American Pickers star Mike Wolfe confronted Frank Fritz in the latest episode of the History Channel series after discovering his co-star had overpaid for a “one-time” purchase at a junkyard.
In scenes broadcast on Wednesday night, Frank, 58, fell in love with a vintage Plymouth Coupe, which had been in the ground for almost four decades.
But after shelling out $5,500 for the vehicle, disaster soon struck when he learned he had vastly overspent on it, causing a frustrated Mike to criticize his friend for not knowing how to get out of a bad deal.
It all started when Frank found the classic car in a dusty underground bunker in central Maryland.
“When I saw that Plymouth Coupe, it looked like a nice original car, it had original paint, it had been in storage for the last 35 years and I just liked a unique piece,” he said.
American Pickers star Mike Wolfe confronted Frank Fritz for spending too much on a vintage car and “always getting his way.”
Frank became fascinated by a vintage Plymouth Coupe that had been in the ground for almost four decades.
“Normally I don’t just buy cars, I’m more of a motorcycle fan, but I love their lines.”
Expressing his interest in the car, Frank offered the owner $5,000 for the engine, leaving 59-year-old Mike surprised.
“Wow,” Mike reacted. “Suddenly he’s spending our money and I’m like, ‘What the hell is he talking about that?’ What car? Why are you interested in him?”‘
At first, the owner admitted he had no interest in selling the Plymouth Coupe, but Frank persisted and eventually shook hands on a $5,500 deal.
‘We were on the road for a couple more days and that car, for some reason, kept haunting me. “Man, I can’t get that Plymouth hit out of my head,” he said.
“Frankie was freaking out in this car because he’s a dreamer,” Mike added in his confessional.
“He looks behind the seat of that thing, with his arm around his girl, and he’s chilling out walking down the road.”
Mike couldn’t understand why Frank was interested in the car and wasn’t happy that he wanted to spend his money on it.
Expressing his annoyance with his co-star, Mike warned that they would not spend any more money on the vehicle.
Once the deal was closed, Frank and Mike arranged to have the car picked up and towed to their home base in LeClaire, Iowa.
But Frank’s dreams for the car were quickly crushed when his trusted friend Dave Ohrt shared his damning appraisal and valued it between $3,000 and $5,000.
“I see it’s in very good condition, but if you did a ground-up restoration, in my opinion, you’d put more on it than it’s worth,” he said.
And this assessment didn’t sit well with Frank’s partner Mike, who admitted his “heart sank” after hearing the loss.
Speaking in his confessional, he added: “That car was a failure. He (Frank) needs to learn that he can’t have it all and he needs to learn when to walk away.’
Expressing his annoyance with his co-star, Mike said: ‘If you want that car, you’re going to have to call some dealerships.
‘I don’t care what you do, we won’t pay Danielle more hours to try to sell it, we won’t pay for ads. I don’t know what to do.’
Frank revealed at the end of the episode that he still hadn’t managed to change the engine a year and a half later.
He told viewers: “I took a bit of a hit and haven’t been able to sell it, so for now I’m going to enjoy it myself.”
Before leaving, he blurted out, “You always get your way with things.”
At the end of the episode, Frank revealed that it had been a year and a half and he still hadn’t managed to change the engine.
“The Plymouth is my baby,” he said.
“It took a little hit and I haven’t been able to sell it, so for now I’m going to enjoy it myself.”
‘(I have had to fix) the engine, the transmission, the brakes, the radiator, the alternator, the pumps, the fuel pumps. I mean, this has gone up and down.