John_S_in_Penna

Looks interesting! A Buick fan will get lots of double-looks at a Buick show with a minimal expenditure. Since Craigs' List ads have a maddening way of expiring while people are still looking, I'll reprint the contact information in this forum: Seller--M & M Auto Sales, phone (406) 370-5466.

Yes, good cars go fast when reasonably priced. It's always satisfying to see a car go to a hobbyist and well taken care of!

I think you would do much better in phoning the seller. He has only had 2 posts, and his last posting was more than two years ago, so it's doubtful that he'll check back and see your inquiry. Even though the ad may be old, the car may very well still be available. If a car is priced too highly, patience is good! Some buyers take a while to come down to reality.

I think BJM's helpful advice on pricing is accurate. For the typical #3 condition car (nice looking, running, driving, suitable for shows but not an award winner), I really think it's now a buyer's market. Asking prices can still be unrealistic, and dealers are still often trying to get double a car's worth, but if you look at Ebay prices realized, overpriced cars aren't selling unless something is unusually desirable. It's good to see sanity returning to the market! Good luck with your Wildcat--and the advice to get it running is good, even if you have someone else do the work. I'd then classify the car as a #4 condition (one step down from #3 condition). More people will buy a running, driving car.

Good to hear you sold it. This car was for sale by the owner (a hobbyist, a member of the Hornets' Nest Region A.A.C.A.), in 2009-2010. It was advertised in Hemmings for about $37,000. A beautiful body style, though an amateur restoration. A dealer bought it and immediately was trying to resell it for close to $100,000! Mr. Icons, it's good to see that you did some work on it, and the asking price became more reasonable in the $50's. Classic Lincolns, I understand, are every bit as good as Cadillacs but don't seem to bring the big money. Hope the new buyer enjoys the car.

Someone bought a car for $4500 or less, and sold it to your friend for $11,000? Businesses naturally need to make a profit, but this hobby is normally based on the integrity of individuals. Profiteers, sorry to say, are of no help to the hobby. If that profiteer thought the car was worth $11,000, why didn't he offer the original seller more than $4500? I hope the car is in good hands now, and all the best to you in your sales effort. There are lots of good, dedicated hobbyists on this forum, so you found a good outlet for finding the Riv a good new home.

Pete, You should get the phone number of the '51 Buick seller and hold onto it. Even though there are a lot of reasonably priced cars available through ads, some sellers still have wildly optimistic expectations. I've found that even a year after cars are advertised, some cars are still for sale-- and reality is finally setting in. I know of a 1935 Buick Series 50 victoria coupe which a dealer has been trying to sell for FIVE years! That one, however, is still 'way overpriced. Patience, and watchfulness, may get you a '51 fastback---

I'm always a fan of modesty, never of hype and pretentiousness. Auction fees don't need to be so high. There's a great antique-car auction in Lock Haven, Penna. in mid-July that's very family- and bidder-friendly: No charge to register to bid (and of course no charge to look at cars); 4% buyer's fee, 4% seller's fee ($1500 maximum). For those of you who enjoy cars, look up the "Central Pennsylvania Auto Auction!"

Dear Miss Dewdrop, Since the original posting was a few months ago, the original author might not immediately see your inquiry. (Maybe he will if he checks back frequently, as he should.) You'd do better to e-mail him directly. It's always helpful when people list their contact information in their posting!

If I'm correct, West will be speaking at the next Editors' seminar at the 2013 Philadelphia AACA annual meeting. Such helpful expertise can take all of us amateurs up to the next level! So we appreciate the tips, West. There's so much more we can learn.

Yes, the young authoress is good! And she'll probably save that issue as a keepsake for the next 75 years! The delicate job of editing was done well, too, keeping her simple sentence structure. I'm giving credit to the editor, too, because most 4th graders don't have an understanding of the semi-colon---

I inquired about this car. It looked like a very nice original car with low mileage. The seller had quite a bit of interest in it. It sold for $15,000, locally, before the Ebay auction ended.

