Jim Rosenthal
Supporter
This post is prompted by one that was put up regarding a CAV car that was advertised as some kind of distress sale, some cock-and-bull story about a deceased owner and a low price too good to be true etc....
Suggested Rules For Buying GT40s or Bits Thereof:
1) don't buy from anyone without a verifiable address, phone number and location. Know who you are buying from and where they are. Check them out thoroughly. At your leisure.
2) if something is too good to be true, it is NOT true. Stay away from it.
3) reputable sellers don't mind providing references and allowing you to vet them with others- anyone who declines to participate in that process, STAY AWAY FROM THEM.
4) don't do business with anyone who appears to have shafted someone on the Forum. People are generally very careful about what they post because of liability issues. If something negative appears, it is very likely the tip of the iceberg. Pay attention to the warning.
5) quality costs. Most of the bits and pieces we are concerned with cost a lot because their manufacture involves a lot of hand work and because they are made in low numbers. Bargains may end up costing you a lot more over time. Cheap pieces in critical parts of a high-speed car may end up costing you more than money.
6) anyone who is in a hurry to sell you anything, WATCH OUT. NO GT40 car or piece thereof is worth getting screwed on. Someone who is pushing you to buy quickly is very likely trying to take advantage of you.
I've been impressed by the honesty and decency of virtually all the people I've met and dealt with on this Forum. I've also been impressed, in a different way, by the astonishing corruption and venality that Internet commerce allows people to display. I guess I shouldn't be, because these stories are very old indeed; it's just a new venue for thieves to operate within.
I speak from experience; a few years ago I bought a Ferrari from a so-called 'broker'. The car turned out to have serious maintenance issues and required a great deal of expensive work to sort out. I was very lucky and persistent- I persuaded the 'broker' that it was in his best interest to pay for a substantial part of these repairs (the fact that I was introducing him to the Dumpster I was about to throw him into after I broke his neck may have had something to do with his decision that paying me was a good idea). But many of us are dealing with people in other states, or other countries, etc- recourse is much more difficult.
Which brings me to the last part of this: most of the people on this Forum are not wealthy. It is clear to me that for each GT40 built or bought, other things are not built, or bought, or are put off. Sacrifices are made, clearly, by most of us who pursue this particular dream. These cars are expensive enough without the added cost of having your funds stolen from you.
Suggested Rules For Buying GT40s or Bits Thereof:
1) don't buy from anyone without a verifiable address, phone number and location. Know who you are buying from and where they are. Check them out thoroughly. At your leisure.
2) if something is too good to be true, it is NOT true. Stay away from it.
3) reputable sellers don't mind providing references and allowing you to vet them with others- anyone who declines to participate in that process, STAY AWAY FROM THEM.
4) don't do business with anyone who appears to have shafted someone on the Forum. People are generally very careful about what they post because of liability issues. If something negative appears, it is very likely the tip of the iceberg. Pay attention to the warning.
5) quality costs. Most of the bits and pieces we are concerned with cost a lot because their manufacture involves a lot of hand work and because they are made in low numbers. Bargains may end up costing you a lot more over time. Cheap pieces in critical parts of a high-speed car may end up costing you more than money.
6) anyone who is in a hurry to sell you anything, WATCH OUT. NO GT40 car or piece thereof is worth getting screwed on. Someone who is pushing you to buy quickly is very likely trying to take advantage of you.
I've been impressed by the honesty and decency of virtually all the people I've met and dealt with on this Forum. I've also been impressed, in a different way, by the astonishing corruption and venality that Internet commerce allows people to display. I guess I shouldn't be, because these stories are very old indeed; it's just a new venue for thieves to operate within.
I speak from experience; a few years ago I bought a Ferrari from a so-called 'broker'. The car turned out to have serious maintenance issues and required a great deal of expensive work to sort out. I was very lucky and persistent- I persuaded the 'broker' that it was in his best interest to pay for a substantial part of these repairs (the fact that I was introducing him to the Dumpster I was about to throw him into after I broke his neck may have had something to do with his decision that paying me was a good idea). But many of us are dealing with people in other states, or other countries, etc- recourse is much more difficult.
Which brings me to the last part of this: most of the people on this Forum are not wealthy. It is clear to me that for each GT40 built or bought, other things are not built, or bought, or are put off. Sacrifices are made, clearly, by most of us who pursue this particular dream. These cars are expensive enough without the added cost of having your funds stolen from you.
