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Eh, never mind. Just another harebrained LordM scheme... probably wouldn't have worked anyway.
lordmarcovan
Posts: 43,221 ✭✭✭✭✭
OK, so here is my problem. Bear with me through the rambling tale.
Mike (jgrinz) recently posted a link to his eBay auctions here on BST. I looked at the coins, and then I also noticed some other things for sale.
One of the items for sale (on eBay Motors) was a 1999 Chevy Venture with 81,000 miles.
Now, don't ask me what made me do this... there is not a rational answer. I decided (for whatever crazy reason) to give him a nice boost on the auction for this vehicle. He's a nice guy and we've traded coins before. I thought, OK, I'll place a bid that's high enough to help him out, but low enough that surely I won't win this vehicle. It looked like a $3,000-4,000 vehicle to me, in a quick glance. (Yes- a quick glance. What a way to bid on a big ticket item, huh?)
(Yes. I am an idiot, as you have no doubt guessed by now.)
But OK, follow my crazy thinking here. If I bid on this supposedly $3-4K vehicle, and bid my birthyear ($1,965), surely I wouldn't win at such a lowball level... right?
WRONG!!!
Yep! I won it! For $1,625.
Not a bad price, actually. For all I know (and cars are not my strong suit) it could very well BE a $3-4K vehicle (at retail, anyway). If it were right here locally, and I had the cash, why... I might have bought the thing at this price, anyway- eagerly! Lord Marco's Van is showin' its age and I could use a good replacement for it.
Fortuitously, thanks to a retirement plan buyout from the company that laid me off in August, I actually have the cash to swing this deal.
Though "accidental", this could actually end up being a good thing in the long run. I could use a good used vehicle with relatively low miles, at a good price. It looks as though that is what I just bought... by "accident".
NOW- here is the problem. The vehicle is in Milford, Massachusetts. I am in Brunswick, Georgia, about 1,100 miles away.
The lowest quote I have seen to have the vehicle shipped is $693- that being one of the options on the eBay page. I haven't fully checked into that yet. That option may prove cheaper in the long run than trying to hire a private individual to deliver it, and pay their expenses including return airfare, etc.
BUT, I thought maybe I would see if any trustworthy forum member with a good driving record and three or four days to spare might want to make a brief trip south. There would be an approximately 18-hour one-way drive involved, but I would pay you to deliver this vehicle to me in Georgia. We'll have to work out the details, but as long as the total budget is $700 or less, I'm willing to try it.
One of the incentives I can offer is at least one night's lodging at The King & Prince Beach Resort on St. Simons Island. Thanks to my employee status there I get a "Friends & Family" rate of only $59 per night, which for an upscale beach resort is pretty darn good (barely over 1/3 the usual rate). I would pay for your first night and could probably get you the $59 rate for additional nights if you wished to stay over on your own budget.
Heck, you could make a mini-vacation out of this. Escape the wintry weather. We have palm trees and stuff. We're practically in Florida. It was 80 degrees on Christmas Day- almost hot. I ran around in short sleeves all day today, and only now with nightfall is the temperature dropping enough to where I needed to put on a long sleeved shirt. Our weather fluctuates here in the winter, but if you are from the Northeast, it's safe to say you'll find it quite mild in comparison. I'd also be willing to give you a day's tour of local historical sites and points of interest, if you liked. And other touristy perks, as a personal favor, above and beyond the 700 bucks.
So, is anybody with a little free time possibly willing to take on an 1,100 mile vehicle delivery in return for expenses, hotel accomodations, and so on, within a $700 budget? Can that even be done, including your return airfare? Or should I go with the pros?
I just thought I'd check. Maybe somebody who's tired of snow and stuff would like a little break from it. (I heard an interesting rumor that y'all have this strange, wet white stuff called "snow" up there?) .
Come to Georgia's Golden Isles for a couple of days, and bring my new vehicle with you!
Heck, when you're down here we can even talk coins and do a little swapping, who knows? Or if you have a metal detector, I'll take you diggin'.
The last time I hosted a forum friend from the NE, we had a great time, and the "visiting" team outdid the "home" team by a large margin when we went treasure hunting!
(If this were summertime, I would be the one heading north instead of trying to get somebody to come south- I'd love to dig up there!)
PM me if you're possibly interested.
This is a huge "maybe", of course, and may not prove feasible.
(Edit- due to some of the concerns about insurance and so on, I'm probably better off just flying up and getting the thing myself, or having a professional carrier handle it, but this was a fun idea, anyway.)
Mike (jgrinz) recently posted a link to his eBay auctions here on BST. I looked at the coins, and then I also noticed some other things for sale.
One of the items for sale (on eBay Motors) was a 1999 Chevy Venture with 81,000 miles.
