Tactful Answers

[Doug I]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Or they bang on the fenders with their knuckles to make sure it's not glass....

right then is when they ground out the 50k voltage potential in the aloomanim body.

everyone knows that if you disrespect a cobra it will bite you.

[Silverback51]

First off I believe it's rude to ask anyone how much they paid for anything. That's none of my business.

When asked I tell them I don't share that information. One person pushed it and asked again. At that point I was a little more pointed and told him it was none of his phucking business.

[danc30]

I usually say, "I'd sell it to you right now for $100K"

[HI Cobra]

For me it depends on how the question is asked. I usually give them the
range and tell them to check the internet - that they can spend whatever they
want. If they sound like they would like to build one then I advise them to
carefully estimate all their costs for whatever kit they are building, then add
about 50%, then they will be in the ball park.

[trs900]

I think most ask because the car looks real expensive and a lot of times they probably told their wife or somebody with them that it probably cost $100,000 so to satisfy their curiosity they feel compelled to ask, lots of times when I tell them they are surprised to find out how affordable they really are and always say what a nice car it is so it really doesn't bother me, hell I would tell them if it only cost $10,000.

No one has ever asked me how much our Honda Accord cost, I guess they just don't care..

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by trs900

I think most ask because the car looks real expensive and a lot of times they probably told their wife or somebody with them that it probably cost $100,000 so to satisfy their curiosity they feel compelled to ask, lots of times when I tell them they are surprised to find out how affordable they really are and always say what a nice car it is so it really doesn't bother me, hell I would tell them if it only cost $10,000.

No one has ever asked me how much our Honda Accord cost, I guess they just don't care..

OK, I'll bite. How much did you pay for your Honda Accord? Just kidding.

I totally agree with your statement. Ultimately, I think they're trying to figure how much your report on Line 37 of your 1040 (Adjusted Gross Income) and then somehow back into (calculate) your net worth.

[STL Mark]

I don't hesitate to tell them. I'm proud of it. The conversation usually goes - Hey - that's a beautiful car, a fantastic machine ... how much does something like that cost. I say around 70K. Some are more, some are less. Now, if he (or she) can afford it - they usually say wow it's a beautiful car - well done, because they know for that amount of money - an exotic sports car - is a great deal. The ones that can't afford it almost always say - that's a lot of dough for a "kit" car - which is where the conversation always ends.

Mark

[Wayne Maybury]

I find it strange that people regularly ask me (and obviously others) about the cost of my Cobra. However, I have never been asked anything about the cost of my '66 Mustang nor have I heard other collector car owners asked about the cost of their cars. Does anyone have any ideas why this seems to only happen to Cobras?

Wayne

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Wayne Maybury

Does anyone have any ideas why this seems to only happen to Cobras?

A welll built Cobra, be it glass or alum, Kirkham or FF, in addition to looking very fast, also looks very expensive.

[DaveSemko]

I've always had fun answering their question with a question...

"Do you want to know the cost including the new dining room set and diamond ring I had to buy for my wife, or just the car?" :-D

Then later on it became "Do you mean the cost to build it, or to buy it again during the divorce?" (groan)

The range thing works pretty well... I figure if they have to ask the price, they likely can't afford to buy/build - so why give them details.

[Madmiles442]

If she's hot I tell her it's insured for $750,000.....

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Madmiles442

If she's hot I tell her it's insured for $750,000.....

You just don't mention that that's for liability, not collision/comp.

[rbray]

....Like Chip Foose says when asked when asked how much one of his cars costs to build. "How much you got"?

[WildBill3]

I do enjoy spreding the word about how little you can get in for and how crazy you can go buying the latest hot parts,its a great hobby and can bring family's together to spend time on what we love Building ,driving and racing cars...

[Yetiman]

"How much have you got ? Let's make a deal !" for the nicer people who just seem to not come up with anything else to ask.

"Not anywhere near as much as you might think" for most (which is generally true).

To look at it truthfully, I probably have less into mine than what they are driving around for an every day car.

[jperickson2001]

1 Million Dollars! -John

[snowshoe427]

My friend uses a technique that I adopted which proved to be effective. Ask the inquiror a question. I usually responded with "How do you like the color? when asked how much my dearly departed ERA#404 cost.

[LRcobradreamer]

I am also new to this question, since I recently bought a Cobra.

I just had it at a cruise in and walked away for a short time. I noted a group around it and walked back to hear one guy stating he could buy one for 13k. Another guy said no it had to be in the 40k area. I should have kept my mouth shut and waited to see where this would lead, but I said, I like that number and would not add any more.

While I do not like it when people to answer a question with a question, in this case I may do it, if the guy annoys me.

Q: How much does it cost?

A: What do you think?

Lee

[RodKnock]

Personally, I would just say that I keep my financial information private but that new Cobras can be built at varying levels from $25,000-$150,000 or whatever the proper range may be. In today's world, I would rather not give anyone any ammo for whatever reason. My motto is less information given, the less problems you'll have.

[CNGreen]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Personally, I would just say that I keep my financial information private but that new Cobras can be built at varying levels from $25,000-$150,000 or whatever the proper range may be. In today's world, I would rather not give anyone any ammo for whatever reason. My motto is less information given, the less problems you'll have.

I really don't understand why the hesitance to disclose the price to build or buy. I explain that each one is unique and can range from the low 20's to well in excess of 100K, and tell them a low price for an original is 500K+ up to 5.5 million.

I was at a big gathering a few weeks ago (HB, 125+ cobr... er, roadsters ) and since my ride is still in the go-cart stage several asked how much I had into the build. This was almost always after the conversation as stated above. I answered with the truth, around 40-45K so far, and still need to budget bodywork, etc.

It's not like asking how much a person paid for a production car. It that case a person is trying to find out if you got hosed or a screaming deal, etc. Mostly, people are genuinely interested in whether they can afford one themselves, so I tell them the details of my build (crate FMS 302, IRS, Trigos, Wilwoods, etc) and what makes one more expensive than another. It gave whoever was curious a good idea of what a good, but not over-the-top build costs. Those that can afford it then asked more about details of the build. For those that couldn't, it was usually the end of the conversation.