When No One will give you what your car is worth

Daniel644

Original poster
Member
Feb 27, 2015
573
well I've been trying to sell my old 99 Firebird that was my daily and people kept offering me fuck all nothing, like legit had several offers BELOW $1k for a running driving car (that needed some work admittedly), best offer I had was like $1,400 and I just couldn't do it, there are too many good parts on this car (some of you know the car from fullthrottlev6.com).

So anyway here are some shots as it sits as of a few weeks ago, I have removed several other parts since these photos where taken, still have many parts up for sale and have already made $860 from the parts that i've sold and have several hundred more worth of parts lined up for sale, I made a spreadsheet and figure I will easily net north of $3k by the time i'm done.
 

Attachments

  • 20200112_162525.jpg
    20200112_162525.jpg
    472.9 KB · Views: 25
  • 20200112_162540.jpg
    20200112_162540.jpg
    459.7 KB · Views: 25
  • 20200112_162602.jpg
    20200112_162602.jpg
    505.5 KB · Views: 25

northcreek

Member
Jan 15, 2012
3,310
WNY
Guess that's why so many guys on CL won't sell you a whole car....the money is in the parts :2thumbsup:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Redbeard

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
Agreed. Even for my snowmobile, if I can't sell the whole sled, I'll part it out and likely get more money for the parts.
 

Daniel644

Original poster
Member
Feb 27, 2015
573
Guess that's why so many guys on CL won't sell you a whole car....the money is in the parts :2thumbsup:
this car had installed in the last 5-7 years using all new parts at the time (with the exception of the stock parts like the sway bars)

Suspension:
BMR 1.25" Lowering Springs
Bilstein Shocks
SS/WS6 32mm front / 19 mm rear Swaybars
BMR Shock Tower Bar (part #STB002R)
Founders Performance On Car Adjustable Panhard Bar
Founder Performance Tubular (non-adjustable) 3 piece poly bushing Rear Control Arms
Rebuilt front upper and lower control arms using Moog bushings and ball joints

Body:
Swap to Trans Am Rear Bumper
Swap to Trans Am Rear Hatch
Upgraded Fog Lights to aftermarket Glass Units
Upgraded High Beams with Euro Style lenses from LMC Truck
Upgraded HID PROJECTOR (60mm Hella Projectors) Low Beams
Replaced plastic headlight gears with Aluminum gears with T-brace reinforcement from Rodney Dickman

Interior:
Custom 2 tone door panels (made by merging the tan insert from a 98 T/A door panel with the grey outer section from my stock door panel

Exhaust:
Hooker LT1 Cat-Back (well the Axle-Back section of it anyway).

Here are some photos of the car all together and you can look up what some of these parts sell for on Ebay and you will quickly see why I told people to shove off with their crap offers.
 

Attachments

  • 20160702_150548.jpg
    20160702_150548.jpg
    935.8 KB · Views: 13
  • 20160702_150558.jpg
    20160702_150558.jpg
    787.8 KB · Views: 13
  • 20160702_150603.jpg
    20160702_150603.jpg
    678.9 KB · Views: 13
  • 20160702_150620.jpg
    20160702_150620.jpg
    789.7 KB · Views: 13
  • 20160702_150652.jpg
    20160702_150652.jpg
    917.4 KB · Views: 14
  • 20190518_172603.jpg
    20190518_172603.jpg
    611 KB · Views: 14
  • 20190518_180358.jpg
    20190518_180358.jpg
    638.1 KB · Views: 14

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
I always put in my ads "lowballers will be ignored" and "no trades". Yamaha sleds keep their value because the engine lasts forever. I was asking $3800 and have slowly been lowering it and now at $3300. The lowest I would go is $3000.

I had one offer me $2500 after telling her lowest I would go is $3000. She comes back with "I just had a friend buy one not as old and less mileage and paid less so highest I will offer is $2700". Piss off! You have the gall to lowball me without even seeing it and probably comparing it to a 2 smoke BRP Ski Don't (BRP=Bring Rings and Pistons because they blow up so much). They are usually dead by this mileage.

I might bite at $2900 but that's my absolute lowest because I don't want to deal with parting it out and would be depressing for me to do so after more than 10 years and 16k km of faithful service. If I can't sell it, then I'll keep it as a spare sled.

 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
Still have springs and low beam projectors?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mounce

TollKeeper

Supporting Donor
Member
Dec 3, 2011
8,047
Brighton, CO
And then once you get it all parted out, you can still sell the shell to someone looking to turn it into a drag car.

