When should you draw the line and not sell someone a vehicle? Especially considering how they plan to get it Home.

[auburnseeker]

I know the old saying once it's sold it's theirs.  But should you draw a line and refuse to sell it under some circumstances? 

 

This is actually nothing to do with the actual vehicle I was selling but the way it was to be hauled home. 

 

I sold the Hudson big boy Pickup today and had just such the scenario play out.  

 

I had a guy contact me from Florida that wanted to take a bus up and drive it home.  Now it's a good driver,  but not proven on any great hauls though it had never given me a lick of trouble and always performed wonderfully. I told him before he thought of leaving that I wouldn't sell it to him if he was going to drive it home.  I mean it has a single tail light  and I have never used the wipers more than for the annual safety check. 

 

I could only imagine 5 lanes of traffic at 70 miles an hour and you trying to make lane changes in heavy traffic and not get clipped. 

 

Well I convinced him and he decided he would trailer it home if he bought it.  (sounds great). Until I got a phone call asking if I knew a place he could fix it because a brace broke off (empty) thus severing and grounding out the trailer wiring which then blew all the fuses for the trailer lights. 

 

Fortunately (I think) they made it here in the rain.  (we took the truck out  and he went over it with a fine tooth comb,  mechanically and cosmetically)  Too bad he wasn't as fussy about the trailer. 

 

Well he agreed to buy it for my price which was negotiated over the phone so he knew my bottom line.  

 

If he had been at all local and not 1300 miles away, I would have either had my friend deliver for free on his rollback or told him to find another trailer. 

 

The owner figured a piece of 3/4 inch plywood would hold the brace and fender in place with plenty of screw through the deck so I did that, then I fixed the wiring and fuses I diagnosed earlier, neatly routing and making sure nothing could chafe. (fortunately had everything handy)  The driver was kind of clueless about what the problem was,  just that he had no lights. 

 

I would be leery pulling this across town empty much less to Florida loaded.  Of course it rained all day so I got good and soaked with the only dry times being when I was inside looking for parts and tools. 

 

I even suggested loading it backwards as it would have been incredibly tongue heavy.  I don't like having anything towed this way but better that than breaking the trailer in half,  which I still think could happen.  We finally got it loaded (me at the wheel)  then jacked the back up and put it over where it needed to be to center everything.  No way I was driving it off again to get it perfectly straight in the back with them trying to guide me. 

 

My wife and I both agree that anytime in the future someone is going to haul something I care about that I'm selling, any distance,  I want a picture of your truck and trailer before you leave to come pick it up.

 

As you can imagine the trailer also has no functional brakes and an old 1500 series GMC is not going to be sufficient to do the job for that duration. 

 

I don't even own a car trailer any more and I have a diesel Superduty Ford just in case.  

 

I also leave all my towing up to the professionals.  It's not worth the headache. This just reinforces that. 

 

Say a prayer for these guys (nice enough guys) they are going to need it, moving my old Hudson all the way to Florida on a car hauler made from an old camper trailer with no extra bracing.  It will be a miracle if it makes it. 

 

If you see it scattered along I 87, 81 or 78,  please don't let me know. 

 

 

 

 

[31Buick96S]

When I bought my Buick, I found that it was cheaper to pay a professional transporter to pick it up in Wisconsin and deliver it to New Jersey than it was to tow a trailer there and back. Fuel, tolls, motels and meals add up quickly.

[TerryB]

Looks like the Hudson should be doing the pulling and his pickup on the trailer.  It’s now his truck and that’s how it goes.

[TAKerry]

I dare say, they probably would have been better off driving it and following along with the other truck!

 

Hope they had a spare (my previous trailering experience had a professional trailer, makes that one look like, well you know what). BUT, a flat tire without a spare created quite the problem. Hopefully they will make out fine.

[avgwarhawk]

When I purchased my 54 Buick I thought to drive it home.  Winchester VA to Baltimore MD.  The seller said it was not a good idea. The beltway around DC is a bear.  $300 bucks for a flatbed tow owned by a friend and have it delivered in one piece. Best idea ever.  3 speed 54 no PS or PB is enough to handle without the added lunatic running 85 mph on the beltway. 

 

My 60 Electra I did drive home. I arrived to pick it up. Had a brake light switch to install. Lights now worked.  Seller looks at me and says where is your tow truck. I said I'm driving it home.  Repair paperwork and history indicates that old girl is ready for the road. Altoona PA to Baltimore MD.  She performed without issue during that 4 hour drive.  She can keep up with traffic without a second thought. 

[pkhammer]

  I've had this same experience, twice. Back in 2012 I sold a Frick portable steam engine to a man in Kentucky. He showed up to pick it up with a half ton pickup and an open car trailer with two 3500# axles. The steam engine weighed around 10,000 lbs! Once loaded he left the house and I never heard from him again. I hope he made it back across all the mountains of West Virginia! I have a Dodge 2500 Diesel and at the time a 20' trailer with two 6,000 lb. axles and that setup was barely adequate for the job.

