What's my car worth?!?

[John_K]

"which is unheard of with this trans at this mileage, transmission mechanics are stunned when I say it's all original"

I wouldn't pay more than 1000 for this reason, you can bet that after I buy it the tranny will go

 

[KrisZ]

I'm not going to comment on pricing as that is highly dependent on the region. However, you have to keep in mind you are selling a boring looking sedan in a market that is crazy for SUVs and Pickup Trucks.


Other than that, from my experience selling my used cars (normal ones, nothing fancy or highly desirable), nobody cares about maintenance, documentation, what kind of oil was used or if it was changed more often or not.

 

[AZjeff]

Clean the engine bay, just don't dress it with anything shiny. If I see a car that's spotless in the interior and trunk and the engine is dirty I wonder why the owner didn't keep it clean. I do.

From what you describe the car is not top of market ++, 60% tires, stone chips, pry marks where the thief got in, miles.

Since you're waiting for THE RIGHT GUY to see it you've got to put it out there where THE RIGHT GUYS are. Would someone fly/drive to get this car? Not very likely. Miles/conditon make it a driver not a garage queen. THE RIGHT GUY knows about the tranny and might want it for a daily driver to keep his nice cars nice...... for the right price.

Someone above got it exactly right, it won't be worth more next year. A guy at work has the same attitude, he gets a number in his head and won't go under it. As a result he has 2 quads in his garage worth 1/3 what he should have sold them for when he first put them for sale. A problem with being real proud of your car is you sour the local market and people who would have bought it for a reasonable price won't give it a look when you come down.

Best of luck, you'll figure it out.

 

[PandaBear]

You priced it too high. If the top end of the market is $6k and bottom end is $4k, you can bet most buyer will ignore you until you at least drop the asking to $6k, then they will bargain you for $4k.

What you should do is to list it on an owner's forum (Chevy, SS, etc). Don't try to hide anything and list all the things you've done and not done, they'll know anyways as they are likely more familiar with the model than you do.

Be ready to realize that they will find things that are wrong with your car that you think are fine, and things that were just normal / ok / expected when you think they are extra value / unique. This is part of how rose tinted glasses affect you and how experience with the model / car transaction work, nothing personal. Also, people that would pay a premium for care and maintenance are also the people who would AVOID POTENTIAL DESIGN PROBLEM like a known unreliable transmission design.

Good luck with it. If you absolutely have to sell it for $7500 you have to go around market it daily on every single site, answer a lot of calls, expect a lot of low balls and flakes. That's a lot of work and it may still not cover the $1500 difference you EXPECT.

 

[atikovi]

Originally Posted by tony1679
I can't stand engine bays that are slicker than snot from cleaners and detail chemicals. That's the reason it's never been done. The way I see it, if I were the buyer, I would want to see it in this condition. It shows that the seller isn't hiding anything and I know exactly what I'm getting into. I understand I'm not the buyer, and that everyone has different opinions, but surely this point of view can at least be respected as being honest.


Slick paint, sharp interior, dirty engine compartment would imply an owner that only cares about looks and not mechanicals. What exactly would you be hiding if you detailed it under the hood as well as you detailed the body? If I was shopping for an SS, that would be a definite turnoff at least at that price.

 

[jcartwright99]

The market will dictate the price. Unfortunately for you, this isn't really a desirable car to most. You have kept it in great shape but I wouldn't expect much more, if any, than a standard V6. Sometimes our car OCD doesn't always translate well in selling price when it comes to the vanilla models (even ones with V8's jammed in the engine bay).

 

[Kira]

I just remembered this.

Years ago I listed the original asking price and final selling price for all the cars I'd ever sold.... >30 cars, 4 Jeep / light truck.

Nothing but my own vehicles, those of immediate family members and 3 friend's cars. Most were old and had miles.

I wish I had saved the data and included a "type of buyer" column.

The bottom line was that my selling prices AVERAGED 18% below my asking prices.

$7,500 x .82 = $6,150. $6,000 is 20% shy of that opening price.

ADDENDUM: The vehicles I sold went to.......
kids' / students' / immigrants' first cars,
senior citizens' daily drivers,
2nd-3rd sacrificial work cars for rough parking scenarios like airports or hard commutes,
beginners' work vehicles,
replacement vehicles for one stolen or lost to a crash (this could your buyer),


Take a few of the 100 half-page fliers I mentioned before and hand 'em out at businesses where salespeople need sharp looking wheels.

Best of and do follow up when you sell it......G&K

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted by ctrcbob
The value of a car (or anything) is what someone is willing to pay for it.


Probably the best so far right here. Even the most valuable collectible is only worth what someone will pay for it. People sit on collectible items forever simply because it's not worth the collectible value to potential buyers.

As to the engine bay,also change out the brake master and power steering fluids. Anyone shopping for a niche car wants to see fresh clean fluids in new condition reservoirs.

