I can’t really explain why, but I’ve always found the idea of trading vehicles a bit odd. I understand that selling a car and then buying another is really not much different than trading, but there’s just something about swapping vehicles that feels… odd. This person has a good car; why are they getting rid of that good car? Maybe they like your car better — sure, that’s fine — but it still makes me uneasy. Maybe I’m just being closed-minded. Anyway, I’ve sold lots of vehicles over the years, and oftentimes, folks strapped for cash will send me the question “Any trades?” Or some will outright offer something. Especially over the recent months during which I have been selling my vehicles in preparation for a move to LA (which is now about halfway complete), trade talks have been on the upswing. Some of those offers have been bizarre; so let’s take a look at them, and then I’d love to hear from you some of the stranger things you’ve been offered for your vehicle.
Let’s get to the stuff in the headline: Yes, a literal AR-15 rifle. America — what a place!
A Pontiac Fiero And An AR-15 For My Chevy Tracker
This one is in response to the Chevy Tracker I’ve got listed, which has somehow not sold yet despite being an amazing piece of off-road machinery. Behold the message:
This person wants to trade me both a Pontiac Fiero — a mighty fine 1980s mid-engine sports car from General Motors — and an “ar15 300 blackout.” I’d love a Fiero:
As for an AR-15 300 Blackout, I honestly don’t even know what the terms after “AR-15” mean, so I looked them up, and found this:
The 300 Blackout (300 BLK) was designed by Remington/AAC to create a reliable, compact .30 caliber round for the AR platform that uses a standard bolt and magazine. 300 Blackout is optimized for suppressed fire with heavy bullet subsonic loads but can also be used with supersonic ammunition when extra range is needed. The twist rate will work well for subsonic and supersonic loadings alike and there is typically no need for an adjustable gas block when switching back and forth between the two loadings. All these specifications come together to create a round that is great for home defense, law enforcement / military use, as well as hunting.
So the “300” refers to the .30 caliber rounds, and the Blackout is a range of weapons offered by Wilson Combat:
Anyway, these things are worth about two grand new; I’m not sure what they’re worth used, mostly because I don’t really care. I’m pro-Fiero, but not particularly interested in owning an AR-15.
A Literal Houseboat For My Chevy Tracker
Recently a gentleman named Dane offered to trade me his houseboat for my Chevy Tracker. Out of curiosity, I asked to see it. Check it out:
It appears to be a bit of a fixer-upper, but I do like the wood tiles on the walls:
I am honored to have been offered a living quarters in exchange for a vehicle I bought for $700, but I don’t need a houseboat.
God I love how random that trade offer is, though. A houseboat!
A Nice Chevy Suburban For My Chevy Tracker
I actually got one offer that I considered. Check it out:
I inquired further about the condition of this rust-free1995Â Suburban. Here’s what Phillip told me:
V8 4×4 auto, she has a replaced engine and rebuild transmission sits stock from 1995 no rust get a lot of compliments on the body shape being how old bought in Vegas from the mechanic who swapped the engine out270k some miles engine was swapped about 60k ago should last for a bit on the road pretty reliable, she needs a little work but she runs daily driver
A daily-driven, rust-free tow vehicle! I won’t pretend like I wasn’t at least a little intrigued. I mean, the thing looks great:
But alas, rust free Suburbans abound in my new home out west, plus I need to get rid of vehicles, not trade them for bigger ones.
A Rusty Jeep For A Rusty Jeep
I recently sold my 1958 Willys FC-170 in preparation for my move out west, and I received some pretty good trade offers, including this rusty Jeep J4000, which I definitely wouldn’t have turned down if it had more actual metal
This guy offered me some “shop equipment”:
And this person, Scott, I’m just mentioning because he did the classic Facebook Marketplace move that tends to drive people crazy. I’m of course referring to the “punctuation-less one word message”:
Trades
A Chevy Caprice Wagon For My Lexus LX-470
You remember my 2001 Lexus LX-470? The nicest and most expensive car I’ve ever owned? (see above). Well, that thing brought in some nice offers before I eventually sold it for $7,200 — including this one:
Honestly, this Caprice is clean:
Someone even offered a five-speed “cateye” Chevy Silverado!
The “Cateye” Silverado is this one, by the way:
A five-speed truck is a tempting thing.
A Boat For My ‘Stolen’ Willys FC-150
Remember that red 1958 FC-150 I bought for two grand without a title or VIN plate? The one I joked about having been “stolen”? Well, before I sold the thing for five G’s, I got a few good trade offers, including this one for a “50s Willys Project Truck”:
And this one for a 1953 Chevy pickup “3800 model”:
But the crown jewel of trade offers for my “stolen” Willys was this boat:
Behold:
I just love the confidence there; I didn’t even respond to confirm that I’m considering trades at all, and I certainly didn’t say anything about having access to water, but this guy sent over a whole album of boat pictures. Bold. Random. I love it!
