2 of the 3 cars we currently own were bought from the original owners.....
"Sunfish"...Nellas 67 Cuda convert sat up next to a house near us, and I watched it for a couple years and stopped by a few times but no one was ever home. One day I got lucky and the owner was home and we chatted about the car a little bit. He told me he bought it new in 67 and drove it for the next 30 years, rebuilding the engine, hanging new quarters, paint and a new top in 1992. Then it sat for the next ten years under a tarp outside until I came along. He tried to give it to his son but he was afraid to drive it, and he warned me that it was "too dangerous" to drive because something was wrong with the front end. He also said he was offered 5K many times but turned it down. I told him that my plan was to make it Nella's car and brought her over the next day to look at it. I told him I could only offer $2500.00, but it was a legitimate cash offer and left my number. I didn't even get home and there was already a message on my machine saying that he and his wife talked it over and they knew that we would give it a good home. We still stop by when we go to the annual Make-a-Wish car show in that town, and they always love to see it, take pictures of it and sit in it and enjoy what we've done to it. It makes me feel good to know that I'm caring for a car that is loved by them, and Nella too!!!
The 66 Cuda... the little 66 in my avatar sat in a field behind my buddys house for many years. It was owned by the oldest man in our town, a grumpy old man who used to live in the house. I built my buddy a big shop in the field near the dozen or so cars that the 66 was sleeping with, and asked my buddy about why he hadn't bought it. He told me he tried many times but was always met with a firm "NO". He told me to give it a try but also said.."If you can get it, you're a better man than me"!! I went up to Max's apartment and asked about the Cuda. He was 88 at the time and was mostly in dimentia, but said.."If you want it, you can have it for $400.00"!! He had been in a fender bender in 1978 with it and parked it intending to fix it, but the house caught on fire while he was working on a 68 Charger and burned down the shop with the Charger and a 57 Nomad wagon inside. They sold the house to my buddy after that and the cars just sat. When I told my buddy I had bought the car, he just about hit the roof. But he said that if I wanted, we would redo the car together in his brand new shop, and thats just what we did. In thanks for helping me out, he usually takes the GTX and drives it all summer, except for last year when he spent the summer in California.
Thats my stories and I'm stickin' to them!!! Geof