  When I sold my '64 Falcon a few years ago the buyer showed up (form Florida!) with a half ton short bed and a rattle-trap of a 16' landscape trailer. When loaded it looked as if the hitch would surely hit the ground when the slightest of bump was encountered.

   There's some sketchy setups out there hauling down the road!

[1932 plymouth pb sedan]

For some logical reason, I do not think the Hudson will ever look that nice again.

[Larry Schramm]

I have seen worse.

[edinmass]

if it were me, I would not have not loaded it on the trailer, and insisted he drive it out of my yard. What happens after that is not my concern. Looks like an accident waiting to happen.

Edited July 3, 2023 by edinmass (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

My neighbor used to flip older cars. He brought home a rat trap of a 69 firebird. He sold it online. The buyer was planning on flying in and driving it home. Charlie (my neighbor) was going to give it a tune up and make sure the brakes were good. I came home one day and it was gone. Not sure how it got to its new home. The car was in Maryland and the guy was going to drive it to Arizona!

[J.H.Boland]

Not long after I finished restoring my ex-Wardsville, Ontario '31 Chevy fire engine, the village wanted it back for a fire engine muster they were hosting. At the time, I didn't have the equipment needed to move it. They sent a Dodge L'il Red Wagon and a 16 foot open trailer to pick it up. The '31 Chevy was over eighteen feet long. Against my better judgement, we loaded it up and hit the road. We had barely got up to speed on the four lane divided highway and she started to seriously fishtail. Two things saved us winding up upside down in the ditch: 1- a big rig driver kept anyone from trying to overtake us and 2- the driver of the 383 equipped Dodge floored the little pickup which straightened everything up. We exited at the next offramp and went home for a change of shorts.

Not a sold story but shows what can happen.

[zepher]

I hauled this car 1,200 miles last year from Calif to Wyoming.

What you can't see is my cousin's F350 in front of the trailer.

When he purchased this trailer he made sure it would be tall enough and stout enough to also haul any of our antique cars, including my Pierce Arrow.

Now that's he's got about 6,000 miles on this trailer he is ready to get rid of it and get a gooseneck, enclosed trailer after seeing how much better his gooseneck horse trailer tows compared to this bumper pull car trailer.

 

 

[auburnseeker]

4 minutes ago, edinmass said:

if it were me, I would not have not loaded it on the trailer, and insisted he drive it out of my yard. What happens after that is not my concern. Looks like an accident waiting to happen.

I wanted to try to give him the best odds possible.  It's the only reason I helped,  but I told him,  I handed him the keys and it was his,  he did the rest. 

 

Being a nice guy and caring is not always a good trait. 

[keiser31]

4 minutes ago, auburnseeker said:

I wanted to try to give him the best odds possible.  It's the only reason I helped,  but I told him,  I handed him the keys and it was his,  he did the rest. 

 

Being a nice guy and caring is not always a good trait. 

No good deed goes unpunished. I will be crossing my fingers for them on this one.

[auburnseeker]

I hear you on that one.  Always seems that way.

[auburnseeker]

58 minutes ago, TerryB said:

Looks like the Hudson should be doing the pulling and his pickup on the trailer.  It’s now his truck and that’s how it goes.

That's exactly what My wife said and she doesn't know much about towing. 

[Rusty_OToole]

Make sure you get paid CASH and get a signed receipt with the date and time. After that it is his problem. If you really hate to see the car go, don't sell it.

I think, only once have I refused to sell a vehicle and that was a 1929 Harley 45 that a guy wanted to make into a chopper.

Have learned to do business in a businesslike way. Not a matter of trusting or not trusting, just good business methods.

[Matt Harwood]

Is... is that trailer made out of wood?!? 

 

I long ago stopped trying to talk grown men out of making stupid mistakes and I tell them as much when they ask about driving old cars home great distances. Sometimes the hammer of reality is the only way people learn. We make buyers sign a waiver when they drive old cars home saying they're on their own and don't call us if something breaks, because it will. I've also seen plenty of rickety trailers like that and I won't touch them. You bought the car, you load it yourself, I'm not getting involved. I don't want the responsibility. I hope he doesn't expect to make you responsible should something go wrong after you repaired his crappy hardware.

 

This is hard-earned knowledge that cost me a lot of lawyer money, by the way. You're getting it for free.

[Matt Harwood]

1 hour ago, 31Buick96S said:

When I bought my Buick, I found that it was cheaper to pay a professional transporter to pick it up in Wisconsin and deliver it to New Jersey than it was to tow a trailer there and back. Fuel, tolls, motels and meals add up quickly.

