Trade-in Value

[CavAir20]

I am going to trade in my 74' Stingray. How much do you think I'll be able to get? I have the original build sheet, 83k miles, almost everything is original, and it has tan leather interior. I bought the car from a Corvette dealer in Austin for 12,500, they where asking 14,000, last July. The car is very clean except for a scratch about the size of a computer mouse on the front passenger side tip that was scraped from the garage. The reason that I'm selling is because of college. I know that I won't be able to get the original value but how close should I expect.

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Not as much as you'd like...

You could probably sell the '74 for twice what a dealership would give you. I think you'd be better off to advertise and sell to a private party.
Silver

 

[CavAir20]

I have checked a couple of specialty places and they all pretty much said that they would give me $10,000 straight up without trading for another car. If I am going to sell to a dealer for cheap I would rather just sell it to someone who will not try to make a profit and enjoy the car.

 

[Tom73]

Trade-In value depends totaly upon what you are trading it in on. If the new car has a high mark-up you can get more for your trade-in. If it has a low mark-up your trade-in is worth less.

You would be a lot better off selling the car on your own and then using that money for the down payment on the new car. By the way you should be able to sell a '74 to a private buyer for more then you paid for it. That is what is nice about old Vettes, they go up in value every year. Your '74 is worth more this year then it was last year.

tom...

 

[CavAir20]

I put a ad in the Austin American-Statesman almost a month ago and haven't had many calls. Only one person has come out to look at it. The guy loved it, but ended up buying one from a dealer for close to $25,000. The car he bought was in a movie.

Today I lowered the ad to $10,500. Should I expand my advertising? I still love to drive the car, so I can wait a couple of months before selling it.

 

[Evolution1980]

Bets way to find out what your car is worth is to compare it to another '74 of the same quality. Then base your price on that.

I'd suggest checking out the bigger classifieds catalogs like Hemmings Motor News and CorvetteTrader. That'll give you a much better idea of what your car is worth.

Also, your vette's value will be different in different parts of the country. But the difference shouldn't be more than a couple thousand at best.

You may also want to check out the production numbers from the black book listings on this site. Maybe there is something about your car that makes it a bit more rare than other 74's (like being the last year for the 454, if you have it...)

 

[page62]

There are a couple of places in San Antonio that will sell your car by consignment. Let me know if you want more info...

But to be honest, youprobably won't get much more than $10,000 - $11,000 in a private sale in this part of the country. A dealer could probably sell it for $12,500 -- about what you paid for it! (Some people just prefer to buy from a dealer, even if it's sold "As Is." Don't ask me why...)

The primary thing is patience. It can take time to sell a C3. There are several factors, including time of year, that you need to consider. I think Vettes sell best in spring and fall around here. Let's face it, summer's an awfully hot time to be driving a shark in South Texas!

 

[69MyWay]

Why don't you borrow against the title for school money, then pay it back over time. You get the best of both worlds...money now, and you get to keep the car to really enjoy when you finish up your studies......