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THE FIND OF A LIFETIME (deal on craigslist I found last week)


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So I am at my desk at work about 3PM last Thursday...perusing several different geographic areas on CL for

Subarus. I click on Albany NY (about a 2 hour drive from me) and I scroll to a posting that was about 1 hour old.

I have been seeing A LOT of dumb scams for the past few months...but they have been SO obvious to spot.

I thought perhaps this was a more clever scam.

 

It read that this person was selling her friends 2004 WRX (and the friend was an older woman) which had too much rust under it and they would not pass it for its NY State inspection. 46,000 miles-- original owner for $2500.

I said, that is too good to be true.I wondered HOW MUCH rust could be under there

But I know it was worth twice+ that in parts alone

 

 

I text her (what also made me think it was a scam too was that it was a N Carolina number)

After texting I said...let me try and call....crap...no answer--left message

LO and behold she calls back in 5 minutes

Says she was on the phone with the very first caller

Promised him he could come at 9 the next morning

big time CRAP

The next morning at 8 I text her and tell her to set me up with a tentative appt at 10...if that guy calls to postpone his 9 AM visit...tell him you have a commitment for 10

 

5 mins later she texts..... "call me"

Sure enough the guy called and lamented that it's kinda far blah blah.

I'M IN...!

1.5 hours later I arrive with money in hand (she was about 45 mins away)

 

It was no scam

Her 90 year old lady friend(YES 90!!!!) bought the car new...and it's a 5 speed no less.

She was driving it up till the week before

 

I look under it expecting massive holes in the sheet metal floor pans...............

NOPE----the rust is on the cross member bracketry/sway bar/cross member support/trailing link etc

 

Yes the rust was heavy....but not in danger of breaking immediately or anything

Interior after a light detailing will be a 9/9.5

Body at least an 8.5...I think I was too darn excited to scrutinize it LOL

Ran fine

 

I will have it flat bedded Wednesday

I only got one pic....I said to Charlotte..."NO ONE is going to believe that I bought this for a little 90 year old woman"...she was a sweet woman. (I had to text my 17 + 21 year old boys right away....they were arguing between them who deserved it..yeah right !!)

Pic attached.....in a few weeks I will post pics after I have time to detail it....maybe the rust sooner

 

The car once I replace the rusted parts is worth $10,000 easy

This is almost a once in a lifetime buy....

post-613-0-00447700-1436790991_thumb.jpg

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did my 06 WRX last year - it was - 'interesting'. only 57K miles I think.

 

toothed idler was loose and a little wobbly, another idler was loose. A little oil on top of the tensioner, but same say that's normal. Belt looked great but that's common. usually an idler seizes or dumps its bearings. Dunno how much longer it would have lasted, but glad I did it.

Edited by 1 Lucky Texan
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Hey! We little old ladies HAD to learn to drive manual transmissions: automatics weren't very common 50+ years ago.  :P

 

Bill, it's nice to see a pic of someone I've talked to! And she looks like she could take on the world, bless her heart.

 

ps; nice car!

 

Emily

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Automatic transmissions were very common 50+ years ago, more so than today.  But a 90 year old woman would have started driving in or around 1940 when they were rare.  50 years ago was 1965, before the Japanese invasion (Toyota/Datsun), VW bug was still rare but picking up and only a few MG Austin Healey and Jags around.  Over 90% of cars sold in the US were US made and less than 3% had manual transmissions that year.  Sticks are getting hard to find again.  Same for the years 58 through about 72

Edited by keith3267
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it's possible she learned on an older car - I didn't have new cars when I first began driving (I am 60, first 2 cars I drove 'as mine' were 3 on the tree, one was a 1950 Chevy)

 

also, she may have grew up on a farm driving farm equipment.

 

still, though - surprising.

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... also, she may have grew up on a farm driving farm equipment ...

 

Exactly like my Grandmother, in fact she was Truck driver, from the era of the "Cryer" Trucks,

 

You know, the ones that sounded like Crying while climbing hills, carrying load on first gear...

 

and you needed real Muscle to shift the Gears... 1940's ~ 1950's ...Kind Regards.

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