How do people deal with having a car for sale for a long time?

[hobthebob]

My wife gave me the answer in three simple words:

Stubborn

Old

Men

[finster]

[Abscate]

2-3x or more for the peak classified fantasy prices imho.

Local sale of a split for 5k in upstate Ny. Running , needed Rust body work.

People asking 30k for same for years in classifieds
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.ssS!

[MuzzcoVW]

[APPLEGREENVW]

[APPLEGREENVW]

[60vwnewengland]

My last experience it took a while to sell my 75 bay window high roof “tub bus” it was a solid bus, engine was strong, all mechanicals were in good shape. I bought featured ad space here on Samba to help promote selling it. There were a bunch of folks asking questions about it, a few came to look, but at the end of the day the one question I kept getting was “where do you get the work done on it…?” My reply every time, “you’re looking at him…”

And these days, millennials, some gen x’ers aren’t working on cars and are afraid to turn the wrench. Then they find a shop that will actually work on it, and they find out it’s $200hr to work on a bus. I think a lot of would-be buyers are afraid of break down's and fixing issues.
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77 Westy - Cape Cod Sage
LLAP

[finster]

the other day a short video appeared on my farcebook page showing a 'vintage car' and 'possibly the oldest car on the road' it was a late production mini from about 1990 and it did look very small surrounded by suvs. they were amazed that it was 'started with a key!' and had an 'antique lever e-break!' (sic)

the young folk I was working with had no idea how their bicycles worked and I was always chiding them about maintenance. so yes, basically a diminishing pool of enthusiasts or people with spare money for an increasingly expensive novelty.
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"we're here on Earth to fart around" kurt vonnegut

nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect...

[iowegian]

When a car doesn't sell quickly, it is most likely priced too low.
Potential buyers are afraid that there is something terribly wrong with it.
Raise the price every couple of weeks.

[Dusty1]

When I scroll through TheSamba Classifieds I'm typically looking at under $5k. That's my budget. I'm willing to put sweat equity into a $5k car, maybe end up with a $10k car.

There are some nice $20k VWs out there. I'm not buying a $20k VW. Wouldn't want to scratch it.


Facebook Marketplace has its ups and downs. I can put in my hard limit of what I want to pay. I don't have to look at cars that are out of my reach.

It's not like I need another Bug. I have half a dozen of them already. I'm lookin' to upgrade my stock.


It's like John Muir said half a century ago. Sit in the Bug and meditate. If it's the right one you'll know it.

If the owner is in a yank to sell it quick above market price... that disturbs my meditation. If the owner says,

"No tire kickers."

or

"Don't waste my time!"

You can be sure I won't waste their time.


See... buying a vintage vehicle is a process. It's on the buyer to do their due diligence. Rush it... you're likely to skip a step or two in your due diligence.

For example:

I bought a Toyota truck the other day. Toyota trucks are hotter than split window busses or VW Things. The stars need to align to get a good one at a good price. I was the first caller on one last week. It was gone twenty minutes later when I showed up with cash.

I was thrilled when "my" truck was actually there. It had four wheels. It ran. It was dirt cheap. The seller even had a paper tag for it so we could transport it under Officer Friendly's watchful gaze. Surely there were Toyota enthusiasts on their way from Central America. So we shook hands. I did the deal.

You know where this is going...

Ruh, roh. Little battery is lit up on the dash. We have a check engine light. Stop at a stop light in town, the idle is surging.

I got it to my Secret Laboratory. It conked out. It wouldn't re- start.


Now the good news although some people might not see it that way. Pop the hood. Schlep the battery into MSL and put it on the charger. Clear snow for a few days. Don't even look at the truck.

and...

The alternator is frozen solid. There is no serpentine belt. But... truck starts fine on a fully charged battery. No check engine light.


Moral of the story is low buck vehicles build character.


Next funny ha- ha but I think it's relevant:

Check prices of ounces of silver on FB Marketplace. Last time I checked silver was around $25 an ounce but there is a little more to it. Take your silver to a pawn shop, you may get as little as $15 per ounce. If you have silver rounds you bought in '85 or '86 at $5 per once, you're doin' great at $25 per ounce. Except some sellers want $30- $50 for '85- '86 "nothing special" rounds. By my impromptu survey every bullion seller on FB Marketplace is asking more than fair market value for their silver, sometimes 2x or 3x fair market value.


There is no honor in gettin' swindled and pimped, gettin' tricked by business.

.
.

[Busstom]

My least favorite lines in ads...

"Not in a hurry (or rush) to sell"

"Just testing the waters"

If I think of more, I'll update
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My name's Steve and it's pronounced "Bust 'em" (cuz people think I'm Tom) 😏

[Dusty1]

This is like the customer who walks through your door exclaiming,

"I'm not too picky." Not until the job is done, anyway. Then it's,

"You adjusted my brakes now my headlights don't work so I want you to paint my car."

[OB Bus]

There is an ad on the Samba right now (under "Other Vehicles") that has been up for several years. The price went down $500 at one point. I can't see having an ad open that long either....
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Larry in OB
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!
69 Westfalia and 2002 Eurovan Camper.

[Busstom]

[Busstom]

[kingkarmann]

Don' forget Rodbuster
Even though it's been renewed recently it's been up for sale on the classifieds for years.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2629625
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"Depression is a malfunction of the instrument we use to determine reality.”

Mike Gerson

What is your "Bespoke Reality"?

[finster]

[EverettB]

[EverettB]

[oprn]