need help with valuation

[BarryK]

Craig
IF we get this car I haven't decide what long term gols are for it yet - I may flip it after doing some clean-up on it ot we may keep it. I figure i'll have it a few months anyway since even if we decide to flip it I wouldn't do it until the Spring - Linda already told me that if we kept it a few months i'll get attached to it and never sell it (she may be right ).
IF we keep it it would be more of "her" toy since it would be perfect for her - Auto trans, A/C, PS and PB although not to say I wouldn't drive it also

The '95 was a car we looked at for Linda a few months ago because she really likes the later C4's ('94, '95, '96) and the Aqua is one of her favorite Vette colors (along with the very rare Copper color). The car was in good shape but had a few flaws I didn't like and it was really a low optioned, base model car and betweem the low options and the few flaws we decided to pass on it. The car sure ran real nice though. I was test driving it and i'm used to the "limited" power of my C2 so i wanted to test the acceleration of this '95. I HONESTLY had NOT meant to see how fast she would go, just see how the acceleration felt, so I punched the gas. A few seconds later I looked down at the speedo and almost sh*t when I saw it reading 142mph!

so, that's the story on the '95 - just a car we looked at but decided to pass on.

 

[bossvette]

Well good luck whatever way you decide to go, I am probably in the minority around here as I prefer cars with Miles on them that have been maintained over low milage ones. My 97 had 68,000 on it when I bought it and has been the most trouble free car I have ever owned it is now in the low 90,000 and I suspect it may hit 100,000 this year. Someone else can save theirs for future generations I plan on enjoying mine.
The good thing about a C3 is that they share the frame/suspension/driveline with the C2 which you are becoming familiar with so many of the things you have learned can be applied to the C3.
Craig sr.

 

[BarryK]

yep, so mant similar things and so mant different things between this car and my '65.
What I like the least when I look under the hood on this '78 is all the extra crap on there for emmisions of course. just more hoses and fittings and crap to have to worry about cleaning up and to worry about taking off and putting back on.

 

[CapTen]

What's It Worth?

I'm a little late to the party but thought I would remind every one of Bob Kroupa over at Vette Values. Just send him an email, bkroupa@aol.com , with as much info on the car as you have and he will email you back with an estimate of what the car is worth...for free! Put "What's It Worth?" in the subject line.

I've used his service a bunch of times and find his numbers to be pretty accurate.

 

[Andy]

Hey Bud...This guy get back to u yet? I got the feeling when I met him they were anxious to get this OUTTA here...Let me know. If u do buy it, give me a call. Be glad to help

Andy

I'm a little late to the party but thought I would remind every one of Bob Kroupa over at Vette Values. Just send him an email, bkroupa@aol.com , with as much info on the car as you have and he will email you back with an estimate of what the car is worth...for free! Put "What's It Worth?" in the subject line.

I've used his service a bunch of times and find his numbers to be pretty accurate.

 

[BarryK]

no Andy, not yet.
I'll hear from him when he decides what he wants to do. You are correct, thier main goal is to get it the h*ll out of their way, not to get the last penny they can for it. I'm sure I'll hear from him soon enough one way or the other.
I don't mind waiting - he just needs time to get his mind wrapped around the idea that the car is worth less than they had originally expected. When he finally accepts that, I'll be here to take it off his hands for him.

I'm going to have to figure out how to get it home.
I hate having to have to pay a flatbed to come get it but I hate to risk just trying to throw a battery in it to see if it will start and try driving it home also.
Chance are it will start and be driveable - it's only been one year since it's been sitting since the last start so that's really not TOO much longer than a long winter storage but i'd prefer getting a chance to look everything over pretty good first before trying to run it initially.
Maybe I can borrow an open trailer from a buddy to get her home.

Geez, you know how much "fun" it would be trying to back a trailer up my driveway to the garage entrance. As you know from experience, my driveway is STEEP right to the door threshold so backing a trailer up that can't be fun to unload it and there is no way to try and push the car up the driveway manually.

 

[Andy]

Be wary of the brakes. When I dropped my muffler on route 202, their is a local guy here in kennett square..called Clydes towing. he did a FIRST CLASS job...has a nice outift etc..Ran me $125.00......I would feel very comforable using him...just an fyi.....I wouldn't drive it home....

Andy

no Andy, not yet.
I'll hear from him when he decides what he wants to do. You are correct, thier main goal is to get it the h*ll out of their way, not to get the last penny they can for it. I'm sure I'll hear from him soon enough one way or the other.
I don't mind waiting - he just needs time to get his mind wrapped around the idea that the car is worth less than they had originally expected. When he finally accepts that, I'll be here to take it off his hands for him.

I'm going to have to figure out how to get it home.
I hate having to have to pay a flatbed to come get it but I hate to risk just trying to throw a battery in it to see if it will start and try driving it home also.
Chance are it will start and be driveable - it's only been one year since it's been sitting since the last start so that's really not TOO much longer than a long winter storage but i'd prefer getting a chance to look everything over pretty good first before trying to run it initially.
Maybe I can borrow an open trailer from a buddy to get her home.

Geez, you know how much "fun" it would be trying to back a trailer up my driveway to the garage entrance. As you know from experience, my driveway is STEEP right to the door threshold so backing a trailer up that can't be fun to unload it and there is no way to try and push the car up the driveway manually.

