Saying Goodbye to a friend...

[Eric P.]

Re: Saying Goodbye to a friend...

I won't hesitate to say this any longer on this thread...if any NCRS members are going to "Say Goodbye to a friend..." and have a good original Mid-Year Corvette they have owned for a long time and want to be sure they find a good next-caretaker, please contact me. They don't have to go to Austria or Africa to find the next buyer! I would love to have a chance to buy a Corvette like the '63 SWC mentioned above, or this '59 if I was a solid-axle Corvette fan.

Eric Patty
NCRS Member #8355

[Richard M.]

Re: Saying Goodbye to a friend...

Eric, Agreed. But its all about timing too.

I advertised my '59 right here in the Classifieds and the FS section on corvetteforum.com.

I also sent out a email pointing to them to a list of buddies.

The next morning I got a call asking if I would sell all 3 to my friends in Graz, at my price. Done.

I forked out about $5k of my own cash in parts, tires, misc, and substantial labor($0/hr....lol), over a few months to get them semi re-restored for my buds over there. I found a great local exporter to make it easier and safer to get them shipped. That was actually a lot of effort but was really a fun new experience.

The Austrians became my friends because of Corvettes. Nobody here would by our 63 coupe 10 years ago after exhaustive attempts here, CF, EBay, trailering to the Fl Regional, Daytona Turkey Run, etc. But a buyer on my CF ad emailed me from Graz, met my price. He sent a local inspector and here we are 10 years later, great friends since.

By chance, a short time ago before my 3 shipped, my exporter called and asked if I knew of any nice 63 coupes for sale for one of his clients......

Word of mouth always works if you find the right interest.

[Frank D.]

Re: Saying Goodbye to a friend...

Eric, Agreed. But its all about timing too.

I advertised my '59 right here in the Classifieds and the FS section on corvetteforum.com.

I also sent out a email pointing to them to a list of buddies.

The next morning I got a call asking if I would sell all 3 to my friends in Graz, at my price. Done.

I forked out about $5k of my own cash in parts, tires, misc, and substantial labor($0/hr....lol), over a few months to get them semi re-restored for my buds over there. I found a great local exporter to make it easier and safer to get them shipped. That was actually a lot of effort but was really a fun new experience.

The Austrians became my friends because of Corvettes. Nobody here would by our 63 coupe 10 years ago after exhaustive attempts here, CF, EBay, trailering to the Fl Regional, Daytona Turkey Run, etc. But a buyer on my CF ad emailed me from Graz, met my price. He sent a local inspector and here we are 10 years later, great friends since.

By chance, a short time ago before my 3 shipped, my exporter called and asked if I knew of any nice 63 coupes for sale for one of his clients......

Word of mouth always works if you find the right interest.

And that would be my car, timing is everything, after my botched eye surgeries (both eyes -- long story), I spent 4 hours on a brake job that used to take me 45 minutes, moreover I was no longer confortable piloting a 60 year old car in nutso Orlando traffic with poor vision and no safety features other than a lap belt; I realized that enough was enough.

This deal fell out of the sky; a straight up, no nonsense, no looky-lou, no tire-kicker sale with no auction fees and nobody picking the car apart.
It went like this:

1. Car inspected on my lift followed by a "performance" test drive with me at the wheel, whereupon the exporter calls client overseas
2. After the call, exporter says, "How much do you want?"
3. I gave him a hefty number, expecting some tough negotiations; didn't happen; and a handshake sealed the deal
4. Walked back in the house told the wife the price I got and she had to sit down.
5. Money wired to my bank account within 72 hours.

I've sold all of my classics over the years in the US, overseas wasn't my first choice, but anybody that would walk away from the hassle free price I got couldn't have been serious about selling. End of story.

[Eric P.]

Re: Saying Goodbye to a friend...

Rich & Frank,
I am truly happy for you guys and the new owners. You are both spot-on, not only with the timing of a sale, but also the best conditions for a great deal; which is when both the seller and new owner are happy in the end...obviously the case here for both of you. Another positive from your recent exchanges is that the Corvettes and cars will make a big impact where they are now, and that helps keep our love for these cars seeing them on a international level these days.

Really good Corvettes are almost always owned by guys you. My experience so far has been that buying from an NCRS owner is the best way to find a good Corvette. Thanks for sharing your stories!

Eric

[Richard M.]

Re: Saying Goodbye to a friend...

The new owner sent me a nice email earlier today. He'll be driving it next week when it's cleared through customs. He's very excited to finally get his dream car, he said. I felt the same way 35 years ago. I remember staying up almost all night with it tinkering and analyzing everything on it. Got in to work really late the next day.

I wonder if these old cars can sense that feeling we get?