• From: Texas
  • Registered: 2010-02-22
  • Posts: 949

Topic: "Want to buy" posts on craigslist

Has this ever worked for anyone?

My team has a car but half the fun of all this is daydreaming about what random cars would be worth trying out as a Lemons racer.  So I thought I'd throw a trot line out and see what cars might be offered that I never thought about.

My post reads:

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I will pay $500.00 for any car that will start up and run under its own power, and can achieve highway speeds for at least a few miles

Don't care what it looks like

Don't care if it has a title or not
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ALLEGEDLY!

-Dave
Scuderia Ignorante // Modena / Dearborn / Aichi Prefecture / West Texas
  • trekkor
  • trekkor
  • Lemons Staff Stalker
  • Offline
  • From: Napa, Ca
  • Registered: 2009-08-26
  • Posts: 2,124

Re: "Want to buy" posts on craigslist

I like it!

Keep us posted.


KT

TH 2009- 40th ~ SP 2010- 13th Class Bad win!! TH 2010- 17th ~TH 2010- 16th  SP 2011- 20th ~ RF 2011- 13th Least Horrible Yank Tank ~ TH 2011- 79th
SP 2011- 105th ~ SP 2012- 119th ~ SP 2013- 139th ~ BW 2013- 17th
Follow Filthy on Facebook: Flailing Lizard Motorsports
  • trekkor
  • trekkor
  • Lemons Staff Stalker
  • Offline
  • From: Napa, Ca
  • Registered: 2009-08-26
  • Posts: 2,124

Re: "Want to buy" posts on craigslist

Change it to $300 wink


KT

TH 2009- 40th ~ SP 2010- 13th Class Bad win!! TH 2010- 17th ~TH 2010- 16th  SP 2011- 20th ~ RF 2011- 13th Least Horrible Yank Tank ~ TH 2011- 79th
SP 2011- 105th ~ SP 2012- 119th ~ SP 2013- 139th ~ BW 2013- 17th
Follow Filthy on Facebook: Flailing Lizard Motorsports
  • Spank
  • Utter Madman
  • Offline
  • From: Escondido, CA
  • Registered: 2009-06-10
  • Posts: 5,864

Re: "Want to buy" posts on craigslist

IgnoranteWest wrote:

Has this ever worked for anyone?


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I will pay $500.00 for any 30+ year-old car manufactured in an eastern bloc country that ran when parked.

must look like shit

If it's stolen, don't tell me.
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Fixed that for you.

Spank's Website

5 Reply by pinkshinyalan (edited by pinkshinyalan 2010-03-17 05:08 PM)

  • From: West Lafayette, IN
  • Registered: 2010-01-18
  • Posts: 53

Re: "Want to buy" posts on craigslist

Get ready to get spammed. Don't believe anyone who has a car to give you for free. Ignore any e-mail that refers to your ad with a direct copy-paste of the title, i.e.:
I saw your ad for MAGIC CRAPCAN - $500 (GENIUSVILLE)

Also, expect to get e-mails from people thinking you're selling a car.

If you get any real responses, consider yourself successful.

pinkshinyalan's Website

6 Reply by Judge Phil (edited by MurileeMartin 2010-03-17 05:11 PM)

  • From: Land Of Subarus, Colorado
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 9,416

Re: "Want to buy" posts on craigslist

http://jalopnik.com/assets/resources/2008/04/Volvo_Parts_Car-02.jpg

When I was part of the original Black Metal V8olvo team, we needed a bunch of junkyard parts and figured a parts car would be way cheaper. I put an ad on Craigslist with a title like "WANTED: YOUR DEAD VOLVO. NO PAPERWORK NEEDED. WILL TOW!"

Within a few hours, I had three calls from owners of non-running/lost-paperwork Volvo 240s within 20 miles of Black Metal V8olvo HQ, and we had a free, 98% complete 242 Turbo (missing only the cylinder head and turbo plumbing) that evening. This was back when scrap metal prices were high enough to merit $100-200 for any junked car, and we still had a huge response.

So, yeah, I think your plan will work, especially if you emphasize the "NO TITLE NEEDED" part in the  headline. Our parts car was towed from the driveway of parents who got tired of seeing their no-longer-living-there "Volvo tuner" son's never-to-be-finished project car. Many others feel the same way about your future Lemons car.

It is true, however, that you'll get spammed. That's why I recommend putting just a phone number; most total flake-Os and scammers can't get their shit together to make a phone call. If you must include an email address, create a new throwaway Yahoo or Gmail account just for the occasion.

Murilee Martin aka Judge Phil on Facebook
Murilee Martin on Twitter
Judge Phil's Lemons posts on Car and Driver
MurileeMartin.com

Judge Phil's Website

  • bob-e
  • Ripened Lemon
  • Offline
  • From: Middle, TN
  • Registered: 2009-06-08
  • Posts: 265

Re: "Want to buy" posts on craigslist

When one of our team members did it, we told him he was an idiot.  "You'll just get a bunch of freaks replying".  Well we ate our words.  We were even asking specifically for Sentra and got one reply and it's a great car.  Do it.  Just use a disposable email address