Ernie,

Congratulations and it sure looks as if you got a great deal. However I may call and offer him $40K just to see what happens. Nice to see that you are back to getting the simple car to just drive around. After your motorcycle episode maybe you had better stay on main roads with this car. It will be hard to get out of a canyon with come alongs. :LOL:

Ron :D :LOL: :3DSMILE:

Wanted:

Motorcycle Dirt Bike trailor for a Cobra. :D

I'm not done playing in the mud yet!

Ernie

Until some one lays down the money the car is for sale. If I had a second 'buyer' that was ready to give more money before the first 'buyer' layed down some money then I would give the first buyer the shot to counter. I see nothing unethical with this. Now once some one lays down some cash, the car is sold. If some one else wants the car, I tell them that it is sold but the deal is not complete. Take their name and number if they like in case the deal falls through. Until the money is on the barrell head, let the best man win.

Ernie, another Cobra! My hero!

Rick

Congrats Ernie !!
Hope you enjoy and many happy miles. In very round numbers what would it cost the average guy with no connections or favors to ship a Cobra across the big pond ? I have not shipped a car by ship and would guess air is $$$ but have wondered what it takes. :3DSMILE: :cool: :cool:

Do I agree with how the sale was handled? No.

I am a firm believer in taking people at their word and I would be pissed off if it happened to me.

Should Stuart have maybe said "Best Offer over $25K". Yes.

But you can't fault a person that needs the money, that once they realize they can get more money for the car why not take it?

I think some folks are pissed off here that they did not get a bargain....in order to flip the car and make some money.

Now you have other a**holes starting similar threads about this.

Very funny...hardy har.

boring.

Completely agree. His choice of wording was not good. Lacked some fore thought. Definiatly seems to be the perfect situation for hind sight being 20/20. Even better might have been some thing along the lines of "First money in hand over $25K".

Rick

Ernie,
Any new pictures of your prize availalble? Looks like a great car.

Congrats.

3 pics of the new car in my gallery
 

Shipping is ABOUT,

$900 from Calif to Hawaii for a standard vehicle (size/weight) on an open deck ship. More for "trucks", etc.

$1500 in an enclosed container, or close to that.

Stuart would NOT accept a higher offer from me or anybody until TButtrick (who was #1) dropped out. Being #2 was torture, I was sweating bullets over that.

Dirty Ernie :D
"Audaci Favet Fortuna" (Fortune Favors the Bold)

Congrats Ernie! Takes balls to pull the trigger sight unseen...

TButtrick - That is a great picture.





Stuart indicated to me that there was a 3rd buyer at 35k. Who was the 3rd inline?

I would have been 4th in line had I wanted to jump in. He did indicate to me that he was not going to go over the 35k.

Lets hope that the sale helps his troubles.

Yeah,,,who WAS #3????

Ernie

Ernie,

I don't know who #3 was, but I am still dying to know if Stuart, having bought the car 3 years ago for $60K, was "seriously mistaken" about what is was worth today?

I'm happy for you, and as I said much earlier, I'm keeping my views on the "ethics" of it all to myself. I don't think anyone (certainly not you) technically did anything wrong. Obviously, the seller owns the car and can do whatever he or she wants until the money is accepted.

Not sure if I was counted as #3. I slipped off the hook when I got there and his asking price had gone up 40%.

Am I pissed? Not at all. Am I disappointed? Well, kind of, but kind of not --- it really wasn't what I had in mind, but it is a nice car. Would I use the same tactic to sell a car? No, but enough said about that. Would I have sold the car for $25k? That would either be stupid, or desparate.

I guess I was hoping he was desparate.

So, I hope you guys didn't think I was trashing the guy. It was a little weird to show up and be told that they "just ran it out of gas" so I couldn't hear it or drive it. That, and the escalating price made me suspicious of the deal. Probably saw my reaction to his price increase and realized that he had effectively screened me out, and didn't want to risk damaging the car in a test drive. Whatever, he could have just told me such, if that is the case. If he asked me if I had $35k cash that night, I would have said "No" and the conversation would have been over. No need for subterfuge.

I've pretty much read this whole thread and didn't really see anything "bad". The "who's slimier" comments I thought were the common, good-natured ribbing I've (slowly) gotten used to on club cobra. My "Dirty Ernie" comment above wasn't meant to spiteful or mean. Just souned an awful lot like "Dirty Harry" and seemed like a fun way to tease the guy that won the deal.

No offense, right (Dirty) Ernie?

Admittedly, I am a little jealous. It looks like a nice car and had I the liquid cash I would have bought it myself. (Ernie has more $hp than me I guess...) Been haunting CC for a few years now, waiting for the stock market to turn around so I can satisfice my "Cobra envy". Hasn't happened yet.

You can make a donation to my "Save the Cobra Foundation" by sending your non-tax deductable check to dking...

Yeah - Ernie definitely needs to change his name to 'Dirty Ernie'. Sounds way too cool......

David

'Dirty David'? Naw - not the same ring as Dirty Ernie....

Dibs on "Dangerous Doug".

Having my little son play with all his Ernie from sesame street toys and I am getting a picture and voice to Cobra Ernie that I actually really believe fits well.

Do you speak in a high pitched voice Ernie? :3DSMILE:

Ha ha,,, assoluty no offense taken by me from anybody, including Dangerous Doug. It sure has been an entertaining event, and controversy is the name of the game at CC.

A "key" post for me was "Dangerous Dougs" confirmation of the car and it's general condition. I was thrilled with the way that post was written. I figured some would see it as a caution, a concern about the veracity of the deal. I was SURE hoping "Mr. T" would read it that way, and being "careful" would have second thoughts.

Me? I saw it as confirmation this was a real deal, risky, but real. Two different views or ways to look at it.

How did YOU see it? There is no "right or wrong" answer to that question. I could have easily made a mistake, but I went with my gut and am still hopeful I made the right call. Time will tell......

......now that EVERYBODY knows what I paid for it fat chance of unloading that puppy around here for a profit! :D :D

Dirty Ernie

Has anyone considered the fact that the original purchase price may have been alittle overstated?

Three years ago $60 to $65K would have been about the right price for the car. Seems reasonable to assume thats what he paid. I'm not sure WHAT market value the car may have today (not questioning that 35 is a good buy if all is as stated however)!

As far as "ERA"'s go it's a pretty normal car, nothing special there. It came with "pin drive hub caps" for instance, not sure what it has now. And the carpet (Wilton as per the original invoice Bob P. sent me all ready) was custom color. Something about custom seats also. "Long tail shaft" top loader (what ever that means).

It needs a white stripe real bad! I plan to have that done.

I HOPE it has those "pin drive hub caps" as I LIKE to be able to change wheel/tire assemblies at the track for doing different things. I cannot afford multiple sets of "pin drive" wheels! Of course when and if I sell it THEN I'll wish it had true pin drive!

VERY cool having the shorty bolt on side pipes. This car IS speced for me the close to the way I would want it! And red is the best color too!

Ernie

Ernie,

Pin Drive hubcaps on an ERA means that the wheel they use is a bolt on similar to a Centerline aluminum wheel with a solid center. Then this 'hubcap' that looks like the typical Halibrand center, is somehoe secured in place with a spinner in the center.

It looks the part, hard to distinguish from the real deal.