What's my car worth?!?

[tony1679]

Originally Posted by The_Nuke
Originally Posted by tony1679

I understand that the point was to counter my argument, but how can complete transparency via records = something to hide? If I wanted to hide something, I wouldn't provide records to potentially incriminate my maintenance or lack thereof.

It took 6 years to build this information. I didn't fabricate it overnight.
Edit: As for being a money grab... idk. I feel I kept records to prove I did something right. It took an equally absurd amount of time to collect, sort, and list this info. I understand many/most won't care, but I feel that time is worth *something*, no?


It's not normal to maintain meticulous records, much less present them in a potential sale. In fact, I'd call it abnormal. Almost to the point of drawing all my attention in one direction to keep me from noticing something you didn't want me to notice...like the fact your records START at the 75K mile mark.

Where are the rest of the maintenance records?? What happened pre-75K that you don't want me to know about?!?

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That'd be my mindset if I were looking to buy the car.
I understand, and I know exactly what you mean. 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. As for the answer to that question, that's very easy. I can't document what I didn't own. I bought it at 76K. But I even dug up as much as I could prior to the 76K mark.

 

[talest]

Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
Originally Posted by Char Baby
Clean up the engine bay some and it could surprise you.


This. Trust me and Char Baby on this one. The first thing people who are looking for a niche car will do is pop the hood. They want to see a squeaky clean meticulously maintained engine bay. They want to be able to eat off of it.



And that is rather dumb, because to the trained mechanic, a clean engine bay suggests that the previous owner was trying to hide some problems, cleaning everything for that showy presentation.

Your car is worth as much as anyone is willing to pay for it at any given time.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

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. ...

I agree.. I would take the engine cover off and just wash it with mild soap and water.
NO ARMOR ALL

 

[tony1679]

Originally Posted by talest
Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
Originally Posted by Char Baby
Clean up the engine bay some and it could surprise you.


This. Trust me and Char Baby on this one. The first thing people who are looking for a niche car will do is pop the hood. They want to see a squeaky clean meticulously maintained engine bay. They want to be able to eat off of it.



And that is rather dumb, because to the trained mechanic, a clean engine bay suggests that the previous owner was trying to hide some problems, cleaning everything for that showy presentation.

Your car is worth as much as anyone is willing to pay for it at any given time.

See? But I know, I know... most buyers aren't mechanics.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted by The_Nuke
Originally Posted by tony1679

I understand that the point was to counter my argument, but how can complete transparency via records = something to hide? If I wanted to hide something, I wouldn't provide records to potentially incriminate my maintenance or lack thereof.

It took 6 years to build this information. I didn't fabricate it overnight.
Edit: As for being a money grab... idk. I feel I kept records to prove I did something right. It took an equally absurd amount of time to collect, sort, and list this info. I understand many/most won't care, but I feel that time is worth *something*, no?


It's not normal to maintain meticulous records, much less present them in a potential sale. In fact, I'd call it abnormal. Almost to the point of drawing all my attention in one direction to keep me from noticing something you didn't want me to notice...like the fact your records START at the 75K mile mark.

Where are the rest of the maintenance records?? What happened pre-75K that you don't want me to know about?!?

—————————

That'd be my mindset if I were looking to buy the car.


Man I don't get this argument at all. Though it would be good to know what was done before tony got it.

Top be frank, The arrest me red colour would be the turn away for me. I need a sleeper to have a sleeper colour.
Also on a full size V8? I want RWD.. I did enjoy driving my Mom's 89 Caddy when I visited in FLA though. A lot.

 

[The_Nuke]

When I first read your post, I tried to picture the car in my to get an idea of what it looks like. The best I could come up with was the image of an old Caprice Classic body style Impala. I honestly thought that might be the body style of your car.

Then I saw the photos you posted. I was wrong about the body style, but the simple fact that I couldn't picture what the car looked like is bad news for your sale potential. It's not a memorable car, nor does its name carry the cache of the Impalas of old.

Boil all that down and you're left with a 10 year old car that has more than 100K miles on it. How much do I want to pay for a 10 year old Chevy grocery getter that has 150,000 miles on it? I don't know, maybe $5K?