 

[tony1679]

Originally Posted by 14Accent
I just took a quick peek at CL here in Minneapolis, and there's 3 SS' with less miles than yours, in roughly 80% the condition yours is in, for between $4,500 and $6,500. Is a 5-10% improvement in condition worth an extra $1-2k? Not to most buyers, especially not the person interested in that generation SS. They just aren't desirable cars, plus with the stigma of the fragile transmissions in those cars it's going to be a hard sell. There's very little that's special about an SS over a regular Impala, save the engine and seats.

Maybe just hold on to it? Make it your fun weekend car when you want something more comfy than the Civic? Also, I thought those would do closer to 30 MPG on the highway, does it not?
You're forgetting one major difference, mine's not in the rust belt.

If you fill it and immediately jump on the highway and cruise at ~60-65, sure it may get 30. But real world 25city/75highway, I've averaged 22-23mpg driving like an old lady. 4-speeds aren't too mpg friendly.

 

[tony1679]

Originally Posted by 69GTX
When I read post (before seeing the car) I assumed it was at most a $5K car. Was surprised at $7500. That's HIGHER than what I could buy an LS1 5.7 L 1998-2002 SS for with way LESS miles. I've seen 2001's with 65K miles priced at $6500 or lower. The design of those earlier LT1/LS1 cars is so much more appealing and stream lined - even lighter too. Their "age" doesn't keep buyers away for good cars....and neither should a 2008 Impala SS (rated 303 hp). Are these engines easily "built up" to 380-400 hp like the LS1's? Their competition are the earlier generations of Camaro's and Firebirds....as well as Mustangs, GTO's, and even high mileage Vettes. The Camaro's do have a lower demand than the Firebirds....they bring a lower price too. My former 1998 Z28 LS1 Camaro had 115K miles on it when I sold it in 2009 for $3K. Very clean car and still all original at sale except the brakes, tires, fluids, and filters.

So as an SS enthusiast, and an owner of a 1999 Camaro SS with 19K miles I don't see the $7500 "book" value for that many miles In this case, the car being only 10-11 yrs old is it's biggest selling point.....and the miles the worst part of it. The "book" value on my car is supposedly around $8K-$9K.....but good luck finding one in that price range. The price guides tend to under price these cars with real low miles.....and over price them with considerable to high miles.

There are plenty of potential buyers for clean muscle cars with low miles. And I also periodically clean the engine bay....and I keep every record for all maintenance tasks I perform. One benefit of doing such a deep cleaning and keeping it that way....is that you find stuff wrong and get a much better idea what condition your car is. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to a filthy engine bay or a filthy car.


Sure? I get that the LS1s are more race-friendly, theredore more desirable to some, but to most a 6-7 year newer model would appeal more, therefore commanding the higher price. And it sounds like you got duped by the 2009 gas prices selling for $3K. But the values are just slightly under what I'm asking per NADA, and that's what banks and CUs go by, so surely I'm not as far off as some may think, but yes, I'm high.

 

[tony1679]

Originally Posted by DriveHard
Another vote for it being a $5k car.

For the person interested in the power, they are also going to want it to look the part as well. V8's and FWD just don't match for most enthusiasts, and the looks of that gen of Impala just blah...

Shows the value being $51xx-$68xx, and says it's a $5K car knowing it has proof it's been taken care of...

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by tony1679
But I'm in no rush to sell, nor am I in a rush to make a potential buyer make an offer. If someone wants to look for 30 minutes, go for it.


I'm always perplexed by people who say they're in no rush to sell, then why even bother listing it for sale? Because at that price it won't sell. Your buyers aren't in a rush to buy either so that statement is normally meaningless.

Nadaguide says $5800 retail. If you're lucky anywhere from 4-5k and maybe if you're real luck $5500, but someone would be paying top dollar for a car without any kind of warranty.

https://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/2008/Chevrolet/Impala-V8/Sedan-4D-SS/Values

Originally Posted by Kira
The bottom line was that my selling prices AVERAGED 18% below my asking prices.

$7,500 x .82 = $6,150. $6,000 is 20% shy of that opening price.


That just means you price your cars about 20% too high. Price them lower next time.

Most of the time I price houses at the selling price and then maybe you sometimes get a bidding war so it goes higher. When I can't talk a seller down but I don't want to lose the listing, we list it higher and then when we get no bites, we lower the price. It's generally a waste of time to price them high and wait to lower it. Lots of sellers like the OP here don't feel their time is valuable and are always dreaming that there's some sucker out there waiting to pay their inflated price. It takes time to realize that their dream probably won't come true.

 

[fisher83]

I second the suggestion to list it on eBay. You need a wider audience that is interested in that specific car in particular if you're going to get a decent price for it. Someone looking for a $5-7k car can buy something much newer and lower mileage for that price.

 

[SatinSilver]

Was the car ever fixed? This is the last post on a recent thread that the OP posted.

Originally Posted by tony1679
***Update***

Bad news... It's not the sensor.

