Drive by "wanna sell?" questions

[Spittybug]

I tinker a lot in my garage during the day (I retired a few years ago). My garage door is therefore open and I'm working on the car, brewing my beer or working on some project or another. Without fail I get about 1 unsolicited offer to buy my car every month or so. Usually it is a young guy that hasn't got a clue in the world what he would be getting into. They'll stop on the street, wander up and without even so much as a salutation or small talk ask me how much I want for the car. I don't get offended since I'm a big believer that everything in life is for sale...at a price...but, please, how about a little civility? I tell them "sure it's for sale. $30,000. " Then their faces change. They must think they're going to buy it for $20 or something. Yesterday's candidate said "what would you say if I showed up with $20,000 cash?" I told him "you'd be $10,000 short". He looked freaked and left. Even if he came back with it I doubt I would actually sell it to him. Not that it is worth more, but I just wouldn't want to see my hard work end up in the hands of such a douchebag!

On a separate note, the local constable stopped at the end of the driveway and asked me if that was a Delorean. I told him it was indeed and that they had a funny metaphysical property that made them appear to be going faster than they really were on police radar. It took him a second, but he chuckled. We ended up talking cars, guns, beer and all kinds of stuff for half an hour. Nice young hispanic kid. Never hurts to have a friend in blue.

[Lwanmtr]

Lol.. I had only one person ask to buy mine...when it was sitting outside, doors propped with vice grips on the bad struts and a plastic thing holding the luggage cover open....was a young kid..my only response was 'you prolly couldnt afford it'. But then I'd only had the car for about a week at that point. Since then its sat in my garage while i work on getting it going.

[BladeBronson]

I don't like the "you probably couldn't afford it" answer. You probably meant to indicate that your car was in bad shape and would require a lot of work, but the kid could have heard it as a judgement of him. Maybe, "you wouldn't want this one" would capture the same spirit.

[SKnight]

My garage is far enough away from the street that most people don't notice it when driving by. However I did have a younger guy walk up and ask if I wanted to sell it while I was showing it to a friend in a parking lot. "Not for sale" was my immediate response. He then asked if I paid $15,000 or under for it, "nope, higher" was my response. At that point I think he realized the car was worth more than he thought it'd be. He wasn't too bad of a guy though, asked a few questions which I politely answered.

[Lwanmtr]

Most people are more fascinated and polite, even to the point of asking if they could take pictures...which at the time i said 'sure...but you realize its not the best example'...but then if I'da been walkin down the street and saw one, before I was able to get mine, i woulda been the same.

[tc connors]

I find that when bystanders ask "Whadya want for it?", they really mean "What's it worth?"

I tell people I have too much skin and blood in mine to figure out what it's really worth.

[Josh]

Lol.. I had only one person ask to buy mine...when it was sitting outside, doors propped with vice grips on the bad struts and a plastic thing holding the luggage cover open....was a young kid..my only response was 'you prolly couldnt afford it'. But then I'd only had the car for about a week at that point. Since then its sat in my garage while i work on getting it going.

I find your response to the young guy a bit deceptive as you have a gofundme page yourself for your restoration.

When people ask me I simply reply I have too much into it for it ever to make sense to sell it. I often find they barely take a good look at the car, they only know what it represents, so it is hard to take them seriously.

[Lwanmtr]

teh gofund me was started just a few months ago....

[Henrik]

There are different people asking about the price for different purposes and with different attitudes:

When someone walks up and blurts out the question about what I would want for it I usually give them a outrageously high number at which point they will typically say in one way or another "that's a lot" at which time my response is that I never said it's not for sale.

HOWEVER, much more common, at car shows for example, is that the pricing question comes up after a long discussion with a true D enthusiast and wanna-be owner. Their typical angle is that this is their dream car and if they were so lucky to find one for sale "I probably couldn't afford one anyway". To those people I provide as much encouraging and factual info - including pricing - I can think of. For example, parts and service are readily available from our network of DMC vendors. Tech help can be had from forums such as this one. As far as pricing - educate yourself on the car and its weaknesses and keep an eye open on the market and you will eventually find one that you can afford.

[TheStoot]

teh gofund me was started just a few months ago....

You have a gofundme page to solicit money yo fix your car? Seriously? Not a fan of that