[frankym]

I am kind of curious as to where all these bargain hunters are? Maybe this should be another thread but I think there is an interesting topic about the Act of Selling a Cobra. I have had a bunch of old cars and yes they're typically harder to sell, there's a smaller segment of the population of buyers etc., but the cobra attracts by FAR the largest number of tire kickers I have ever seen. My last cobra was a solid daily driver, it was a shell valley with a 427 center oiler. The unassembled kit was over 20k without paint, and the motor and tranny rounded up the total list of parts to close to 30k or more. Well, to get 25k, it took so many phone calls with people that were either "ready to buy" or were so obviously just trying to make friends that I thought to myself that the next project I took on would have be one that I would not find myself growing out of for many years! I have had people call me and talk to me for 20 minutes, express sincere interest, but never make an appointment to see the car. One guy repeatedly asked me if I would drive the car to see him (less than 10 minutes away) and proceeded to bother the mechanic who was installing the new side pipes while it was on the lift, pulling and tugging at parts under the car.


So, I am shocked and amazed that when an undoubtedly really good deal comes along, all the guys that are talking low ball cash figures are nowhere to be found. This just confirms how most folks that try to negotiate over the phone before seeing and driving the car , or ask for a really good deal here on the forum are total dreamers with a genuine disregard for peoples' time. It's always a pleasure to deal with folks that are sincere, have the money, and have educated themselves about the car and the manufacturer.

While I was selling my prior cobra, I inquired about a few new projects, but only looked at a potential car to buy after telling the owner that I was awaiting a sale of my own car and didn't want to waste anyone's time, and then had the owner insist, saying come on down, we'll go for a spin. I had another guy that couldn't reach the pedals and couldn't speak english, what a farce. Maybe I am a rare guy, but I cannot see test driving a car, negotiating a price, for a transaction I could not complete, maybe you could go to a new car dealer and do that, after all, they're in the business of showcasing cars to potential buyers, but with a private sale, can't people just be honest and stop pretending to be in a position to buy somebody's car? Another guy looked at my other cobra, and kept comparing it to a car that he admidted was $60k, hello, cut the price in half and then you can make your comparison, it's like comparing a mercedes S class to a C class.