So I went to today to see the 1958 , First the car would not start no spark , so much for the booster coil. ALL the trim was rusty or pitted the drivers floor was rotted out as well as the rockers . The trunk had patch panels riveted the glass was in bad shape with bubbles on the edges . The car had a new interior but he must have lefts all the windows up and a mold had grown on the seats and headliner. Its really a shame I did like the body style but it was far from what he described. Thanks for all the replys.

  You always have to check things out with your own eyes...here's a pic of a rod and piston from an engine I once bought with this claim " it was running when we parked it" Probably forgot to mention the brick on the gas pedal!!!

had one come out of my 56 merc that was really really bent.

-Gary Burnette-

Dont you love it when someone wastes your time like that.  Last week I drove 80 miles one way to look at a '54 represented similarly to the '58, with the same results.

Mike, located in the Siskiyou mountains, Southern, OR 292 powered 1946 Ford 1/2 ton, '62 Mercury Meteor, '55 Country Squire (parting out), '64 Falcon, '54 Ford 600 tractor.

18 monts ago i drove 500 miles return to look at a near mint 58 meteor.i meet this guy at a swap meet and he seemed ok.i talked to him on the phone several times and i was beginning to smell a rat bujt was stupid enough to make the trip.the car had 20,000 miles on it and he couldnt understand why the crank was gone.from 100 feet i could see it had 120,000interior shot ,chrome shot.it hadnt run in 20 years.the body was still good but that was it.he was asking 5000 firm.you wonder where they come from.

Read an article years back (EarlyBird CTCI mag.?) about a restorer looking for a good T-Bird project who drove all over the country on a similar goose-chase. ALL the "exc. cond." cars he looked at were misrepresented/junk (he finally ended up buying a car only a few miles from home). I remember one comment re: a guy who lived in a very expensive house who giggled like a little girl when the restorer pointed out all the car's serious flaws that the seller had lied about. Some people just have unbelievable gall, and are obviously fearless. In a day when merely firing an employee can get you (and everyone else in the office) shot, you might thing someone would be hesitant about enticing a stranger to waste a cross country drive!

So, beware.

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

Ya, that sucks. When it sounds to good to be true, it usually is.

58 Ford Custom 300 - San Pedro, CA (So-Cal)

Some people just own cars and don't know anything about them. It looks pretty on the outside so they set a price which is comparable to other cars that appear the same. You go to check them out and know what to look for. If it's not what you were expecting, it's not necessarily their fault. They represented it the best they could with their knowledge and understanding of it. That's where negotiation comes in. If they remain firm on the price even though swiss cheese floor pans and trunks are pointed out, etc then you know they're wanting to misrepresent; then they are wasting your time and the time of everyone after your visit. Also consider the shock this person may be experiencing. He may have paid $10000 for it, wanting $12000 and the stuff you just pointed out makes it worth $7000. that's not easy to get over. He may need a few days just to come to terms with it and regroup. Then there is semantics. He told you the car is perfect. That's not a lie. It is to him. But you use a different dictionary. Even pictures don't always help. Sometimes they look better in person, but most of the time they look worse. It's just a part of the hunt.

That's not to say that there aren't people who are out only to try to rip you off, but many of them are trying to be honest and just aren't educated enough about it.


Lawrenceville, GA