Sometimes having the rare version of a vehicle isn't a good thing.

M

macarose

Joined
Jan 25, 2009
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Location
Georgia
I bought a vehicle recently that hasn't graced my dealership in about a decade.

It's a 2006 Chrysler Pacifica Touring. I like it a lot. It was garaged and owned by an older couple that stopped driving in their late-80s. Only 64,000 miles. Even has leather seats and a DVD system that works well.

It was a great vehicle to buy. But as for selling it? This is going to be a hard vehicle to find the right customer.

I have it at $5990 and at that price I'm doing battle with some of the rougher minivans from 10 years ago. I don't believe there will be much cross-pollination between minivan buyers and this older Pacifica.

Then there's the matter of where and how to advertise it. To me this Pacifica is more of a classic vehicle not just because of the age, but the design as well. I thought about putting it on Autotrader Classics along with Craigslist here in Atlanta and a few other places.

I've been able to move some pretty rarified vehicles. Plymouths, Oldsmobiles, and Saturns aplenty. But for something like this it's also a matter of finding the right customer. The Pacifica was a rare bird and I'm really wanting to find that bird instead of someone who is going to wear it out.

Ever been in this scenario?
 
No because I try to avoid "rare" out of FUD. I finally sold my TDi for that reason as my mechanic closed shop and I wasn't desirous to drive an hour (let alone several) for a competent mechanic--and have chosen not to get into that situation ever again. Plain Jane going forward.
 
My opinion is that you need to find the elusive buyer who has a fondness for that particular vehicle, because maybe they owned one at one time, and want to relive those memories. Does such a buyer exist? I have no idea.

I'd try posting it on Bring A Trailer at double or triple the price, to see if there's that type of buyer.
 
For daily drivers, there's nothing better than "Plain Jane".

My father foolishly purchased a Volvo S60 in a city that hadn't had a Volvo dealership in over two decades (despite my advice to avoid it). As a result, I never had him contact me more (looking for solutions to problems/repairs) before or since then.
 
Kinda...? I had a 3 cyl focus that the engine and trans was from Europe. It didn't require any special tools or techniques to work on but indy shops works always order the 4cyl parts for it at first before realizing they don't fit and they have to reorder the parts. That lead to more days without a vehicle that I could not do. After ford discontinued the focus (especially my trim focus before the rest of the focus), certain common parts like the EGR valve specific to this engine was increasing unavailable.
 
Got an 03' Toyota Solara family hand me down. 2 door / 4 cyl / automatic / 4 bucket seats. Had to put some $$$ into it to get it up to par. Been thru quite a few " left" hands. You know, the gas and go people. Car runs great. 128k. But totally useless unless you're driving solo. What a production to get people in the rear sets, and uncomfortable as can be. ANY packages must go in the trunk. The seats are so deep, it's like riding on the asphalt. Great gas mileage. No toys. No back up camera. An old CD player radio. A/C is ice cold. Sits so low, you feel every bump in the road. Even the seatbelts are annoying. I'm stuck with this thing now. No money for a newer car. I'll never be able to sell it. Who wants a 2 door ??? This is not the 70's anymore. It's nothing more than a 2 door Camry. The rear window is so hard to clean. It's on a 45 degree angle, and you gotta stretch like crazy to get the whole window clean. I think Toyota only sold them for a couple of years, maybe 03', 04, 05'......nobody wanted a 2 door.,,,and it was discontinued...... My parents got it because it was a floor model on sale. Big mistake. They should have gotten a 4 door Camry LE instead. Don't know what Toyota was thinkin about when they made that model. So, there's my example.....
 
If your local laundry-mats have a pin-up board, that would be one place to post an advertisement.

Its a kid hauler, and young couples who have kids and can't afford a washer and dryer frequent such places. They are who want it.
 
You have 2 choices to sell your 20 year old Chrysler mini van.

You can chase that illusive buyer that just has to have one. I doubt they exist but I am always surprised.

Or you can advertise "3 row minivan, low miles, in great condition" - and focus on the space for a not so well off family in tough times vs trying to find someone that cares that its a touring model.

Mass market or Niche. You have to decide. One is about finding needle in a haystack and one is about number of "touches".
 
Probably some Chrysler or American vehicles specific forums, but post it on craigslist and marketplace too.
Post plenty of nice pictures, including undercarriage pics and show them that's rust free. For that old of a car the two major things I would like to know are - is it rust free and does it burn oil.
 
I'd advertise on FB Marketplace, BaT etc. if I were you. I bet there are folks who are obsessed with them. Maybe not a lot of people, but enough.

I've recently realized that I have an addiction to old K5 Blazers. I'm desperate for one, with absolutely no need. In fact we have too many vehicles as it is. One more is simply a burden. But I spend my evening searching local adds for the best one I can buy for petty cash. :)
 
macarose said:
But as for selling it? This is going to be a hard vehicle to find the right customer.
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Car people are going to avoid a 20 year Chrysler like the plague, aren't they ? If you can advertise it without listing the year, the right price should attract buyers and then there will be a segment of lookers that don't pay attention to the year/age, just the low miles and good condition.
Oillover said:
My father foolishly purchased a Volvo S60 in a city that hadn't had a Volvo dealership
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A number of years ago a high school classmate posted on FB about used car shopping and showed a Range Rover that she was considering. Another classmate had owned a similar one, dumped it, and warned her do not, do not, do not buy it. They still lived in the same city we grew up in and he told her that no local repair shops will touch these and the closest RR dealer was 1-1/2 hours away. Plus, who wants to take a 10+ year old RR to a dealer for repairs ? She didn't listen and bought it. She made more than a few trips to that out-of-town RR dealer when things went wrong too.
 
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