Just missed a smokin' deal by that much...

[brider]

I sporadically do feeble searches for Eldorados ever since I sold my '74 LAPD model about 5 years ago. Got a decent price then, prices I see them listed for now are comical.

So I looked on my local Craigslist on Tues, and up popped up a "1974 Motoguzzi". The ad was 4 days old. Bone-stock '73 Police Eldo (I say '73, because it had a drum front brake), 23k miles, looked pristine except for years of garage-dust accumulation.

I couldn't e-mail the guy fast enough. He said a guy had already made an offer ("offer?" I thought, he was only asking $2500), so I gave him the "If he even sneezes, call me..." routine.

4 days later (today), the offer-er shows up and hauls it off. I have no idea what "offer" was agreed upon, but I'm pretty sure I'll never see another Police Eldo in my neck of the woods at that price again.

I know I'm not alone in missing out on deals, but I'm feeling really DOWN. Please share your stories about the one that got away...

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

$1500 Centauro, needed an ECU, but was otherwise very nice with low miles. It was going out of the seller's driveway in the back of a truck just as I pulled in. 

[Lannis]

Every smokin' deal that I have missed only became smokin' in retrospect, AFTER I turned it down myself!

Like the stone original, good running Indian Roadmaster Chief that I turned down for $900 once .... my fault.

Lannis

[Cam3512]

I sporadically do feeble searches for Eldorados ever since I sold my '74 LAPD model about 5 years ago. Got a decent price then, prices I see them listed for now are comical.

So I looked on my local Craigslist on Tues, and up popped up a "1974 Motoguzzi". The ad was 4 days old. Bone-stock '73 Police Eldo (I say '73, because it had a drum front brake), 23k miles, looked pristine except for years of garage-dust accumulation.

I couldn't e-mail the guy fast enough. He said a guy had already made an offer ("offer?" I thought, he was only asking $2500), so I gave him the "If he even sneezes, call me..." routine.

4 days later (today), the offer-er shows up and hauls it off. I have no idea what "offer" was agreed upon, but I'm pretty sure I'll never see another Police Eldo in my neck of the woods at that price again.

I know I'm not alone in missing out on deals, but I'm feeling really DOWN. Please share your stories about the one that got away...

You don't happen to live near the Catskills do you?   Saw that California Eldo on CL. 

[brider]

You don't happen to live near the Catskills do you?   Saw that California Eldo on CL.

I live maybe 1 1/2 hrs from the town it was listed in, somewhere in the Hudson Valley of NY, north of NYC.

[Daleroso]

Found out on Fri night that an older gentleman moving fm near Reno to Ca had a silver smoke R90S for sale w/ "many misc m/c stuff for sale." He did mention it to a kid at the U-haul rental facility 1st. I show up EARLY Saturday (the bike is perfect!) morning & wait with the gentleman over an hour after the kid was supposed to show. I make an offer but didn't want to jinx me or the bike so suggested he call the kid. 45 more minutes later (3 miles away) the kid shows up in a fender flapping 2 tone faded maroon & rust old Nissan p/u w/a $100 home made trailer in tow. Scraggly beard, holes in his shirt, stained jeans & no "hi" or smile he starts loading the boxes w/the misc m/c parts  (Parebellum color matched Scout fairing, manuals, mirrors, tank bag, cover, filters, gaskets, get the idea?) he starts to roll the R90S twd his traveling carnival truck & trailer, I leave. I could NOT stay & watch the kid pay the gentleman the $1500, yes, that's correct, $1500. This is only the 2nd time I've told this story.

[Daleroso]

PS- that was only 6 months ago.

[Idontwantapickle]

I sporadically do feeble searches for Eldorados ever since I sold my '74 LAPD model about 5 years ago. Got a decent price then, prices I see them listed for now are comical.

So I looked on my local Craigslist on Tues, and up popped up a "1974 Motoguzzi". The ad was 4 days old. Bone-stock '73 Police Eldo (I say '73, because it had a drum front brake), 23k miles, looked pristine except for years of garage-dust accumulation.

I couldn't e-mail the guy fast enough. He said a guy had already made an offer ("offer?" I thought, he was only asking $2500), so I gave him the "If he even sneezes, call me..." routine.

4 days later (today), the offer-er shows up and hauls it off. I have no idea what "offer" was agreed upon, but I'm pretty sure I'll never see another Police Eldo in my neck of the woods at that price again.

I know I'm not alone in missing out on deals, but I'm feeling really DOWN. Please share your stories about the one that got away...

Certainly I've let some things slip by that I regret. But when I sell something I don't take offers or anything like that. Cash. I take cash. The first one to arrive with the cash gets it. That's the way most anything is sold. People say all kinds of things on the phone to sellers but if I were you I'd have been there with the cash under his nose and ignored his "offer guy".
I'm sorry that it got away! I hope you get the opportunity again.
Hunter

[twowheeladdict]

I have learned not to look if I don't have cash in hand.  That is when I always see the great deals.  I guess that is how I now have 7 bikes in the garage.

