I was there, and the exact words from my mouth to the sellers was that if it were my car I would put the car on eBay and list it at 99 cents with a reserve that I could live with, then turn it loose. The sellers were absolutely adamant that this was not something that they wanted any part of. They have been hounded for decades by relatives, friends of relatives, friends of friends, and even some fairly famous and well known car collectors that we see on TV from time to time. The sellers had all the control of the decision making process here. My opinion, the car is going to a good home and the sellers were absolutely overjoyed at how things went.
Sorry you have a case of envy, best that you just get over it and try to figure out how to apologize for what you have said which is completely false and misplaced.
Envy ? No. I’m just stirring up the pot.
Lets see what happens with the car .
Are there any Commoners on here, ( besides the self pronounced Cougar Elite ) that have an opinion.
OK, I will put my money where my mouth is. The Robies are very old, nice people in their 80s. They did not want to sell. Look at Mr Robie’s face. I doubt they even have internet in their very modest home. They did not even know who they sold the car to. Listen to Mrs Robie: —We don’t want to sell it…who is buying it?— Does that sound like they were fully informed? Don Rush would have done a classy job selling this car on Ebay with only a few pictures. Not much trouble to the Robies at all. Jim admits he offered 60K because that’s was all the money he had and I can understand that—sounds like he would have paid more if he had more money! I have been a Cougar nut since 1970 when my dad bought my mother a glazier blue 1968 Cougar. My mom was crazy about that car and she looked great in it. Mrs Robie reminds me of my mother in that Cougar. I still have the first collector Cougar I purchased in 1980. I will pay 65K for the car to Jim who pays Royce for his good service and I will personally hand the Robies a certified check for 10K. In exchange I receive everything the Robies gave Jim and Royce.
I am thankful that this Cougar will go to Jim and be restored to its original beauty. The restoration won’t be cheap and with good friends like Royce and others in the Cougar community to help, I know it will be on the road again some day
Let’s make this interesting. We have at least two people that want to buy a Cardinal Red XR-7 GT-E.
I have almost the identical GT-E, XR-7, Cardinal Red, Red Interior. I bought it from the original owner. The car came from Katy Texas, then to Arizona. I have the original window sticker and owners manual. It is a running driving car with new fuel tank, lines, new brakes, pads, rotors, flex lines, booster master cylinder wheel cylinders, rear shoes and original turned drums. All belts and hoses replaces and so on. BFG Radial T/A tires. Basically all the stuff that will need to be done to the car Jim bought. Given that, it still needs to be restored.
The similarities run pretty deep. Like Jim’s car, the hood and scoop have been cut out. Like Jim’s car the original carb is missing (I am running the larger Cobra Jet carb). Like Jim’s car, my distributor has been replaced (mine was supposed to be the correct one but the last letter is illegible so assumed to be incorrect.) I do have the original VIN stamped heads but the short block is a later factory replacement with the factory solid lifter cam, and adjustable rocker arms. The original open rear was converted to factory Traction Lok by the original owner.
Let’s make this as transparent as possible. Starting bid is $75K all cash. Clear Arizona title in hand. Gentlemen shall we begin?
Jim has been tracking and documenting these specific cars for decades. He has been busting his butt studying and doing his homework, and he got a good grade for it. We should feel lucky that he shares some of his notes with us - he doesnt have to, you know. The CCOA doesn’t cut him a paycheck and the CCOA didn’t purchase the GTE VINs.
As for Registrars having an inside track… well duh! Of course they will tend to learn about rare and desirable cars first - it’s what they do. Just because they are Registrars does not mean they are not entitled to find and buy the car of their dreams when it comes along. They love these cars - probably a wee bit more than the average enthusiast - OF COURSE they are going to buy the cars that they love!
Now riddle me this: how many Cougars have you seen ANY of the Registrars buy to flip over the years?
I’m one of the commoners, I guess, so here’s my opinion. This thread is an example of why I’m in the process of withdrawing from car club activities.
There isn’t a single person on this forum or in the larger Cougar community that would pay $1 more than necessary to buy a Cougar they want. If they got a deal, they’d brag about it to their friends and would take umbrage at any suggestion that they should have stepped aside for someone with a willingness to pay more. When someone who knows them as a “Cougar person” tells them about a car, they don’t post it here for everyone to pursue until they’ve decided it’s not for them. That’s why I don’t really have an issue with Jim buying this Cougar, regardless of the deal struck.
