Wise Advice Needed

David Henry

David Henry

PCS Member
I have lightly been considering selling my ‘74 S&S Professional Ambulance. A member here referred someone to me who might be interested. This is the email I received from the guy.

”I have never purchased one of these vehicles so I really don't have a good understanding of their value or the potential problems one would have in owning one.
Can you make any comments that would help me better understand what is a good value/vehicle and what is the reasonable price range I should be considering thanks”

I answered his questions as best as I could, but I wonder what some of you Senior Members might tell the guy.

thanks
Dave
 
Dave, I guess from your perspective, the value of the car would be based on what you paid for it, how much money you have put into it, and how badly you want to sell it. That figure might be thousands of dollars apart from what this potential buyer thinks he can get one for, based on his admitted lack of knowledge on these cars. Throw a figure at him and see what reaction you get. Ultimately, as we've all heard before, the value of the vehicle will end up being what you are willing to sell it for and what he is willing to pay for it.

His second question is much harder to answer. You can't predict what may happen to the car once it is in his hands. It may become a money pit, or he may end up being extremely satisfied with it. Hopefully, he is aware that these are cars built on a commercial chassis, and both chassis parts and the custom-made body pieces, glass, etc. are getting harder to find all the time. Above all else, I would let him know the strong and weak points of your car so that he knows you are being honest with him. A ton of photos would help! You might talk yourself out of a sale, but at least you will be able to sleep at night.
 
The first question is general in nature, and would apply to all professional cars.
the 2nd question appears to apply to your 1974 in particular.

In both cases, the purchaser needs to complete his "due diligence" on his own. You can guide him some, but you are way too close to the situation to give an objective answer. Set a price for the vehicle. Tell him what it is, and let him discover on his own whether it is a good value.

he sounds like he really has no idea what he wants.
 
John ED Renstrom said:
Or if your really looking to sell. set a price let us know. one of us might like a shot at it.
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I have set a starting price at 16,500.00 or best offer. But what I will eventually sell it for is more based on who is interested in buying it and their desire To own a procar. i want it to go to someone who has a desire to help take care and preserve it. So having said that I have a fair amount of room to negotiate the price.
 
Dave, keep in mind that you can always go down, but it is difficult to go up in price once you put it out there. I would start by taking your original purchase price and add to that what expenses you have had with the car to date. If you purchased it more than ten years ago, put the original cost into an inflation calculator and see how the purchase price changes. An item purchased for $10,000 in 2012 today would cost $12,966.85 (Cumulative rate of inflation: 29.7%).
 
I read the part from the potential buyer several times yesterday and was unsure exactly how to respond, so I thought I would let a few others chime in before I did to see if they were getting the same read. The comments by Terry Lange and Jeff Beyer are right in line with what I was thinking.
I don't know about the rest of you, but most of the time if I am going to sell a car, I start having the thoughts about 11 months before I actually put it for sale. It takes my mind awhile to get to the point that I can let it go.
We all have bought a car just because it was available and later maybe we weren't real crazy about it, so it sold close to market value.
But there are the rare ones, that we could just as easily keep if the right offer doesn't come down the road, that we will hang on to. Having recently sold three, it is interesting to me the the buyer in each case usually reached out to me in the first 24 hours of the listing.
 
David Henry said:
But what I will eventually sell it for is more based on who is interested in buying it and their desire To own a procar.
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I totally appreciate your honorable intentions. You run a real risk if you let that be part of the criteria.

I haven't sold many cars in my time, but one in particular, a 1961 Hawk I had owned for 20 + years I was forced to sell( young family, mortgage, taxes etc.). The ultimate purchaser was a local guy who had admired the car for years, begged me for it. He owned a restoration shop. I thought I was home free, the car would be cared for, stored right and appreciated.

DID I EVER GET THAT ONE WRONG. He promptly parked the car outside alongside of his shop, let it deteriorate before my very eyes for 4 years,
then, without giving me any notice at all that the car might be available., got a divorce. The ex-wife, who hated everything automotive got the car in the settlement and dumped it.
Absolutely NO indication, I just saw it gone one day. He was hard to find, a year later "Oh yeah she got it".. I lived a mile away. I asked him why didn't he call. Just shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

No more Mr. Nice guy.
 
Jeff Beyer said:
I totally appreciate your honorable intentions. You run a real risk if you let that be part of the criteria.

