The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Purchasing a 1st Chevy 3100

This week I attempted to purchase my first 1950 Chevy 3100 5 window. I saw this at a used car dealership so I stopped to take a look and ask some questions. The truck was in very good condition and when the salesman told me the price was $39,900 I backed off. I never drove the truck or asked to put it on a lift that was available. The salesman told me he had several people interested and was considering putting it on bringatrailer.com and the next Mecum auction. The next day the salesman called me and dropped the price to $27,800, I countered with $25,000. The next day he texted me with another price $26,000. I let him know that I wanted to drive the truck, check the electricals and put it on a lift to check the undercarriage before committing. He texted back and was annoyed by my request and said he was going to pursue other interested parties. Was my request out of line? Thanks

Not out of line the salesman should have expected such a request sounds like he is hiding something . I think there are a few members on here that inspect vehicles for buyers that can’t look at them or buyers from out of country and I am shure they will chime in

I would think that a $12,100 price drop would be an indicator.

Typical used car joke, must be hiding something. Look around, others will turn up, don’t be in a rush. Sheet metal is way more expensive than running gear.

Ed

Was my request out of line? Thanks

Not in the least!

Was my request out of line? [/quote]

No!!! the dealer was out of line.

Ok, I agree it’s a typical salesman tactic. That being said, here’s where you went wrong, in my opinion. You gave him a dollar offer of $25000. At that time you didn’t state the offer was contingent on you test driving the truck. In the salesman’s mind you were committing to buy the truck so he countered with his probable best price thinking the truck would be sold. Was he naive to think you would make a deal without driving the truck? Probably, but it’s not out of the range of possibilities. For him to pull the offer when you requested a test drive is a definite red flag and you probably dodged a bullet. Next time get all the preliminary questions and test drive out of the way before making a cash offer. JMO

Never talk money until you’ve looked at it thoroughly. That’s my opinion. Keep those cards close to your chest.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the feedback.

And *good* feedback is what you got, too! Thanks All!

Absolutely check it out thoroughly. Take your wife if your plans are to include her in future trips. Some wives don't like riding in them.
Trucks in this era were originally designed be used for real work. They ride stiff and have a bouquet of "blow-by" and leaking motor oil on the exhaust manifold.
At speeds of 50 and 55 the engine really sings to you. To me it's all part of the driving experience.

It has to be safe. You must have good braking and steering. No compromise. This can be $$$ to resolve correctly. The dealer should fix it.

I've seen several AD trucks at dealerships and on the Internet with the wrong or missing VIN tag on the driver's side door post.
Attached is an example of an original 1950 1/2 ton built in Baltimore. The VIN tag and title should agree.
The issue you can run into is if you move or sell out of state (my state can be picky), there may be a DMV inspection required and the VIN tag needs to be correct.

Many trucks were ID’d by engine SN, but if engine was changed, fake ID. Make the seller fix title before any money changes hands.

CO accepts a notarized title, but only for two years, so get the title fixed before restoring.

Ed

Regardless of the particulars of how it all went down, you dodged a bullet and ticked off a used car salesman.
Who wouldn't want to start every day off like that ?

A man I know purchased a car. They told him to be sure to turn the fuel off when he stopped. He owned the car 2 weeks. He didn’t turn the fuel off and the car burned completely only to find the car was a bucket of rust. My point, when you are spending $25,000 on a vehicle to want to do a thorough inspection of the vehicle and drive the vehicle should not be a problem. Magnets don’t stick to bonds. Buyer Be Ware!

I've been doing pre-purchase inspections of classic vehicles and muscle cars for 15+ years. Anybody who balks at a full inspection and test drive of a vehicle is hiding something. Among the vehicles I've inspected for international buyers were a 59 Corvette and a 68 Dodge Charger, both with sales prices of $90K. I've inspected 40+ vehicles for one buyer in Australia, and he's bought a little over half of them, based on my examination of the vehicles. Some of the "no sale" ones were rolling deathtraps!
Jerry