At the same time, there is clearly an elite insider group in most car clubs that has the connections, the network, the knowledge, and the resources to act on rare opportunities that the rest of us only find out about after the fact. Let’s call that the “opportunity inequality” factor. It gets some folks upset because it presents the potential for insider trading. I know other respected members of this forum who belong to that elite network who have purchased cars that never became publicly available. It’s good for them and, usually, good for the sellers because people like Bill, Jim, Royce, and Dave (as examples) care about their reputations within the community and don’t trade those reputations for a deal. But people who don’t know them and who might have been contenders to purchase the car in question see an element of unfairness and exclusion. It’s especially true when the car in question is one as hard to find as an original GT-E at a relatively affordable price.
The registrars need to know who’s in the market to buy. Armed with that information, I have zero reason to believe that any of the Cougar registrars would not let those prospective buyers know about cars for sale as long as they meet the sellers profile for a target buyer. The registrars have a responsibility to the sellers who choose to let them know that a car is available and need to act accordingly. In this case, that seems to be exactly what happened.
So this commoners perspective is to congratulate Jim on his purchase. It’s unfortunate that anyone feels the need to publicly question his ethics or conduct when those concerns would have been better expressed privately to Jim directly. I also think the registrars need to be particularly sensitive to the advantage they enjoy and how that can be perceived by others. Knowledge is power, after all, and power has been known to corrupt.
Re. my previous post, I only skimmed the video and mistakenly thought Royce had purchased the car.
So, congratulations, Jim!
Bill: Nice car - good luck with the sale!
The opening bid is $75K. I was responding to this:
OK, I will put my money where my mouth is. I will pay 65K for the car to Jim who pays Royce for his good service and I will personally hand the Robies a certified check for 10K.
Why doesn’t anybody fight over XR7-Gs! They’re limited production.
How did we get to this point? Are people truly wanting to own one for the experience and driving thrill or is it the $145K sale in Vegas or the $221K in New England? If you want it for the flip then be prepared for the upfront cost and possibly waiting for quite awhile for the right buyer. I’m glad the car is out of the garage and will get back on the road. Remember what that whining dude sang “rust never sleeps”.
Knowing Jim for many years I’m sure he wants the car so it can be driven and seen by people who don’t know the history. Someday it will pass on to another owner, maybe it will be one of you guys.
And having personally seen Bill’s GTE, and he even let me sit in it and dream for a minute, it is a good buy. If I didn’t have a wedding this year to pay for I would be on the red eye to Phoenix.
There might be a bit of an insiders view for a car club contact or specialty Cougar registrar. We have all had people come up to us at a car show to tell us about a car they once owned, or taken a call from someone wanting to offer up or sell parts or cars. Sometimes you need to act fast, even if it’s not for yourself.
I have been able to buy vehicles because I have put in the hard work to be able to buy them, and also because I was in the right place at the right time. I have bought Cougars, at personal financial risk, because no one else was interested, just to spend my time and money to fix them up to save them (luckily I have broke even or made a few bucks, but it is always a risk).
If you are interested in something, you should talk to your club contacts and specialty Cougar registrars and let them know what you want. I can’t count how many vehicles I have been able to place with people that have asked me to keep a look out for them.
I know many of the so called “Cougar elite” on this forum, and they all have one thing in common, they are the most giving people of time and knowledge and often times spend their own money and personal and family time to help out other enthusiasts. Jim, Royce, Bill, and many others are personal friends of mine. The reason they are friends of mine is because they are all straight shooters and I don’t have the time or patience for people that are not upfront and honest.
For those of you that have a problem with Jim, Royce, Bill, or myself finding and buying a cool vehicle because we seem to be plugged in. My advice is to put in the time and volunteer with your local or national club and get plugged in yourself.
I am certainly a commoner, but I’ll +1 everything you said there. Often in “business” it’s not always WHAT you know, as it is WHO you know, and as has been suggested, get to know people. All the rest of this is just coming off as sour grapes, IMO. Congrats on the purchase, Mr. Pinkerton, and good luck with the sale of Cougar 1, soon as I hit the PowerBall, I’ll come see you…
Well said Scott. I too am tired of hearing someone complain about being on the outside when there are plenty of doors that they could open that will bring them to the inside.
