If you want top dollar.....Learn what your selling!!!

Experts like me always tell you to know what your looking at when trying to buy the musclecar or project of your dreams. This can be a problem if the seller doesn't know what their selling! A lot of times, especially if your going to drive 100 miles or more to look at a car, you want to know if it's worth the trip to look at it. Phone calls to an uninformed seller can be maddening. Especially if the seller is arrogant and flippant, or you get the wife or girlfriend. A few examples. A customer of mine wanted me to look at a 1969 Chevelle Malibu. We called and put the call on speakerphone in the shop. "Do you still have the Chevelle for sale?" "Yes." "Which engine does it have?"  ( exasperated sigh ) "A small-block Chevy." "Is it a 307, a 327, or a 350?  "I don't know." "Which transmission does it have?" "An automatic." "Is it a two-speed Powerglide or a three-speed Turbo 350? ( Another exasperated sigh ) "I SAID it's an automatic! "Does it have disc or drum front brakes?" "How the hell would I know?"  "Okay, maybe we'll call you back." Another guy wanted me to check out a '70 Cuda  that was advertised with a "700 hp Hemi." Here's that call-"Is the Cuda an original Hemi car?" "How would I know?" "Can you read me the VIN number?" "The what?" "The vehicle identification number." "Should be on the title." "I don't know if I can find the title." "Then how are you going to legally sell it, and how is the buyer going to register it?" "I'll find the title if someone wants to buy it." "Is the engine original?" "I don't know." "Is it a 392 Hemi or a 426 Hemi?"  "It's a 383." "Chrysler never made a 383 Hemi." "If it's a 383, it isn't a Hemi." ( exasperated sigh ). "My husband said it's a Hemi car." "Is he home?" "No." "Can you look under the hood and tell me one thing?" "Why?" "So I know if it's a hemi or not." ( Exasperated sigh ) "How would I tell if it's a Hemi?" "Are the spark plugs in the valve covers?"My husband's a mechanic!" "I'm not stupid!" "Why would the spark plugs be in the valve covers?" "Obviously you don't know anything about cars!" ( Click ).  The last one was when my mother wanted to buy a used 1977 Pontiac Firebird Esprit. "Which engine does the Firebird have?" "A V8." "There were several V8s optional in 1977." "I think it's a 350." "Is it a 350 Pontiac or a 350 Chevy, or a 350 Olds?" "Why would a Pontiac have a Chevy or an Olds engine?" "Because GM used a lot of different engines across the product lines because of smog laws." "Oh." "What does the sticker under the hood say?" "5.7 liter V8." "That means 350 cubic inches." "Oh." "Can you read me the vin number?" "Why?" "Because an "L" in it means it has a Chevy engine, and a "P" means Pontiac." "Shouldn't a "C" stand for Chevy?" "That's just GM's coding system." "It's stupid." "Yeah, thanks, maybe we'll call you back."   You might have to educate the seller, but you might find a bargain, if you can stand the stupidity. Mastermind