Has anyone ever 'chased after' their perfect next car?
Discussion
In an almost sinister, stalking fashion?
I've only ever done it once, but it did work out well for me, amazingly.
I assume that, in a similar mindset to to other petrolheads on here, once you have made your mind up that you must have a particular car, that is that, there is no substitute.
Back in the mid 90's, after passing my test, I had developed a fixation that I just HAD to have a Peugeot 205 GTi cabriolet (they were badged as CTi's...)
I had my cash waiting, but even then, these were quite rare cars. After 5 or 6 months of looking through AutoTrader etc. (not much online back then...) and viewing one or two horrendous examples, I was starting to get a wee bit annoyed and desperate.
One night, I was driving my s
tbox through Southampton, and an immaculate example of a CTi drove past me the other way. It looked like exactly what I wanted - right age, right colour, etc.
I span my car around, and followed the Pug for a couple of miles, until it pulled into a private driveway. I parked in the road, and walked into the drive, where the driver and his passenger were getting out.
I tried to approach them in the most friendly, non-threataning manner that I could muster! And I explained that I was looking for a car just like this one, and are you thinking of selling this car at any point soon?
Amazingly, fate was on my side, as the driver said that yes, it was going to go on AutoTrader in a couple of weeks, as they had just had a baby and needed something more practical.
I looked over the car on his driveway, went into his house to view the documents and history, and then was allowed a test drive with him. Long story short, we agreed a price, and I came back to collect my car the next day! Which served me well for the next 4 years.
Has anyone else stalked a car and 'doorstepped' an owner to buy it?!
I've only ever done it once, but it did work out well for me, amazingly.
I assume that, in a similar mindset to to other petrolheads on here, once you have made your mind up that you must have a particular car, that is that, there is no substitute.
Back in the mid 90's, after passing my test, I had developed a fixation that I just HAD to have a Peugeot 205 GTi cabriolet (they were badged as CTi's...)
I had my cash waiting, but even then, these were quite rare cars. After 5 or 6 months of looking through AutoTrader etc. (not much online back then...) and viewing one or two horrendous examples, I was starting to get a wee bit annoyed and desperate.
One night, I was driving my s
tbox through Southampton, and an immaculate example of a CTi drove past me the other way. It looked like exactly what I wanted - right age, right colour, etc.I span my car around, and followed the Pug for a couple of miles, until it pulled into a private driveway. I parked in the road, and walked into the drive, where the driver and his passenger were getting out.
I tried to approach them in the most friendly, non-threataning manner that I could muster! And I explained that I was looking for a car just like this one, and are you thinking of selling this car at any point soon?
Amazingly, fate was on my side, as the driver said that yes, it was going to go on AutoTrader in a couple of weeks, as they had just had a baby and needed something more practical.
I looked over the car on his driveway, went into his house to view the documents and history, and then was allowed a test drive with him. Long story short, we agreed a price, and I came back to collect my car the next day! Which served me well for the next 4 years.
Has anyone else stalked a car and 'doorstepped' an owner to buy it?!
I once saw my perfect private plate and tried to turn around and follow the elderly driver in a really rubbish old car worth a fraction of what I thought was the plate's value.
Imagine how shocked I was to find that "my" plate had sold at auction for £25k +VAT and Buyers Premium some years before. Made me really quite glad I hadn't caught up with him!!!!
Imagine how shocked I was to find that "my" plate had sold at auction for £25k +VAT and Buyers Premium some years before. Made me really quite glad I hadn't caught up with him!!!!
jjones said:
no, weirdo 
Heehee, thanks for that! There was probably a 90% chance that I would have been shooed away with menaces, and I certainly did take a bit of a chance...but amazing really that the one car I did target was up for sale when I did do! I guess it was....fate...or some other mystical b
ks like that 
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
Which car???
I've only ever had that on a motorbike in the past....
944. http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?car...I've only ever had that on a motorbike in the past....
I take it as a form of compliment .... !
Oli.
jjones said:
no, weirdo
but friends have knocked on doors asking after "abandoned" cars on driveways with little success
in mid 90's I door knocked someone to ask about 2.9 scorpio which had been sitting a while. knocked on,asked about if he was doing anything with it and he told me to bring a battery for it and just take it.sold it a week later to a mate going barford bangers.but friends have knocked on doors asking after "abandoned" cars on driveways with little success
Unfortunately I have no experience to share although my now retired ex traffic Plod brother successsfully stalked a rather attractive white Mini Cooper S (1071) driving 30ish year old single girl by repeatedly stopping her for no apparant reason and not only succeeded in buying her car at a good price but also knobbing her for some time.
