How do you ask a Stranger for a car?

[capriceman]

On Jefferson when it turns to Shook there is an apartment complex on the lake. Well theres a fenced in lot of junk and in the corner there is a DeLorean just sitting there it hasn't moved in a couple of weeks. I drive by it daily drooling for it. Its just how do you find who owns it and how do you approach them to buy their car?

camera phones suck i know. you can make it out at the edge.

I want to almost steal it. it has a sad puppy face on it too like its neglected. The last thing i need is another car but I want it.

[Intrepidation]

Oh man, you have to get it.

[balthazar]

Dude- it's the DeLorean that needs to hit 88 MPH- not you to take a pic- slow down !!

Property manager/rental office should know where the DeL 'lives'... find out, go over one weekday evening at a decent time (6-7 PM) and knock on the door. Be pleasant & relaxed, say you were driving by and asked at the (rental office), and they told you (Mr. X) owned the DeL- was it by chance for sale?

If the rental office doesn't help, you're next bet is to put a note on the car itself with your contact info on it- hopefully either the yard is accessible or at least they'll let you do that much or relay the message. I know you're not a kid, cm... hope this doesn't come off as talking down to you; seems pretty straightforward to me.

I've knocked on countless doors/approached countless people asking about cars, haven't been shot yet (tho -ahem- I'm not in Detroit (anymore) either). It helps immensely if you have at least a working knowledge of what you're asking about; people like to know they're not dealing with a Rube wanting to do who-knows-what with their specialty car.

Edited May 31, 2008 by balthazar

[ocnblu]

Ehh, they're ok I guess. I understand most of them left the factory without even getting painted. What's that about?

[XP715]

I personally know a guy that lives two miles from my house that has one sitting in his side yard, sunk into the ground almost up to the rocker panels and almost completely covered in pine needles and sap and moss and $h!. Hasn't moved in five years. And that's AFTER he completely redid the car after buying it as a burned out hulk in 1996. He removed the interior WITH A SHOVEL (!) and had another DeLorean that had been in a nasty accident shipped up here from Texas to make one good car out of two. He has a ton of spare parts and even kept the VIN tags and title for his parts car, so he technically has two of them on paper. Wouldn't even dream of selling it. DeLorean people are often about as strange as they come when it comes to parting with their "babies." Good luck to you!

[caddycruiser]

Ehh, they're ok I guess. I understand most of them left the factory without even getting painted. What's that about?

Yeah, sort of the "thing"...all were brushed stainless steel. Sure made it fun/impossible for body shops if there was ever damage.

Like said, capriceman, find out the who's who of the building in that spot and go from there with a call. I've known several people who've "spotted" cars sitting only to get in touch with the owner by a knock on the door or phone call, sometimes over the course of time, only to then end up with the car. Never hurts to ask.

[PurdueGuy]

I've been wanting to do similar with a guy a couple houses away with a '93-'96 Saturn SC1 that just sits there all the time. Would love to buy it cheap, do DOHC & 5spd swap on it, and enjoy it as a daily.

[daves87rs]

Try it Cap...he might just want to sell it....

[daves87rs]

I've been wanting to do similar with a guy a couple houses away with a '93-'96 Saturn SC1 that just sits there all the time. Would love to buy it cheap, do DOHC & 5spd swap on it, and enjoy it as a daily.

There is a 96 SL1 around the corner from me...wonder if he would sell it...

[Oracle of Delphi]

You should ask my Father-in-Law, he went up to a perfect stranger's house and asked them how much they wanted for it, even though it was not for sale. His exact quote was, how much will it take, to get you to vacate the property.

[capriceman]

Update

I did a couple of the things mentioned. No one knows anything. They took my phone number if anything comes up.

Im going to try a couple things to find out who the owner is.

Thanks for your suggestions. I just hope it doesn't disappear or is wasted away sitting there.

[mightymouse]

Update

I did a couple of the things mentioned. No one knows anything. They took my phone number if anything comes up.

Im going to try a couple things to find out who the owner is.

Thanks for your suggestions. I just hope it doesn't disappear or is wasted away sitting there.

The law of inverse proportions says: Any car, even a neglected P.O.S. rotting away with flats instantly turns into a diamond in the rough or a valuable collectible the minute someone asks about it. Keep trying though one day maybe you'll luck out- The owner knows who it belongs to, otherwise it gets towed.