Ultimately the only people you will have that even give the ad a second look are the ones shopping by price. "I have [dollar amt] to buy a car. What does cartrader.com have for $0 to [dollar amt]?"

If your car comes up in my search, I'll look at the add. None of the fluff about records or options will register. Does it fall within my price range and does it have an operational A/C? Those are THE only criteria i care about for a 10 year old grandma mobile.

 

[tony1679]

Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
Man I don't get this argument at all. Though it would be good to know what was done before tony got it.

Top be frank, The arrest me red colour would be the turn away for me. I need a sleeper to have a sleeper colour.
Also on a full size V8? I want RWD.. I did enjoy driving my Mom's 89 Caddy when I visited in FLA though. A lot.
Red is definitely not for everyone. And as for the RWD, 1000% agreed, but 4 doors, RWD, and a V8... good luck finding one under $50K in 2008 (unless you count the inferior Charger, no offense toward Dodge fans, or the opposite-of-sport-look Crown Vics).

 

[dishdude]

This car is a good candidate for eBay. You need a wide audience, and find that Chevy enthusiast that actually knows what this is. Most buyers that are looking for a family car won't differentiate between an SS and a base model.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

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[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.

 

[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?

 

[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...

 

[Pelican]

Originally Posted by tony1679
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
I'd say it's about a $5k car.

Fair, but book values say otherwise. I'll keep it for anything less than $6K, maybe even $6,500. Not trying to sound blunt or rude, I really appreciate the criticism and input. That was the point of this thread.


Problem is that some cars don't have much appeal, if that's your case cut your losses, the car won't be worth more next year. This is a case of selling with your head and not your heart. Have a friend in the same situation with a 2001 caddy, he uses it twice a year for long trips it has 100K miles and told him that the car cost him money even when sitting in the garage, no he won't sell unless he gets what he wants, so far no takers. I sold an 2001 Outback with 65K miles for $5,000 last fall, this is to show that cars with appeal sell, those without are hard to move.

 

[ctrcbob]

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

 

[JLTD]

Originally Posted by rooflessVW
Originally Posted by tony1679
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
I'd say it's about a $5k car.

Fair, but book values say otherwise. I'll keep it for anything less than $6K, maybe even $6,500. Not trying to sound blunt or rude, I really appreciate the criticism and input. That was the point of this thread.

Which book?

It is worth what it is worth. Drop the price until you start getting interest.


Right....with barely a nibble in a month, your price is a little high for the market. Blue Book may say it's worth a certain amount, but the buyer's perception is what will make the sale.

 

[dave1251]

It's worth about $5.5K

 

[Vuflanovsky]

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


Absolutely...and when you superimpose the niche market for the car over the vast majority of potential buyers it probably comes down to how long you want to keep it for sale versus the likelihood of finding that niche buyer who might pay closer to what you're asking. I'd agree with the idea this is closer to a $5000 car...and if your attitude is that if you can't sell it for $6500 then you'll just keep it probably says more about the viability of selling it than anything else.

My perception of a clean car with cherry paint and a dirty engine bay would suggest that someone tarted up the car for sale and I'd question how it was maintained or treated even if it was actually babied for 135K miles.

 

[csandste]

Originally Posted by Chris142
Oh and another thing. Many workers didn't get a tax return this year. Me included. I was not prepared to pay this year and it was an unwelcome surprise! Same with potential buyers in your area too?

Good point. Bought my Soul a year ago from Hertz. Had to pull trigger cause I had no car and had cruise to drive to. I paid a $500 pop cause market was flush with tax refunds. Not so this year. Normally I shop last week of year. You're in a sellers market that didn't happen.

 

[Andrew1972]

Its a niche car, it takes a while but you do eventually find a buyer who likes the care you taken and that particular model.

The $5000-$6000 person buyer looks for affordable transportation and your Impala is not that in those buyers minds.

The pictures the car really looks boring and sterile. Not sure how to generate some excitement around it.

 

[sloinker]

You have pretty much lost any buyer that would use a car loan for it. Too old for most banks to loan on. Sad truth is 90% of the population doesn't have $7500 cash lying around and rely on financing. I read recently that half of all trade ins for the purchase of a new vehicle are upside down.