1973 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser

Understand what you're saying, but this auction may still climb. We've seen 1970s GM clamshells head off to Europe at close to $20k. This 1976 Buick Estate Wagon comes to mind.

 

More power to him!

 

It's somewhat sad to see this wagon not fetch higher bids. I do feel however that even at the current bid amount of $10.2K, there's still more to go and I think the dealer will make some profit on her too. It may take a few trips to eBay to get her sold but I feel confident it will happen. If she sells now, I suspect it would be to Europe. If sold domestically, probably this coming spring.

Anyways, I pulled these two pics of the car on the day the transport dropped her off at my house. She was filthy, stained, covered in grime and still sporting those vintage bias tires from the '70's.

Chris

 

Well, since I am in the neighborhood, I decided to reach out to the seller. Asked for his bottom line and his response was $21.5K. Don't think he'll let it go for under 18.

 

Are you a potential customer? Did you actually make him an offer? Unless you actually offered to buy his car, this isn't reaching out at all. This is asking the seller to disclose his hand without disclosing yours, and I don't blame him for sticking to his guns.

I ran into this when I had my '73 Custom Cruiser for sale last fall. People asking me what's my "bottom line." My bottom line is my asking price. If you want to know if I'm willing to go lower than my asking price, make me an offer. Put cash on the table. Until then, it's just idle chat, and I as a seller would be foolish to admit that I'd take less than my asking price without a concrete offer in return. I'm just undercutting myself.

 

Seller does not have to disclose anything if he does not wish to. What he chooses to disclose is on him. Fair play. IMHO.

 

No one disputes this. The point of my post above is that you should not take at face value, as hvanzanten seems to have done, any answer you get to the question "what's your bottom line price" unless you offer him actual cash. Until then, of course his answer will be that his bottom line is his asking price. He'd be a fool to say anything else.

You cannot expect the seller to disclose his "bottom line" price simply by asking him what it is. He has no incentive to do so. The battle between buyer and seller is like a poker game. The buyer doesn't want to pay more than he has to. The seller doesn't want to accept less than he wants to. Neither wants to disclose too much about their position without the other side disclosing a similar amount about their position. Simply asking the seller if he'll take lower than his asking price without offering to buy the car at that price is like you and him each holding cards in a poker game, and you asking him to show you one of his cards without you showing one of yours in return.

By setting an asking price, the seller has already shown one of his cards.

The earlier post, from hvanzanten, seems to suggest that, because he asked the seller his "bottom line" price, and the seller said he wouldn't go below his asking price, the seller is firm on his asking price. My point is, we know no such thing because we've done the equivalent of asking the seller to show TWO of his cards without showing even one of ours in exchange. The seller said, "no, I won't show you my second card. I've shown you one card already in the form of my asking price. It's your turn to show me one of yours in terms of an offer."

If we want to see his second card, we need to put at least one of ours on the table. Until then, we know nothing about his willingness to negotiate nor what he would take as a bottom line price.

 

Now we know. I don't see this big $$$ tag as happening at all anytime soon if ever , as lovely and photogenic as this Olds is.

This is the highest (by far) asking price I have ever seen for a 1970s GM full-size clamshell wagon.

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/oldsmobile/custom_cruiser/1710853.html

1973 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser

$23,500

 

As is always the case, asking price is one thing, selling price is something else entirely. Ebay is littered with the carcasses of automobile auctions that ended as no-sales because the bidding did not reach the reserve. See the other thread on here right now regarding the '74 Pinto wagon that's now on it's fifth auction (that we know of).

 

Hi guys, I've played the game often enough to know that "asking" means "asking". Just thought I'd throw it out here.
That being said, I am a serious buyer and have been looking for some time for a turn key clam shell, preferably a 74 (or 73) Buick. Open thought to like cars in extremely good condition.
If I can make it out there today, I'll take a good look and let you guys know. If not today, then I'll go there on Tuesday.

 

$23.5K is some serious money compared to the '75 CC at Gerwen for $19K
http://www.gertonautosales.com/vehi...senger-wagon-3b81ef6837e14e48a90e8c57d151fdeb
These prices are not funny anymore, I am lucky I bought mine for less than half a year ago when the dollar was still cheap

 

Gosh that's purdy! But not THAT pretty.

 

I don't think those $10k+ prices are anywhere near the norm. The dealers and extremely loaded low mile originals may command prices that high, but more often than not you'll find it will sell for less than that after many months of sitting or the very odd buyer who just HAS to have THAT particular car that's willing to shell out some bucks. Most of these cars seem to be in the $3-6k range for average prices with some outliers on either end.

 

I looked at the one at Getton last spring. The wagon is like new but does have a dent behind the P/S rear door. They are nice folks also!

 

Bidding still stalled at $10,400 with a day and a half left. I don't see $20k plus happening on this one at all. It's very nice, but we'll see where bidding ends up.