Has anybody had any experience with Gateway Classic Cars of St. Louis, MO? They have 3 coupes that look interesting. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, so am looking for a little help.
I don't have much detail but I stopped there while back looking for a 1969. They seemed to only be dealing with consigments and couldn't answer many questions about the car. Maybe my salesman was new but he wasn't very knowlegable about Vettes either and stated several things that were incorrect. That turned me off enough to leave and not go back. They also seem very high in price althoguh now I know about in line with most dealers.
My best friend had consigned a 71 Chevelle SS clone with them a year ago, and it was a smooth transaction. I had scanned their website at that time and several times since, and I agree that most everything seems overpriced. I believe they are 100% consignment. I think there is a lot of bargaining room in the asking prices. Sometimes it doesn't hurt to ask or make a "reasonable" offer, you never know what might happen...
Yes, Gateway works on consignment. The owner sets the price of the car and they add a commission for their profit. You can always make an lower offer and like any deal the owner can accept or reject the offer.
I have bought and sold through Gateway and I am confident that they are honest people.
I sold a '96 Mustang Cobra vert and received exactly what I wanted for it. It was shipped to North Dakota. On the purchase I made ('57 Chevy vert) they provided answers for all my questions by contacting the owner. Naturally I wasn't able to contact the owner directly, that's the benefits of consignment to the owner. After the sale, since I had the owners name on the title, I contacted him and he was helpful in answering other questions I had on the history. The Chevy was at their Charlotte, NC store and I was able to see it while on vacation. I was not disappointed in the car and it was as advertised. They shipped it to St. Louis (my cost, but they got a better price than I could on my own) and stored it for me until I could pick it up.
BTW, I'm going to Gateway this week (Thursday or Friday) to pick up some things that were missed when I picked up my car. I can look at the cars you mention but no guarantee that I'll be able to answer your questions. If you want to talk to me while I'm there, I'll give you my cell phone # or give me yours via PM.