fender1

I was looking for a road bike for my 13 year old daughter. Something lighter than a re-purposed mountain bike. I saw a CL add for a 1981 Trek 710 that was close to her size and contacted the seller. He responded with an e-mail that the price for was firm and that he lots of people interested etc. etc. I simply responded that I wanted to come take a look at the bike.

We set a time but then he contacted me saying he couldn't make the original time and could I meet him an hour later than agreed upon? I said "Sure. No problem."

I ended up with two, 1981 Trek 715's and a box of parts!







I went this morning and he turned out to be a super nice guy. He bought these bikes as anniversary presents (one for him & one his wife) in 1981 but never did a whole lot of riding. He mentioned that I was the only person who did not try to haggle via e-mail and that actual set up a time to see the bike. He asked if I wanted the large Trek as well and how could I say no? He threw in the bin full of parts with me even asking. All in all a good day!

thinktubes 

Nice pickup!

looks like a poor fit for both PO.

Fahrenheit531 

Whether it pays or not, it's just the right thing to do. So far I've done a pretty good job teaching my kids that. Hopefully it sticks.

dweenk

The old adage "you'll catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar" applies here. Being in-your-face with a transaction usually results in no transaction at all. The hard-ass sellers and buyers that I have dealt with have gained no purchase with me.

merziac

@fender1

Well done, quite a haul. Assuming the big one fits you, the coolest thing about this is you and your daughter could have matching C+V rides = Priceless.

nomadmax 

I buy and sell on CL pretty often. I have a standing rule when buying; if it's worth what they're asking and it's as described, I pay the asking price, no haggling. The only time I haggle is when the description doesn't match the true condition. Especially when it doesn't match to the extent that they were just lying in the ad or purposely didn't photo or mention obvious condition issues/damage. Then they get a take $xx.00 or I walk away negotiation; I don't feel the least bit bad about it. There have been a few times where I let something like that slide; sometimes people selling things just aren't familiar in any way with what they're selling, usually because of a loss of some sort. In those cases, I offer/pay as much of the asking price as I can. If they aren't aware of what they have and aren't asking enough, I tell them what it's worth and offer/pay closer to the item(s) true saleable value. I buy things for me, not to re-sell.

When I sell stuff on CL I don't even respond to "Will take 50 bucks for your all Campy Colnago?" inquiries. On a few occasions, involving persistent dicks, I've told them to meet me in a shopping center that is the equivalent of a war zone. I never hear back after that.


OP you have a couple nice bikes there

The Golden Boy 

Congratulations!!!

Full on 531 goodness!

Will your daughter understand how cool of a bike that is?

Will the big one for you?

Enjoy!

mgopack42 

On a much smaller scale, I was in line at a rural convenience store to buy a Gatorade, all decked out in my Lycra. I struck up a conversation with a guy I would classify as a typical foothills redneck (about as far from my typical MAMIL type as you can get). As he purchased his cigarettes, he said "I'll get his too", just to be a nice guy. I thanked him profusely, and promised to pay it forward when I had the opportunity. It pays to not judge, and to be respectful and friendly.

fender1

I hope she gets it! It will get Northroad bars, front Wald basket & rack, cork grips, XT Thumb shifters and possibly a set of Zeus centerpulls. Maybe fenders, if she wants them. All of these things are very important to HER!

The large one is a bit too big for me. I might look for a frame swap or trade for a 24" Trek of the same era. It would be fun to ride together on matching or some what matching bikes.

She will be involved in helping with the tear down and rebuild. She likes mechanical stuff (built robots and engineering stuff in school) so the plan is to have her do the work with my help.

In that scenario the problem is ME, as I get impatient and just take over. Either way it should be fun.

merziac

Having her do it is beyond priceless, do everything in your power to facilitate this, no better skill than the one that has you doing it yourself.

Take a step back when you feel the need to takeover, I know, easier said than done, same here, terrible about this myself and didn't do my son or me any favors not passing more on to him.

tyler_fred

Fender1 seems like an outstanding fellow, but all bets are off when he and his daughter fight over who gets the rainbow pants leg strap!!

fender1

Oh that is mine, for sure! It will match my rainbow suspenders!

madpogue 

This. Has worked for me every time.

Nanu-nanu.

clubman 

Ha!