How Not To Buy A Crosley

Got a line on a local guy who had three, count'em, three, Crosley roadsters for sale... we'll call him Harry Fairytale. I phoned him right off, and was impressed by the fact that he had 5 Crosleys for sale... but dismayed by the premium prices he was asking (ie: $3500 for a totally dismantled Hot Shot). He didn't want to mess with the cars unless I was serious, and at those prices, I wasn't. This was in Fall '97, right after I went to the Annual West Coast Crosley Meet with cash in hand but got nothing.

A few months later I ran a "wanted" ad in the club newsletter, and Harry called me back. He was selling all his cars because his back had gone out and he couldn't work on them any-more. This time the prices he quoted were a lot better. The Super Sport that had been $2500 was now down to $2000, and actually within my theoretical price range.

I went out to his house in some tired suburbs nearhe Air Force Base around the end of December. He hadwo '30s Terraplanes, an 80's Jag convertible, aensen Interceptor and a generic '80's sedan gathered in the front lawn and driveway, and 4 Crosleys, a Morris wagon and an unknown small car (wrapped mighty tight) in the back yard. Harry was in his mid fifties, I guess, had a receding Fonzie doo, smoked constantly, and nipped around the dogshit in the backyard in his socks. He limped a bit from his back problems, and didn't seem all that thrilled to be poking around in the cold.
The cars were wrapped up pretty tight. The
exception was the Super Sport, which some Crosley Club guys had been down to see the week before. I unwrapped it, and it was just as he'd said.... motorless and primed for paint. I mucked around in the mud, and was pretty surprised by the general lack of rust. None. I couldn't find anything but minor surface rust! Even the floors and panels under the doors seemed straight and solid! Nor did the doors sag when opened. He said the motor and top frame were in the back of the wagon wrapped up nearby.

When I got home I called Dave Brodsky, the
president of the West Coast Crosley Club, and a guy who probably dreads my name by now.. I've pelted the poor guy with questions since I got interested in Crosleys. Harry had claimed that the dismantled Hot Shot had come from Dave, which was true in a roundabout fashion. Dave warned me that when Harry had bought that Hot Shot, he'd never picked up all the parts from the guy who sold it! He told me to make sure I got EVERYTHING that was supposed to go with the car if I bought anything from Harry. He gave me the impression that Harry was ok, if a Crosley dilletante.

I kept Harry and his car much more in mind, even while I took $800 to the big Turlock swap in January. After I came up dry at Turlock I decided to try for the Super Sport.
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