Last year, a longtime customer of mine asked me if I wanted his '95 Harley Heritage Softail Classic that he'd stored covered up in his garage for the past 15 years since having a scare on it and deciding to park it. Knowing how well this guy takes care of everything he owns (I bought his literally-perfect inside and out '95 Silverado 5.7 standard cab short bed he bought new with 137k miles on it for $2000 the year before, only needed an a/c compressor and some maintenance) I figured why not... if I like it I'll keep it, if not I should be able to make some money on it. I told him he should just go to the Harley dealer and ask them to come pick it up, get it running again and sell it for him to make it easy on him. He said he'd already tried to do that and they jerked him around, only wanted to take it on trade for a new one but he didn't want another bike. He just wanted it gone.
So I went to look at it - every time I visited them it was covered in the garage so I'd never actually seen it - and just wiping the dust off told me I was buying it.
Got it home and further wiped it down with a wet rag. 1968 miles when parked.
Bought before the St. Pete FL area went to 727 area code
His wife started filling in the paperwork and I got the money out of my wallet. Started handing him $100 bills and when I hit $300 she told me to stop, they didn't want any more than that. I tried to give them $500 but they wouldn't take it. Took it home, drained the old fuel and flushed the tanks, cleaned the carb, bought a new battery for it and turned it over copiously, hoping the oil now in the bottom end of the engine would make its way back to the oil tank... but it didn't. Knew that it might puke out the breather vents if I started it but I had no choice, had to get the oil back into the tank to change it and the filter.
Got it running, oil came back to the tank, did the oil/filter change, rode it around a bit and decided it was going down the road for a pile of cash.
Sold it the first weekend it was listed for my asking price of $5500, no negotiations at all. Guy came up from South Florida to get it. By far the most profitable flip I've ever done.
So I went to look at it - every time I visited them it was covered in the garage so I'd never actually seen it - and just wiping the dust off told me I was buying it.
Got it home and further wiped it down with a wet rag. 1968 miles when parked.
Bought before the St. Pete FL area went to 727 area code
His wife started filling in the paperwork and I got the money out of my wallet. Started handing him $100 bills and when I hit $300 she told me to stop, they didn't want any more than that. I tried to give them $500 but they wouldn't take it. Took it home, drained the old fuel and flushed the tanks, cleaned the carb, bought a new battery for it and turned it over copiously, hoping the oil now in the bottom end of the engine would make its way back to the oil tank... but it didn't. Knew that it might puke out the breather vents if I started it but I had no choice, had to get the oil back into the tank to change it and the filter.
Got it running, oil came back to the tank, did the oil/filter change, rode it around a bit and decided it was going down the road for a pile of cash.
Sold it the first weekend it was listed for my asking price of $5500, no negotiations at all. Guy came up from South Florida to get it. By far the most profitable flip I've ever done.
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