Sell my 32???????????????Long Post

[Dave]

Ok some of you may find this interesting and some may not. While is was at the detroit autorama last feb I had a guy ask about the 32 and if it was for sale. I told him i didnt really build it to sell. He bothered the SH**t out of me and finally asked what it would take to buy my car. I looked at the car my beer then him and said if you want this car its 50k. He asked for my number and i never heard a thing. (good thing he couldnt get in the display to kick my tires). About a month ago I had  a call from a guy id met  a couple years ago and I figured he wanted some work done. Can you say money and lots of it !! Well i returned his call and he was asking if i wanted to sell the 32 as he had heard that i did. I responded with the autorama story and he told me it was a little out of his league and thanked me for calling him back. I thanked him for calling me. Done deal?
Went to a cruise night tuesday and won a trophy with the 32 (Thats way Cool) and came home to find 2 calls on the machine from the guy that called a month ago. Now we both have a friend that runs a chevy dealership and we both talk to him about every week and now the conversation is hey ive heard that you are looking for a harley? This came from a conversation with our friend a month ago. Hummm Mike is thinking. Oh ya thats the guys name.. My response .. Ya Sue and I have talked about a harley a bunch of times and we would love one.. His response.. I just happen to have a 2004 road glide in the garage how about a trade and cash??
Me lemme think on it..
Him ya no problem lemme know.
Ok called him back later that day.
He buys and sell a lot of cars and bikes and im sure he never looses any money.
Mike ... Dave... What are you thinking... Well ive bought and sold a lot of cars and your 32 isnt a 50k car.
Me .. I didnt say it was ...you asked what id sell it for and i said 50k .. (Im having fun now.)
well mike says.. im thinking 40k so ill trade you my harley and 22k cash.
Me.. ok ill have to look at the bike and ill  get back with you.
Mike ok good deal.
I look on the internet and I find out i dont like the bike he has .. If it was a glide then id be all over it. I just dont like the fairing on the road glide.. Its Not me.
Well I havent called mike back yet and I will just to be fair and tell him im not interested in this harley and i will tell him why.
Besides Sue came home the other night and told me she decided we are keeping the 32.
I  told her if she wanted to be boss tonite that was cool cause i was tired of thinking about the possible trade.. :oops:
Bottom line.... I love the new 32 and its more than i expected and i also know that mike never makes a deal with out making money cause he never keeps anything very long.
Ill let ya all know if i get another call..
Dave
Ps: Ill garuntee its not a money problem with mike he is 50 and could retire tomorrow but he told me that he was gonna work 2 more years cause he i making so much (I cant say that here )money that he cant retire right now ?? I want a job like that..................

[58Apache]

How much would the bike be worth 5 years from now?

How much would the 32 be worth?

How many times would you kick yourself later for getting rid of the 32?

How many times would you lay awake at night wondering if you got a good deal and if you should have done it?

I agree with the wife. Keep the 32 and sleep at night.

Any way to become this guy's apprentice? Has to retire sometime.

                                       Steve

[SKR8PN]

Send that guy with the deep pockets my way..............

[KustomLincolnLady]

Send that guy with the deep pockets my way..............

LOL, yeah and don't tell Rob this story!! my car would be gone tomorrow.
We got offered 50k for the lincoln at the first show we took it to. Well, we had just picked it up from the upholstery shop in Louisville on fri and took it to a show on sat. The guy had been in Vegas and had cash in his hand. I left it up to rob, but we both kinda decided that we hadn't even gotten to enjoy it. I can't tell you how many times we've kicked ourselves for that!!!!  The older the car gets (in terms of age of being done) the less you get for it. (on most anyway)

Not saying you should sell it Dave, just telling our story. LOL  Don't envey your position at all right now.

Robs been whining about getting another harley for yrs now. I just know if it were being offered to him, I'd better be getting a new leather jacket    

[Pope Downunder]

Ok some of you may find this interesting snip.

I do, as I think it happens all the time.  It has happened to me a lot since I got this '32 finished.  It is a very personal thing, so I'm not advising, just giving my perspective.  I actually get a bit annoyed by their presumption that money can buy anything.

The way I figure it, hot rods seem to hold their value, or appreciate;  almost everything else depreciates rapidly. It's all about supply and demand.  You can walk in anywhere and buy a Harley, getting a well-built hot rod that is fresh, relable and to you specific liking is considerably more difficult.  The alternative, of building one (as you know very well) takes considerable effort and sacrifice, and cash.  