Professionalism and Plod eh.
Yes, both her and the car were white btw.
Professionalism and Plod eh.
Yes, both her and the car were white btw.
Not quite the same but I was given an old Pug 205 Junior which was wearing the Plate JGE IT. One day a van stopped me at the lights and the driver made me an offer for the plate his name was John G***** and he owned an Electrical Engineering company . Hello John I still think let that plate go too cheap
Kindof... a teacher at a nearby school had an absolutely mint Mk2 Escort 1600 sport (this was about a year before the prices really shot up). I walked into the carpark at a suitable time to offer to buy it, he thought about it for a few days and then decided to keep it. Was worth a shot!
Sort of. I had long admired a 1995 Audi S6 in Nogaro Blue that I used to see parked on a drive where near where I work. I was pulled over outside one day making a telephone call when an old lady strolled out of the address as I finished my call. I remarked to her that I loved the car and often admired it in passing. She told me it was getting a bit long in the tooth and her husband was thinking of selling, and if I should like first refusal!
I was taken aback by the offer, but had to stand firm as I really wanted a Jaguar XJ (something I hope to take care of tomorrow). Very pretty classic Audi though with the 5 cylinder turbo engine.
I was taken aback by the offer, but had to stand firm as I really wanted a Jaguar XJ (something I hope to take care of tomorrow). Very pretty classic Audi though with the 5 cylinder turbo engine.
Not me but I know a guy who did! My Grandad used to own a garage and bought a Mk2 Ford Escort 1.6 Ghia in blue with the black vinyl roof from new. He kept it immaculate. There were no speaker holes in the parvcel shelf, had the original radio, etc. It didn't get used much and was always garaged. one of the wings started to develop a spot of rust so he bought another wing and fited it rather than repair it. Sadly, he passed and the car went to stay with my Uncle to look after but not use. It was originally stored in a garage but he left it outside for a few years. He grew older and his grandkids and looking after fammily property took priority.
Some bloke walked past the house and started talking to my Aunty about the car. He left his number and said if you ever decide to sell it, please ring him first. A year goes by and he knocked on the door to ask about the car again. This happened a few times over the years and eventually, my Aunty and Uncle decided to sell it so rang him. The bloke was absolutely delighted and thought he'd never be able to own it.
He's in the process of getting it back on the road and has promised to bring it round to show them it when it's finished. It has a lot of sentimental value to my Aunty. She should have parted with it after my Grandad passed but couldn't bring herself to.
Some bloke walked past the house and started talking to my Aunty about the car. He left his number and said if you ever decide to sell it, please ring him first. A year goes by and he knocked on the door to ask about the car again. This happened a few times over the years and eventually, my Aunty and Uncle decided to sell it so rang him. The bloke was absolutely delighted and thought he'd never be able to own it.
He's in the process of getting it back on the road and has promised to bring it round to show them it when it's finished. It has a lot of sentimental value to my Aunty. She should have parted with it after my Grandad passed but couldn't bring herself to.
I was on the way home from work on Tuesday and had a Focus behind me for the last 10 miles... didn't think much of it as it's a back route to save going through Baldock to get to the A1 north. I pulled up opposite my house to let the traffic behind go and the Focus pulls up next to me.
Driver asks what the car is. I say it's just a Vauxhall and he gets out of his car to have a look around and is a little disappointed by the Vauxhall badge on the front and says he was having an argument with his mate in the passenger seat about what it was, passenger claiming Lotus.
Then confirms he had been following me for 10 miles just to find out what it was which left me wondering just how far would they have carried on following me?!
Must admit the car was subsequently blocked in on the drive with the battery unattached that night.
Driver asks what the car is. I say it's just a Vauxhall and he gets out of his car to have a look around and is a little disappointed by the Vauxhall badge on the front and says he was having an argument with his mate in the passenger seat about what it was, passenger claiming Lotus.
Then confirms he had been following me for 10 miles just to find out what it was which left me wondering just how far would they have carried on following me?!
Must admit the car was subsequently blocked in on the drive with the battery unattached that night.
Yup Fiat X1/9 of mid-80ies vintage. In stunning condition.