Now, don't ask me what made me do this... there is not a rational answer. I decided (for whatever crazy reason) to give him a nice boost on the auction for this vehicle. He's a nice guy and we've traded coins before. I thought, OK, I'll place a bid that's high enough to help him out, but low enough that surely I won't win this vehicle. It looked like a $3,000-4,000 vehicle to me, in a quick glance. (Yes- a quick glance. What a way to bid on a big ticket item, huh?)
(Yes. I am an idiot, as you have no doubt guessed by now.)
But OK, follow my crazy thinking here. If I bid on this supposedly $3-4K vehicle, and bid my birthyear ($1,965), surely I wouldn't win at such a lowball level... right?
WRONG!!!
Yep! I won it! For $1,625.
Not a bad price, actually. For all I know (and cars are not my strong suit) it could very well BE a $3-4K vehicle (at retail, anyway). If it were right here locally, and I had the cash, why... I might have bought the thing at this price, anyway- eagerly! Lord Marco's Van is showin' its age and I could use a good replacement for it.
Fortuitously, thanks to a retirement plan buyout from the company that laid me off in August, I actually have the cash to swing this deal.
Though "accidental", this could actually end up being a good thing in the long run. I could use a good used vehicle with relatively low miles, at a good price. It looks as though that is what I just bought... by "accident".
NOW- here is the problem. The vehicle is in Milford, Massachusetts. I am in Brunswick, Georgia, about 1,100 miles away.
The lowest quote I have seen to have the vehicle shipped is $693- that being one of the options on the eBay page. I haven't fully checked into that yet. That option may prove cheaper in the long run than trying to hire a private individual to deliver it, and pay their expenses including return airfare, etc.
BUT, I thought maybe I would see if any trustworthy forum member with a good driving record and three or four days to spare might want to make a brief trip south. There would be an approximately 18-hour one-way drive involved, but I would pay you to deliver this vehicle to me in Georgia. We'll have to work out the details, but as long as the total budget is $700 or less, I'm willing to try it.
One of the incentives I can offer is at least one night's lodging at The King & Prince Beach Resort on St. Simons Island. Thanks to my employee status there I get a "Friends & Family" rate of only $59 per night, which for an upscale beach resort is pretty darn good (barely over 1/3 the usual rate). I would pay for your first night and could probably get you the $59 rate for additional nights if you wished to stay over on your own budget.
Heck, you could make a mini-vacation out of this. Escape the wintry weather. We have palm trees and stuff. We're practically in Florida. It was 80 degrees on Christmas Day- almost hot. I ran around in short sleeves all day today, and only now with nightfall is the temperature dropping enough to where I needed to put on a long sleeved shirt. Our weather fluctuates here in the winter, but if you are from the Northeast, it's safe to say you'll find it quite mild in comparison. I'd also be willing to give you a day's tour of local historical sites and points of interest, if you liked. And other touristy perks, as a personal favor, above and beyond the 700 bucks.
So, is anybody with a little free time possibly willing to take on an 1,100 mile vehicle delivery in return for expenses, hotel accomodations, and so on, within a $700 budget? Can that even be done, including your return airfare? Or should I go with the pros?
I just thought I'd check. Maybe somebody who's tired of snow and stuff would like a little break from it. (I heard an interesting rumor that y'all have this strange, wet white stuff called "snow" up there?) .
Come to Georgia's Golden Isles for a couple of days, and bring my new vehicle with you!
Heck, when you're down here we can even talk coins and do a little swapping, who knows? Or if you have a metal detector, I'll take you diggin'.
The last time I hosted a forum friend from the NE, we had a great time, and the "visiting" team outdid the "home" team by a large margin when we went treasure hunting!
(If this were summertime, I would be the one heading north instead of trying to get somebody to come south- I'd love to dig up there!)
PM me if you're possibly interested.
This is a huge "maybe", of course, and may not prove feasible.
(Edit- due to some of the concerns about insurance and so on, I'm probably better off just flying up and getting the thing myself, or having a professional carrier handle it, but this was a fun idea, anyway.)
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You pay your way and cover all expenses and your return travel arrangements, and I'll give you 700 bucks plus get you a good hotel rate. (And personal tours of the local area, if you want them.)
K
ttt
Good luck tho...
The auto market sucks, its a buyers market. I have several freinds in the business and there lucky if they sell two cars a month right now.
Unfortunately you DON'T want a CA guy driving in the snow.
