Thinking Im going to buy this '91 Vic

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Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
So, because it had a "For Sale" sign in it and it was unlocked, you decided it was OK to just go ahead and look under the hood?

Do you also walk into houses that have a For Sale sign in the front yard, when the door just happens to be unlocked?

I think that is an incredible lack of good judgement. That's not your car, keep your hands off of it... for sale sign and unlocked or not.

If that had been my car, and caught you doing that, I would have called the police.

What if the owner had walked up as you were performing your impromptu inspection under the hood and claimed something was missing from inside the car. With the hood up, you'd obviously been inside of the car.

Wow. A better idea would have been to at least call the phone number on the sign and *ASK* first, before helping yourself.

Im not going to call someone at 3am. Its not your car either so go somewhere else.


At 3am no less... Wow. It just keeps getting worse.

And by the way, I have no plans on going "somewhere else".

I dont know if you know this, but some people have jobs, where you get off in the middle of the night. Im getting ready to tuck into bed for the night..err, day.
Its a $800 beater with a scrap value of $400 (based on previous post). Not a $120k house. I wouldnt have done it with anything much more valuable than what we are talking about right now.
 
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Originally Posted By: bradepb
"Ignition switch was messed up". Just make sure you get the real owner
grin2.gif


Just the...I dont know what you call it. The head part you are supposed to grab is busted off. The key hole looks intact so I dont think it was stolen.
 
Looking at that engine picture, it looks like someone has been doing some work under there. There are oily marks and places rubbed clean - judging by the rest of your inspection, it doesn't sound like they really knew what they were doing.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: Nick R

Seriously? Around here this is fairly common practice. Few people will buy something they can't look at, and most sellers don't want to waste their time with every single person who wants to look inside and under the hood.


Yeah, seriously Nick.

Whatever happened to "If it's not yours, keep your hands off of it?" My Dad was a policeman, and that's how I was raised.

Apparently, that kind of courtesy seems to be missing anymore.

Do we just walk into unlocked houses with a For Sale sign in the front yard?



There is a big difference between a HOUSE for sale and a beater car in a parking lot. Again, it's common practice around here, the sellers leave them unlocked deliberately, for this very reason. Because you know, people selling cars are always going to be able to be there when people want to look at them =| And far more people are more likely to be interested in buying an $800 car than a couple hundred thousand dollar house.
 
Unlocked, sitting in a WM parking lot, with a For Sale sign on it-lucky somebody didn't just take it for scrap! It'll be interesting to hear it run, around here scrap value is probably $300 or so, if it runs at all it's worth $800.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Looking at that engine picture, it looks like someone has been doing some work under there. There are oily marks and places rubbed clean - judging by the rest of your inspection, it doesn't sound like they really knew what they were doing.


Yes, there are oily paw prints on the fenders and hood, too.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04


Do we just walk into unlocked houses with a For Sale sign in the front yard?


Its called an "open house", so, yes.

Also if there was an apartment for rent, address listed on CL or newspaper, sign in the window, and unit unlocked - guess who'd let themselves in to check it out? Normal people.
 
Originally Posted By: needsducktape
A local car dealership in NY used to leave ALL new and used cars unlocked. During the day, they even had keys in the cars.

Some places in this country are still friendly and trusting. -And I find that the vast majority of people who show trust/respect receive trust/respect...



Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
So, because it had a "For Sale" sign in it and it was unlocked, you decided it was OK to just go ahead and look under the hood?

Do you also just walk into houses that have a For Sale sign in the front yard, when the door just happens to be unlocked?

I think that is an incredible lack of good judgement. That's not your car, keep your hands off of it... for sale sign and unlocked or not.

If that had been my car, and caught you doing that, I would have called the police.

What if the owner had walked up as you were performing your impromptu inspection under the hood and claimed something was missing from inside the car. With the hood up, you'd obviously been inside of the car.