I rode bikes every day up until around 1986, when I moved to a cold area.  Since then, I've often thought I'd like one, but can't justify owning one, so I've hired them for a couple of trips to the GP at Phillip Island etc.  A lot cheaper!

My own situation sees me trying to build a '37 Coupe, and it would be quicker if I sold the '32, but last time I did that it took 10 years to get back into a rod.  It is hard to put a value on the somewhat intangible pleasure and satisfaction you get from driving a rod you built-up.  So, what I am trying to do is finish the '37 (albiet slowly) and then I 'might' sell the '32.  Either way, the '32 is now worth over twice what it cost me to build it and is easily sold, so I figure I am in the box seat.  So, I say to these would-be buyers;  'I'm sorry, it is NOT CURRENTLY FOR SALE; if, and when, I want to sell it I will advertise it.'   I don't let them temp me, and I don't tease them, just move on to enjoying the event and the company of my friends.

[Bruce Dorsi]

well mike says.. im thinking 40k so ill trade you my harley and 22k cash.

Me.. ok ill have to look at the bike and ill  get back with you.

Mike ok good deal.

I look on the internet and I find out i dont like the bike he has ..

Well I havent called mike back yet and I will just to be fair and tell him im not interested in this harley and i will tell him  why.

So how do you respond when he says:

"No problem, if you don't like the bike, I'll just pay you the $40K cash!"

From your words, it sounds like Mike has a buyer who will pay more!

The bigger question for you Dave, is would you rather be BUILDING again or DRIVING what you already built?

:b-d:    ps-- I'm not trying to bust your chops!

[C9]

If you can swing it, build another one and then decide.

You could build what I call a 'generic' roadster with bolt-on parts and it would go together pretty fast.

Once you start getting some history with the present roadster it'll be hard to let it go.
I've had mine for quite a while and can't see myself selling it, but I like the new one really well.
It's almost there, needs plumbing, wiring, drive train build to get on the street.

I have thought about selling the 32, but for now I'm going to keep both of them.

One thing I've noticed with some of these would-be buyers is that the majority of them don't have cash, but almost always want to trade something.
Usually a questionable piece of property.
Like the kid who wanted to buy my sailboat several years back
He wanted to swap a nice piece of property for it, brought the paperwork for the property and then sprung the trade bit on me.
Interesting part was his name was nowhere on the property papers nor the mortgage.
Let that one slide.

I'd be real careful as well about letting someone drive the car.
For two reasons.
One, a lotta guys don't know how quick these lightweight little cars accellerate with just a touch of throttle on the most times strong running engine.
Many of them are used to driving an econo-box or larger car and get in the habit of smashing the throttle at least half way down when leaving from a stop.
And almost always, when these same guys nail the throttle in a hot car, it gets sideways, they freeze and the car gets wrapped around a pole or worse.
(Used to know a pair of brothers who rebuilt wrecked Mustangs for a living.  It was amazing how many totals came into the shop with less than a hundred miles on the odometer and we saw a few come in with 5-6 miles on the odo cuz the buyer nailed the throttle in the rain, launched out of the dealership and smacked a pole or wall.)

The other, car theft pure and simple.
These little roadsters and a lot of other hot rods are simply a pile of parts that are easy to sell off or use in another project.
Wife's cousin - nice girl - was engaged to a nice guy.
Nice guys brother was selling a very nice Porsche.
Buyer comes to look, goes for a test drive, gets away from the house into San Fernando Valley traffic, pulls a gun, nice guy tries to make a fight of it, gets shot and dies in the emergency ward . . . after a $10,000. bill for a half hours work....
All this 25 years ago or so, but it still goes on today.

I wouldn't let anyone I didn't know get in my car let alone drive it.
A recommendation from a friend or family works fine, but if they want to drive my roadster they gotta buy it first.
The other side of that coin is non-serious buyers who want to take a fast car for a spin for free.

Lotta things to think about here, but be careful and think about it for a while.
Enjoy the car and keep your eyes out for another project.
Easy for him to say, right?  He's got two cars.
The second car is getting done just like the first one.
Scrape up the money and do the work.
Guys who visit my garage and make a comment about having two roadsters forget the first one came into being as a pile of parts almost twenty years ago.

And that's enough rambling for now . . . I'll leave the keys to Rambler on the table and some one else can take a turn.

