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Selling A Classic: How To?

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2.8K views 14 replies 13 participants last post by  busterwivell  
#1 ·
Hey Guys-

Well, I've finally (90%) decided to sell my '66 Chevelle as I've only driven it about 3 times a summer for the last several years. Interestingly, I've found I really enjoy the build more than the final product; right now, I'm having a great time working on our '55.

Couple of questions on advice and safety for selling the Chevelle:

#1. Meet prospective buyers in public place like a big parking lot? Not at my home?

#2. Test Drives.....some guys say "no way until person buys car", but honestly, if I was to spend $30,000 on a toy, I would be driving it first. Your opinions? I'm really worried about this portion the most. I of course will be with them, but I worry about theft of my vehical and violence by thieves. Your thoughts?

#3. I'm not a computer person and have never used ebay. But, I can use Craigs list......any tips for Craigslist? I notice some people list their phone number, both spelling the number and listing it neumerically. Any other Craigslist tips to seperate the serious from the "not so serious"?

Any other tips you guys have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Tod
 
#4 ·
Tod55 said:
#3. I'm not a computer person and have never used ebay. But, I can use Craigs list......any tips for Craigslist? I notice some people list their phone number, both spelling the number and listing it neumerically. Any other Craigslist tips to seperate the serious from the "not so serious"?
Click to expand...
As far as CraigsList goes....You can state at the end something like: If interested, please contact me with your phone number and a convenient time to call.
 
C
#5 · (Edited by Moderator)
Tod55 said:
Hey Guys-

Well, I've finally (90%) decided to sell my '66 Chevelle as I've only driven it about 3 times a summer for the last several years. Interestingly, I've found I really enjoy the build more than the final product; right now, I'm having a great time working on our '55.

Couple of questions on advice and safety for selling the Chevelle:

#1. Meet prospective buyers in public place like a big parking lot? Not at my home?

#2. Test Drives.....some guys say "no way until person buys car", but honestly, if I was to spend $30,000 on a toy, I would be driving it first. Your opinions? I'm really worried about this portion the most. I of course will be with them, but I worry about theft of my vehical and violence by thieves. Your thoughts?

#3. I'm not a computer person and have never used ebay. But, I can use Craigs list......any tips for Craigslist? I notice some people list their phone number, both spelling the number and listing it neumerically. Any other Craigslist tips to seperate the serious from the "not so serious"?

Any other tips you guys have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Forgot to put in reply, so had to edit. Sorry.

Meeting other then your home is fine, but if they buy, they will know where you live by the paperwork you turn over. If they do come to your house, close your garage door and have the car outside. Its none of their business what else if anything you might have. I've never sold a car by advertising, but I believe it would be important to me to see what kind of car they arrive in and how they present themselves. Some are tire kickers and don't have 2 nickels to rub together. Might be just looking for a thrill. If I don't like what I see and I'm not comfortable with them, no rides period. As for Craigslist, I'm probably the only one in the world that doesn't care for them. Almost got scammed once. That was enough for me. I know scammers are all over, but Craigslist seems to have an abundance of them. Use good common sense and
go with what your internals tell you. Was it WC Fields who said there was a sucker born every minute and 2 to take him. Hmmmm....................
Tod
Click to expand...
 
#6 ·
Tod, I'm not a big fan of Craigslist, seems like a lot of unsavory people and you hear about all the horror stories, especially in the Detroit and flint area. I would start taking it to cruise nights with a for sale sign in it and get the word out with car people. I also know a few guys that buy those kinda of cars off eBay, so you could go that rout also. I work at the GM tech center so if you want send me a flyer with a pic and details and I will put it on the bulletin boards with the for sale stuff. PM me if interested, good luck with the sale.
 
#8 ·
Are there not a lot of us TriFiver's that are interested in other makes and models? He can list it in the classified section on this site can't he? I also own a 67 And a 72 Chevelle SS's and a 68 Nova beside my 57. As soon as he said 66 Chevelle I was interested and would like to see some pic's. The 30 G's is out of my range but I know it is probably worth every penny. I wish you :anim_25: in what ever way you decide to sell it. I have had good luck with Craigslist but you need to be careful. I have not had good luck selling on eBay but not on buying but my brother sells on eBay all the time and never seems to have any problems.
 
#11 ·
Craigslist is a PITA. Never meet anyone that you haven't had a long conversation with and then never alone. I have had people actually text me as their first response "whats your address", Like I am going to just start texting people my address. I have had good luck selling stuff on CL, but you will get a 20 BS responses for every serious one.
 
#13 ·
I listed my 67 Nova SS on Indianapolis Craigslist in mid April. One week later I got a call from a fella in Grand Juntion Co. He flew in early May and looked the car over and agreed on price. Reliable Auto Transport picked the car a week later. No fees to sell the car. I did get 2 or 3 jerks responding to the ad but that can be expected.
 
#14 ·
Tod, I don't remember where in MI you are, but if you don't want the hassle of dealing with selling it yourself, you might want to consider a consignment dealer. I sold my '68 Chevelle that way a couple of years ago here in Grand Rapids. I think it was a $300 consignment fee, and 5% of the selling price. I brought the car there in November, and it sold in March. I figured it was worth the $300 just for the winter storage. :)
They deal with the buyer and handle the transaction. I had never sold a car that way before, but I figured it got a lot more exposure that way. Here is the place I used:

http://www.grautogallery.com/

I have no problems with selling a car on craigslist, and just sold my '93 Corvette off there a couple of months ago. This place just worked out better at the time.
 
#15 ·
Tod, you got my attention right away when you said 66 Chevelle. I've got a 66 Malibu with a small block, buckets, console and 4 speed and Vintage Air. I get asked to sell it a lot at car shows, like Goodguys. I don't plan to sell, it isn't advertised, but it happens......frequently. We were at the DelMar show last April, and a guy talked to me about the car for a while, told me he was looking for one, wanted to know what to watch out for, and I was happy to share my opinions with him. Then he made me an offer to buy my car. If my wife had heard it, it would have been sold.
I've sold stuff on Craigs, but it does have it's creeps. I've bought stuff off there, too. I've also had very good luck selling at the Pomona Swap meet, but that's a long haul for you. Have you got any good swap meets like that in Mi?
 
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