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View Full Version : OT - The Real Ultimate Trade-Up


frankbmd
04-23-2017, 05:41 PM
Friends and fellow collectors,

I have decided to embark on a journey to improve my capability to deliver any vintage sport cards you may purchase from me in person, call it special delivery if you will. I have decided that the best way to accomplish this goal is to obtain a late model Lamoborghini Huracan.

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This will enable me to deliver your cards in a timely manner. The vehicle is equipped with a secure glove compartment for storage of your purchase is transit. This change however will necessitate an elimination of any current listings with the designation of SHIPPING INCLUDED or FREE SHIPPING as a fuel surcharge will be needed to allow for this service. For deliveries to fly over country between the Hudson River and Beverly Hills, it may also be necessary to travel with a certified Lamborghini mechanic should an unforeseen breakdown occur.

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To finance this proposition I am planning on a series of trades, your car for my car even up, until we reach the goal. My current vehicle was purchased "new" in gem mint condition shown below.

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This vehicle, yes it's a Yugo, is a rare collectable in its own right, that was marketed for a short period of time in the 1980s. Poorly engineered, ugly, and cheap, it survived much longer as a punch line for comedians than it did as a vehicle on the roads. The story of how this particular car became the most hated vehicle in the U.S. is a comedy of errors detailed in Jason Vuic’s book, The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History. A bewildering array of capitalist hucksters and impoverished communists desperate for revenue collaborated to create the Yugo, and what could have been a great international relations victory of the Cold War was ruined the moment consumers and auto critics actually got to drive it.

Now in the interest of full disclosure and transparency, and as you can imagine, my Yugo is no longer in mint condition. Several years ago a "short" developed in the electrical harness that resulted in a "minor" fire captured below.

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Fortunately and to my surprise, enough of my Yugo was not flammable and the car was salvaged by the only remaining Yugoslavian body shop in the country. These motoring artisans completed the restoration only recently and the car is now back on the road.

Due to the lack of any specifications of parts that are no longer available, the car has only limited functionality. It will roll on flat services and does extremely well going downhill. Controlling downhill speed however is problematic.

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The book value of this vehicle will not be found in any price guides and as you are well aware, past sales are of limited use in items this rare.

For my initial trade I am looking for either a Chevrolet Corvair, made famous by Ralph Nader in his book, "Unsafe At Any Speed"

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or a Ford Pinto (pre-explosion) with an intact rear end and gas tank.;)

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Who knows how many trades it will take to get to my ultimate goal, but i am convinced that the ends justify the means, and I do intend to be mean in these transactions.:eek:

Let me know what you have to trade and then I'll sharpen my pencil. Don't worry about test driving the Yugo. I could ship it, but local pickup is preferred, and don't forget to bring a trailer.

I cannot end this without thanking the Net54 community in advance for their enthusiastic participation in this, The Real Ultimate Trade Up.

Let's get 'er done.

Footnotes:

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

And what goes around, comes around, with the possible exception of my Yugo.:D

bbcard1
04-23-2017, 05:47 PM
Yugos were truly amazing cars. My friend had one. I have never seen anything rust to fast. You could almost visually track it.

Leon
04-23-2017, 05:49 PM
My first car (not the exact one but exactly like it, color and all)... I believe it was totaled by my brother, if I remember correctly, therefore, sadly it can't be traded to you. :(

Huysmans
04-23-2017, 05:51 PM
I'm in Frank!!!
As long as "the market" guarantees 100% that my Ford Pinto that blew up is worth less than your Yugo.... Things are always 100% regarding value with collectables and memorabilia... Right?!?!$&?

ullmandds
04-23-2017, 05:56 PM
great idea, Frank...I may make an offer...but only if you tell me how long you plan to keep the Lambo?

I had a really bad car accident when I was 17...just got my license...was cruising town in my 76 ford granada when I blew a stop sign and was t-boned by a pinto. As Boys of Summer by don henley came to a sudden stop as I crashed drivers door side into a telephone pole...all I could think of was that I gotta get out of my car that Pinto's gonna blow!!!!!

I'll offer you a t205 Johnson for your yugo?

Deal?

bnorth
04-23-2017, 05:58 PM
I don't have a Pinto but I am pretty sure there is a Mercury Bobcat in the deserted salvage yard by my greenhouse. Let me know if you are interested Frank.

steve B
04-23-2017, 06:02 PM
A few bits of info about the historical context of the Yugo.

The main guy behind bringing the Yugo to America was Malcolm Bricklin. He apparently fancied himself as a great auto sales man.

An early endeavor which left him a bit poor was importing a small car into the US. The Fiat Panda. Sadly, it wasn't a very good car, and despite its economy and low cost it didn't sell.

Later on, he decided to build his own cars! They were intended to be very safe, and probably were. But they looked like sports cars and performed poorly. They also had the usual problems of quickly developed and underfunded cars like the Delorean which came a bit later. So it sold poorly and Malcolm lost a bunch more money.

