How do you make an offer on a Model A?

One other thing,. If you are the first one to view the car they're not too likely to listen to a cut rate offer. After lots of people telling them their A is overpriced they may be ready for your offer.
 
Showing my age here but...about 50 years ago, my dad and I were talking to a local Model A guy about so parts for Dad's coupe (which is still in the family!) and the conversation turned to Model A's on farms around the area. This guy told us that he had three or four "friends" who worked with him to buy cars. They would take turns going to a farm they "just happened to see the car back by the barn..." and make low-ball offers. They stretched it out over a couple of months until the last one would show up and offer a price a bit higher than the earlier low-ballers and often end up with the car. Dad did not like nor trust that man after that.
 
Do you know if the cars actually sold? If so, did you call back and see how much it sold for? Maybe reality is more than you think? My 2 ¢
 
Ross/Kzoo said:
One other thing,. If you are the first one to view the car they're not too likely to listen to a cut rate offer. After lots of people telling them their A is overpriced they may be ready for your offer.
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Yes, but they might have already sold it to someone else making a cut-rate offer. Otherwise, all the great deals at Hershey would still be there on Friday.
 
If you want it you buy it..
Just like auctions on TV "Barrett" ect and you see them bidding and know
there is a 10% on top of that price added and then taxes on top of that.
The price these people go to for these cars and trucks and I say NO way.
But they have the money and they want it.

I just bought my 1929 A truck on E Bay..What a decision for me.
17K and 1500.00 for shipping and 1k in taxes..Yikes that is a lot of money.
But seeing that truck in pictures and not seeing it in person I still had to have it.

I was sick waiting for truck to arrive and did I make the right decision.
When It arrived Monday and was pulled off truck I made the right decision in my eyes.
But I prepaid shipping and truckers wanted shipping cost and told them it was paid..What did I get myself into now..Now I am upset and they want 1100.00 from me.
So long story I called seller and he told me to write them a check and asked me for my checking number and he would wire the money into my account.
Now what do you do? I did this and went right to bank and in 10 minutes he did just that..But on my ride there I figure I am screwed.
But I had a very honest person selling ..Lucky.
But that additional 1100 would have made me hate the truck and maybe sell it and who knows.
I was looking at trucks here in NJ and the prices and fiberglas fenders calling them barn yard finds and 13 to 14K And thought they are nuts and knowing I was going to take truck totally apart .That was my turning point to buy one done.
I have built so many cars and trucks over yrs and with time and parts added up.
Yikes I lost just in parts and not time 3 to 5K after selling..Just some thoughts
on what you buy and what the end results and cost to you are.
But we all have a number and when you see something you want it or you really don't.
..Joe very happy with new "A" toy
 
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I have a guardian angel on my shoulder when it comes to vehicles, i swear i must. My addiction is craigslist, used to be the sun-sentinel, auto trader, before computer days. If you check the ads on a daily basis, you will find your dream in your price range. I own 9 vehicles that have practically been give-aways. '55 Chevy with 15K miles for under 5K, a $380 Rambler custom 1960 w/ 82K miles and factory A/C. And my '30 Huckster just bought in november for $1500 and my $700 rail buggy swap. $200 got her delivered to my door from 300 miles away.
 
I will say location has so much to do with cost of cars and trucks and also like just mentioned having a angel or just being lucky at times being right place right time.
I was out in Texas last month for work and in Earth Texas and on my 2 hour ride to power plant the trucks I saw just lined up sitting in dessert settings.
Wow I thought I was in truck heaven and just wondered what could you buy one for here..
One place had to have 12 to 16 trucks all lined up..And old ones..Wow.
So you have to ask what do you want ? Work on one or completed and decide.
Good Luck to all who have to make the purchase decision.
And the other matter is if you are married what will your wife allow you to ??.
 
It's almost like asking a pretty girl out. If you don't have the balls to ask, she doesn't get a chance to accept.
I didn't pay asking price for 2 of the 3 A's I own and nobody got their feelings hurt in the process. Go make em an offer. The worst they can say is no.
 
Just make an offer, politely. If they get their feelings hurt then you probably don't want to deal with them. I made an offer on an A for about 2,000 and never heard back from the owner, no counter offer, nothing. So I called back and they said they obviously couldn't accept it so I asked them what they were looking for out of it and said I was willing to make a higher offer, I just wanted to know how far off I was. They didnt say exactly, but I have a feeling its about 4 times what I offered. Another member from my locel A club went to look at the car and offered 3,500 and he as well never heard back. We didnt know that we looked at teh same car until we were talking one day about getting another. The owners have very, very little knowledge of As and want what they paid for it when it ran in 1997. There were just way to many unknowns to put that much money into a car they can't start and have no knowledge of the history of the car. It might be worth what they want but most likely not. Eventually they will realize that just because the car is old, doesnt mean they are sitting on a gold mine.
 
