboy96]

Well I wasn't acting too smart either, I should have brought a friend along...
Wait, I brought two! Smith and Wesson are their names, lol.
But for real, I should have brought a person along. My girl knew what I was doing, but that would have only helped post fact...

 

[steve]

wow, used car buying is tough where you live

 

[beerdog]

I saw a post earlier this year for a mark 8 in one of the worst neighborhoods arround here. The car picture had 4 rough looking guys in the background sitting on a porch. Stated the car was in great condition. Price was $3000 CASH ONLY.

 

[Countryboy96]

LOL, most of the area is actually a great place to buy a car, especially the sticks. When good ole boys hear the same accent as theirs, you're friends before you even look at their car. I just got a lifted Grand Cherokee today for half the guy's asking price (which was a steal even before the 50% discount, lol). It's just the people in the ghetto trying to either flip crap cars and beat you in the head or just flat out rob you in like 10% of cases, other 90% are cool sellers. And beer, I see you're from Chi town, so the neighborhood I was in for the Olds is probably like a damn country club compared to where that Mark you mention was.

 

[svtlincoln]

thread is old but I feel the need to comment. 5 dudes vs you. The best and safest bet would've been to keep driving. I'm as pro gun of a guy as you'll ever meet but sometimes it's best to just not even risk having to squeeze that trigger.