i want to buy a metro van

i want to buy an old 1951 international metro van, for business purposes to start a mobile computer business. the body is clean, clean title, little rust and has been parked ten years without starting up. the guy is asking 2300 and by the pictures it looks like a great work van. my question is, if i was to go take a look at it, and i wanted it, how many people are interested in/ have funds for
an i7 950, gene ii rampage mobo, 2-5870's 6-2gb sticks kingston tri channel memory, 2 6870s, a 1kw ultra psu, killer nic, and lots of other computer parts? i would basically be parting out my computer, if i couldn't get help from family.
just trying to see interests as it is of current.

Sad that you need to part your computer to buy this. But I would suggest you get 1800 in cash and take that with you. Look at it and say I have 1800 in cash if you give it to me right now. Many people will jump on hard cash at that very moment. I've done this before with my dad for a few guns.

If you must part your PC, post a full list and I'll see if I can take some stuff off your hands for my server.

I might snag the ram and MOBO off of you depending on price.

yeah, these things are usually priced to be negotiated. cold hard cash is tough to turn down. nevermind $1800, offer him $1500. :) $1800 is the maximum, so if you start off there he'll want $2000. start lower, but not so low as to insult him. it's a 60 year old friggin' *van* that's been rotting away for a decade, parts will be hard to find, and it's probably a 6V electrical system. wheeee! uh, not. this guy is most likely just wanting to get rid of the damn thing, and anyone serious about it will probably offer him what you are.

they're great looking machines that harken back to a classic era when milk was delivered to your doorstep and newspapers had an evening edition. that said, you don't see these things around, so maybe there's a reason for that? lol. it's pretty simple, just look up the price of these things if you can, find out what parts are going to run you... basically toss out every negative you can if you have to, even if it's the cost of new tires. add that the brakes are probably shot. :) if you show that you know what you're talking about, even if you don't (sales are usually about perception), you're in a much stronger position to negotiate.

i used to sell used toys at a flea market on the weekends when the weather was nice, not to mention having owned umpteen cars. i've learned not to pay what someone is asking. i've also learned that people tend to be pretty generous when it comes to a lot of their descriptions. 'minour side damage from a train' pretty much means it's a wreck. :)

good luck, that would be an awesome ride all done up.

thanks lynn, i was probably going to start at 1800, so great idea, i love the insight. thx man, +rep

Had better take a OBD-II reader with you along with the plug for international vehicles.

Can usually rent one from auto stores for 20$

if that van is three years or older, its got issues, and you'll need that OBD to read those issues and find out if you've got major faults.


Sure would be awesome to dump 1800$ on something that has a critical engine problem that needs another 3,800~5,900$ worth of work and not know it because d00d cleared the codes and reset the check engine light on your a@#.

Seen it before, and i'll probably see it again at some point.

"Oh hey, engine codes popped back up, you need new spark plug wires, coil packs, 02 sensors, two of your exhaust valves are bent, broken clutch spring,transmission is basically dry, need a differential gasket and needle bearings for your planetary gear are shot, new sway bushings...hell all new bushings, control arm is bent (looks like guy rammed a curb at 40mph) so that needs replacement, and welding..battery looks like it was neglected so it needs a new runner cable." It was basically 10 minutes of me naming off things me and MajorBud found wrong with the car


Got to tell that to a chick that thought 6,500$ was a steal of a deal on a 2001 convertable mustang. must of been another 6000 on top of that in engine and chassis work.


aahahahahhahahhahahahhahahhahaha.. that guy was smooth who ever sold her that car cause she said the check engine light didn't come on until she was almost in her drive way.

told her to drag it across the scales and cut her losses

you're welcome, cale. actually, my wife is lynn and we named out business after her. the previous owners called the store by their last name, 'flynn's.' get it? lol. i'm actually ryan. :)

anyway, don't be shy about wheeling and dealing, especially over a van that's been sitting around collecting rust and dead mice for ten years. a great show to watch is 'pawn stars' as that'll give you hint on negotiating prices (though not the best, imo, but if you pay attention you can derive some tactics. plus it's just a fun show to watch). people have their own style, but besides that you need to know the value of the thing you're buying as a starting point.

just as an aside, i love flea markets, garage sales and auctions. i was at one auction last year that was selling the full skeleton of an actual person! knowing that you can't sell real skeletons or bones unless they're so old (forget off the top of my head how old they had to be, but since this dude was a chinese railroad worker from the 1880's, as i recall, i was safe), they go for a premium. all i wanted was the skull (not quite sure what i would do with the rest of the body if it wasn't in good shape), hoping it was in good condition to resell for about $600-$800. unfortunately, the old boy was a wreck inside his little custom-made glass case some doctor put him in back in the 30's. i want to say he went for $70.

i mention auctions because they always have crazy stuff, and i'm sure you can find something you never thought to stick a computer in. that very same auction, i was with my mom and she bought a real traffic light. those suckers are fairly decent size ~ wire it up nice, hang it from your ceiling, and that may be a pretty interesting thing to behold, lol. that place was an auction house, and those are pretty common. you can find tons of old and new computer tech and such, too, if find the right place, as opposed to estate sales.

just thought i'd share. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Twigsoffury

Had better take a OBD-II reader with you along with the plug for international vehicles.

............

---

I think you need to re-read the original post. That van is much older than you think and that device will be useless....

i'd say take any used car to a mechanic first, but in this case it's assumed it'll need work, being 60 years old, and if you're not looking for a project car, then maybe it's not a great investment.

i see the potential for something awesome, but to be honest with you, cale, if it's not in operable condition i'd pass unless i really knew what i was doing with cars, and i just don't. my dad, now, he can restore a car to cherry condition if given a pile of rust. me, i feel a great sense of accomplishment when i change a bulb in the turn signal lamp thingy. gawd knows how much carb work would run ya. and if you've never driven a car without power steering (not sure if this has ps or not), you're in for one helluva workout. first thing to ask is if it runs on unleaded. just stuff like that helps you argue a price way down, imo. (actually, the first thing to ask is if the engine turns. if it's locked up, run, don't walk, away. :))

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Airbozo

I think you need to re-read the original post. That van is much older than you think and that device will be useless....

---

hahhahaha a 51'

yea i'd say so. my bad. i just tell everyone to bring a OBD reader with them when checking out a car.


carfax won't tell you what a OBD does after all.


I like using mine for instant gas economy while driving around.


well at least with a 1951 what you see is what you've got. although i'd be suspicious that a vehicle from 1951 doesn't have a critical problem with it.
even if it cranks over, that doesn't mean the carriage holding for the crank shaft isn't wallowed out to the point where the bearings are just sorts flopping around inside it along with the crank shaft. as the other guy said if your not looking to put in dozens of hours in labor and thousands more in parts i'd look for something else.

and you sure wouldn't want your work van full of thousands of dollars worth of tools to have to be left on the side of the highway for more then a hour.

buddys had work trucks stolen (the whole truck) from off the side of the highway. 1st tweaker with a trailer will trailer strap yank that truck onto his trailer and take off.

lol his work truck came up on a autotrader magazine advertisement in kansas... oops! probably should of removed the Diamond windows logo and PS-18 off the side panels before putting it up for sale.