[amamet]

that bike was 2 towns from me, dont know how i missed it either.  oh well.

[Chuck in Indiana]

A guy emailed me and said he'd make me an offer. I said, fine, as long as the offer is what I'm asking for it, I know what Guzzi stuff is worth.  He bought it.

[Yukonica]

1975, brother-in-law offered to buy my 1968 spitfire MkIII to sponsor my buying a 1966 Jaguar V6 E-type for $3500.
Looked the car over: not a cosmetic flaw except it had a really ugly hotrod flames paint job.
Compression tight, all else solid but I couldn't get past the fact it needed kingpins. Sigh.

[Yukonica]

1975, brother-in-law offered to buy my 1968 spitfire MkIII to sponsor my buying a 1966 Jaguar V6 E-type for $3500.
Looked the car over: not a cosmetic flaw except it had a really ugly hotrod flames paint job.
Compression tight, all else solid but I couldn't get past the fact it needed kingpins. Sigh.

[leafman60]

1975, brother-in-law offered to buy my 1968 spitfire MkIII to sponsor my buying a 1966 Jaguar V6 E-type for $3500.
Looked the car over: not a cosmetic flaw except it had a really ugly hotrod flames paint job.
Compression tight, all else solid but I couldn't get past the fact it needed kingpins. Sigh.

If that Jag had a V6, it was a Buick engine someone dropped in it and you didn't miss such a good deal afterall.

The engines in those cars were straight 6's.

Yes, you probably missed a tremendous deal.

It's happened to me several times and I wish we could let this thread die since the thoughts always make me wince! lol

[Yukonica]

If that Jag had a V6, it was a Buick engine someone dropped in it and you didn't miss such a good deal afterall.

The engines in those cars were straight 6's.

Yes, you probably missed a tremendous deal.

It's happened to me several times and I wish we could let this thread die since the thoughts always make me wince! lol

...... thinking back: it was a straight 6 .. the 'V' comes automatically off the finger tips.
Oh well. I feel your pain on the 'one's I missed by 'that much'.

[jas67]

A couple weeks back, there was a 1963 Ducati 250 Monza, all original, with light pantina, running with title on the Allentown Craigslist for $2,200.

Normally I check CL obsessively, but, we were at the beach that week, so, I wasn't checking as frequently.   The listing was already 12 hours old when I saw it.

I was #3 in line.    Of course, #1 bought it.     The bike was easily worth double that.

[jas67]

From the man who never met a motorcycle he didn't like . 

  Dusty

 

[Penderic]

That much eh?

[brider]

Found out on Fri night that an older gentleman moving fm near Reno to Ca had a silver smoke R90S for sale w/ "many misc m/c stuff for sale." He did mention it to a kid at the U-haul rental facility 1st. I show up EARLY Saturday (the bike is perfect!) morning & wait with the gentleman over an hour after the kid was supposed to show. I make an offer but didn't want to jinx me or the bike so suggested he call the kid. 45 more minutes later (3 miles away) the kid shows up in a fender flapping 2 tone faded maroon & rust old Nissan p/u w/a $100 home made trailer in tow. Scraggly beard, holes in his shirt, stained jeans & no "hi" or smile he starts loading the boxes w/the misc m/c parts  (Parebellum color matched Scout fairing, manuals, mirrors, tank bag, cover, filters, gaskets, get the idea?) he starts to roll the R90S twd his traveling carnival truck & trailer, I leave. I could NOT stay & watch the kid pay the gentleman the $1500, yes, that's correct, $1500. This is only the 2nd time I've told this story.

This was my favorite story so far to assuage my pain. But I am still confused over the sequence of events; Did the owner accept an offer by the kid, and you were there just to see if the kid actually showed up? Did you make an offer in an attempt to "up" the bid while the kid still wasn't there? Though painful to watch, weren't you tempted to instantly offer the kid a premium over his $1500? Given your description of him, I'd have to guess that he had to borrow that $$, had no real knowledge (or care) of the actual worth of the bike, and might've accepted an offer that made him a quick $500.

In my case, the CL listing offered no phone/text contact info, and the owner's communication was very sparse. No opportunity to ask for his address to rush out there and offer cash. And regarding cash; I base my demeanor as a seller on the quality of the communication by the buyer. If he seems legit and I get a good vibe and can talk/text a complete sentence, I'll hold the object and give him first dibs. Usually works out. If it's an object of no real value to me, or if the buyers send truncated teenage-type text messages, I DO tell them first with cash gets it.

[Shorty]

Circa 1996 a real V7 Sport popped up locally for some crazy low price . The details are a bit fuzzy , the bike may have been in large lumps , but the asking price was crazy low . A current WG member (this was before Luap created this place ) snapped it up before anyone else had a chance . Won't mention any names , but his initials are Shorty  Still haven't forgiven him 

  Dusty

I'm pretty sure that the fellow who bought my V7 Sport  also ended up with my SP1000, 74 Ducati 750 GT, and at least one of my Norton /Matchless hybrids. He did not want them Shortysized.