Originally Posted by
hecyk
Thank you for all the replies and suggestions and now I realised there is just no simple answer to this question. My local bike shops have some significant markups on their bikes and I would feel bad to just use their services without intention of buying anything.
Many have suggested I will be window shopping at my local craigs list and will expand my search to include pretty much most bike types to see if I might find a good deal. My head is already spinning when I saw there are literally a thousand sales post and am kinda feeling more lost about which bike to get before I posted haha.
Right now I am googling every single bike name and comparing to their retail price, is there a better way? And how do I know if I'm overpaying for a vintage bike?
That's the problem with Craigs List unless you already know what's a high quality vintage bike and what's just an old mass-produced one. I'd do the same thing you are and google everything I could, but I mostly find that people wanting retail for the latter type.
I'd be tempted to hit some yard sales, if they have them this time of year.
Posting the ads here or C&V, someone could probably tell you. Or give your location, I've seen sometimes where BF vintage experts will check the local CL and make suggestions.