When I was looking for my last fun car, I came across a local Viper for sale. It was in my price range. I wanted to take a look. The seller had a long list of things like "serious buyer's only" and "no test drives without deposit". Well, I was serious so I e-mailed the guy and asked to set up a time to take a look. No response. Oh well, I guess he didn't want my money.

When you are actually looking for a car, you search everywhere. CarMax(overpriced), Cars.com, etc etc. I can't even remember where I found it, but I bought a Macan S with around 12,000 miles on it from the first owner. Maybe it was CL, I don't remember now because I cast a really wide search. I think I bought it for like $41K. Cant remember that either because there is no loan.

The point was, and I understand, is that when you find a car or what have you that you really want, and the seller goes ghost on you, it is a real bummer. My point is that you can still find what you want, but now you have to really look.

I'm a bit of a fatalist about such things. If it is meant to happen, it will. Doesn't mean you have to settle though.

This is very simple
If a CL seller doesn't reply
Either it's a scam or it's sold.
Done. Move on.

On the last 2 cars I sold, the incoming messages were brutal to keep up with . Within an hour of listing I was backlogged 20 messages, each with their own 2 or 3 questions, picture requests etc..
I can understand how someone would give up and not reply, full well knowing that most of the responses are nothing more than a waste of time .
I know I am always happy to sign the title over, and take the damn ad down.

i sent a very respectful email. apparently the seller is 75. i respect my elders.

he did reply!! i hope this pans out. lots of moving parts.

I sold a truck through CL last year and was pounded by 50 lowballers over 2 weeks before I actually got a real buyer. The guy came out, drove the truck, handed me full price, and I handed him the pink. It still can work but the S/N ratio is very low.

My effective tag line as a buyer to move past the scammers and get a seller response: "Ready to purchase, have cash, no games"

If a buyer emails or texts me and says: "Would you take $$$ for it" sight unseen? He gets deleted with no response. You gotta get off the couch and make an offer face to face if you want my stuff, sorry.

That is how you do it Vash! Ive sent more than one message before if I see something still listed weeks later.
And I always reply just like the the ragin' Cajun above .
I try to employ, that I am ready to buy, and if they tell me to come, I will 100% show up . I always state " Cash in hand , local serious buyer. I will not low ball you, or run you around " .
Sometimes, I still low ball them

i cannot confirm or deny, but i may have used the term, "custodian"

as in," i would love to be the custodian of your.... plus i promise not to lift it 6" and drop a chevy V-8 into the thing." :)

It's a Countach, right? :D

Landcruiser or Bronco?

Reminds me of local ads here (Autotrader), I emailed a guy about his Gallardo for sale (out of my price range but was interested in more info. He only had one picture of it, so I asked for more pictures (it was over $100K, one picture?)

Crickets

4 months later he emails asking if I was still interested as the price was reduced, ah no....

fj40

Makes sense. Seller's probably out of the Interwebs at this time.

Nice!!

Little anecdote.

When I bought my 356C back in '05........it was listed on eBay with a starting price and a BIN price.

It had been listed in the early morning hours and had no bids yet.

There was a description and maybe about 3 photos.

The description made it sound pretty good. But the photos weren't all that great. The seller listed his name and phone number to call for questions....but I knew at the starting and BIN price this thing could be gone real quick.

Took me about a minute to make my decision to just hit the BIN button.

Turned out really great. Car had a working electric sunroof which wasn't even mentioned - nor could you see it in the photos. The engine was being rebuilt at the time of the listing...something also not mentioned. Car had no dents - everything worked - and after the engine was re-installed and tuned up - I caught a greyhound down (Ft. Lauderdale) and drove her back on I-95. She ran great too.

Some people just don't set up their classifieds the way they should. Sometimes it's our gain.

I found my '84 Carrera on Yahoo, of all places. You have to be willing to go scratch around sometimes. It was on the Calif/ Oregon coast. The guy dropped the price almost 20% AFTER I SHOWED UP. I pulled the trigger then and there. Pants wetters always lose out on deals. It's beyond fantastic in every way. Still have it 20 years later.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1582945414.jpg

I bought my first Porsche (an '81 SC Targa) sight unseen off the Auto Trader. Didn't even get a PPI. Called the guy - discussed it - said I'll take it. My buddy drove me down to Miami to pick it up and I drove her back. Of course within' a year I had to do an engine tear down due to broken cylinder head studs....lol.

I only paid around $9k for it. That was back in '98.

Oh the stories we could tell......

I paid I think 15.5K in the summer of 2001. I was still replacing the little stuff but DDing it when the Towers were hit on 9/11/01. We were paving the parking lot of a Walgreens that I was having built. Somehow I relate 9/11 with my 911. Weird, I know.