I haven't sold many cars in my time, but one in particular, a 1961 Hawk I had owned for 20 + years I was forced to sell( young family, mortgage, taxes etc.). The ultimate purchaser was a local guy who had admired the car for years, begged me for it. He owned a restoration shop. I thought I was home free, the car would be cared for, stored right and appreciated.

DID I EVER GET THAT ONE WRONG. He promptly parked the car outside alongside of his shop, let it deteriorate before my very eyes for 4 years,
then, without giving me any notice at all that the car might be available., got a divorce. The ex-wife, who hated everything automotive got the car in the settlement and dumped it.
Absolutely NO indication, I just saw it gone one day. He was hard to find, a year later "Oh yeah she got it".. I lived a mile away. I asked him why didn't he call. Just shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

No more Mr. Nice guy.
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That’s some wise wisdom. Thanks for sharing that.
 
If i buy it its mine if i sell it its yours. I have given some friends a deal been offered a car back for what i sold it for. All part of horse trading. Have i wished i had not sold one or two yes. But i let them go cause i wasn't able to take proper care of it. Truth is were i enjoy driving them i enjoy fixing them more. The one thing i never worried about was what the seller was going to do with there car. Whats the car worth or what i have in it has never entertainment d into a decision to sell. But looking at what this potential buyer has ask my guess is he is only interested in what he can make on the car not about what the car is.
 
John ED Renstrom said:
If i buy it its mine if i sell it its yours. I have given some friends a deal been offered a car back for what i sold it for. All part of horse trading. Have i wished i had not sold one or two yes. But i let them go cause i wasn't able to take proper care of it. Truth is were i enjoy driving them i enjoy fixing them more. The one thing i never worried about was what the seller was going to do with there car. Whats the car worth or what i have in it has never entertainment d into a decision to sell. But looking at what this potential buyer has ask my guess is he is only interested in what he can make on the car not about what the car is.
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In this case, I don’t think he has any idea of what it means to own a procar.
 
Two thoughts after I read Jeff's post about the guy he sold the car to, I think most of us, have allowed a bit of a price break to a friend or good potential owner that we were confident we wouldn't see Ghostbusters memorabilia on it later.
However, for us long time PCS folks, and there are several good examples, there are cars featured in the magazine long ago in pristine condition, that someone sold for a nice price - that somewhere down the line the next owner had a water pump go out, and parked it under a pine tree saying "I'll get to that when I can..." and years later, we see a photo of it, or it turns up for sale - and it is pitiful what has happened to the car. Indoor storage is a must. Good thread.
 
we all want our cars to go to a good home, but we really have no control over what happens after we sell it. It sounds like the potential buyer has no clue what he may be buying. Several years ago, I had a 71 Lincoln Mark III for sale. I had it on the market for 3-4 years with no serious buyers. Finally, I had a guy from Northern California call me. he seemed to be the right guy, and even though his offer was less than i really wanted, i sold it since it was the first real offer i had. fast forward about 1 1/2 years & I find out that the car is in England. Dont know the reasons why he sold it or for how much but Ive been in contact with the current owner & its in good hands now. All you can do is sell it for a price that youre happy with and let it go, if thats what you really want to do
 
David Henry said:
I have lightly been considering selling my ‘74 S&S Professional Ambulance. A member here referred someone to me who might be interested. This is the email I received from the guy.

”I have never purchased one of these vehicles so I really don't have a good understanding of their value or the potential problems one would have in owning one.
Can you make any comments that would help me better understand what is a good value/vehicle and what is the reasonable price range I should be considering thanks”

I answered his questions as best as I Ask AI APK Mod, but I wonder what some of you Senior Members might tell the guy.

thanks
Dave
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Here are some things they may want to consider:

Maintenance and repairs: Vintage vehicles can require more maintenance and repairs than modern vehicles. Parts can be harder to find and more expensive. It's important to have a trusted mechanic who is experienced in working on vintage vehicles.

Driving experience: Driving a vintage vehicle can be a unique experience compared to driving a modern vehicle. The handling and braking may be different, and there may be fewer safety features. It's important to take this into consideration when deciding if a vintage vehicle is right for you.

Value and price range: The value of a vintage vehicle can vary greatly depending on its condition, rarity, and history. It's important to do research on similar vehicles that have sold recently to get an idea of the market value. However, the price range can also be affected by factors such as location and demand.

Documentation and history: It's important to have documentation and a clear understanding of the vehicle's history. This can include things like maintenance records, previous owners, and any accidents or damage the vehicle has had. This information can help you make an informed decision about the value of the vehicle.
 
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