May Just Keep Daddy's Car After All

We tried putting Daddy's car on eBay twice, but neither time did the bidders come close to our Reserve Price. I did get to write back and forth with one man who already restores these types of automobiles. He sent me some beautiful pictures, and he sounds like the perfect one to appreciate this vintage car. But, he is not willing to pay nearly enough to make it worth our while to sell it. I have it listed on Craigslist, and our own website FOR SALE pages and photos are still up. Also, we will be having an Estate/Yard Sale sometime in June, once I know a little better where I stand with my doctor's diagnoses, and we may be able to sell it then.

I was depressed at the thought of selling it, but then I was depressed when we didn't sell it. Kind of hard to please, aren't I!?

So it's beginning to look like we are just going to be a 3 car family. We do have the garage, so it won't be hard to protect it, at least. Hubby can drive it around here and keep it in good running condition. So far my driving has been limited to following him back from getting one of our cars worked on a couple of miles away and my monthly trip to get a hair cut, which is about a half mile from our house. It's my right leg and left shoulder that jerks, so controlling the gas pedal and keeping the steering wheel straight are a challenge.

In the tradition Daddy started of naming events by the car he had at the time, I guess I can add that the PT Cruiser was the last car I was able to drive. I see the doctor tomorrow, so I will hold out hope that this will turn out not to be true.

Daddy's Car is on eBay this Week

I did it. I finally bit the bullet and put the ad for Daddy's car on eBay for this week. I had so hoped that someone local would buy it, but we don't live in an affluent area, and all that most people saw was an old car. Those who did appreciate what a unique automobile it is can't afford it. So, after having it on Craigslist for a week with no inquiries, it was time to try eBay. After all, we have a Feedback rating of 1187 there, and an excellent reputation.

I don't like the format that eBay uses for selling automobiles at all, and really do think my own website presentation of Daddy's car is a thousand times better. But, it's a matter of getting the right person to see it.

I put the ad together and then spent about a half hour talking myself into and out of and then into pushing the button to submit it. There's no doubt about it. It has been so much harder for me to give up that car than I would ever have anticipated. Much, much harder than the house, since one of our daughters bought it.

You might wonder why I chose to put a photo of the engine on this post. If you have ever taken the time to look at some of the listings on eBay for vintage cars, you would know that most of the time they look like rusty pieces of junk, unless someone has already restored it and is selling it for up in the 20 and 30 thousand dollar range, with some much higher than that.

The contrast between the way Daddy took care of this engine and the way most of the other engines look that are up for bid is dramatic.

So, I really do hope it sells this week. If it doesn't I'll have to go through that emotional struggle again deciding to re-list it or not.

Finally Getting Serious about Selling Daddy's Car

Back some time ago I wrote about getting Daddy's car back in running condition and putting it out in the yard with a FOR SALE sign on it. We posted a FIRM price on it, so we would not be bothered by lots of local folks thinking it might be a $500 car. We have had plenty of people stop, a few who sounded like they would be back with the money almost immediately, a couple who seemed to really appreciate what a gem it is, and some who wanted to customize it and ruin it, as far as I was concerned.

None of the local people who had always said they wanted to buy it when Daddy died have shown any interest in doing so. Wishful thinking.

So, since we will be having a big Yard/Estate Sale next month some time, it seems like it is time to start really trying to sell the car. We still have not put it in the paper, because I just wasn't as ready to part with it as I thought I was. I finally took lots of pictures of it this week. I couldn't resist giving the trunk a parting caress as I came back in the house. It's almost like saying goodbye to Daddy all over again. I have been working the last couple of days on putting up a website about the car, so I am coming to terms with the fact that we really are going to sell it.

It was sad and fun at the same time for me to go back and re-read all of the posts I wrote about some of Daddy's cars, starting with his first automobile in 1914 up to this, his last one, and I put the link to this post in the sales page, so collectors and those who enjoy nostalgia could enjoy reading them, too.

9 Year Old Driver! Vintage Auto Memories Part I

First Driver's License - Vintage Auto Memories Part II

Life Before the Bottom Fell Out - Automobile Memories Part IV

Just Married - Automobile Memories Part V

Daddy's Idea of a Vacation

Burma Shave, Stuckeys & Hand Surfing Memories

The Year Daddy Hated to Drive to Chicago

1969 Chevrolet Caprice - His Last Automobile

Selling Daddy's Car

I am glad I decided to make the website, as I posted almost 60 photos, so I will always be able to revisit it any time I want to, for as long as I want to.

It may have a new owner sometime in the future, but it will always be "Daddy's Car."

Selling Daddy's Car

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you probably know that my Daddy, who died at the ripe old age of 102, loved his cars. In fact, he often remembered key dates by which car he was driving at the time. So it's with a certain level of misgiving that we have finally put his car out in our yard, with a FOR SALE sign on it. It's a 1969 Chevrolet Caprice (our younger daughter was born that year, is what Daddy always said), 350 engine, green vinyl hardtop, that he bought new, in all but perfect condition. After all, Daddy babied and pampered it constantly, cleaning off the engine every time he drove it, and keeping it in the garage all its life.

We put the price in the window, because we didn't want to have to bother with the locals who might think this was an old car they could buy for a few hundred dollars. There have been a few lookers who understood just how much of a thing of beauty this one is, and admired it with an eye that told me it was alright to sell it to them. But one fellow has been by twice now, and says he already has a '69 truck. So we know he recognizes its value. He says he'll be back when he gets the money together, if it hasn't been sold by then. I'm rooting for him, as he will be somebody that Daddy would approve of "inheriting" his car. I'm tempted to put the car in the garage and just wait for him to pull the money together! If we can talk to him on the phone and get a sense of how serious he is, I may just do that.

I really didn't want to try to keep the car, but I sure am going to feel sad when we do get rid of it. Knowing she's going to someone who will treat her with the respect and awe that she deserves will make it far easier, though. And then, I, too, can mark an event in my life with a car - the car Daddy had when he died.