Parked next to it at the supermarket and waited (ages) for the owner to come out.
Turns out that it belonged to this middle-aged lady who's husband had given it to her as a wedding anniversary gift when it was new and, therefore, it would never be for sale.
I left my card anyway...
Parked next to it at the supermarket and waited (ages) for the owner to come out.
Turns out that it belonged to this middle-aged lady who's husband had given it to her as a wedding anniversary gift when it was new and, therefore, it would never be for sale.
I left my card anyway...
Yep - in a similar vein, I left a postcard on a car windscreen with my phone number.
From the start of the story, however; c.1979 I had sold my competition Mini and was reduced to just the family barge. I spotted this partly rally-prepped MkI Mexico in a college car-park and quite fancied it as a dual-purpose car ( the Mini was very focussed and anti-social...) so I left a postcard on it offering to negotiate a deal if he wanted to sell.
Three months later, I saw and bought a nice MkII Escort 1600 Sport which fitted the bill nicely as a dual-purpose car; the day after I got it home, I got a call from the Mexico owner offering to sell me the car at a bit less than half the price I had paid for the MkII. Bugger!
From the start of the story, however; c.1979 I had sold my competition Mini and was reduced to just the family barge. I spotted this partly rally-prepped MkI Mexico in a college car-park and quite fancied it as a dual-purpose car ( the Mini was very focussed and anti-social...) so I left a postcard on it offering to negotiate a deal if he wanted to sell.
Three months later, I saw and bought a nice MkII Escort 1600 Sport which fitted the bill nicely as a dual-purpose car; the day after I got it home, I got a call from the Mexico owner offering to sell me the car at a bit less than half the price I had paid for the MkII. Bugger!
Some interesting stories!
My first attempt went well - however it doesn't always, and I had another one that defied logic a bit...
There was a huge house that I went past regularly as it was on my usual route when I went out for a jog. Having been interested in (and owning) Jeep 4x4's for years, I always wondered about a late 90's Jeep Wrangler TJ that was sitting in the (huge) driveway of this house.
It had clearly been there for years without moving...it was almost green with tree moss, with flat tyres, and it had aftermarket chrome side-step bars which had literally dissolved - they were full of holes and the bits of rust were sitting in the drive underneath.
However, these cars always have a value - even if scrap, and my interest piqued to such an extent that one evening, I knocked on the door. I was greeted by a woman who was dressed like someone out of the 1930's? And the house also smelled like it hadn't been cleaned since then too! But she was pleasant enough, and when I asked about the Jeep, she said it had been sat there for around 8 years, and that yes, she really must do something about getting rid of it. I gave her my number, and she promised to call me once she'd made a decision.
I never heard from her - but weirdly, I have a mate who does landscape gardening. He was telling me about a place he did a load of work at, and that once he'd finished the garden, the lady asked him if he could get rid of an old car for her - she didn't want anything for it, just take it away and scrap it?
Which he did, and made a few quid out of it at the scrapyard...
Yep - it was the same house and the same Jeep! Strange woman, I would have paid her for it!
My first attempt went well - however it doesn't always, and I had another one that defied logic a bit...
There was a huge house that I went past regularly as it was on my usual route when I went out for a jog. Having been interested in (and owning) Jeep 4x4's for years, I always wondered about a late 90's Jeep Wrangler TJ that was sitting in the (huge) driveway of this house.
It had clearly been there for years without moving...it was almost green with tree moss, with flat tyres, and it had aftermarket chrome side-step bars which had literally dissolved - they were full of holes and the bits of rust were sitting in the drive underneath.
However, these cars always have a value - even if scrap, and my interest piqued to such an extent that one evening, I knocked on the door. I was greeted by a woman who was dressed like someone out of the 1930's? And the house also smelled like it hadn't been cleaned since then too!
But she was pleasant enough, and when I asked about the Jeep, she said it had been sat there for around 8 years, and that yes, she really must do something about getting rid of it. I gave her my number, and she promised to call me once she'd made a decision.I never heard from her - but weirdly, I have a mate who does landscape gardening. He was telling me about a place he did a load of work at, and that once he'd finished the garden, the lady asked him if he could get rid of an old car for her - she didn't want anything for it, just take it away and scrap it?
Which he did, and made a few quid out of it at the scrapyard...
Yep - it was the same house and the same Jeep! Strange woman, I would have paid her for it!
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