[Stevea]

My son and I drove two hours one way to look at a 70 Mach 1 for him to fix up. He wants to sell his 66 coupe and fix up a fastback. I spoke with the guy who owned the car three days earlier and verified are plans to come down. I called and left a message and sent an email letting him know we were still coming down the night before. After getting down there and waiting at AM/PM market for an hour and a half with repeated calls to his phone we left.

I called and left another message that we were still interested in the car even though we didn't meet up. I also sent his son an email telling him we would like pictures of it because we were not able to meet up with his dad. Neither of them have gotten in contact with me.

It frustrates me that people will treat others like this.

From the sounds of it the car seems to be a good project for my son and I, but I'm thinking I have put myself out enough at this point. If the guy wants to call and give me a brake on the price for all the time I waisted I may still be interested.

Do you guys think I should just drop it and look elsewhere? It's an all original 70 Mach 1 with the original 351. It needs floors and one lower quarter from what he says. The car is complete, but I was unable to see it so I don't know the real condition yet

 

[napaguy]

Steve,
If the guy is that flakey and disrespectful now why buy from him later? Move on brotha'

 

[Stevea]

I think the only way I will deal with him is if he dropped the price a lot and the car was on my trailer lol

 

[monkeystash]

How rude! I'd be upset too. However, in the end if it is the car you want and you would have bought it before, don't let the loser owner affect your decision. I drove 1000 miles one way with an empty U-haul trailer to pick mine up and believe me it wasn't even close to as described. Good luck!

 

[johnpro]

I agree with Monkeystash. Remember, it's a business deal ... you're not in it to make a friend, just a business transaction. That is extremely rude, and yes, any of us would be pissed off. If it's a good deal, though, continue to pursue it. I would, however, do as you mentioned, and try to get him to drop the price for your wasted time ... you'd have nothing to loose, and everything to gain from trying.

 

[Gingerstang]

Forget it and move on.

 

[VictorII]

Ditto -- if the seller is that flaky, the quality of the car might be, too. Or worse, you get 50 miles and the engine freezes up. That would be terrible. If you found this individual on eHay, you might want to mention it in the feedback area so someone else doesn't have to have the "fun" you did....

 

[Stevea]

I don't think I will tell him no if he comes back and tries to make a good deal out of it. You never know what can come out of it. If he makes the effort to make it worth my while then I won't turn it down.

 

[VictorII]

Ok, then. He might make it worth your while...please beware...

 

[Gingerstang]

Obviously you are young, or at least young in dealing with buying a used car. The first thing you have to remember is that that old Mustang is nothing more than an old used and probably worn out Ford built back in the 60's when most everyone spelled Ford as "Fraud."

 

[jmoffett]

You might look for a long time to find the right project car. If you think this is the one, stay after it. Missing out on a good car just because the owner is inconsiderate doesn't make any sense to me. Go park in front of his house until you have enough information to make a decision one way or another.

 

[DaveSanborn]

I spoke with the guy who owned the car three days earlier and verified are plans to come down.

I called and left a message and sent an email letting him know we were still coming down the night before.

Did he respond to your message? Did he respond to your email? Why did you drive all the way over there if you couldn't get ahold of him?

I also hate wild goose chases, but I never would have gone if I couldn't get ahold of him the night before.

Things come up, plans change... maybe a kid got sick and the guy was sitting at the doctors office all night/day.....

I've locally advertised items for sale in the classifieds before. If I had a nickel for every minute I've waited around for someone to come by when they said they were, I'd go buy us all a beer (draft of course).

Something probably came up. I wouldn't write the guy off just yet, after all, he does have a MACH1....

Dave

 

[Stevea]

I spoke with the guy who owned the car three days earlier and verified are plans to come down.

I called and left a message and sent an email letting him know we were still coming down the night before.

Did he respond to your message? Did he respond to your email? Why did you drive all the way over there if you couldn't get ahold of him?

Dave

When I talked to him three days earlier the plan from him was to call the night before and leave a message saying I was still coming. I didn't expect a response or phone call unless he changed his mind or sold the car? I went with full confidence he would show up and meet me.

 

[jfstang]

We buy these cars off people -- and that there is the problem.

We can fix up old cars, they don't argue (although they sometimes surprise us with new "issues" when working on them), and they are generally obedient to what we want to do to them.

People, on the other hand, can either be responsible, or otherwise. That's the unpredictable and frustrating part of this business.

Don't lose sight of what it is you want. If it's a worthy enough Mach 1, follow up on it. Don't let emotion dictate over calm common sense. Try to get ahold of him, and dicker and bicker a bit.
If he insists on being the south end of a northbound horse, move on.

 

[Stevea]

We buy these cars off people -- and that there is the problem.

We can fix up old cars, they don't argue (although they sometimes surprise us with new "issues" when working on them), and they are generally obedient to what we want to do to them.

People, on the other hand, can either be responsible, or otherwise. That's the unpredictable and frustrating part of this business.

Don't lose sight of what it is you want. If it's a worthy enough Mach 1, follow up on it. Don't let emotion dictate over calm common sense. Try to get ahold of him, and dicker and bicker a bit.
If he insists on being the south end of a northbound horse, move on.

I'm not upset just disappointed that he didn't follow through. It was a good day with my son and his little girlfriend. The trip was worth the time spent with my sonI'm also thinking he thought it was worth the time with his girlfriend lol. I just wish the car aspect would have worked out better. I'm just going to see what happens.

 

[70sportsroof]

If someone lacks the integrity to keep their word about meeting at a place certain, on a given date and at a given time, I would be on guard about any other representations they make. Thus, I would want photo verification and a VIN code to make sure it is a Mach One and not a clone. Photo verification should show the red stripe in the Mach One seat upholstery, the rocker trim, and rear tail light panel trim. The VIN should not have an F or L in the engine ID locations, as that would denote a 302 or 6 cylinder, respectively. Folks seems to be all gah-gah over a Mach One and will pay a $5,000k premium for a Mach, when a sportsroof model without the Mach cosmetics, but a deluxe interior and a 351 or larger engine gives you the same car. Maybe I am overlooking something, like a 9 inch rear or something in the sway bar department, but is not the Mach simply a cosmetic package with a gaurantee of a 351 or larger engine?

good luck.

 

[Gas_Pumps]

When is the last time you went into a restaurant that didn't smell right, had dirty tables and chairs, the menus were sticky and the service was lousy and it suddenly got dramatically better?

Think about it and move on. There a lot of honest responsible people out there that want to make a fair deal and not mislead you. Find one of them. This person is a flake!

 

[Stevea]

Well there is usually some reason things don't work out. I talked to a friend tonight and he said his mom is looking to sell a 69 Mach1 for a very fare price. I hope it works out. He is talking to her soon and maybe we can work out a deal to get the 69 My son likes them better anyways.

 

[Meyer65]

I would wait a couple of days for a response. For all you know, you had some life shattering emergency. It is worth giving him a little time. If you don't hear from him, then move on. As the others have said, who wants to do business with a flake?

 

[desertMustang]

Keep at it until you at least look at the car. The seller of my car was a pain in the arse and a pathological liar. I had to take two trips to San Diego (6 hours each way), before I finally procured the car. Luckily summer in San Diego is a nice place to be vs Tucson and my wife was with me. I hated the guy and still do, but I'm very pleased with the car and what I paid for it. As I dismantle it, things still look good.

Any other item, and one can say pass as there are more fish in the sea. Finding an ol' Mustang straight/solid and in good condition can be elusive. This could be "the" car. As long as it's only causing you a little frustration and not ruining your life, I'd keep at it. Look at it this way, at least you and your son are spending time together in this search.