I set a low buy it now on the cheap Avanti so the bidding would not go nuts and someone bid it over the reserve so the BIN went away. That's bad enough, but I'm trying to convince one active bidder that he should not attempt a 2000 mile drive to Texas in a project car. Read my questions on the auction page to see if I can talk him out of it.
John,I don't see your problem.You certainly seem to have described the car honestly,the price is CHEAP, he may have an adventure driving it that far,he may make it without misshap.Your ad says plainly: 'if you don't know how to work on a car.........' If the buyer isn't a total idiot,'forwarned is forearmed' .Let 'r rip!!
As always, nice, honest presentation, nice, honest replies to questions.
In spite of your best efforts, this auction is going to go nucking futz, IMHO.
I thought once you hit BIN its over, it is sold. What gives?
BG
Some twenty years ago my dad and I drove to Seattle to get my 65. She was sitting on "new" recaps and two extra spares in the trunk and I had grabbed the snow wheels for the 54 to take along just in case.
The short trip home took six hours and I was down to two recaps and the snow wheels as I pulled into the drive way at home.
That Avanti is a good deal. If is was a standard I would bid on it to try and get it for my dad sisnce he could not afford one with the cist of my sister and me.
I am sure that most of us in the group agree that I will not make the trip. The tires alone will leave him stranded and for simple expediency the best thing to do is to put that Avanti on a trailer to get it to its new home.
I am sure that others in the group have some horror stories that may persuade your buyer to do the right thing not only for himself but for his purchase.
As expensive as fuel is, and as inexpensive (relatively) as car transport is, common sense should override the whimsical desire to drive a new, unknown, purchase across country. Should is the operative word. Stories of successful maiden voyages are few. Stories of the wonderful 'making of acquaintances (while fixing things) are plentiful. Making the trip isn't a bad thing, as long as it is coupled with preparation. And that means preparation of the vehicle, not trip planners, and SDC rosters. My big three would be Brakes, Bearings (wheel), Tires. They have to roll ALL the way home, and are rarely pristine on a used car sale. That being said, I'd almost rather buy the car, have a local Stude guy pick it up and prep it. Then I'd fly in and drive it home...about a month and a thousand miles later.. Jeff ( I believe in the motto "No pain...no pain!" ) Rice
"Studebaker Kid" wrote...
call me nuts, I like a good adventure. but then I am the one that bought two cars off ebay, with nothing more than a conversation with the owner, drove them home 3 hrs one way, enjoyed them 4-6 months, then resold them for more than I had in them.
but MD to TX , even for me is crazy in a car thats sat for 30 years
my current car was owned by a little old lady 10 miles away..... the more I drive it, the better it runs. cars are made to be driven
The car seems to run great as I do "shake down" cruises, but they go something like this.
trip #1 Back and forth to the gas station, barely made it back. (Rust in the fuel filter)
trip #2 A five mile local run, no real problem but would not idle. (crap in the carb, cleaned and changed fuel filter)
trip #3 A 10 mile highway run to 70 MPH, spun the tires in low and on the 1-2 up shift, N8 notices the tread is starting to separate on the "new" 30 year old radials.
Trip #4 A drive into Annapolis and a vacuum leak shows up at the brake booster fitting, but the fuel filter is staying clean.
Trip #5 Aborted, voltage regulator stuck and ran the battery down. (fixed, will try again today)
The guy could head to Texas and stop for crap like that every few hours and hope that some part that is hard to find does not fail, but I'm still pulling for shipping the car.
Jeff Rice wrote:
John; If this guy in Texas buys the car and is determined to drive it, please remind him of my experience and there is no replacement for sorting out the car locally BEFORE a long drive. When I bought mine, I relished the thought of driving it back (from just south of San Francisco to Seattle). Besides the owner checking it out, I paid another shop to check it over, then had Studebaker's West put a water pump, rebuild the power steering pump and generally go over pretty well. Flew down and set off on the return drive. Got as far as Candlestick Park (literally!). The car had sat for twenty years and ran great - I thought I had done my due diligence with all the check-ups. Seems all kinds of crap settles in the gas tank that doesn't show up in short drives. Ended up having to transport the car home. Got it home and R&R the gas tank. Ended up having to totally rewire the car, plus tons of other "little" stuff. He needs to sort the car out really well or he's only goning to repeat what many of us have already learned. It's only been recently that I have confidence to drive that car anywhere. Course now with the 700R4 tranny, it's a joy to drive long distances.
Rich
Richard Morris Renton, WA
1964 Avanti R-1 #5367 1990 Avanti 4-door #78 1966 MustangMine if I quote you if he bids again ? The Avanti drives like a real car around town though. I'm down to rattle elimination and minor tweaking like belt adjustment. Not much crap showing up in the fuel filter now, but the rear seal has decided it's time to start leaking.
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