Good luck finding someone, if not for the snow, sounds like a great time/deal.
now that i know you dabble in metal other than coins i'll have to start getting you to "put a number on cars" for us
(car guy talk coming up ahead)......warned ya:
heck, its end of the year and we're blowing out units!!!! now is your time to buy!!!
i'll fax you an overflow inventory list in the morning.......models shown with optional equipment......with approved credit......dealer retains all incentives (did i leave anything out??)
all kidding aside it sounds like you got a nice vehicle for a fair price.......and the fact that you are making a potential excursion out of this for some lucky forum member doesnt surprise me given your panache for adventure
www.brunkauctions.com
No secure insurance coverage. The cost to get insurance for a second person driving will vary from state to state.
No tag for the vehicle. Owner would need insurance to get tag ( No temps issued in MA)
Possible break downs during the trip incurring additional expense.
Coming from the Northeast there will be a very good chance the undercarriage parts will have rust
increasing the breakdown chances.
The cost of a last minute plane ticket.
Travel delays getting back because of weather.
I bought a 1977 camaro 2 years ago from Ohio. Thought it was a good deal until I spent almost 800 dollars
renting a trailer to haul it with. Of course gas was double what todays prices are. And what we Okies consider RUST
and what Ohio residents consider RUST were way off...
Go with a courier Rob. The risk of something happening during this trip would not be worth the guilt
carried if the forum member were to get into a serious accident... And the liability issue would not be worth it.
Talk to your auto insurance company. Mine will insure a car I buy for 30 days then it NEEDS to be on their records fully (ie....I can buy a car without telling them and it is insured but they suggest I get it on their records as quickly as possible (need insurance to drive, legally)).
You need to stop doing "mercy bids"....isn't this at least the 2nd time that has happened in the last few years (last one was a coin I believe)?
Else, can you sell the car, unless you really want it, up there and take up to a "$700" loss and still be even with what has happened?
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
<< <i>I would go with a carrier. The cons to your idea are as follows
No secure insurance coverage. The cost to get insurance for a second person driving will vary from state to state.
No tag for the vehicle. Owner would need insurance to get tag ( No temps issued in MA) >>
Both VERY good points.
<< <i>Possible break downs during the trip incurring additional expense. >>
I thought of that and would of course pay for those, unless they were a result of recklessness or negligence (but how would I know?)
<< <i>Coming from the Northeast there will be a very good chance the undercarriage parts will have rust
increasing the breakdown chances. >>
I thought of that too, but we're no strangers to rust here in the SE- ours is in the air rather than the roads, however. I would hope the forum member I bought the car from will assure me there is no severe rust. Need to ask about that, though. Didn't see any in the pics, but of course the pics didn't show the undercarriage.
<< <i>The cost of a last minute plane ticket. Travel delays getting back because of weather. >>
That's up to the traveling person- I pay 700 bucks... period. For everything, including the hotel. I pay 700 bucks and get them a good rate at the hotel. That's it. Otherwise they're on their own. They make their own return travel arrangements.
But the insurance issue is an excellent point.
Bochiman
<< <i>Rob,
Talk to your auto insurance company. Mine will insure a car I buy for 30 days then it NEEDS to be on their records fully (ie....I can buy a car without telling them and it is insured but they suggest I get it on their records as quickly as possible (need insurance to drive, legally)).
You need to stop doing "mercy bids"....isn't this at least the 2nd time that has happened in the last few years (last one was a coin I believe)?
Else, can you sell the car, unless you really want it, up there and take up to a "$700" loss and still be even with what has happened? >>
Again, the insurance angle is something I failed to think of initially. (I'm good at overlooking things, haha).
As to the "mercy bids"... 2nd time? Ha! I do it all the time. I call them "courtesy bids", and they're real enough bids. So I end up owning a few coins now and again. Usually it works out OK. This was a bit dumb, I'll admit, but I could walk away from the whole thing by just repaying jgrinz's fees. It would actually do him a favor because he stands to lose money on the sale.
However, I really would buy... and use... this vehicle at that price. I am used to driving older used cars and have never owned a new one. This one would actually be a step up from what I drive now. I am willing enough to go through with the deal, and also willing to factor another $700 in for the delivery, however that ends up happening. Even with the $700 added, the price is still viable.
Perhaps going with the pros for delivery is the best option. Or going up and getting it myself. (If it were a nicer time of year, I would happily do that for the adventure).
Edit- airfare one way from Brunswick GA to Logan Airport in Boston: $112 on Expedia. Hmm. Looks like I might be the one in for a little adventure. We'll see.
I still am weighing the "go up there and get it" option against the "pay a professional shipper to bring it here" option.
The "get a friendly forum member to bring it down to the Sunny South" option I originally posted here seemed like a fun idea, but has too many potential snags.
You bid on a car you did not really want to win
Located in a place far, far away from where you live
YUP! sounds like something a Forum member would do.
Camelot
SO? How is it working out? Did you find someone to drive the car down? I wished the thing had been in Sacramento, I would have driven it back east for you.
Cheers,
Bob
PS: You have a website set up for your coin biz yet?