I Can Sniff Them Out With The Passion Of An Anteater

Seen at the grocery store in Clearwater, this 1950 Chevy Woody station wagon is still plying the streets. It's in "driver" condition (unrestored) but has received a proper Florida blue water paint job. Its full of stuff and is a kind of rolling advertisement for a local business, it still has some value. ($8,000 - $32,000)

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Another driver this one has some dents, bruises and missing pieces. It is a 1962 Dodge Lancer 170. They have replaced the front bench seat with buckets and the interior needs a lot of work. Finding replacement parts for this vehicle will be challenging. They are asking about $6,000 and that seems excessive. My guide says a more realistic value would be $3000 - $3500.

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I'm saving the best till last. On a recent walk I passed by this detailing and paint shop. Tucked in the back with acorns and shedding pines needles was this little number. It is a 1965 Chrysler Newport convertible. I went in and asked about it and the two guys said it was for sale and that it had been in the lot for about 2 months. They started it and we did a quick check of it. My heart started racing and the guy shot me a general price then said he would call the owner and get me a list of things it needed. In the inspection I noted the paint was good, the top goes up and down well, and the interior is generally OK but there is a crack in the dash. The underneath looked good and I saw it has new leaf springs. Looking under the trunk mat revealed quite a bit of rust that I wouldn't surmise was surface. But it looked rust free at the usual places (fender skirts), except a touch of spots on the rear chrome bumper. I told the guy to call me when he found out the info he promised. Haven't heard from him since. It's been three weeks.

There is a book value of this car around $7,000 - $13,000. The shop owner yelled a price of less than that, but, he seems to have forgotten our conversation.

If he ever calls back I'm looking for investors. How else will I be able to hold my own against a certain yellow topless Jeep I have occasion to ride in in Aledo?

Post Script: I stopped by again last week and his yard man said the yard owner is flighty because of how much money he has and lets a lot of stuff just sit. He took my name and number but, again, have not heard from the guy. Oh well, like one of my most hated phrases goes, "Then it wasn't meant to be."

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