I think your Cadillac collection of unusual colors is an interesting theme. Don't you wish the car makers offered something other than today's 8 or so bland colors? I'm curious what sort of measured gas mileage you've achieved with your '74 DeVille. I had a 1973 Cadillac Eldorado convertible: it achieved 6 m.p.g. in town and 10 m.p.g. on the highway, for a consistent 8 m.p.g. average. And a car review from 1973 confirmed that 8 m.p.g. was indeed the average. An average of 8 m.p.g. meant that a 25-gallon fill-up (which today could cost almost $100) was good for only 200 miles! Beautiful cars, but they don't get along with high gas prices---

Craigs' List ads have a maddening way of expiring, rendering the links dead. So to lengthen this Buick's ad life, I'll copy the text from the seller's ad: "1958 Buick Special.......... runs good no power steering has power brakes. Cracked driver and passenger original windows. Has a little over 71,000 original miles on original motor. A little rust ( it is a 58') Needs a tune up. Was asking $14,000.........Reduced to Sell at 10,500. Please call if intrested. Serious inquiries only please. Call leave voice mail at 541-730-199three. Thanks for looking. " Hope this helps a buyer weeks or months from now!

PaulBros: Posting your phone number and e-mail address will be helpful for prospective buyers to contact you. And be sure to check the forum regularly to see if questions are posted here. Interesting car! All the best to you on your sale.

Because Craigs' List ads have a tendency of expiring long before car fans' interest might expire, I'm copying the text of the ad into our Forum: "In excellent condition. Never used in winter; car was always garaged. No rust. Less than 15,000 original miles. Maroon exterior and interior. Loaded - A/C, cruise, and power windows. V8 engine. Looking for reasonable offer. Serious inquiries only. Call 239-216-2069. For email inquiries, please leave a phone number.' That way, months from now, someone could still contact the seller. Whatever the price is now, chances are it will be less later! (It's in the Milwaukee area, the ad heading stated.)

I looked, but the listing had expired.

Your car may be of interest to a Buick fan. You might want to post in the Buick Buy/Sell also. And be sure to stop back regularly to see if there are questions! By the way, forum rules require an asking price, and information (phone number and/or e-mail) so people can contact you. Posting pictures will also help your cause. All the best to you!

People will want to know where the car is located; the asking price; and how to contact you. Not only are these Forum rules, but you'll likely do much better with selling the car. All the best to you!

Whenever people can, they should copy more of the details about the car into this forum--rather than just a link. In a few weeks the Craig's List ad will have expired; but Buick fans may be interested in that car months from now and would likely want to know how to get in touch. And often, cars are still for sale months after they're first advertised. A useful idea which I think should be a Forum rule--It will definitely help all of us car fans.

I've found that a lot of early cars (especially cars earlier than the good-looking 1931 above) have mileage that is quite low. People didn't drive their cars as much then, and even put them up for the winter. Today, a 100-mile trip is routine, but in the 'Teens and 'Twenties, that was quite an adventure.

They say that, eventually, people yearn for the cars they owned as teen-agers-- or the cars they wanted as teen-agers. People that grew up in the 1950's love the colors, fins and chrome, and eventually want to obtain cars like those. People in high school in the 1960's wanted a muscle car, perhaps, and now they finally can buy one. According to this theory, most people's current antique cars would be 10 to 20 years younger than they are. My case is the opposite. I got interested in cars as a teen-ager, and as soon as I graduated from college, I bought my first antique: a 1957 Buick. At that time, the cars I wanted in high school were still practically new cars. So my antique was older than I.

Yes, confusion in language can be frustrating--but sometimes the results can be funny! Any editor (or anyone with a sense of humor) will enjoy the book "Anguished English" by Richard Lederer. It's full of simple published mistakes that were unintentionally hilarious. For fun, here are a few headlines quoted from Mr. Lederer's book: IKE SAYS NIXON CAN'T STAND PAT ----- CARTER PLANS SWELL DEFICIT ----- DOCTOR TESTIFIES IN HORSE SUIT Our job might as well be fun!

Your reference to the "nolo" website was very helpful, Wayne. I've printed it out and put a copy in my file. Seeing who owns the rights can sometimes be circuitous and time-consuming, but in doing so, we've talked to some interesting authors whose knowledge and experiences have been fascinating. (I like your play on words, too. Otherwise, copyRIGHT is the correct spelling!)

I've spoken to several actvie members of the Nash Car Club recently. Not only is the club active, but the members seem extraordinarily helpful and courteous. I also get the impression that the club (and pretty much the cars they promote) are free from the hype and profiteering that sometimes affects portions of the hobby. So feel free to look into the interesting, modest, and overlooked Nash cars! The "road less traveled" can be relaxing!