Re: Buying or Selling: Private Party vs Dealer
Gents: I kind of have a "car buying issue" according to my wife Julie. One of her friends tells her frequently "hey,it's better than a red head..." I buy on average 1-3 vehicles a year (most of them real bombers (e.g., ratted out El Camino or Camaros) for the kids or decent ones that I get tired of and sell onward). For what it's worth, I almost always buy from Private Sellers if at all possible. Unless it's something new that you've just got to have, you can get it used from the private sector at a far better deal; especially in a great used car market like Houston, Texas. Sure you have to do your due diligence; get them all carefully inspected; and there's little recourse if you're aggrieved (short of litigation), but in the long run, it's most often a far better outcome. Dealers (particularly Corvette Dealers - most of whom I greatly respect) need to pay for expensive overhead and employees, etc. If you are looking for a vintage vehicle of any kind, I recommend joining a local Car Club that specializes in the model and get involved with the membership. They have great information; it's fun; the fellowship is a real bonus; and you often get leads on vehicles that decent folks are looking to sell. The Vette that I recently bought I heard about while sitting around with some Texas pals talking Corvettes. A very wealthy lady owned the '66. Her husband Jack had been a life long Corvette man and had unfortunately passed last November. This was Jack's last Stingray of many. She turned down a lot of offers from folks that were looking to "flip" the vehicle. When we showed up with kids in tow and she learned we were a Corvette family, she sold to us simply because she wanted to find the Vette a good home. In fact, part of the deal was that if I sold her, I'd ensure it went to another real Corvette fan. The deal she gave us was, by any measure, amazing. I plan to honor the deal. I plan to keep this one and perhaps later give it to one of my boys. One thing you can count on though, is that when I do sell it, it'll be to the right kind of buyer (an NCRS man or woman for sure). Best, EWC
Gents: I kind of have a "car buying issue" according to my wife Julie. One of her friends tells her frequently "hey,it's better than a red head..." I buy on average 1-3 vehicles a year (most of them real bombers (e.g., ratted out El Camino or Camaros) for the kids or decent ones that I get tired of and sell onward). For what it's worth, I almost always buy from Private Sellers if at all possible. Unless it's something new that you've just got to have, you can get it used from the private sector at a far better deal; especially in a great used car market like Houston, Texas. Sure you have to do your due diligence; get them all carefully inspected; and there's little recourse if you're aggrieved (short of litigation), but in the long run, it's most often a far better outcome. Dealers (particularly Corvette Dealers - most of whom I greatly respect) need to pay for expensive overhead and employees, etc. If you are looking for a vintage vehicle of any kind, I recommend joining a local Car Club that specializes in the model and get involved with the membership. They have great information; it's fun; the fellowship is a real bonus; and you often get leads on vehicles that decent folks are looking to sell. The Vette that I recently bought I heard about while sitting around with some Texas pals talking Corvettes. A very wealthy lady owned the '66. Her husband Jack had been a life long Corvette man and had unfortunately passed last November. This was Jack's last Stingray of many. She turned down a lot of offers from folks that were looking to "flip" the vehicle. When we showed up with kids in tow and she learned we were a Corvette family, she sold to us simply because she wanted to find the Vette a good home. In fact, part of the deal was that if I sold her, I'd ensure it went to another real Corvette fan. The deal she gave us was, by any measure, amazing. I plan to honor the deal. I plan to keep this one and perhaps later give it to one of my boys. One thing you can count on though, is that when I do sell it, it'll be to the right kind of buyer (an NCRS man or woman for sure). Best, EWC
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