looking to buy this.... your asking what???

I have been working on trying to get some info and a price on this '65 truck in a yard in Shady Springs WV... I asked about buying the whole truck and they acted like I had asked for their right arm... GEEZ!!!! your a junk yard, you ought to be glad to get rid of a whole truck!!!! I asked about a title and they wanted me to come up and get the vin for them to check and see if they could get a title... Again, GEEZ!!! I am 3 1/2 hours away and I haven't seen the truck in person myself but a buddy sent me the pics.... They had me send them my pics so they could find the truck in their yard..... and then came back with a price of $800 firm and no title??? I believe I will pass but if anyone is interested get in touch with me and I will get you a number.....



just thought I'd vent a little.... I offered her $400 for it and she came right back without any hesitation with "I can scrap it for that" I seen a newer ford explorer get scrapped this last week and all the guy got was $320??? do our Econolines weigh more than those explorers?? I don't understand some people........ oh yea, I forgot, since I wasn't buying the truck, I asked about the windshield and the tail gate.... $300 for them, I can buy a new windshield for $175, so I figure $100 for the used one and $200 for the gate??? That seemed high also.... enough ranting....

Lectricman, you have to understand that 99% of salvage yard owners are bums. I have in my 52 years only known three honest salvage yard owners.
Most so called salvage yards have nothing but rusting junk.

Most think what they have is gold. I remember asking the price on a heater control for an old Ford and they wanted 150.00. I told them to keep it since they were so proud of it. The price suddenly dropped to 75.00. I told them they were still too proud of it and walked out.

I was happy to find an A-100 tailgate for 200, but it was nice.

I agree that a lot of yards have attitude, and 800 seems high, but look at it from their point of view.
A crusher will come in and haul it off with no long distance phone calls, no title and no issues getting out of wherever it's stuck in the yard. They would do it during normal business hours too, not some guy over the phone 4 hours away trying to set up a meet over the weekend. I bet you are right, they would only get ~250 for it, but a lot less hassle for them. They have also got way too many calls offering a low figure then asking about parts, then saying "you wnat HOW much for a couple of parts, when the whole thing is only XXX".

I'd suggest having your friend or someone else going in with a means to haul it out and away with cash in hand. That is a real offer to someone who has heard it all before....

Still, I agree with lectricman. Looking at the pictures of the pickup the guy would have to pay me to cart it off and make it convienent to get at it on any day I wanted to pull it out. There is a guy here in our area about 5 miles away with one in the same shape that someone butchered and put a Chevy 350 in place of the six. Very poor job. The only difference is it isn't crowded by trees like the one lectricman shows. Whats he want? You guessed it, 1000.00. Says its very rare. I went back to him with my original 1963 Econo pickup and told him what he had was not rare, but what I drove up in was , a running and driving example that I purchased for 1200.00. I told him what he had every other junk yard in southeast Virginia had also, a rusting worthless hulk. Did I mention he was also a used car salesman? Go figure.

Not ragging on anyone here, but I'll never understand people that think they can walk into a business and expect to pay garage sale prices.

Flamesuit on!

It's a bummer they weren't selling the rig for what you wanted to pay for it but it's still a business, and they could clearly make more money parting it out than what you wanted to pay for it. And usually it doesn't make sence business wise to be the nice guy. Your occasionally going to find some good junkyard deals but where you are almost sure to score is privately owned "junkyard" econolines. These people are not out only for your wallet and it seems they are often happy to make you a deal/get that ugly thing off my property!

crowen57 wrote:Not ragging on anyone here, but I'll never understand people that think they can walk into a business and expect to pay garage sale prices.

Flamesuit on!

I seen a 2nd gen chevy at a ecology center in so cal a couple of years ago and asked how much to buy the whole thing. They got back to me with $800.00 dollars with engine and trans and 600 without. I went home and called back to sell the same thing back to them, they told me $ 160 so they will buy it for 160 and sell it for 800 what kind of garage sell item is that. With that kind of mark up thats the freaking mall price. Especially on something that old with very few items most people would not want these days.

Same here in New Jersey!
I was at a yard here in South Jersey and the guy is super expensive.
It took me an hour on the ground with a battery sawsall cutting off a front 12"x12" clip for McFly...cost me $75. Should have benn $20.
He had a complete beat up A100 pickup on top of a bus and wanted $1500 for it. Way way too expensive. Should be $300.
All in all, he has the parts. He has them on his land. But soon the EPA will fine him ....that's when we pounce!

Business have overhead,insurance,signage,advertising costs,unemployment insurance,and more. People dont realize what it cost to run a business. A business must buy low and sell at a good profit or they wont survive. After owning my own business I have a whole new outlook on what a business really costs to run.

Some people would try to lowball the salvage yard for a complete vehicle with the sole purpose of parting the vehicle out themselves, so I understand "pay me what I would make in parts and scrap." At the same time, I don't understand a business that figures on 500% profit (or more depending on how much it cost to bring a vehicle into their yard) on one vehicle, as if their entire business depends on it. Just sometimes seems that common sense is a rare item. Especially if a prospective buyer is not in it to resell the parts, but genuinely wants to restore it. Unfortunately, there are people like Ester's buyer(s) that are just in it for profit. Tough situation.

