Hi Dave Frye and List,
I agree with you about the price of the Ebay 55 Imperial. I have an all
original 55 Imperial Coupe in this condition. I have been offered the price
that they are asking for this car more then once by people that are in the
position to pay the money and have turned it down because I am not
interested in selling my car at this time. I have also seen 55's of this
quality sell for this price and more. I have noticed that some people are
willing to look for a car like the 55 Imperial that is in much lesser
condition. They are paying a lesser price but then when it comes time to
bring the car up to the condition of the Ebay 55 they fall short. Most
people are not willing to spend the money to do a car right or for that
matter do the research to bring the car up to the standards of the Ebay 55.
I don't know how many times that I walked a car show and see a car that
looks good at twenty feet and as I get closer I see masking lines on rubber,
bad chrome and vinyl interiors where leather should be. This drives the
lower end of the hobby. These cars seldom win at shows because the people
that know what they are looking at walk right past them. The owners feel
slighted and then attack the owners of the high quality cars wondering why
they always win. There is a reason for that. The winning owner took the
time to get it right.
Buying a car of poor quality because you car afford it is not always the
answer. There is a happy medium. Look for the car that is the best quality
for the money. Spend a little more for a car that does not need as much and
be proud of what you purchased. Many people in this hobby will buy the
cheepest car and then about half way through restoration will drop the
project because they are in over their head. They spend to much time trying
to find the so-so parts cheeper because they don't want to spend the money
for the best. They usually end up losing out in more ways then one. They
loose the good parts trying to wait for the not so good parts and then sit
waiting for long periods of time without being able to enjoy there cars.
The cost of labor is the same no matter what. Getting a good interior or
one of poor quality is a matter of the materials involved. Buying the cheep
velour instead of the correct cloth is the way out for the majority of the
people in this hobby. I read here on the List about peoples thoughts on
cars for sale on Ebay all the time. Most people are quick to jump on a car
that is not restored correctly. So why do you think that people did the car
this way. Because they saved a penny here and there. Did the car sell, NO.
A person that knows what they are looking for will not bid on a car like
this when the asking price is not in line with the quality of the car.
Many people look at what they have in a car and think that they should be
able to get their money out. A person that took the time to get it right
most times will get close or all of their money to a savy buyer. The person
that did a budget restoration and has almost the same amount of money in
their car will sit on the car for long periods of time trying to get the
same money and will feel bad when people say things about the quality of
their restoration. I have been in this hobby for many years and have owned
over 500 cars. I have never lost money on a car that I have bought and sold
and many times have doubled and even tripled my money. I have offered parts
to people at fair prices only for them to balk at the prices because they
think that they will find something of the same quality for a better price.
They are still looking for the same parts and I have long sold my parts to
someone that was willing to get better parts and go on with their
restoration. They are enjoying the fruits of their labor now while the
others are getting tired of not being able to use their cars because they
still need parts.
I have written for magazines and this subject always comes up. It seems
that there will always be a division between people who care about the end
product and people who want to do the budget thing. There will always be
this battle between right and wrong. All people have different ideas how
they want things to be and that is why there is room in the hobby for
everyone. Just don't feel bad when your car is not given the same respect
as one that is of top quality. Remember that you are the only one that
counts and if you are happy with what you have created than you have done
what you set out to do.
Ken
>From: Frye55Imperial@xxxxxxx
>Reply-To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: IML: 55 Imperial not sold on Ebay
>Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2002 10:52:23 EST
>
>Hi Ken, of course I watch the prices of 55's when possible, somewhere the
>showroom condition sometime last summer was listed at $29000. That one on
>ebay got knocked around alot, but where are you going to find one any
>better
>for sale? Too much picking at something that there aren't very many of in
>the first place and so what if the guy wants a high price, it's not going
>to
>get any lower! It can only go up even if someone pays his price. Sorry,
>that's just the way I look at things. I know there are people with
>absolutely fine, almost perfect cars in their collections, but even if
>there
>are some things not right about the white 55, I didn't see too many others
>for sale, at any price!!!
>Mine isn't perfect by any means, but it's amazing how many people have
>approached me about it and after I threw out a high price they didn't blink
>an eye, so that's my little input about the subject of the white 55 Coupe
>on
>ebay! It may possibly have a few things not exactly correct in some
>people's
>eyes, but go find twenty or thirty others that are better! I don't think
>so...Thank you for not cutting down the car or the guy selling it, granted,
>he should not have started his bidding price so low and maybe it isn't all
>that original in the first place, but it's still a beautiful car that isn't
>going to lose it's value!
>David Frye
>
>
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