A Bunch Of Random Cars For Trade
I’ve also gotten various vehicle-trade offers, of course. For my Chevy Tracker, someone offered a 1998 Lexus LS400:
That’s this car, by the way:
Someone also offered a “partial trade” involving a 2005 Jeep Liberty:
I actually quite like the Liberty, and if Drue had offered a manual model, I may not have been able to resist.
For my Holy Grail Jeep Grand Cherokee — the rare five-speed manual one shown below — someone offered me a Grand Cherokee.
Specifically, it was a person named Jovanni offering me a WJ:
I do like a WJ, but they’re all automatic, and Chrysler autos haven’t been known for their longevity in these vehicles.
What Trade Offers Have You Gotten?
So the various car models are fairly typical trade offers, but an AR-15? A HOUSEBOAT? Another boat? It’s all so random that I just love it. I’d love to hear about the strangest stuff you’ve been offered in exchange for the car you’re trying to sell.
The AR-15 one feels like a GTA side quest.
1) Trade the car for the AR15;
2) Point the gun at the original owner and demand your car back;
3) Go out of sight and wait 5 minutes. Talk to the person again and offer to sell the car;
4) Repeat from (2).
Infinite money!
I’ve actually been offered drugs and food stamps for lesser-priced things in the past. Hard pass on those.
I know many people get trade offers all the time, but I have hardly gotten any from local classified advertising. However back in the day I got two trade offers for my rough but running Austin Healey Sprite, one was for a big Healey, a tri-carb, that ran but was not really roadworthy (as described I think it ran after a fashion, but the brakes were kind of non-existent). The other offer was for an Alfa Guilietta.
The kid driving the Alfa pulled up next to me behind the old sports car shop I worked in as a gofer. The Alfa was running and driving, barely, lumpy idle, smoking, dripping, maybe he had just wrenches on it all afternoon and wanted to take advantage of his brief moment out from under the hood. My car was rough but solid and fairly reliable. I vaguely knew the Alfa was a more desirable car, but I definitely knew I couldn’t afford to have it be my only ride to school and work on my $2.00 an hour part time wages. I turned him down, but wonder what if?
David you’re RICH! Who knew such crappy cars were worth actual money??
Joking, obviously 🙂
I’m super curious what you’ll get for project cactus when you sell it. It inhabits that huge zone between junk heap and a ridiculously valuable restored example
I have been offered guns on more than one occasion. I wasn’t looking for any guns, and the idea of meeting up with some guy who would be arriving armed with semi-automatic weapons made me a little uneasy.
I went through something similar recently when I tried to sell my 1980 300TD. I really needed the cash for home repairs (still do), but zero people showed up with a cash offer. I noted in the Marketplace add a willingness to listen to unique trades, and a ton of people responded. I ended up getting the following offers:
– Early ’90s Toyota Pickup
– ’07 Civic
– ’75 Chevy G20 Van
– ’79 Datsun 280ZX (literal barn find)
– And a ’73 VW Squareback, ’88 Jaguar XJS V12, or’06 Saab 9-3 Aero SportCombi 6-speed (all offered by the same guy)
I wound up taking the SportCombi + some cash on top. It’s been a pain in my ass the whole time, but it zips which is a welcome change from the 300TD’s 87 hp.
I would’ve been a sucker for that Fiero! Though he typed Feiro. So it was probably a Ferrari 308 with a Fiero body kit on it or something…
in California, the houseboat could potentially be an actual house for you. not sure if slip rental is more than the apartment or not.
I traded a bubba’d-up Mosin Nagant for an 80s Yamaha motorcycle, which I then traded for a 76 Honda CJ360t, which is currently in my barn providing shelter for some mice via the airbox.
You’re a rodent slumlord
In Missouri Trades regularly involved firearms, back in the heyday of Craigslist they were usually as good as cash, frequently a little better.
I once traded a ’80 CM400a for a ’83 diesel suburban that was pretty sweet, I then traded that suburban about 3 years later for a pistol and a stack of cash.
I also traded a Husqvarna garden tractor for a Ruger 9mm, a 10/22 and a few hundred bucks cash.
I once traded a 12 inch subwoofer in for a motorboat. The boat was ancient about 4 meters long pile of rotten wood, but it kinda floated and had a working 3,5 horsepower engine. I later sold that boat back to my friend I traded it from.
I have also took a car plus money few times when selling some cars. Quicker cash that way than to wait for the one buyer with enough cash. Cheaper trade-in is usually much easier to sell than the more expensive car.
I was offered a guitar and a skateboard for a broken Honda CBR 600. I later found out the guitar was worth around $600 so it wasn’t an unreasonable offer (I was asking $750 and ended up selling the bike for $700), but I thought it was weird to assume that the seller of a motorcycle has any interest in skateboards or guitars.