 

[BarryK]

I wouldn't drive it home....

I'd prefer not to drive it home also. Like I said, I really wouldn't want to drive it, even try to start it until I look everything over closely, change fluids, etc.

A friend has a trailer that I may be able to borrow so IF I get the car i'll ask him if I can have it for a few hours.

 

[BarryK]

Well, an update, I spoke to the guy last week to see what he decided.
I think he realized that my 5K figure is not unreasonable for the car and for him the money is NOT the bottom line, but he knows it's a very low milage car and he had planned on getting more for it so it's the principle of it that he isn't comfortable selling it at that low of a price. He asked if I could go a bit more.
I told him that since I was at $5k and his "low" figure was $6K that I was willing to split the difference and meet him halfway at $5.5K. He said he would get back to me but I haven't heard from him yet.
I'm pretty sure that if I met his low range he wanted at $6k I'd be able to get the car and it's only another $500 bucks but I'm not sure if it's really worth it or not.

what's true, realistic value on a '78 L82 with less than 10,000 miles AFTER i did some clean-up on the engine bay to make it more presentable.
I know overall '78's and cars in this year range don't go for big bucks generally so the last thing I'd want is to put some $$$ into it and end up being upside down.
I MIGHT be able to get it painted also at a pretty low cost (relatively speaking) at around $3K or so and that would help it's value a lot too but again I wouldn't want to get upside down on it.

About how much should I figure the low milage and L82 motor add valuewise to this car?

 

[Evolution1980]

The low milage and L82 motor have to end up increasing the overall value on this car doesn't it?

Well, it ain't going to hurt it! If it works in your favor, maybe show the guy relative prices and what it would take to get what he wants. Plus, he needs to figure if the hassle of having it in the way is worth the hassle of bickering over $500... Do what most people do. Show up with $5500 in cash, in hand and see if he still wavers. The sight and smell of green can work wonders in terms of persuasion!

 

[JOE BYRNE]

Barry,

Im not an expert by any means...but looking at the car and it's mileage I would do it. If you can get it sprayed for $3k and do most of the other look pretty stuff yourself I don't think you will be upside down. Lets face it if you keep it the value will only inch up as time goes on.

 

[BarryK]

Do what most people do. Show up with $5500 in cash, in hand and see if he still wavers. The sight and smell of green can work wonders in terms of persuasion!

i've thought of that, but in this case it probably won't make much of a difference. the money is NOT the issue for this guy. He lives in a VERY wealthy area, the family has plenty of money, so the money on this car really doesn't mean anything to him, it's just the principle to him that my figure is lower than what he had expected to get for the car.

 

[BarryK]

Barry,

Im not an expert by any means...but looking at the car and it's mileage I would do it. If you can get it sprayed for $3k and do most of the other look pretty stuff yourself I don't think you will be upside down. Lets face it if you keep it the value will only inch up as time goes on.

yes, except for the paint I planned on doing all the engine clean-up work myself. If I wasn't planning on that but had to send it out to a restoration shop to get that work done there is no way the car would be feasible to consider purchasing as the expense on that would be too much.

 

[Evolution1980]

yes, except for the paint I planned on doing all the engine clean-up work myself. If I wasn't planning on that but had to send it out to a restoration shop to get that work done there is no way the car would be feasible to consider purchasing as the expense on that would be too much.

Ring up Paint Daddy like BobChad did...

 

[BarryK]

GA is a bit of a hike to take the car for paint!

A fellow vette club member (and a CAC member) had his '76 painted a few years back. It looks great and it only cost him $2500 which for a Vette is an amazingly low price. Figuring it's a few years later now I figure it may cost a bit more from his painter so if I could get it for ~$3K i'd be thrilled.
There is ZERO body damage and everything fits great so it would be simply sanding down the old paint and spraying new primer and new paint and wetsanding and buffing it out.

 

[JOE BYRNE]

Do it!!!!!!!!!

 

[BarryK]

Do it!!!!!!!!!

yeah, the $6k figure is probably still worth it. I guess my hesitation is that I told myself my limit on the car was my original $5k figure.
I guess I'm having the same problem going UP as he is going DOWN!

 

[Evolution1980]

I guess I'm having the same problem going UP as he is going DOWN!

Major difference being that he needs to get rid of it more than you need to assume it. Let him be the one to budge on it. (Like any of of us really need to tell you that...)

 

[JOE BYRNE]

$5,300 and I think he will hand it over....

 

[Andy]

Barry.....OK..If u spend $6000.00 add a $2500-3000 paint job...lets say $500 of cosmetics your looking at $9000.00 or so. In our area, can u flip the car for more??? Also, if u put it on ebay, you probably will not get $10,000.00 for it as far as I can see...

Also, if u buy the car, get it painted where mine was, they gave me a 10% reduction on the bill for paying in CASH, which I did....

I have some parts for my '76 and my '79 that your welcome to, if they will work..Misc. stuff....

My '76 when i bought it was $8,000.00. I overpaid for the car, but she was the ONE I wanted....So....

What kind of profit will u be happy with $1,000.00,...would that do it? Or are u gonna sweat it if the car doesn't sell right away.....and that may not be a BAD thing, unless you need the cash.....

Call me if u need my 2 cents..

BTW, here's a pic of my '76

Andy

$5,300 and I think he will hand it over....