If I were in that situation of wanting to buy a vehicle from a salvage yard in that shape, I would make a point of emphasizing that I'm just a regular guy that would really be passionate about restoring that vehicle with my own hands... you might get a bit of a compromise if the seller believes you are not in competition with him.

I admire what Tim does too, in rescuing every possible E and A he can get his hands on in order to be of service to the rest of us... he is obviously not in it to get rich off of selling parts to us, he's helped many of us and shares our passion, and saved many early vans from the crusher! So I hope salvage yards are good to him too!

In the last 2 years that Lewis has known this truck to be in the yard, the only thing that has sold off of it is the side trim.... In my eyes, 2 years storage for the price of side trim isn't profit, but just taking up space for something with more desirable parts... I am very passionate about these old trucks but in my eyes, they are like VW's... inexpensive to keep running and not to expensive even restored... This is just how I see it... I bought the one I am driving for $500 with a title and have put another $500 into it for a total of $1000..... It has been on a 400 mile trip to Kingsport Tenn 2 weekends ago and almost a 450 mile round trip to Elkins WV this past weekend.... I have some rust issues and I was hoping for a more solid driver, but at ...
$800 for the truck
$200 for me to get a title
$700 for me to go through the motor and new clutch and a new carb
$150 for the lining of the fuel tank (if in good shape) and new lines
$200 for brakes and line repair and new master cylinder
$100 for sheetmetal to patch the hole in the front floorpan and bondo to get it inspected
$200 for tires
$000 for my labor of love
adds up quickly ($2350 so far)

I am not looking to pay garage sale prices but what did he see on that truck that was woth $800???? I would think a rusted out but repairable tailgate to be worth $150? The corner glass maybe another $100?? can it be bought new?? What else is there??? I have access to a van I will be getting parts from to fix the rust on my driver but I was hoping for another one to fix up that just was a little more solid.... Just my 2 cents guys......

Well since your already looking at $2350 and a WHOLE sh#t load of work.

How about taking a little drive south and save yourself a whole lot of heartache, work and frustration....

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/2331837616.html

lectricman,

If you are looking for an Econoline pickup we should be able to find you one in the south in good shape. Are you looking to buy a complete truck? I bought mine just 5 miles down the road from me. Just happened to be looking at the same time the guy listed it on craigslist. I thought it would go quick but he only had a total of three calls on it. He was asking a bit much. He was asking 1700.00 and I offered him 1200.00.

I'll keep an eye out for you. I am in southeast Virginia

Im looking for same -yet in western areas-calif, ore,wa state, idaho, montana areas.

I am always on the look, just don't always have the cash....... I was put onto this truck by a fellow "Slickster" (slickster: someone with a 1961-1966 ford F-series truck) while getting parts off of him for my '66 highboy... he told me that he had never seen them ask more than $400 for a vehicle out of their yard and that it had been in there for a while and I could probably get it for about $300. My "outriggers off of the main uniframe that holds the leaf springs on my Econo are rusted bad as is the bed floor. I thought I might be able to buy this one and move my new drivetrain over and be back on the road fairly quick... guess I was wrong... I have access to a van that I was told.."take whatever you can use, I will never get it out of this hollow. It was rolled over a hill into the bottom of the hollow several years ago and landed on its side. The bottom is good. It has a 9" rear end and the big six crossmember. I will get the plasma cutter from work and take the generator and cut it up and haul it up out of the hollow. A lot of time will be spent but then again, free is free...

thanks for the offer twday but I think I will put the cash into the Slick and get it on the road and pull the econo off and rebuild it myself...

Dan, I would love to have that one in Atlanta... already hot rodded and almost ready for paint, that is a bargain for sure around me....

I hope you guys realize just how important you all are to me and guys just like me... You all understand me and these old "ugly" trucks/vans as my wife calls them. You are a great bunch of guys and gals and are the best support group that anyone could ask for... Thanks for being here for me...


after getting wheels on my current ride


My '66 slick

Still got that entire rust free bed floor section here for you complete with all supoports and rear roll pan if you want it. You have first shot,if not, I'll offer it up for grabs or ebay.

Well lectricman, its like this, another member of the forum vanishingbreed aka Mike Cook out in California told me when he helped with a carburetor on my Econoline. We just have to help each other out. Its just the thing to do. And he was as good as his word on that. One day I hope to be able to return the favor. But you know, that's what makes our hobby fun and interesting. You're always meeting good folks most of the time. Good luck on whichever project you are working on and yell if you think I can be of some assistance.

I'll be selling my E100 '65 5 window shell shortly.....
I think it's worth $400 without glass an engine or trans....
But, that's here in NJ where everyone is crazy!

wish I was closer Casimier... but it looks like the Econo will be "The next project" and just the driver for now.... Thanks for the offer... What a great bunch of guys....

you guys should meet "Pud" he runs a salvage in osoyoos. Pud has a E-vuck. Pud hates humans. He literally will not speak to you if you show up. Pud will look at you and turn around and dissapear into a pile of rusted cars and thats what he does. Pud could send Chuck Norris home in tears. I dont understand why all these guys are the same?

puds the man