Right car at the wrong time

"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
10/07/2019 at 10:50 • Filed to: None

A lot of times I feel like that Dr John song “Right Place Wrong Time.” It seems that no matter what I do, there are never good cars around when I have cash and space for a new addition and conversely when it’s a bad time for me, great cars pop up.

And that’s essentially what’s happened to me. It could not be a worse time for me to get another car. I just went through a legal escapade and had to settle with a guy out of court, (and out of pocket) my rental house sold unexpectedly which forced me to move on short notice, and my prospective next house fell through on my leaving me to scramble to find a place with a 1-car garage instead of a 2-car. And did I mention I already have a line on a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ?

I have been !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! Continental MkIV and casually shopping for one for ages now. I found one in August that looked okay for $2,000 but I didn’t want to pay that much for one. Well it’s been re-listed for $1,500 and the seller is clearly realizing the low demand and I might be able to get it for an even thousand if he deals.

The car will have needs and I haven’t seen it yet. The owner claims it just needs a carb tune and a battery to drive but then again, that’s what most sellers say. Ran when parked, if you will.

The terribly cropped and improperly rotated photos are from the ad. I’va always wanted to have three classic cars: A Corvette, a small sports car, and a big comfy road boat. Guess which slot this one fits into :P

So basically, It’s a car I love, at a price that’s good, at a point when my living situation is crazy and unsure. Should I do it?

DISCUSSION (23)

fintail > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/07/2019 at 11:00

Sunroof, not a common option.

From what I can see, I bet it could be detailed up nicely, but the hints of rust scare me.

atfsgeoff > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/07/2019 at 11:00

Some would say it’s better to regret something you did, than something you didn’t do.

For a $1k Mark IV, I say it’s time to annoy your neighbors with Malaise era brown.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > fintail
10/07/2019 at 11:08

Not only that, it’s a GOLD tinted sunroof

vicali > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/07/2019 at 11:09

legal escapade- wut?

Kinja'd!!!

fintail > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/07/2019 at 11:11

Some people in the 70s understood color coordination. Shag carpeting, too. If it runs and drives and is a grand, no harm done.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > vicali
10/07/2019 at 11:13

Housing dispute with a former roommate. I t got ugly.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > fintail
10/07/2019 at 11:14

This particular car has the “gold luxury package” which includes all the color-coordinated gold stuff like the seats, shag, and moonroof

vicali > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/07/2019 at 11:22

Don’t you pretty much live in the garage under your cars?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/07/2019 at 11:24

Kinja'd!!!

Concerning. If this is Snow Country, then no telling what other metastases might lurk. Offer him $5 00.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail
10/07/2019 at 11:26

Kinja'd!!!

What other metastases lurk, especially if Snow Country ? I say offer $500.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/07/2019 at 11:31

Kinja'd!!!

And this. Very concerning. I would not give more than $500 for this car and only if I was wild about it.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > vicali
10/07/2019 at 11:31

Yes that is my house :P

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/07/2019 at 11:32

Hmmmm good catches.

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/07/2019 at 11:36

Pr obably a good idea. I understand the appeal of these, but there’s little market, especially for imperfect cars. Buy as cheaply as possible, you’ll be making up for it at the filling station.

shop-teacher > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/07/2019 at 11:51

Sorry to hear about the legal issues.

Just go drive the Vette! That’ll make things better :)

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/07/2019 at 12:06

I hate to poop on your aspirations, but this car has the potential to be a 5,000-pound rust bucket.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail
10/07/2019 at 12:07

I’m not sure that counts as a factor in this calculus.

I wouldn’t have a Malaise-era tuna vessel under hardly any circumstances and if so, it’d have to be pristine and practic ally free. I realize this rains on Cletus’s aspirations...

NKato > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/07/2019 at 13:47

This is why I maintain a line of credit with my credit union. It solves the whole “immediate lack of liquidity” issue, while keeping monthly payments manageable.

The trick is in having them go with a smaller credit line than the maximum.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/07/2019 at 14:17

Sucks that you lost the big garage (and had to suffer through the legal stuff) , buddy :(

But judging by the crusty-ness of this Lincoln it might be better that you don’t have space for it

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > shop-teacher
10/07/2019 at 14:35

I drove the vette in anger yesterday and it was glorious

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
10/07/2019 at 14:35

haha that might be the case!

shop-teacher > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/07/2019 at 15:49

Excellent!

MM54 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/07/2019 at 19:01

I know the feeling of “right car at the wrong time” - it’s always a space and/or money issue. I don’t know if it’s the fuzziness of the pictures or missing sheetmetal, but I’d want to look at this car closely in person (including underneath) before making judgement, it might be pretty bad (or it’s just a couple spots and the pictures suck).

Bummer about the living situation as well; not sure what to tell you there other than things like this usually work out in the long run. Let me/we know if there anything I/Oppo can do to help.