There is a guy local to me that has a V8 TB that I would like to buy, 98k miles, but the motor has holes in it (big holes). To me, the car is worth 5-800 bucks. I have to take his word that the transmission and TC and everything else about the truck operates as it should, I am the one taking the risk. Its not like I can test drive it. But he is stuck at 3000. Good luck with that, I can buy running and driving units for that price.

@Mooseman - Agree to a point about the Yami's. My last sled was a Yami, but those Ski-Doo's just have such great power (have 2 of them now). But when I sell my current sleds, I will likely buy another Ski-Doo. I am wanting a SWT, and Yami just doesnt make them that I know of.
 

Daniel644

Original poster
Member
Feb 27, 2015
573
I always put in my ads "lowballers will be ignored" and "no trades".

In My experience it still doesn't stop them from doing it anyway, People been watching to much Fast N Loud and think the way you negotiate is to offer half what someone is asking. I mean damn at one point I was down to $1,800 for the car as my asking price, basically the used market value of the suspension listed above and the hatch, rear bumper and tail lights and people where offering half.


Still have springs and low beam projectors?

still have them, shocks and springs go together, don't wanna have to take them apart and I don't have the original headlight buckets for my low beams so only way i'm selling the headlights are as full assemblies that include the motors and everything from where they unbolt from the core support. this in both cases makes shipping rather expensive so looking for local sales on those items. fact is I have most of the parts listed with the exception of the Founders Performance parts and the exhaust, I'm trying to strip the car down as fast as I can so I can get rid of the body, so I still have most of the parts, they just aren't on the car, I also need to take the battery and get it replaced under warranty, it went dead several times from the car sitting and I put it on a trickle charge overnight 2 weekends ago and came out to the garage with a puddle around the battery the next morning, so once I get the battery swapped I'll even have a brand new battery to sell

And then once you get it all parted out, you can still sell the shell to someone looking to turn it into a drag car.

Not even worried about trying to hold out for that, we've got a recycle place just a few miles down the road, it's where I scrapped my first 94 Accord after I swapped all my good parts off of it to my second 94 Accord. Trying to get the body gone ASAP, so not worried about top dollar there, hell in my spreadsheet where i'm tracking sold parts and the prices I want to get for the unsold parts I'm only giving $20 to the scrap value of the stripped shell, thats how little I value it.
 

northcreek

Member
Jan 15, 2012
3,310
WNY
I agree that lowballers can be annoying but, on the other end who doesn't like a deal? I've made some crazy offers because the seller asked for "offers"and you can always go up.
As motorheads we are in hobbies that are not conducive to profits or even recovery of our initial outlay, that's just the reality of it and most times we get bent over. :twocents:
 

Mounce

Member
Mar 29, 2014
13,667
Tuscaloosa, AL
This is what sucks about loving and modifying our vehicles. Put thousands in to it and can't even get back what a stock one is worth most of the time.
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
Car-Building 101 = You never mod a vehicle and expect to get a dime back from those mods. If anything, they lower the value of a vehicle.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
Car-Building 101 = You never mod a vehicle and expect to get a dime back from those mods. If anything, they lower the value of a vehicle.

Depending on the mod. I'm more into improvements to original designs for longevity and reliability. I took out stuff like HIDs (one was out anyway) and the temp gauge because I knew they wouldn't add any value. But the value is still on the name brand and reliability, and of course, in the eyes of the beholder, whether the buyer or seller.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Reprise

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
Wheels/non-stock paint/hoods/lifts/lowering/basically anything suspension beyond stock replacement/wings/body kits are all wastes to selling price. You net nothing and often lower your buying pool.

Using high quality stock type/style replacements are not mods.
 

Daniel644

Original poster
Member
Feb 27, 2015
573
I agree that lowballers can be annoying but, on the other end who doesn't like a deal? I've made some crazy offers because the seller asked for "offers"and you can always go up.
As motorheads we are in hobbies that are not conducive to profits or even recovery of our initial outlay, that's just the reality of it and most times we get bent over. :twocents:
oh believe me I know full well not to expect to get everything back and I wasn't even trying to, by the last price I was asking for the whole car I was basically asking the USED (NOT New) MARKET Price of the suspension, tail lights, T/A Hatch and T/A rear bumper and giving away the rest of the car with those parts, frankly between all the parts I have in the thing and what I paid (before the market fell out on the V6 8 years ago) i'm 6-7k into this car and all I was asking was $1,800 at that point which is what a stock average condition V6 goes for. it's not like I was asking 10k for the car or some insane number, i am very realistic and will generally beat Ebay pricing on any part, usually coming in at half teh Ebay price for random parts only wanting close to ebay numbers on the desirable parts like the front clip, hell I'm only asking $500 for the entire front clip, thats everything someone with a 93-97 needs to swap to the 98-02 front end including the headlights, fog lights, HID kit, brackets, bolts and nuts. there was a time a setup like that would go for 2 grand.
 

