Why is buying a Spider so hard?

[supplyguy]

Only one in 10 Craigslist sellers returns calls/emails. Lost the opportunity to buy bnorem's car last weekend (for far more than the selling price, as it turns out) because of no contact. Two days ago a possible 82 turbo less than 100 miles from my house (I have been looking nation wide) shows up on Craigslist and after three polite emails and no response I get a reply..."you sound like a scammer". I do everything I can to earn enough trust to have the gentleman answer whether the car is even a manual or automatic, and silence. I suggest he come here and search my posts to see that I really do want to pay good money for a car....nothing. I have two possibles that are not really what I want, but they are the only two decent sellers I've run into that will make contact and discuss their cars (one of them from this forum). Maybe I try a reverse auction? Post here what I'm looking for and my upper limit on price and have folks nominate cars? This is terribly frustrating.

[georgeramos]

the reverse auction thing might work.

I saw an 84 on Craigslist in SF Bay area via a dealer. theyre asking $9995 but if it was me i would not be shy about making an offer with my top limit.

We like the show Pawn Stars and one thing Ive noticed is the original asking price is typically NOT what prople are willing to sell an item for. money talks.

Best of luck, the right car will come around and your hard work will be rewarded.

[dmwhiteoak]

I hope everything works out for you. There is one in Texarkana Tx. that the guy wants 2500 for but you got to put the top back on the motor. Head rebuilt and all the parts there. New top and New tires and a good black paint job. I just don't need to spend the money right now . Let me know if you may be interested and I will do what I can to help. I'v been debating whether to buy it for 2 months but I better not.

[supplyguy]

Thanks....have neither the time nor talent to reassemble. Will do my best to convince the local gentleman I am not a scam artist, or wait, wait, wait for one to come up on this forum that fits.

[So Cal Mark]

where are you? I have a nice 81 available

[supplyguy]

Virginia. Will it make it cross country?

[124JOE]

you bet it will"make it"
i got mine and drove from reno to home under madison
without 2ng gear
i just cruzed it home easy
all thou i had to push start it
sombody buggered the starter in
and it backed off durring the trip

[RDSPYDR]

Where in Virginia ? There were a couple in Virginia Beach for sale a short time ago. I will drive buy and see if they are still for sale ..

[ga.spyder]

Look in the For Sale ads here.I listed one for another person ,located in western NC.The car is drop dead beautiful.I posted it under ''gorgeous 82 Spider".If you are looking for a car that needs absolutely nothing,for decent money,I suggest you email Richard or pm me for contact.He has had it listed for a while,so he may work on the price.He has receipts from all work,that has been done by a guy in this area that is a nationally known restorer of rare cars(mostly Mercedes)
Craig
nuker598@yahoo.com

[tonyfromjersey]

I buy stuff on Craigslist all the time. Craigslist people can be wacky and hard to deal with.

I had a car I was looking at, I asked the guy to set a time and place to meet, and nothing. No emails, wouldn't return a call, etc. 6 weeks later the guy calls me and asks when I'd like to see the car. Uh, dude, that was a month and a half ago. I bought a different car. He was bothered that I hadn't waited for him.

Good luck in your search, the people here will help you find what you need.

[supplyguy]

Making progress. Gentleman shared a little more and a few more pix. 1982 Turbo, 137000 miles, bubble rust behind front and rear wells on one side, won't go into 4th gear, turn signals and wipers not working - interior fair (driver side door all cracked here I guess my arm would rest while tooling around the countryside) - $3000. Not as nice as others I've seen for $4-$5k. Welcome thoughts.

http://easternshore.craigslist.org/cto/2901871425.html

[124JOE]

do it
after all you need something to start with
and its a turbo"thats a pluss"

[ga.spyder]

There are 2 schools of thought on the turbos.They do have more horsepower and are rare.The turbos themselves(Legend Industries) have a lot of issues,and parts are very hard to find.Thats why so many of the turbos have been removed from the cars!Figure on $1500 for a new tranny or a quality rebuild,if this is something you cant do yourself.My advise ,for what its worth,is buy the best car you can afford with no big issues.You will find that you will be money ahead in the long run.

[spidernut]

Since you don't have the time or talent to fix it yourself, you might want to pass on it. Transmission - $1,300-$1,600, wipers depending on what is actually wrong $150-$400, interior $150 for cheap seat covers - thousands for a professional restoration, rust repairs - can be a MAJOR expense depending upon the real extent of the rust that you can't see, and turn signals could be a simple fix like the hazard switch or something major such as butchered wiring under the dash.

Get a good Fiat mechanic to look it over and have a thorough inspection of the running gear before you buy. You don't want to end up with a money pit.

$3K? I'd say that the price isn't horrible, but not great either.

[Kent124]

I buy stuff on Craigslist all the time. Craigslist people can be wacky and hard to deal with.

+1, many fuitloops post there.