If you were to sell your A???

[1928Mik]

Most of it is common sense. I would definitely know if the buyer had any inkling on what a Model A is and how to drive it. You are not asking 15-30K for your baby to sell to some guy who doesn't know how. But, with that being said, I was selling a stick shift vehicle a few years ago and went on a test drive with a potential buyer. He said he knew all about driving stick. Around EVERY curve, when he applied the brake, he would push in the clutch. EVERY time. Brake on, clutch in. He could be going 60-70 mph, same thing....I had never seen that before...Needless to say, he didn't buy the car.

[Chippy Minton]

When I got my A I looked a lot of YouTube videos. I watched quite a few about changing gears and, surprise, surprise they all moved off in first gear, changed through second into third but never back down through the box!

[imacrazy]

I always say I will be glad to take you for a drive but I have no insurance or plates. that seems to work for me.
Bill

[GPierce]

Remember many A's were most likely sold to Model T drivers. My mother was a sixth grade school teacher. She drove her first car, a used T and parked next to the school. The boys in her class had to teach how to back it up away from the school.

Fast forward, she replaced the T with an A at some point. The sixth grade boys had to teach her how to drive that. I am sure our problem today with prospective owners not being able to shift or double clutch has been repeated many times over the years.

I read somewhere that Ford salesmen were expected to be able to teach new owners how to drive.

My twenty year old grandson picked it up pretty quick after I gave him a thorough demonstration.

[Cool Hand Lurker]

Have the money in your hand before they drive. If they don't like the car after the drive give the money back. That way they are covered by their insurance and you know they are committed to buying the car. If they won't agree to that then they probably won't buy the car anyway and you have lost nothing. The insurance factor is a good reason because everybody understands that. Well maybe not undocumented Model A buyers.

[Model A Nick]

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I can say from recent experience on buying one without actually driving one first. I bought mine from eBay and the guy was super nice, if I didn't like the car or something wasn't right, he was ok with me not going thru with the purchase. I did not drive one prior to getting this one, He asked me if I wanted to drive it, I told him I would be more comfortable if he drove and to show me how to do it. Now I watched a ton of YouTube videos on how to start it, as that was my biggest fear. I know how to double clutch as I drive a Tractor trailer. Now, if I didn't know how to drive a stick shift, this guy was not the person to show me, driving it like was a race car, waiting way too long to shift, grinding every gear. I wanted to drive it at my own place and under my control. My car is much happier at the way I drive it. So sometimes the seller is the person that doesn't know how to drive the car your looking at.

[Jeff/Illinois]

Had a similar experience as SeaSlugs. A few years back it was decided to sell the Mustang GT I had bought new, it was a 5- spd. Never driven in snow was super low mileage. A lot of people came and looked at the car, had plenty of calls. Not one could drive a stick and they all passed on the car, until finally a middle aged guy that knew how to drive a manual trans. popped in and bought it.

Next time I buy a car like that it will be an AT just for that reason.

And I did get real tired, real fast of the Craigs List fools that were a big nuisance. All they were, were arm chair 'flippers' inspired by the stupid TV shows, they thought they were going to steal the car for nothing and sell it for big bucks. Were not 'car people' they were all a giant waste of time. One guy got real nasty when I told him 'no' with his half-the-car's Kelly Blue Book offer, and he started swearing at me I told him to hit the road.

Lot of nut jobs out there.