How to Sell a Classic Car?

[ötzi]

And it was nice of him to accept a return of his daughter. That guy's okay in my book.

[skiskiskiskiski]

And it was nice of him to accept a return of his daughter. That guy's okay in my book.

Yeah. Seems like a generous man.

[SumJongGuy]

And it was nice of him to accept a return of his daughter. That guy's okay in my book.

Did he return her or did she return him???

[ötzi]

Pretty sure it was the former.

[oftpiste]

Where to begin?

It was a generous gift for sure, but at the time it was pretty valueless vs. what he'd paid for it. And my ex didn't want it, but it was too cool to vanish in trade for Prius. I think they offered him $2000 on trade. There was literally no market for that car at the time, or for years after I got it. I watched.

Well, I did return her legally (he had died by then) but only after years of philandery and some pretty awful behavior on her part, and a lot of work on mine to set things on course. So, I think she actually returned me, and I just validated the receipt.

While it was a generous gift, he was, sadly, not a super nice guy. Extremely self absorbed, treated his wife like a servant, alienated his grandchildren with his dismissiveness. At the same time he'll leave everyone in the family wealthy as fuck. So, yeah.....

I think in reasonably sorted shape I should be able to get around $12k for it. Maybe better on a good day.

[skiskiskiskiski]

I cant even imagine 2 grand being valueless. Let alone 2 grand years ago!

[oftpiste]

In order to get top dollar for the car, the work needs to be done.

Thanks BS. Glad to have you chime in. So the next question is, where's the ceiling for spending on the work vs. value. It was free, so there's some headroom, but say it's worth $12k on BAT. I suspect I could easily spend $4k getting it sorted. But what if it was $8k to fix? I'm watching pennies these days so the outlay and how long it takes to recoup is also a factor.

I suspect I know the answer, and have all along. Just hoping for some sort of magic trick I guess.

[oftpiste]

I cant even imagine 2 grand being valueless. Let alone 2 grand years ago!

Insert gratuitous JONG-ing here.

It was an expensive ride when new, so $2k was relatively valueless. And value can be relative to one's circumstances.

[fatnslow]

Thanks BS. Glad to have you chime in. So the next question is, where's the ceiling for spending on the work vs. value. It was free, so there's some headroom, but say it's worth $12k on BAT. I suspect I could easily spend $4k getting it sorted. But what if it was $8k to fix? I'm watching pennies these days so the outlay and how long it takes to recoup is also a factor.

I suspect I know the answer, and have all along. Just hoping for some sort of magic trick I guess.

You should cruise around local BMW enthusiast sites and see if there are any folks that wrench for cash on the side , it might so give your car some exposure pre sale.

[Self Jupiter]

BMW Car Club of America has a classifieds section on their website and in their monthly magazine Roundel. It’s quite active and all kinds of BMWs trade on it.

[oftpiste]

good tips. thanks. I've reached out to a few local wrenches but no traction so far, and it's been a while.

[SumJongGuy]

Find someone who will give you $6K for it as is and do the work themselves before flipping it for $10-$12K.

[oftpiste]

yeah, that would be nice.

[fatnslow]

What kind of service does it need ?

[oftpiste]

It overheats when under load (not at idle) in spite of a recently replaced thermostat. Some electrical gremlins. Battery drains itself, battery light is on all the time, key in or not. Alternator out of alignment. It's suffering from 'sitting too long without being driven' disorder.

[dannynoonan]

It overheats when under load (not at idle) in spite of a recently replaced thermostat. Some electrical gremlins. Battery drains itself, battery light is on all the time, key in or not. Alternator out of alignment. It's suffering from 'sitting too long without being driven' disorder.

Nice ride, I love mid 80s BMWs. It would be pretty convenient if the alternator and the water pump are being driven off the same sloppy belt causing all your issues, quick fix for everything.

Otherwise, I'd bet you got a blown out fan clutch causing the overheat -easy fix- and a shit alternator causing some electrical issues. At the least, you can hook up a volt meter inline with the positive battery terminal and pull fuses until it drops to zero-ish. That would narrow down the culprit circuit pretty quick.

In other words, this might be some shit you can do in your garage and not drop multiple G's on just to sell it.

Edit, err what I mean is, battery light on = alternator problem, but battery drain means, pull fuses till it stops.

[Bobby Stainless]

That all sounds related, with the battery, light and alternator.

Id get the car running strong and serviced. Couple of thousand bucks should handle everything. Have the receipts and then detail it.

[Marshall Tucker]

Pretty sure it was the former.

I think the more important question is did he ever really have her.

[oftpiste]

I think there was a time when I did- sort-of-maybe-possibly (or are you talking about her dad?) but I have certainly not written off that possibility. I mean, I sure hope that at some point in a 30 year marriage I did!

I think the more important question is did he ever really have her.

[oftpiste]

Thanks. Know any good shops in SEA?

That all sounds related, with the battery, light and alternator.

Id get the car running strong and serviced. Couple of thousand bucks should handle everything. Have the receipts and then detail it.

[Art Shirk]

I’ve got an honest guy in Ballard who does all Germans. He works on my Audi. Usually a cool old German rig up on a lift. Stones German garage. Shane is a good dude.


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[Art Shirk]

Weird duplicate


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[oftpiste]

Good shit. I'll check him out. Will he know you if I drop your name?

I’ve got an honest guy in Ballard who does all Germans. He works on my Audi. Usually a cool old German rig up on a lift. Stones German garage. Shane is a good dude.


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[Art Shirk]

Good shit. I'll check him out. Will he know you if I drop your name?

Yessir.


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[ate'em]

I'm thinking about this question for my Mustang. I bought this one seven years ago from a barn in Colorado, right as I was moving to California. I wouldn't want to own a classic in CO, but in Ventura CA it's a great fit.

Car runs as good as it looks. Factory GT, 4 speed manual. Been my daily driver on-and-off over the years. Doesn't like the rain because the windows are a bit leaky, but otherwise it's pretty perfect.

I'm looking to move back to the country, and think I'll sell the mustang before I move, hopefully in the next year. I've been thinking a bunch about how to best sell it, so this thread has been useful. I hadn't known about BAT before.

Any suggestions appreciated. Seems like the market is getting good for sellers once again, so hopefully I time this all right and make a mint. Then go spend it on cattle.