[Blake Noble]

mightymouse, I like the S-Series truck rims you have on your Malibu. How much did you pay for them, if you don't mind my asking?

[XP715]

The law of inverse proportions says: Any car, even a neglected P.O.S. rotting away with flats instantly turns into a diamond in the rough or a valuable collectible the minute someone asks about it. Keep trying though one day maybe you'll luck out- The owner knows who it belongs to, otherwise it gets towed.

Absolutely one hundred percent true. Regardless of what it is, you'll hear how rare it is and that they don't make 'em like this anymore and that there's not many of them around anymore and they go for all kinds of money on eBay and at the auction because it's a CLASSIC. You'll hear about how fantastic it ran and how beautiful and perfect the car looked inside and out when it was parked in the weeds fifteen years ago with the windows down. You'll also hear about the owner's grand plans of restoration that began and ended when they removed some vital engine component and threw it on the back seat or in the trunk, completely disabling the car for the rest of eternity and allowing condensation to settle in which turns to rust, and also allowing mice or other small rodents to take up residence in the void left behind. But you can have it for eight thousand dollars if you really want.

This will depress you, but you'll leave your phone number anyways. You always do. Then you'll return after a few months, see a bare patch of dirt in the yard where the car used to be, and ask the owner what happened to it.

"Oh, I just sent it to the junkyard last week," he'll say. That's the best when that happens.

Best of luck to you on your mission to get this thing, but don't hold your breath. Unfortunately, thousands of awesome cars have died at the hands of retards that are all talk and no action.

[CMG]

I've knocked on so many doors over the years it isn't even funny....

I bought a 1956 Fargo 2 ton truck from the original owner, the truck was in AWESOME shape, I paid $450.00 for it. I knocked on the door and gave them the "What are you doing with the truck, would you want to sell it" questions......

I've bought dozens of cars by door knocking. Many were astounding deals too!

Doesn't hurt to ask. Right?

[mightymouse]

mightymouse, I like the S-Series truck rims you have on your Malibu. How much did you pay for them, if you don't mind my asking?

400 with new tires....I hunted for these wheels for years (since I saw them on that GM parts SEMA Chevelle) .....and was in the right place at the right time!

you can still order them, but for 260 a pop.

OH BTW capriceman while on the eastside Isawhatyousaw so I just towed it.....sometimes its better to ask for forgiveness than permission!

I fixed it up with my spare time....

Edited June 6, 2008 by mightymouse

[Blake Noble]

400 with new tires....I hunted for these wheels for years (since I saw them on that GM parts SEMA Chevelle) .....and was in the right place at the right time!

you can still order them, but for 260 a pop.

Two-hundred and sixty bucks per rim, hmm? I will keep that in mind if I can't get something cheaper. Thank you, sir!

[Sixty8panther]

Yup, that same crazy guy XP mentioned with the 1.5 DeLoreans in his possession

has been daily driving (for about 4+ years now) a Rabbit diesel that HE himself

converted to a veggie car, spending about $500 to do it.

Very eccentric.

Balthazar:

I've got a few dozen stories too from knocking on peoples doors or playing the

telephone wild goose chase game to track down the "owner" of a once majestic

but now forgotten/neglected car. There's this 1969 Camaro that has been sitting

(actually more like ROTTING into the dirt) in a side yard. Knock o the door, lady

opens it, ask about the car the door gets slammed in your face.

After several attempts in the late 1990s and one in 2001 I was told he car has

been parked there since the mid-1970s and the door has been slamming in

people's faces since about the same time.

[daves87rs]

I wouldn't mind picking up my car that way....

A friend of mine picked up 72 Camaro for 950 over a year ago. The guy had to give it up due to money problems, And just wanted to sell it to someone who cared for it. My buddy saw it in the street (no sign on it yet), and he gushed about it to the guy. Then the guy asked him if h wanted to buy it...and of course he said yes. The debated price for a while over a few beers, and that is what they came up with.

It is a solid car, just needed paint and some updates......

[Sixty8panther]

'72 Camaro for $950 is a good deal all day long so long as the body & subframe are solid.

Paint, interior, motor, trans.... those can always be fixed/replaced.

[michaelv13]

Ask him, "Dude, where's my car?"