A bit later, Tito, ruler of Yugoslavia wanted to stick it to the Russians again - that was a bit of a hobby of his- defying the soviet union without getting invaded. This time he figure it would really bug them if he built up Yugoslavias auto industry and made it a success. Since he knew designing your own car was difficult, he went looking for a car he could build under the national car companies name. The best deal was from Fiat which had a model that was getting old and they licensed a niceish small car to Yugoslavia.

About that time Malcolm Bricklin had raised some more money and thought the American car market needed a really inexpensive small car. Not a bad idea, VW thought the same thing and eventually brought out the FOx which while not a great car wasn't bad for the price.
Of course, with Bricklins track record, he didn't find many potential business partners. Until He got in touch with Tito, who figured it would really frost the Russians *** if he made piles of money selling cars in the US. So he agreed to sell loads of them cheap to Malcolm Bricklin who marketed them as the Yugo.

How he didn't recognize that the Yugo was just a fiat Panda made even more poorly in Yugoslavia is a bit beyond me.

And so, Malcolm Bricklin became I believe the only person to go bust twice with the same car. :D

Pretty crazy.

And now you know the backstory you really should make a swap for Franks Yugo. It's a piece of ..............umm........History.
Plus, then I would buy a card from Frank. I'd love to see a Lamborghini up close, and maybe just maybe he'd let me deliver the next card. :D:D:D


Steve B

frankbmd
04-23-2017, 06:25 PM
Gosh, I need your help guys.

I have been offered the van below. Not sure if it comes with all the accessories.

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Do you think they're authentic?

Huysmans
04-23-2017, 06:28 PM
Gosh, I need your help guys.

I have been offered the van below. Not sure if it comes with all the accessories.

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Do you think they're authentic?

Hmmmm hard to tell Frank without the items "in hand" 😁

RedsFan1941
04-23-2017, 06:31 PM
This will work only if you know nothing about cars.

philliesfan
04-23-2017, 07:14 PM
I have a Rolls-Carnley if interested. It rolls down one hill and canardley get up the next.
Robert

kmac32
04-23-2017, 07:22 PM
Frank,

I had the ultimate card delivery car when I was younger. It was the 1973 Vega Kammback station wagon. Lemon green in color like the lemon it was. Literally burned more oil than gas. Used to carry a case of oil in the back so each time you fill the tank, you would add a quart of oil. Also doubled as a mosquito fogger for the neighborhood. Would be especially useful in delivery of cards from the junk era of cards as what could be more perfect than a junker delivering junk?

ullmandds
04-23-2017, 07:37 PM
Frank,

I had the ultimate card delivery car when I was younger. It was the 1973 Vega Kammback station wagon. Lemon green in color like the lemon it was. Literally burned more oil than gas. Used to carry a case of oil in the back so each time you fill the tank, you would add a quart of oil. Also doubled as a mosquito fogger for the neighborhood. Would be especially useful in delivery of cards from the junk era of cards as what could be more perfect than a junker delivering junk?

that thing is beautiful!!!!!!

Bill77
04-23-2017, 08:05 PM
Well its not one of the cars you listed but how about an eco-friendly Dodge truck?

clydepepper
04-23-2017, 08:28 PM
Frank - You've come up with another classic...thanks for sharing.


I don't have anything to trade myself, but I did just find this one on the 'bay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1977-Volkswagen-Bus-Vanagon-Van-/222486077451?hash=item33cd34200b:g:~zgAAOSw53NY~Tm h&vxp=mtr


COUPLE OF HIGHLIGHTS:

Mileage 1,002,039

Warranty Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty





.

Bigdaddy
04-23-2017, 08:32 PM
Frank, if you'd be willing to throw a little cash (and I mean 'a little'), I could trade you this rusty, worn-slam-out wheelbarrow for your Yugo. This might actually fit in nicely for your card delivery service as it could haul quite a few unslabbed T206s at one time - certainly more than the glove compartment of any fancy-pants car that you may be dreamin' about.

I do not have a title and the inspection has run out, but it did start the last time I used it. I think that is actually a Yugo wheel and tire on the 'barrow.

Whaddya think - we got a deal???

irishdenny
04-25-2017, 11:03 AM
Gosh, I need your help guys.

I have been offered the van below. Not sure if it comes with all the accessories.

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Do you think they're authentic?

Mr. Santana Does! ;)

Huysmans
04-25-2017, 11:10 AM
Well its not one of the cars you listed but how about an eco-friendly Dodge truck?

That's hilarious!
Love the pic!

Bill77
04-25-2017, 01:32 PM
I couldn't believe how quickly the search engine filled out my search for cars with trees growing out of them filled in or how many pictures came up.

KMayUSA6060
04-25-2017, 01:49 PM
Well its not one of the cars you listed but how about an eco-friendly Dodge truck?

Literally the definition of a "tree hugger". :D

wolf441
04-25-2017, 02:01 PM
Gosh, I need your help guys.

I have been offered the van below. Not sure if it comes with all the accessories.

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Do you think they're authentic?

That van's a rockin'...DON'T COME KNOCKIN'!!!!