By Tim Odell
By now we’re familiar with the standard categories of car listings: the “I pay by the word, better not include any info”, the “I’ve got a burned out shell with numbers stamped on it that once related to valuable MOPAR bits”, the “here’s endless back-story and a Wikipedia copy/paste” and of course the “just needs…” that plays down an infinitude of not-so-minor fixes as though a few good weekends in the garage will have this baby back on the road! It seems, however, that today we’ve discovered a new species of car listing: the grammatically perfect short sentence sprawl.
Before we go further, let’s all acknowledge this guy’s 1979 Fiesta looks like a lot of fun and a steal for the condition at a mere $1900 Buy-it-Now. It’s well maintained and mildly upgraded. He claims you can just hop in it and drive no matter when/what, and that really seems believable.
However, his listing has an interesting pace. He makes short statements about the car. They’re mostly in logical order. The grammar and spelling are correct. It’s all one paragraph. All the topics follow each other. There are no line breaks. The information is relevant. Though, it’s odd to read…
I want to be clear I’m not trying to criticize this ad, it’s just…different from what we’re all used to. To pick nits, all that info would work better in bullet points, but as-is he gets the point across without causing hemorrhage in the editorial parts of my brain. He’s included a few videos with the car, but they’re as much video of him enjoying his car as informative about its condition. Also, it can carry a steam cleaner.
And on some level, that’s as informative as anything: this dude has a fun little car at a great price that requires no over-selling…when was the last time you saw such a thing?
1979 Ford Fiesta for sale – eBay Motors
Jeff Glucker
My parents were in the market for a new car in '79. Wanted something economical for my dad to drive from the 'burbs to downtown daily. I remember riding in the backseat of the Fiesta and thinking it was so cool. Practicality won out in the end though, and we got a 4-door Rabbit instead. That said, this Fiesta looks like a good platform for a mild refresh and something you could hoon the crap out of and not worry too much about breaking.
Yep. A desirable car. From BaT- potential. http://bringatrailer.com/search/?s=fiesta
One of those eco-boost 3 cylinder jobs would work really well in one of these little guys. This car. Seems like. It has. A lot of potential. Or just drive and enjoy as is. Wheeeee.
A Zetec unit from a first gen Focus/Mondeo is an increasingly common swap in UK/Ireland and not too hard to do apparently.
Does anyone know what he means by registration under current tag?
I think there's something weird in Georgia where cars past 15(?) years old don't officially have a title, just tags. Or something.
Yes. Speaking from experience, trying to transfer such a vehicle to another state (e.g. Washington) is both good, in that this aspect of older vehicles from Georgia is well-known, and bad, in that this aspect of older vehicles from Georgia is well-known. The WA Department of Licensing immediately understood that no title existed, but the other paperwork was scrutinized all the more closely for want of a title and in the end I had to wait three years before a WA title was issued, although WA plates were issued immediately.
Thank you. My lifelong lust for a Wundercar has never been answered. If I hadn't already committed all of my cash to another bad idea, have more cars than I can reasonably justify and just exited a painful negotiation with the stellar bureacracy that is the Missouri Department of Licensing, I'd bite.
That said, this is a smokin' deal. Somebody here should buy it so I can lament the opportunity not taken.
@mdharrell: At least in WA you can go to a Fred Meyer store(like Wal-Mart)
and take care of DMV bizness