Minimum selling price of a running vehicle??

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Originally Posted By: madRiver
I have a decent running but high mileage(229,xxx miles) rarer car I am trying to sell, 2005 Legacy Turbo wagon with 5 speed manual.

Interesting what offers are for it but people are interested. Very interested what this thread says. I am asking $3100 but will only budge about $300 which may not be correct way of doing CL.


You're kind of selling something different than what I am. I am selling LEGAL, COMFORTABLE, arguably SAFE and possibly RELIABLE transportation for up to 5 people.

Your Subaru's value will have a lot to do with condition. Rarity is not a plus in my mind. The condition of my car: it RUNS, today at least.

I am replacing it with a 2006 Volvo S40 T5 6-speed, 190k miles. This car is a bit like your Legacy, I suppose - a high-mileage turbo car from a small company. I paid $2700; the car runs well and is cosmetically in good shape.
 
Originally Posted By: madRiver
I have a decent running but high mileage(229,xxx miles) rarer car I am trying to sell, 2005 Legacy Turbo wagon with 5 speed manual.

Interesting what offers are for it but people are interested. Very interested what this thread says. I am asking $3100 but will only budge about $300 which may not be correct way of doing CL.


$3100 is a good place to start. Sounds like a very nice car as I'd certainly be interested in if if I needed something.

I am guessing you are not in a rush to sell. That will help you. If you are, don't tell potential buyers that at least! Lol.
 
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If a car has over 100k miles, the value drop is large or it use to be,,,remember the next buyer will want it in mint condition and the 200+k miles is usually a downer, but you never know,,good luck,,,If u get a 1000 for it, take it
 
timing belt done at 230k, has 295k on it now. It will need a new one soon, and this is an interference engine. Isn't Honda's TB service interval 90k on those cars?

You should be happy with $500

List it for $1000, take a $700 offer
 
List it for $1200 and take a grand.

Clean interiors are good for people who wish they were rich but are "settling" for a $1000 car and at least want the car to be less "rude" to them than the rest of their haggard lives.

The 300k is going to be an issue for many. You may do better parking it near a busy highway with the price on the windscreen in huge letters, so people are at least interested before they squint at the odometer. Then they'll think "oh it's not too bad for 300k". But you want that favorable impression.

There are MANY people out there who dismiss cars just on "numbers" like mileage, rebuilt title, brand, CL vs FB Marketplace venue, b/c of a previous bad experience. You can't undo this mindset but just keep marketing and showing and the right buyer will pop up.
 
Here, a car has to have passed a safety inspection to be registered by a subsequent owner. (This does not apply to family transfers though.)

Cars w/o a safety certificate are basically worth the scrap or parts value. If the car has been successfully saftied, it is typically worth C$1500 or more. This in spite of the fact that a safety does not cover, for example, drivetrain health.
 
Trading will get you more $$ if you are willing to fool with it.

Someone out there needs a car but has something worth $1000 and doesnt have the cash.

I would clean it up and list it for $1500 and say 'seeing whats out there'? on FB yardsale/marketplace.

I have a buddy that does it like crazy and he does very well.

Guns/Property/Motorcycles/ATVs.. he makes a killing trading cars.
 
Runs and drives with current inspection is worth a grand.
Clean the car up (why you didn't do this when you had to sit in it is a mystery to me) throw in the Honda premium and you might have a $1500.00 car on offer.
This old Accord should pull a grand pretty easily.
 
i put an old civic on craigslist with pictures.
That car was a real beater inside and out.
I made it very clear in my ad that this car was a real dog but it ran well.
I asked $500 for it.
I got several calls to see if i would take payments.
When i said sure payments are fine,you get the car with the final payment,no takers.
Probably had 10 or 12 appointments to see the car,nobody showed up.
Finally had enough and called a junk car buyer,i got $300 should have done that first.
Not worth the brain damage for a couple hundred.
Even if I would have gotten the full $500 which was doubtful anyway.
 
Originally Posted By: marine65
i put an old civic on craigslist with pictures.
That car was a real beater inside and out.
I made it very clear in my ad that this car was a real dog but it ran well.
I asked $500 for it.
I got several calls to see if i would take payments.
When i said sure payments are fine,you get the car with the final payment,no takers.
Probably had 10 or 12 appointments to see the car,nobody showed up.
Finally had enough and called a junk car buyer,i got $300 should have done that first.
Not worth the brain damage for a couple hundred.
Even if I would have gotten the full $500 which was doubtful anyway.



Never post your phone number, make them email you. You'll get a bunch of strange emails and low ballers, just hit delete. Someone will send a coherent email not asking questions that are obvious or already answered in the ad - they'll come and buy easily and w/o drama.
 
If it'll pass SMOG test, $1,500 any day of the week
smile.gif
 
Appreciate all the responses. One thing that I'm seeing is the "$1500" guys are from places like California and Texas where cars age gracefully and it's the Rust Belt folks who are saying $500 if you're lucky...

Might just keep it around for my kid to learn on, turns 15 in a couple months. Would like something a little safer, though...
 
Around here in South Florida, such a car would be worth $300. $1000 gets you a much nicer car, like my Jag X-Type with half the miles.
 
Originally Posted By: Bud_One
My personal rule of thumb :

If it runs , passes state inspection and the a/c works - $1,500.00 minimum

YMMV
passes state inspection Bud One nailed it. In Vermont with a year left on the inspection sticker $1,000 bucks
 
Originally Posted By: Bud_One
My personal rule of thumb :

If it runs , passes state inspection and the a/c works - $1,500.00 minimum

YMMV

+1
To this I would add... if it is a Honda or Toyota product with a clean title and passes an emission inspection (in addition to a safety inspection)... it will bring $2000 with cold A/C in Texas... regardless of the age, miles, or paint condition.
I know guys who scour the market for these, Bondo the dents and paint them in their garage, fix-up the interiors on the cheap (seat covers, new floor mats, dash pad overlay, steering wheel cover, etc), fix or band-aid some minor mechanical issues, install a set of cheap new wheel covers, and sell them for up to $4000.
 
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