Widow? Huh, widow schmidow! How do you know that she even likes and/or cares about old iron(aka..junk)? How many women don't know a thing about old cars and couldn't care less...as long as HE is happy!
A "widow" told me what a 'model a appraiser/expert' had advised her that the car was worth. She told me that the car was driven into their garage! She also said that her husband had just retired and died...before he could 'enjoy' restoring his beloved old ford!! The car was a rusted hunk of ..well rust, and I told her that whomever the expert was(who told her that the car was worth a fortune) , she should get a second opinion. I made her an offer...as she asked. She wasn't happy to hear the news, but two weeks later called the number I had left and countered with a thousand over what I'd offered. I should have used the time to get my senses together, but you know how that works. Bottom line the car was a disaster..and all I wanted was a driver.
So, how do you come to conclusions that 'guys' are out to rip off 'widows', who may/may not care less about 'old' cars from the get go?
 
Where I am the rodders are still paying a premium for solid cars.They like to rust in N.H.A family friend owned a 31 Tudor,he bought it in the early 70's and drove it around town every nice night in the summer.He wore out a couple of horns over the years tooting at all his fans.After he died a year or so back his wife decided to get rid of everything and move into a small place.She put a price of $7000.on the Tudor(that was the insurance appraisal).It was solid,straight,no rust or patches,very old presentable paint,no fabric left in the interior,and bad babbit in the engine.It was like that when he bought it,it was sold to him as a car with a bad engine.His wife thinks he drove it with the bad engine for 38 years.Some A guys looked at it,they told her bad engine,no interior,$3500.maybe $4000.tops because of the near perfect fenders and body.She wanted it to go to somebody that would keep it as an old car.She changed her tune when the only guys willing to pay the price wanted to rod it.She sold it to a relative that builds cars,he paid the price,and now the body is on a Chassisworks frame with a Chevy engine.He told me he was surprised the frame and engine numbers matched.It was never taken apart until he rodded it.I think that is why a bargain A is rare here,people know that if they can't get their price from the original guys,the rodders will step up.
 
ivoryjohn said:
Mike's A-Foradable's news letter this week lists a beautiful collection of Model A's a widow asked Mike's help in selling. It seems a reasonable solution to me.
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I agree. I was at Mike's last week and he showed me the pics and info. Always a good avenue when searching, but not if your on a budget :D
 
Keith True said:
Where I am the rodders are still paying a premium for solid cars.They like to rust in N.H.A family friend owned a 31 Tudor,he bought it in the early 70's and drove it around town every nice night in the summer.He wore out a couple of horns over the years tooting at all his fans.After he died a year or so back his wife decided to get rid of everything and move into a small place.She put a price of $7000.on the Tudor(that was the insurance appraisal).It was solid,straight,no rust or patches,very old presentable paint,no fabric left in the interior,and bad babbit in the engine.It was like that when he bought it,it was sold to him as a car with a bad engine.His wife thinks he drove it with the bad engine for 38 years.Some A guys looked at it,they told her bad engine,no interior,$3500.maybe $4000.tops because of the near perfect fenders and body.She wanted it to go to somebody that would keep it as an old car.She changed her tune when the only guys willing to pay the price wanted to rod it.She sold it to a relative that builds cars,he paid the price,and now the body is on a Chassisworks frame with a Chevy engine.He told me he was surprised the frame and engine numbers matched.It was never taken apart until he rodded it.I think that is why a bargain A is rare here,people know that if they can't get their price from the original guys,the rodders will step up.
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I think part of the problem is demographics. This is a VERY large generalization, but antique auto guys tend to be 60-80's, hot rod guys 45-65, muscle cars guys 30's and 40's and tuner dudes in their 20's and early thirties. So, again, generalizing, the folks who have just paid off their houses and gotten their kids through college and are still working and therefor have money to spend are hot-rodders. A long stretch and hot-rod suppliers are having problems (Barry Grant just closed) but there is still a big hot-rod business.
 
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I understand your worry about insulting the seller I always thought it was ok to offer a lower amount if there was a reason to feel that the asking price was high unless the seller stated that his price was firm.

There was an ad here on fordbarn and the seller had stated that he reduced the price already and I posted the price I last paid for the same thing and he answered me in big bold print, "Personally, I find your post unnecessary and in very poor taste..." This from a guy who already lowered his price once so I thought it was ok to tell him what I was willing to pay based on previous purchase of the same items, guess not.

So yes, be careful when/if you make an offer.
 
I just passed on them and I will keep looking as I am in no hurry and if I find one that is the body style I am looking for and I think it is priced right I will buy it. Thanks to all for your thoughts and input
 
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