[nomobux]

Inna word ...... DON'T. * ride Dave. If your gonna sell .. kill em. Don't give it away. Lots of high rollers out there. Last year at the Good Guys in Peeallup I had a guy crawlin all over me for my 32. Caught me off guard, so I said 60K with the matching trlr. Said he and his wife wanted it bad. I was so amazed at that. I told him we'd talk the next day. This is no 60K car. Long story short, I avoided being anywhere in the area the next day. Cold feet .. yup. Shoulda sold .. yup. Lotta cars in the NW sell in the 40s and don't hold a candle to yours.

[Dave]

Wow guess I stirred up a little input on this one  
Ok heres the deal. Looks like the 32 is staying here. I really didnt want to sell it anyway but ive been having fun with the potential buyer. Im actually going to a show tomorrow and I cant wait to drive it again. Either the weather has sucked or ive had other comitments. The 30 Model A tudor thats in the garage is comming along fine. I havent made any real money yet working on it but I will...
Im calling mike monday and tell him sorry no deal on the harley and then i expect a call in about 2 weeks   .
Hes doesnt give up.
Dave

[purplepickup]

Im calling mike monday and tell him sorry no deal on the harley
Dave

Dave that's probably a good idea because I think Harleys are going to start losing a lot of their resale value soon.  Johnson Marine is coming out with a big inch model soon.  Here's the press realease.

At a press conference late Monday, the CEO of Johnson Marine, makers of Johnson outboard marine engines and other recreational equipment, unveiled a new line of heavyweight cruiser style motorcycles designed to compete head to head with industry leader Harley-Davidson. Peter Long, Johnson's Brands Marketing Manager said, "We have studied the market and determined that  Harley, while highly successful, has narrowly missed the mark when targeting motorcycle buyers." Long added, "We at Johnson are convinced that our product hits the target dead center and promises to draw sales away from Harley Davidson in a way no other motorcycle has been able to accomplish."

The new line of bikes, marketed under the name Big Johnson Motorcycles, will, according to Long, deliver what Harley has only promised. "Our research show that this, a Big Johnson, is what Harley buyers are really after." At the unveiling of the new line Monday, several current Harley owners agree. "When I bought my Harley, what I really needed was a Big Johnson," said one Harley owner. "But I see now that riding a Harley is no replacement for having a Big Johnson."

Manager Long also said that his company would follow the lead of Harley-Davidson and cash in on a huge market for non-motorcycle related products. "We realize that not every guy can have a Big Johnson," said Long, "But image is very important to people. If they don't have a Big Johnson, they at least want to project the image of having one."

Asked if he anticipated Big Johnsons showing up in the hands of Harley owners, Long said it was unlikely. "I just don't see the need to have a Harley if you have a Big Johnson," he said. "And I can't imagine someone who spends all their resources to acquire a Harley having a Big Johnson. I think it boils down to this - You either have a Harley, or you have a Big Johnson, but you are not likely to have both."

"Given the choice," said Long, "I think most guys will opt for the Big Johnson."

Another force driving sales for the company will come from women. A survey of the wives and girlfriends of nearly 1,000 potential motorcycle buyers indicates less than 5% would approve of their partner spending $20,000 on a Harley Davidson. But, when asked if they would be willing to pay the same amount of money to get their partner a Big Johnson, nearly 4 out 5 thought that would be money well spent.

One female present at the product unveiling was quoted as saying, "There is no way I will let Lonnie drop 20 grand on another one of those Harleys, but 20 grand to get him a Big Johnson? Well, that's something we could both enjoy, and it's something he really needs."

Carla Roundheel, manager of the dealership network now being established, said her motto is simple. "I service what we sell."

Big Johnson Motorcycles will be traded on the New York stock exchange under the abbreviation PNSNV.

I don't think many people will be chopping the Big Johnsons but I hear that a lot of them will be getting stroked.  They'll be coming out with a big bore kit for the real hard core riders.

[river1]

i sure wish i'd known about the 'big johnson' before i bought my truck, i'd be buying one of those.

Im calling mike monday and tell him sorry no deal on the harley and then i expect a call in about 2 weeks   .
Hes doesnt give up.
Dave

when he calls in two weeks tell him you sold it yesterday. to a guy who made you an offer you couldn't refuse.

later jim

[Dave]

i sure wish i'd known about the 'big johnson' before i bought my truck, i'd be buying one of those.

Then you would have to go to the welding shop to get your suit for louisville altered. You prolly would have to get hold of fat cat first and get a couple of them ball bearings to go with it.. At least it would look real  
Dave

Im calling mike monday and tell him sorry no deal on the harley and then i expect a call in about 2 weeks   .
Hes doesnt give up.
Dave

when he calls in two weeks tell him you sold it yesterday. to a guy who made you an offer you couldn't refuse.

later jim