ALWAYS cheaper to let someone else move it long distances. Get to know it on your home turf. You break down in the middle of nowhere, now your car is broken, you're stranded, and you need to figure out how to get both you and the car home. THAT will cost more than whatever a hauler was going to charge you.

 

Let the experts do their jobs. Trying to do this hobby on the cheap is always a recipe for disaster.

[auburnseeker]

The truck was paid for before it hit the trailer.  That I made sure of.  

[auburnseeker]

I know I busted my butt for 5 hour problem solving and dragging out tools.  If I hadn't done what I did,  they would still be in the yard trying to fix it bugging me ,  borrowing tools.  I just wanted to get the day over. 

[m-mman]

Hey Matt,

Didnt you have a “professional” transporter tear into a clutch trying to load a high dollar Chevelle onto a trailer because he couldn’t drive a stick? 

[Matt Harwood]

1 minute ago, m-mman said:

Hey Matt,

Didnt you have a “professional” transporter tear into a clutch trying to load a high dollar Chevelle onto a trailer because he couldn’t drive a stick? 

Indeed. But it was a guy doing cut-rate open shipping to save a buck after buying a $150,000 car. That's the second-worst mistake guys make, after the one where they want to drive it home.

 

 

[auburnseeker]

I ship everything enclosed.  Too much can go wrong open and you are forcing water into every open spot you can.  Too many people try to cheap on the shipping.  It's just not worth it.  Even getting the Auburn was a bit of a headache and that was using a shipping company with decent 2 car enclosed trailer and fairly late model Dodge Diesel dually pickup.  More about the scheduling than anything.  Didn't know the original guy I was dealing with that acted like it was his equipment was actually a broker of sorts.  I think it only worked as he had several companies , seems he regularly deals with.  I wrote the actual transporters info down to deal with them direct if I ever find something else on the island, (no man's land for most)   otherwise Bill or Dave here will get my business if at all possible.  Super good service and delivered / picked up exactly as promised.  

[Steve9]

That light weight pickup and mousey trailer have got crash written all over them! You were a great sport for helping the clown now it’s in gods hands.

[Bryan G]

When I closed my shop I sold my frame rack and a bunch of other stuff to a guy who drove 2 hours in an old, borrowed Chevy C3500 rollback. I really didn't know you could get the back of one of those to sit that low! I suppose he dodged the DOT on the trek back; I never heard from him again.

 

I'll admit, I've often been tempted by a "Marketplace Special" and thought of flying in and making an adventure of driving the beast home. I've had confidence enough in 2 or 3 cars that were 70+ years old to drive them coast to coast, but I have to remind myself that those were vehicles I knew like the back of my hand. Having to learn that stuff on the side of the road, in West Bum Fiddle, at 2pm on a Sunday, on the side of the mountain with no cell service, in the rain...loses some allure. I'm not finished daydreaming, however.

[Frank DuVal]

3 hours ago, J.H.Boland said:

Two things saved us winding up upside down in the ditch: 1- a big rig driver kept anyone from trying to overtake us and 2- the driver of the 383 equipped Dodge floored the little pickup which straightened everything up.

I did similar. In town tow, flat tow with homemade tow bar. I was driving a '62 Corvan 95 and was pulling a late model Corvair (66). I am heading down Rt 1 (Brook Rd) towards a traffic light at the bottom of a hill, Hilliard Rd, and ease on the brakes. Corvair decides it wants to lead the procession! Fishtailing behind me, trying to pass me one side or the other. Dad was following me and thought I had lost it. All the other traffic gets far away from me. I think the only way to recover from a fishtailing towed object is to take the lead, so I stepped on the go pedal hard, light was red, remember? Once I had the Corvair following me, and not fishtailing,  I slammed on the brakes to stop for the light. Dad later told me he could not believe I regained control. No longer did I tow customer's cars!

[yachtflame]

I once bought a ‘30 LaSalle parts car from CA. The owner knew of a car hauler so I hired him to move it to MA in his covered trailer. A week later, two guys show up in a rented box truck with the car up in the back. This is what they called an enclosed transport!
 I had to get a local tow truck to back up to it so they could unload onto the flatbed to roll down to the ground.  
Close to some of the dumb things I did when I was in my 30’s.

[Xander Wildeisen]

5 hours ago, auburnseeker said:

 

Say a prayer for these guys (nice enough guys) they are going to need it, moving my old Hudson all the way to Florida on a car hauler made from an old camper trailer with no extra bracing.  It will be a miracle if it makes it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you notice the wheel wells look different. That is because I took this picture before I had to cut them free, and bolt them on. Because the weight of the truck caused the trailer fenders to rub on the tires. No need to pray they make it to Florida. They obviously made it from Idaho to Florida. 

 

[Xander Wildeisen]

Same tow rig as well. Guy was really nice. Guess he is after a couple of trucks. Might be a hot market for them down in Florida? 

