The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Down On My Luck & Stuck With A Truck

Hey there Stovebolters,

I have been a non-participating member of this site for a few years, after purchasing a fixer-upper from New Mexico. The vehicle which I bought almost nine years ago was a 1950 3/4 ton 3600 series Advanced Design Chevrolet pickup truck through a sale on eBay.

I spent approximately $2,400 for it, and another grand or so to have it shipped up to my hometown in South-eastern Massachusetts. The events which followed were an unfortunate series of losses, scams, and rip-offs suffered at the hands of dishonest mechanics and thieves.

After PREPAYING a couple of local mechanics almost $3,000 to perform work on my truck which was never completed, and having hundreds of dollars of parts go "missing" - I am finally ready to sell the vehicle at a net loss.

At some point within this unfortunate timeline, the VIN tag was lost - and now that I have a legitimate and clear title issued by my state registry - there is no way to prove that it is linked to the pickup. It cost me nearly $900 to have the New Mexico title transferred to my state of Massachusetts because of the truck being listed as a collectible by the NADA (and due to the fact that I let 9 years go by after purchasing it).

I have listed it for sale on eBay a couple of times, and also placed it on my local Craigslist forum - but besides some low-ball offers, I have not yet had any success in selling it.

If I could walk away from all of this with one simple lesson learned, it would be to not blindly put my faith and trust into others when large sums of money are involved with big projects that require a lot of resources and energy. It is an unfortunate conclusion to arrive at, and leaves me heartbroken and frustrated - but this is the cold hard reality of our world: people will take advantage of naivete and innocence for selfish reasons, and immorally exploit the trust of others who are looking for assistance.

I don't mean to veer too far off of the topic at hand, and it is not my intention to invite a pity-party that will concentrate upon my misfortune. Instead, I am looking for advice or guidance on how to part with this vehicle, and allow me to walk away from it all so that I might recoup some of my losses.

The most important problem which I am dealing with, is that of the VIN plate being lost, and how it will effect the sale and exchange of the truck. Another matter which I am looking for help or suggestions with, is how to better publicize the sale of the truck so that I can gain more coverage and exposure to potential buyers. Finally - there has been enough work done on the truck since I first bought it, that I feel that it should be worth more than when it was sold to me.

I look forward to any and all information or suggestions that you Stovebolters might have. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

XSFNRG

XSFNRG, I hear you loud and clean. I've had a raw dealing or two but not the magnitude you have described. It will be probably one of the most important lessons you learn in life. Also, the best thing to do is move forward.

Now, since this is the Welcome Centre you will probably won't get much exposure or answers to your questions as not everyone comes through here each time they visit. That said I'll give my opinion.
I see where you made a post back a few years ago so I take it this is the same truck you were working on then. It would be nice to be able to continue the project and finish it in spite of the set backs. Many of us have big set backs to just maybe not the same situation or circumstance.
You can order a vin tag plate and stamp it yourself since there is nothing illegal your trying to do. Get one, stamp it, and install it on your truck. Heck, I'd even rough it up a bit and let it lay out in the weather for a while.
Since this is also not an official "for sale" post I am not going to move it to the Trucks for Sale Forum.

I appreciate the "full story" but the truth is if you want to sell it, post it in the Trucks for Sale Forum, with the price, and also continue the avenue you mentioned like Craiglist, local paper, maybe even Hemmings? If you've had it for sale before and no one inquired then perhaps it is the price, or it may be because its a 3/4 ton which, while a lot of them are out there, it is not the most popular like the 1/2 tons.
If you can get this truck, running/driving, with relative ease then I'd do that as a running driving truck will sell much sooner or you may decide to keep it? The vin tag situation, at least to me, is no big deal. Order one, stamp the number on it and move on. That's why they make the tags in the first place.
Then, if you would like to "vent" or tell of your journey, visit the Greasy Spoon Forum and they will listen to you there.
You bring up a lot of good points. I try never to pay for service I have not received. I learned the hard way to.

XSFNRG, If this happened to me I would be too embarrassed to tell. Hopefully some can learn from your loss. Setbacks is an inherent component of this hobby, just try to glean something from it and keep going. Take a deep breath and make a plan. Good luck with it.

Leo

XSFNRG, You are not alone, I doubt that reading that will ease the pain. I too was involved in a similar situation, the difference being that the vehicle was the only car my Dad ever purchased new, I was 10 years old when he purchased a 1967 Chevelle malibu 2 door hardtop. After 38 years my Dad passed and I got the car. It needed quite a bit of work, rust repair ect. Long story short after a hack got way to much money out of me I ended up selling the mess he made for about 1/3 of what I had into it. After about 5 years to think about it I have since purchased a truck that I really like and have made good progress on it, some things I'm doing some I have hired done, being more careful this time I feel very good about the whole thing, Love Driving It! So that said, don't loose hope, maybe you can continue with this project or sell it, take some time to re-group and do it again. You know what to lookout for now! I encourage you to keep going forward and try it again!

You see all these great car and truck programs on TV, where they buy, restore, and flip for big profits. BUT,,,, not many of us can do that. I doubt there has ever been a car & truck enthusiast that has not lost their A** on at least one vehicle.
Nowadays it cost more to restore one than it will ever be worth. It has to be considered a hobby and fun. Been there too. Sorry to hear about your loss, but just chunk it, forget it, and move on.
If it makes you feel any better, I have just invested 8 grand in a project that I will not be able to finish, because of age and bad health. I am not going to worry about the 8 grand and just move on to something more fun,,,,,,

XFNRG,

I too am sorry to here of your misfortune. These days there seems to be a lot of scam artists out there only wanting your money. If it were me I would sell it part by part and try to recoup your losses. The parts for these trucks hold a high dollar in many cases. Give it a try!

Tim

www.datatags.com will reproduce a VIN tag for you if you provide the correct paperwork to back it up.