Had time to hook it up again tonight with a cold start (about 50°F again). When it started, it slowly and steadily built pressure up to about 40psi over the first two full seconds (no instant burst of pressure). It held steadily at ~40psi until the idle started to slow, then the pressure fell. It fell to 24psi. What's really bizarre is it fluctuated between 22-44psi for the entire warm-up cycle. I recorded about 5 minutes of the pressure test to give a better idea of what's happening (sorry! I did the one thing I can't stand, I held the phone upright...

). The video starts about 1-2 minutes after the cold start, but essentially you only missed the first 15 seconds, because after 15 it does the same thing until the video starts. Here's a YouTube link:
Pressure Test Video Link

I guess it's comforting knowing it didn't fall below 22psi

I'm debating the scenarios in my head, wondering if it's worth it to fix it... I'd probably use OEM parts, and have it dealer serviced (because I have connections with employee discounts on both parts and labor). If this is the AFM pressure relief valve, how much will it cost to fix (or is this easy enough to do myself)? Looking for hours and part cost, I can calculate the rest. Or if it's the pressure regulator, what's the time and part cost there? I'm assuming it's a full oil pump replacement, and I'm assuming it's a LARGE number on the labor side. I definitely won't do this one myself...

Huge thanks again!

 

[Kjmack]

Originally Posted by SatinSilver
Was the car ever fixed? This is the last post on a recent thread that the OP posted.

Originally Posted by tony1679
***Update***

Bad news... It's not the sensor.

Had time to hook it up again tonight with a cold start (about 50°F again). When it started, it slowly and steadily built pressure up to about 40psi over the first two full seconds (no instant burst of pressure). It held steadily at ~40psi until the idle started to slow, then the pressure fell. It fell to 24psi. What's really bizarre is it fluctuated between 22-44psi for the entire warm-up cycle. I recorded about 5 minutes of the pressure test to give a better idea of what's happening (sorry! I did the one thing I can't stand, I held the phone upright...

). The video starts about 1-2 minutes after the cold start, but essentially you only missed the first 15 seconds, because after 15 it does the same thing until the video starts. Here's a YouTube link:
Pressure Test Video Link

I guess it's comforting knowing it didn't fall below 22psi

I'm debating the scenarios in my head, wondering if it's worth it to fix it... I'd probably use OEM parts, and have it dealer serviced (because I have connections with employee discounts on both parts and labor). If this is the AFM pressure relief valve, how much will it cost to fix (or is this easy enough to do myself)? Looking for hours and part cost, I can calculate the rest. Or if it's the pressure regulator, what's the time and part cost there? I'm assuming it's a full oil pump replacement, and I'm assuming it's a LARGE number on the labor side. I definitely won't do this one myself...

Huge thanks again!

Ouch .

 

[philipp10]

Originally Posted by The_Nuke
Originally Posted by tony1679

I guess I would agree. I wouldn't want that at all though. To me, overly clean = something to hide.

To me, overly detailed records = something to hide or just a plain money grab

Maybe you should consider who is most likely to buy the car. Take your cues from any interested buyers who already have inquired. Adjust your expectations and asking price accordingly.

how you ever went from overly detailed records being a negative is amazing. I just don't see life that way I guess.

 

[oilpsi2high]

Always liked these cars. A kid in college had this exact car new back in the day. I wouldn't mind one for a daily, and this one looks fairly mint.

Only issue was the trans if I remember correctly. Might scare some people away. Plus not many people like red from what I have come to understand.

Definitely a niche car at that price. People spending that amount want reliability which these cars are NOT known for.

 

[Nick1994]

There's a lot of variables. First, it's a model that isn't exactly known for having great transmissions. Second, a FWD V8? Yuck. Third, that body style... Fourth, a V6 Camry is pretty much just as fast.

Just too much of a unicorn car and you might be in the wrong location being Oklahoma.

I'd just sell the car at steep discount. I mean, what's $1,500? If it takes another year or so to sell, what's that gonna cost in maintenance, potential repairs, registration, and insurance? Might be wasting your time holding out for that price.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by Nick1994
I'd just sell the car at steep discount. I mean, what's $1,500? If it takes another year or so to sell, what's that gonna cost in maintenance, potential repairs, registration, and insurance? Might be wasting your time holding out for that price.


Not only that, but what $1500? No one ever offered him close to his asking price and all the books say otherwise. He mind as well claim it's worth 10k and it's a 4k loss if he sells it at 6k. A car is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay.

The market speaks, sometimes people don't know how to listen. But it's screaming too high now.

 

[xfactor9]

People on these types of forums appreciate detailed records and strict OCI's, but the normal buyer out there doesn't care as much. If the car is cosmetically clean and hasn't been in any accidents, then that's the most important part. Detailed records might add a 1-3% to the value at most. I've sold cars to buyers who didn't even ask for records even though I had them, so apparently the buyers didn't care at all.

I agree with the person who said spotless engine bays are suspicious. They should be free of leaks but should still look "worn"; ie, there should be dust and signs of usage, not look like an engine bay from the showroom floor. The exception would be garage queens and show cars, but this car is neither.