Etiquette question for sellers.....

[dimedreamer]

Hey all,

 

Wondering if anyone has any feedback or suggestions for my situation - I've been scrimpin and savin for a 510 daily driver , and am ready to get out there and start shopping.

 

I am no mechanic, but have a good one that I've been going to and who will help out with tune ups/maintenance and any needed "enhancements". Because of the considerable up front investment for the car, and possible repairs to come, I am wanting to have the car looked over by him so that I can have a good sense of what I'm buying and getting into with a particular car. To do this, I am needing to bring the car to his shop.

 

This seems like it would be an inconvenience for the seller, but what is considered fair or reasonable in accomodating this request, if at all - gas $$, beer/burrito, $$ for their time, etc?

 

I'm finding that prices for "daily drivers" here in the NorCal area are pretty 'spensive, which I'm totally fine with, but would want a unbiased overview to guage any other issues with a car that should be considered (i.e. crazy wiring jobs, jerry-rigged workarounds, etc).

 

If this type of lookover is totally ridiculous, any alternate suggestions (even if, "it's an old car that you will pour tons of money into no matter what you do, get over it") - just wondering what your experiences have been?

 

thanks for puttin up with the newb questions in the meantime!

[dat620]

one thing i know from my personal experiance is there are 2 types of sellers, #1, the guy who refuses to let you have it cked, he's the take my word for it guy, #2 sure go ahead i have nothing to hide, that is the one to deal with, if all ck's out positive, offer him/her some gas, or maybe a tip( 25.00-50.00 dollars for his/her time) even offer them to come along, but you and your mechanic should be polite and not bash the seller or the car, just bring up certain things that need to be taken care of(that is your weapon to bargain), always remember never to act to excited, that will freeze a price faster than cold weather freezes water,and yea sure you are buying a 30 yr old vehicle, but great deals are out there, just do your homework(which it seems you are), and remember unless it's a toaly redone restoration, you will need to spend some money sooner or later for repairs, after all it is a 30+ year old car, hope this helps..tom :D

[jefe de jefes]

I think it would be an inconvenience for the seller especially if the car has to be taken out of town. Sounds like you have known your mechanic for some time now. How about you take your mechanic to the car and then buy him the burrito and some beers?

[Bleach]

It would certainly depend on how far away this mechanic is and how expensive the car is.

 

I took a Z about 3 miles to have a mechanic look it over. The price was $4000 for the car. I wouldn't bother if I was selling a $1000 car. Bring a friend with you if you're that paranoid over a super cheap one. In California, you won't find a running 510 for a grand though :)

[hang_510]

if i was the seller, it had better be a BIG burrito! and a few cold ones!!!

 

i would NOT let the car leave my sight. seen/heard of them not returning, ever!

id go with a REAL potential buyer to a shop w/o much incentive, other than to sell it.

[sssr20det510]

it depends on how much you are spending on the car, if it was under 2k than no over 4k yes in between there its hard to say. if the seller wants to sell the car he wont mind letting your guy look at it.

[Bleach]

on second thought, if it was a super burrito from Taco Del Mar then I'd drive any distance! :D

[dimedreamer]

I'm looking at cars in the 5-7K range and they've really varied here in the bay area - from overpriced crappy rats nests to clean/quality moderately restored.

 

at this price range, i feel like a really need a more educated eye to identify a solid value (even if add'l investment is needed) or that can zero in on $$ issues that a car may have (which again, is part of the deal, but that i want to be aware of in my purchase price).

 

i'm ready to make someone a fair offer, but it's taken so long to get here, that i wanna do what i can to make a solid first buy.

 

hopefully a burrito/beer bribe will be in my future! i REALLY appreciate all of your feedback !!!

 

+1 on the taco del mar!!!! yummmmmmmmmmm

[sssr20det510]

in that price range you would think no one would have a problem taking it to the shop and waiting and watching while you guy checks it out. Im sure they wont let you take it by yourself though

[racerx]

DImedreamer,

 

Your questions are actually wise....it's good to get an experienced person to look at the car. what part of Cali. are you from? The reason why I say this is because, theres DJR (Dan) are Redwood City, you may want to call him and ask him to look at the car, work out a deal. Ideally you want a person/mechanic who has experience with Datsun 510s. Theres a lot of mechanics but knowing 510s is a different story.