Reprise

Lifetime VIP Donor
Supporting Donor
Member
Jul 22, 2015
2,724
As motorheads we are in hobbies that are not conducive to profits or even recovery of our initial outlay, that's just the reality of it and most times we get bent over.

^^^ This.
Reminds me of my 1st Sierra a couple of years ago. Thought I'd realize at least some recoupment of the parts I put into it (stock replacements, no 'mods' to speak of, except maybe floormats... ) :laugh:

Made enough off the sale to pay for cost of buying Sierra #2, but after that, I basically gave away the rejuvenated truck for free. Less than I originally paid for it, TBH.

You learn... don't look back, and don't dwell on it. Look forward to the new opportunity / project, and take pleasure in applying any past learnings (or recently acquired tools!) to the new project, making things quicker / easier / cheaper than they were the last time you did them.

While I'd love to totally 'restore' my current Sierra (including paint) ... if it were totaled tomorrow, I'd get 'book' value... which isn't much, on a 17-year-old vehicle, no matter how well it runs or how good it looks -- stock or otherwise.

I still may have it resprayed at some point, but if I do, it'll be with full realization that it'll be for myself, not as any sort of investment.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
I just sold my sled and got my absolute bottom dollar $2900. Guy was serious and about my age so we understood each other. During negotiations, he didn't try to lowball me and offered $2800, I came back with $3000 and he split the difference at $2900. I'm happy with how it went.

She's going to retirement of sorts. Instead of high KM trails riding, she'll be going around in the sugar bush for maple syrup. She'll have the easy life now. Still sad to see her go. :sadcry:
 

Daniel644

Original poster
Member
Feb 27, 2015
573
Update Time, Body is STRIPPED and due to be picked up tomorrow (technically later today since it's after midnight as I type this), I still have EVERY SINGLE Body Panel (whole front clip, doors, hatch, bumpers, headlights), Motor, Transmission, Shocks and Springs, Sway Bars, Front Spindles/Hubs, Strut Bar and several other odds and ends (so still plenty of things to sell) and I have as of today officially reached having made more money off the car then the best offer I received when I was trying to sell it.
 

Attachments

  • 20200321_153021.jpg
    20200321_153021.jpg
    500.2 KB · Views: 15
  • 20200321_153030.jpg
    20200321_153030.jpg
    622.1 KB · Views: 16
  • 20200321_153130.jpg
    20200321_153130.jpg
    452.6 KB · Views: 16
  • 20200321_153139.jpg
    20200321_153139.jpg
    345.9 KB · Views: 17
  • 20200321_153151.jpg
    20200321_153151.jpg
    570.8 KB · Views: 17
  • 20200321_153206.jpg
    20200321_153206.jpg
    363.9 KB · Views: 17
  • 20200321_153213.jpg
    20200321_153213.jpg
    509.3 KB · Views: 14
  • 20200321_153218.jpg
    20200321_153218.jpg
    535.5 KB · Views: 14
  • Like
Reactions: northcreek

Reprise

Lifetime VIP Donor
Supporting Donor
Member
Jul 22, 2015
2,724
Is there a reason you didn't pull the front windshield?
(I'm assuming they can be pulled fairly easily (?) from the F-body, even being a flush mount)
 

northcreek

Member
Jan 15, 2012
3,310
WNY
And whatever is left can be re-purposed as lawn art ...:2thumbsup:
 

Daniel644

Original poster
Member
Feb 27, 2015
573
Is there a reason you didn't pull the front windshield?
(I'm assuming they can be pulled fairly easily (?) from the F-body, even being a flush mount)
It's broke, it breaking was the straw that broke the camels back and why I said fork it and stripped it down instead of fixing the intake manifold gaskets.
 

Forum Statistics

Threads
23,273
Posts
637,484
Members
18,472
Latest member
MissCrutcher

Members Online