tips on selling a car?

[madness410]

so i put an ad out on craigslist for my car asking for 4,300. and i got a response and a guy seems really interested. what are some common tips for making it more 'attractive' if you want to say, to the buyer.

im planning on washing it, cleaning out the inside, armor-all'ing the seats, maybe even cleaning the engine bay up a bit. but anything else?

i know im going to get a few responses saying the car overheats and all..but this weekend im bringing it to a mechanic of mine to take a quick look at it to see if there is anything that i overlooked when trying to fix the overheating without tearing apart the motor because i still cant afford a hefty repair bill.

i know i didnt want to sell it but if the right offer comes along..ill have to take it. i have to to foot my living expenses and part of my tuition for my senior year of college.

but back to topic, any other tips to making the car more attractive to the buyer that i didnt cover?

[maroman88]

matching colored body parts! and the cleaner the better, clean everything, ud be surprised at wat a first impression it makes, and that could be the deal breaker

[madness410]

very true. dude i completely understand about the matching body parts but i just cant swing getting it painted right now. only the hood and front gfx are black right now everything else matches

[NastyEllEssWon]

4300 is kinda high knowing that there are existing problems. just my 2 cents

[madness410]

Originally Posted by NastyEllEssWon

4300 is kinda high knowing that there are existing problems. just my 2 cents

i hear u man..price is negotiable and if my mechanic can find a problem ill take it from there

[NastyEllEssWon]

im just saying knowing what cars go for...i have sold about 6 cars in the last 20 months....id say your car...350 5 speed...your looking around 3k obo with entertaining offers for about 2300 cash.


it sucks but thats the market. no one is looking to pay 4k for a thirdgen...especially since yours is modded...which despite what many think, is an actual downfall to selling a car. especially if there is a problem like overheating present at time of the sale. youll never get what you put into it, actually get about 40 percent if your lucky. especially for the fact that its commonly known in the f-body field that a t-5 wont last forever behind a 350



not looking to start problems...just some real world feedback. i wish i was able to post some of this stuff in some peoples ads on here

[madness410]

nah man i appreciate the feedback. i know the market sucks right now but the way my bills are coming along i need to at least have the car on the market, who knows what kind of offers ill be getting for it. theres gotta be some gearhead out there who would buy it..and if i were to sell it for 2300 id rather just part it out im sure i can get more than that with most of the parts in there

[NastyEllEssWon]

and thats the reason why you see so many cars parted out

[madness410]

point well taken. im a n00b at figuring out prices for stuff though.

[NastyEllEssWon]

to give you an idea...the last two fbodies i sold....



98 z28, ls1 auto, 95xxx miles.





i got 5100 for it.






1986 camaro sport coupe, 305 lg4, 700r4. 101xxx miles with docs to prove. great shape. had an exhaust leak, ran great never broke. got 650 bucks for it.



rofl the market sucks for thirdgens. mostly the people looking for these cars dont have the deepest pockets. keep it and put an ls1 in it

[thunder]

you seem like u no what ur talking about. how much do u think a 95 firebird with 3.4L ,5 spd, 136xxx, and power nothing would be worth?

[madness410]

id like to keep it and work on it but i have some bills i need to pay for man. if i dont have a buyer or something near it by mid june i may seriously think of parting it

[NastyEllEssWon]

Originally Posted by thunder

you seem like u no what ur talking about. how much do u think a 95 firebird with 3.4L ,5 spd, 136xxx, and power nothing would be worth?

list it for 2100 and take offers for 1750

[madness410]

nastyellesswon is the new kelly blue book haha

[NastyEllEssWon]

i flip cars in my spare time. keep an eye out on the classifieds i usually have one for sale at all times....ive been consumed with the trans am as of lately though

[WildBillyT]

If you aren't dying to have the money, ask what you are asking and see if anybody goes for it. Sure, the car may be worth less money but who knows.

[madness410]

Originally Posted by NastyEllEssWon

i flip cars in my spare time. keep an eye out on the classifieds i usually have one for sale at all times....ive been consumed with the trans am as of lately though

haha yeah ive thought of that but cars are very hard to flip, u have to find someone very desperate for money or find someone who doesnt know what they have in order to make it worthwhile.

Originally Posted by WildBillyT

If you aren't dying to have the money, ask what you are asking and see if anybody goes for it. Sure, the car may be worth less money but who knows.

yeah thats true...i will do that, see if i get any bites. i just got another email this morning asking to check it out

[jims69camaro]

the most common mistake people make is not cleaning the car. the more effort you put into cleaning it, the more firm you can be with your number. also, if there are any paint chips where you can see something other than the color of the car, fix them. it's very inexpensive and it goes a long way in making your car appear more attractive. that is the main theme: make your car attractive to buyers. clean the engine bay. clean the wheel wells. clean the door jambs. clean everything you can see and everything you can reach without getting ridiculous. then wax it. the deeper the wax, the better. you can put on three coats of wax inside a week, and it will make your paint appear deeper.

it's all about appearances now.

[jims69camaro]

Originally Posted by NastyEllEssWon

1986 camaro sport coupe, 305 lg4, 700r4. 101xxx miles with docs to prove. great shape. had an exhaust leak, ran great never broke. got 650 bucks for it.

buy low, sell high. i got the '87 from a mechanic that bought it for $800 - it had overheating issues (i pulled the electric fans and put in a clutch fan, no more issues). he wanted the hood, which was one of those ghey daytona turbo jobs. he sold me the car for $800, which was a steal 10 years ago, but all he wanted was the hood. he basically got the hood for free when you look at the deal.

[madness410]

arrite i see. thanks for the tips jim. dam i cant beleive someone just pretty much gave away a newer camaro at the time and all it needed were fans lol

[sweetbmxrider]

like everyone said, appearance. clean and detail the hell out of it. go over everything!!! it shows that you cared for the vehicle and it was maintained properly. you could also explain your situation being that you can't afford to repair it and would much rather keep it.

[madness410]

adam i completely agree...i really hate lieng to people so odds are ill tell them it overheats if my mechanic cant find the reason without ripping apart the motor. but thats when ill get lowballed...

[LTb1ow]

Eh, just try to find a guy who wants a little project for himself. I am sure there is someone out there.

[madness410]

yeah matt exactly..i found a guy on ls1tech who wanted a project car he said mine would be perfect for him if it was a little closer to him

[LTb1ow]

Borrow a trailer?

Where theres a want, theres a way.