[auburnseeker]

That is absolutely crazy.  I think he mentioned he had another but wanted a turn key one.  Didn't know it was the one you sold. 

[wayne sheldon]

I could write pages! Things I have done, things I have seen, stories I have been told. Jack Passey told several stories of buying cars in the East, and then driving them cross country to get them home in California. A couple times he bought two cars, and towed one behind the other! He touches on a couple of these trips in his book.

I have always wanted to buy a nickel or horseless era car and drive it two to three thousand miles home. I came close once or twice, but the deal never came together for it to actually happen.

The closest I came so far was when my son bought a 1984 AMC Eagle wagon in Florida, and we did in fact fly back and drive it home to California. It was a great trip! Although a bad tank full of gasoline in Louisiana as the sun was setting turned into stuck on a desolate highway in Texas at 2:00 am with the overnight low of +7 Fahrenheit cleaning out the jets in the carburetor by flashlight!

Would I try it again? Probably. Would I recommend someone else do so? Not likely.

 

Twenty-five years ago, when I bought the 1915/'16 Studebaker touring car I loved so much? I had been assured the car was tour ready! But my inspection had found a couple things that made me not believe that. It was almost two hundred miles to home, but the brakes weren't right, and a couple other things worried me. At the time, I had a small trailer for cars somewhat larger than a model T. However, the Studebaker was considerably bigger. The Studebaker would physically fit on the trailer, but a 3300 pound car on an undersize single axle trailer? I found a local flat bed hauler that would transport the car the distance home. It was a couple hundred bucks at that time. I drove up, made sure the car was properly loaded. Followed it all the way home. Then in home comfort I spent the next few weeks sorting the car and making sure it was reasonably ready to be driven.

I like to think I know where and when to draw the line.

[brasscarguy]

I just had yet another car moved by Bill at Bill's auto service in Ohio.  He kept in contact with the seller and me for arrival time. Loaded my car plus a couple of  extra pieces, took pictures for my records. Then called me and let me know he was on the way.

 

His equipment is always spotless, the car I had moved was an early brass car so I wanted it taken care of, which Bill does. He gave me his estimated time of arrival and from Southern California to my home north of Seattle, he was 15 minutes early on a trip of 1600 miles and through the LA traffic area. This is the 4th car he has moved for me and narry a scratch on any of them. Let the professionals do their job, good equipment, good care, and no worries for me. No more car hauling for me.

 

just sayin'

brasscarguy

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Shades of the buyers who picked up my 39 Chevy project years ago:

Showed up a day early with no call, 2.5 hours one way just on chance we would be around.

No trailer, just a tow hitch with no lights, using a mid 80s chevy sedan. 

Ancient tires on the 39, and of course no license plate.

Route back to NYC of all places on really tough highways no matter which way they went.

Ahh but, brown lunchbag full of bills.  "Best wishes friends"...

I do know they made it back ok due to a subsequent request to notarize a BOS for them.

Jesus kissed the fool(s)!!   

[alsancle]

Randy,  which bearded guy are you?

 

 

[edinmass]

Nothing is more expensive than a discount car hauler…….open or closed. When I finally wright my book, I have a dozen examples…….

[Xander Wildeisen]

7 hours ago, auburnseeker said:

That is absolutely crazy.  I think he mentioned he had another but wanted a turn key one.  Didn't know it was the one you sold. 

I posted the Flètch clip for a laugh, what are the odds of that. The trailer would not have made it to the end of the road. Before slicing through the tires. Only way to fix it on the fly, cut the welds. And raise them up. Now those chrome parts I sold you, could possibly make their way onto my truck that I sold.😂 crazy stories can come out of this car stuff. I am getting ready for my Courtesy car to be picked up later this week. Sad to see this one go.

[yachtflame]

49 minutes ago, edinmass said:

Nothing is more expensive than a discount car hauler…….open or closed. When I finally wright my book, I have a dozen examples…….

How many starring you? 🙄

[Guest]

So you sold a good running driving truck but then insisted they use a trailer.  The trailer they showed up with wasn't up to your standards.  Their tow rig wasn't either.  If selling your truck is dependent on how someone moves it then maybe you should be the one to deliver it.

 

People come from many different backgrounds and skill sets.  Typically they have either learned where they are on the learning curve or will soon enough.  It may have been far better to let them drive the truck back on it's own rubber.  They may have been great mechanics but have little to no experience towing.  Your insisting on being towed may have put the truck at greater risk, it may not.  A foolish person can't be protected from themselves and it is foolish to try.

 

If you think it's sketchy taking a new purchase out on the road for the trip home you should try a boat out on the ocean. . .

[STEVE POLLARD]

 

 

 

Wow.... for the investment that your making, let the professionals handle the move !

 

Steve