 

The guy selling it does he have records or journal of what he has done? If you can't find anyone, here are some suggestions.

 

- Check for rust, everywhere...engine bay, floor boards (pull out carpet), trunk, specially where the spare sits, fenders, jack up the car and check for undercarriage rust.

 

- Check driveline, axles, any leaks, how's the ujoints?, tranny - does it shift okay.

 

- Engine - how does it sound?, do a compression check, any leaks, does it smoke? If he says it has been rebuilt ask for receipts.

 

- Electrical - lights, low beams, high beams, turn signals, brake, dimmer

 

- Title - does he have title, is it salvaged? liens not liens?

 

- Exhaust - has it been modified with aftermarket , like 2.25 w/ mufflers or is it stock, any holes...

 

- Take the car for a serious test drive, not just around the corner, take it to the hills and freeway, you want to see how it bevahes under load. Does it steer okay when you let go of steering wheel? Is there too much play- could be steering box.

 

- Heater - does it work or has been bypassed, if it has then maybe the heater core is toasted.

 

- Does the tach/speedo and fuel/temp gauge work?

 

- Does he have extra parts?

 

Hopefully this helps, and I am certain other 510s owners have other inputs. Good Luck.. $4,000 may not sound a lot but once you start adding littles here and there, it adds up.

[yellowdatsun]

The problem with cars this old, and Datsuns in general, is that if you have it "inspected" the guy doing the inspection is going to come up with a zillion things that are wrong with the car. Even in the 5-7k range. So you're going to be scared away on even a decent ride, because more likely than not, they'll tell you it needs thousands in work. Most 5k 510's need work, it's only to you start getting closer to 10k that the cars are usually "done" and need nothing.

 

With that said, I'd take over a 510 buddy and have him look it over with you. He'd be more easily able to tell you what's easily fixed, what DOESN'T need to be fixed, and what is a safety issue. The mechanic routine tends to scare people away, frightening them into thinking a car is a death trap. Just sayin'

[Guest kamakazi620]

I look at Datsuns like I look at Harleys,It's an Enthusiast vehicule Your ALLWAYS gonna be workin' on it no matter what!!! maybe Thats the reason there are Bikers and us!!!! All of us on this site have a LOVE for wrenchin' and ridin' and have had our share of "side of the road repairs" and stories,It's something ya just can't relate to if ya drive a newer car....And since yer gonna drop serious coin (would be for me) for a car,You have Every right to have it checked out!! and I would recomend it (since you don't know what yer lookin' for,problems rust etc..)I was sellin' a 1964 chevy 3/4 ton truck some years back and a Lady came to check it out,She asked if a mechanic could check it out cuz she was not mechanically savoy,I said "Yes of course" then she wanted ME to pay for it!!! then she asked if i would pay a mechanic to switch it to a automatic cuz she can;t drive stick!!! I told her "Lady I'm askin' 2200 bucks for a 40yo truck in very good shape,I'm NOT gonna spend 2000 bucks to have the tranny converted cuz YOU can't drive stick!!!IF YOU want YOU can buy it and pay to have it changed,cuz I'm not changin' anything on it,THATS why its for sale!!" she then still tried to talk me in to it,at that point i told her to leave and the trucks NOT for you,GO find one with an automatic.... G/L with yer search!!!

[Bleach]

haha... that reminds me of a BMW I was selling once. It was about 10 years old and had needed valve adjustment and shocks. I stated this in the ad and was selling it for about $2000 under market value. Some woman took it to a European shop and they told her it needed the work I stated in my ad and it would cost her $2500. So she wanted an additional $2500 off the car! hahaha... what a waste of my time.

[hang_510]

it would cost her $2500. So she wanted an additional $2500 off the car! hahaha... what a waste of my time.

shoulda raised your price $2600 and told her if she buys it for that, youll fix everything.

idiots!!! how do they even get a license? <_<