Wow. A better idea would have been to at least call the phone number on the sign and *ASK* first, before helping yourself.


There's a dealer by my parents that sells clean vehicles from the south. I stopped in there looking at a few Cherokees. Talking to the owner - he said that they don't lock anything so people can explore the vehicle without feeling pressured by a salesperson.

There are a few new dealers around Syracuse that do it too - Romano is one.
 
Around here all the dealers leave the cars unlocked with the keys in them day, and some are left unlocked during the night. Nothing ever happens to them, they just get looked at alot more
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04


I think that is an incredible lack of good judgement. That's not your car, keep your hands off of it... for sale sign and unlocked or not.

If that had been my car, and caught you doing that, I would have called the police.

Wow. A better idea would have been to at least call the phone number on the sign and *ASK* first, before helping yourself.


No everyone lives in crooked, thieving, unsafe, or untrustworthy places. I'm sorry you have to put up with such circumstances, and live in a constant mode of paranoia. Must be worth it tho.
 
Originally Posted By: Phishin
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04


I think that is an incredible lack of good judgement. That's not your car, keep your hands off of it... for sale sign and unlocked or not.

If that had been my car, and caught you doing that, I would have called the police.

Wow. A better idea would have been to at least call the phone number on the sign and *ASK* first, before helping yourself.


No everyone lives in crooked, thieving, unsafe, or untrustworthy places. I'm sorry you have to put up with such circumstances, and live in a constant mode of paranoia. Must be worth it tho.



+1

With the excpetion of Troy and Schenectady, the Saratoga Area, and even most of Albany is a pretty safe area.
 
Originally Posted By: renegade_987
Around here all the dealers leave the cars unlocked with the keys in them day, and some are left unlocked during the night. Nothing ever happens to them, they just get looked at alot more


I've rented cars from parking lots where you go in, start up the car you want with the key inside, then proceed to a gate where you handle the paperwork. You can even go out the in way if you don't mind "severe tire damage".
laugh.gif
 
I loved my 88 5.0 Vic and 88 5.0 Town Car..They ran awesome..For 500 bucks I would consider it after I had it checked out..I still see those cars floating around Miami-Dade and Broward County.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
So, because it had a "For Sale" sign in it and it was unlocked, you decided it was OK to just go ahead and look under the hood?

Do you also just walk into houses that have a For Sale sign in the front yard, when the door just happens to be unlocked?

I think that is an incredible lack of good judgement. That's not your car, keep your hands off of it... for sale sign and unlocked or not.

If that had been my car, and caught you doing that, I would have called the police.

What if the owner had walked up as you were performing your impromptu inspection under the hood and claimed something was missing from inside the car. With the hood up, you'd obviously been inside of the car.

Wow. A better idea would have been to at least call the phone number on the sign and *ASK* first, before helping yourself.


Please visit the local clothing store. You need to buy new underwear...one size larger!
 
Wow! A true beater. Would cost $800/$1000 in parts to get it to pass state inspection around here...

If you don't mind the work I could see it. Scrap price here is ~$400. I'd offer $400 with $500 tops. I'd even tow it away for free...
grin.gif


Some of my best cars have been $1200 beaters. Currently driving a well cared for 94 Plymouth GV LE, $1250, up to 209K miles currently.
thumbsup2.gif


Wayne
 
Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
Wow! A true beater. Would cost $800/$1000 in parts to get it to pass state inspection around here...


It looks better than the average Charlotte hooptie to me. I've seen much worse. Lights are there, mirrors are there, and the windshield isn't cracked, so it would probably pass safety just fine and would be exempt from emissions due to age.

Looks pretty straight to me, it probably just needs TLC. No tape holding things together, so that's a good sign.
 
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Explain, in detail, EXACTLY why it would cost $800/$1000 in parts to get it to pass inspection. Be specific.


For starters, an exhaust system and battery hold down would be nice. The parking light is cracked, and this is before checking the steering, suspension and brakes.
 
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