My Experience Shopping For Classic Cars.

"jkm7680" (jkm7680)
04/07/2015 at 21:34 • Filed to: None

It's been a year since I started searching for a driving project. Specifically a Porsche. So that means major rust, mechanical issues and simply being ruined applies to every, single cheap Porsche out there. Grey market, rust holes, fart cans, matte black paint, roll cages? and horrible taste. That's all I can find on a budget. If you stance a 944, you deserve to be run over by your own car. Now that that's squared away.....

So what if there aren't many 944s out there that aren't trashed? Maybe there's a few cheap 911 SCs out there still. Well no, but HEY what did I expect. Every single cheap 911 SC has been bought by a greedy prick with a combover who simply bought the car to sell it at market value instead of letting a real enthusiast with shallow pockets have one of his dream cars at a reasonable price.

I've been wanting something unique that stands out from the crowd. Not something that'll blend into the daily commute like a beige Camry and something that others are interested in and want to know more about.

So, then I start to look into Volkswagen. (Insert joke here) Squarebacks, Notchbacks and Fastbacks. I'd like them all please, But hell no! With that rust and that price, I think not. I'd say those are probably the easiest to work on also, but having a driving project is important to me. So yes, the engine is usually required for that. Don't say it's 100% without the engine.

Then into BMW, straight to the 2002. Looks promising, love these things. "RAN WHEN PARKED HERE 20 YEARS AGO." Of course it fucking ran when you parked it there 20 years ago. Even if it didn't run when you parked it there, it had run once in it's life. I fail to see the relevance. Also, if you're going to park a car in the middle of a fucking field for a couple decades, close the windows at least and don't even try to tell me that it's "rust free" or I'll gouge your eyes out with a rusty spoon.

Well, that's the Germans off the list. Did somebody say MGBGT? Yes, somebody did. But it would appear that somebody parked it at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean and then decided that Craigslist was the right place to go to.

SOOOOO, maybe an American car? That sounds quite nice. So, I look into the early Mustangs. Those were either parked in some wretched inaccessible part of a bear infested forest, turned into fake Mustang GTs or painted by Stevie Wonder's cousin. Bust.

AMC now, AMC makes good cars. I've always admired the AMX, if only they weren't so damned rare. The AMX Javelin has been the most sensible thing to DD so far. Good looks, wide pricing range and lots of running examples. Parts aren't really an issue either. Then I find !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and it's beautiful and perfect. Except it's in Florida, and I'm not in Florida. EXCEPT I WAS IN FLORIDA A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. FUCK.

There's been many more cars I've considered in between, and lots I haven't talked about on Oppo. But after a year of scouring Craigslist for that perfect car, this is what I've experienced.

Wish me luck finding a classic Oppo! And if somebody wants to buy me that silver 911, please contact me immediately.

DISCUSSION (19)

Manuél Ferrari > jkm7680
04/07/2015 at 21:39

GOOD LUCK!

jjhats > jkm7680
04/07/2015 at 21:40

increase your budget? y the sounds of it you have a 5k cap. up it to 10 and youll find nicer stuff. Also buy a karmann ghia they are the tits

NonDriftingS13 > jkm7680
04/07/2015 at 21:59

Maybe it's time to take a look at the Asian manufacturers?

jkm7680 > NonDriftingS13
04/07/2015 at 22:02

I didn't even include Datsun because of extreme structural rust.

NonDriftingS13 > jkm7680
04/07/2015 at 22:23

This is true, Datsuns do tend to rust away into nothingness.

Textured Soy Protein > jkm7680
04/07/2015 at 22:50

Trying to buy an old car in good condition for 5 grand. Surprised at lack of viable options.

Ż\_()_/Ż

(I'm just assuming that's your budget since that's what that Javelin costs. What's your budget?)

gergey - Wishes vette was Datsun > jkm7680
04/07/2015 at 22:52

Dat Javelin though...

jkm7680 > Textured Soy Protein
04/08/2015 at 07:23

Technically $10,000. But for that money, I'd better find something real fcking special.

JR1 > jkm7680
04/08/2015 at 20:13

Time to break the bank and get a modern Mercedes CL55 AMG

jkm7680 > JR1
04/08/2015 at 20:21

JR1 > jkm7680
04/08/2015 at 20:39

I appreciate your tenacity. I seriously hope you can find something. Craigslist does suck sometimes.

jkm7680 > JR1
04/08/2015 at 20:42

Thanks,

Craigslist really is a mixed bag. It been my best bet so far, but the sellers themselves have simply been killing me. It's apparently pretty hard to not describe a car using all caps while using broken English. Craigslist isn't the problem, the sellers are. They also need a stronger moderation force to remove spam, "searching for so and so" and major dealers who post spam tags like crazy.

I'll keep looking though, I won't stop until I find something.

JR1 > jkm7680
04/08/2015 at 22:00

At the other end it is a nightmare to sell cars on craigslist as well.

jkm7680 > JR1
04/09/2015 at 07:01

I can totally see that, especially with all the bullshit people. They really should have some strict moderation.

Andrew T. Maness > jkm7680
04/21/2015 at 23:29

So anything legit that I find and pass on, I’ll forward to you.

jkm7680 > Andrew T. Maness
04/21/2015 at 23:31

Haha, awesome. A 911 SC just popped up on my local CL for 13.5k earlier this week. I'm tempted, but financial responsibility sometimes has to get the best of me.

Andrew T. Maness > jkm7680
04/21/2015 at 23:42

care to share that listing?

jkm7680 > Andrew T. Maness
04/22/2015 at 07:29

$14.5 actually, I was wrong.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/cto/497979…

Andrew T. Maness > jkm7680
04/22/2015 at 11:32

Well for starters that’s definitely not a ‘68, looks like a ‘78 could also be an ‘88.

The nature of the photos concerns me as does the style in which they chose to re-upholster the seats and the door cards but if you’re not far from there, worth going to check it out I suppose.