value of 20th anniv

Topic: value of 20th anniv (Read 2710 times) previous topic - next topic

value of 20th anniv

June 27, 2010, 12:35:46 AM

I'm wondering what the general consensus is for a realistic value of well-preserved rust free 20th anniversary. I've been trying to sell it locally and once here on the site for $5500. Basically I'm getting limited response and mainly from dealer types who offer me 1/2 of what I'm asking. I have had the car for almost twenty years have rarely driven it and preserved it assuming it would have had some collectivity in the future. If I knew then what I know then I would have driven the darn thing to get the residual value out of the car. The reason why I asking is I'm at the point where I’m considering using the car as a daily driver year round if the car is really only worth 1/2 of what I’m asking. I hate to do it, but seems to be the most reasonable option. I'm not trying to sell the car with this post, just looking for honest opinions, Thanks

value of 20th anniv

Reply #1 – June 27, 2010, 01:23:57 AM

Basically, the value of something all boils down to what someone is willing to pay. Obviously you would be able to get more out of someone who is an 80's Cougar enthusiast than someone just looking for a decent beater.

value of 20th anniv

Reply #2 – June 27, 2010, 04:40:01 AM

Drive it, doubtful you will find anyone who will appreciate the car for what you will sell it for. Either that, or store it until they become more valuable. Maybe in 20 years after mercury is gone these might be the new bel airs.

value of 20th anniv

Reply #3 – June 27, 2010, 07:20:56 AM

87anniv, your car is likely worth every bit of what you're asking, but unfortunately not in Nova Scotia. Around here you can apparently get a million dollars for a clapped out six cylinder Mustang or Camaro (or Civic), but not much for one of these cars. Right now on Kijiji there are two four-eye T-Birds in the $6500 range and one in the $2500 range and none of them are selling. There was an '87 XR7 on there for $2000 (the guy had it advertised as a 20th, but it wasn't) that recently disappeared, but was on the site for several months. I'd have bought that XR7 if I didn't already have a T-Bird, Cherokee and 300 taking up room in the driveway. If I had the free fundage and could justify a fourth car I'd seriously consider yours, but that's because I'm one of maybe 3 people in this province that even knows what an '87 anniversary Cougar is...

value of 20th anniv

Reply #4 – June 27, 2010, 12:41:37 PM

Quote from: 20thanniver-ls;326592

Basically, the value of something all boils down to what someone is willing to pay. Obviously you would be able to get more out of someone who is an 80's Cougar enthusiast than someone just looking for a decent beater.

Exactly , it depends on the market you are trying to sell in also.

What are $400 cars in Massachusetts where I grew up are between $1500-$1800 here

I vote hold on to it and continue to care for it .

value of 20th anniv

Reply #5 – June 27, 2010, 01:01:11 PM

The thing is MINT the exhaust manifolds don't even have surface rust on em!!! It's amazing if you ask me. I wouldn't let it go ANY less than $4500, that's still kinda low in my opinion. A lot of those have been driven into the ground just like the rest of these cars. That's too rare and too nice. If you've got the space, most definitely hold onto it, at some point when the economy turns around, I freakin' guarantee someone here will be able to buy it. Like, ya know, a college grad with an engineering degree that would be living the high life in better times. Someone like that. I dunno who but...ya know....that kinda dude

value of 20th anniv

Reply #6 – June 27, 2010, 01:33:36 PM

I would keep it and enjoy it, unless it SERIOUSLY had to go.

The minute you sell it, you'll kick the shiznit out of yourself for not keeping it. Especially when you see somebody else, in the same town, driving it around taking 1/3rd the care of it you did. It'll break your heart, dude, trust me.

value of 20th anniv

Reply #7 – June 27, 2010, 08:33:33 PM

Thanks for the comments guys,

The car doesn't really have to go, Its just that like all of us garage space is at a premium with various projects. Plus I'm married (most of you guys know what I'm talking about). It just seems that anyone who expressed interest in the car is all wrapped up in the price being too high for that year and model of car. Clean condition and/or low mileage does not seem to have a significant effect on the resale value of these cars. My inlaws have recently sold a 1999 4dr cavalier which was a typical Nova Scotia car for $2200. The chassis was never undercoated, all scaley underneath and even fuel /brake lines had previously rusted off. I know they are two different types of cars, but both are at the bottom of their depreciaton cycle and a rust free car should be worth twice as much as that cavalier. If not, then I should be able to drive my car to the condition of the cavalier (about two winters here!) and still have a value equal to what others indicate it to be worth. I even had one guy look at the car who seemed to be more interested in a maverick grabber clone project I have been working on for years. He walked right past the cougar to check it out. As was stated in a previous post, most people don't know or care about special editions of unpopular cars.

I understand what people are telling me about sellers remorse when seeing your former car abused. I used to own that 1976 torino elite that was shown here with the engine fire. I had lost track of the car but had seen it a cruise night about two years ago. I was talking to the owner and half-joking stated I would like to buy it back if he ever sold it. Last year he tracked me down and stated he was seperating from his wife and ready to sell. But like me and the 20th I guess, he had an inflated price on it. Told me he purchased if for eight, but has spent some on it and it was insured for more than that. The next thing I see it for sale with a new owner and a title still in a local salvage yards name. I saw that car in person at a local show/swap meet this spring and man did that car get hot. I have seen carb fires before but this one looked like it started from the bottom up. Power steering lines burt off, rad shrould completely melted, even the hood had buckled slightly. All the plastic and wiring was melted underneath the hood. Fuel line still intact from the pump up to the carb though. Can't really think of another reason for that car to catch fire!

value of 20th anniv

Reply #8 – June 27, 2010, 11:48:53 PM

Quote from: 87anniv;326591

I'm wondering what the general consensus is for a realistic value of well-preserved rust free 20th anniversary...I'm not trying to sell the car with this post, just looking for honest opinions, Thanks

$3600-$4200 US dollars

Ebay: $2700-$3500 US dollars

The wide range accounts for location (economic conditions, climate's affect on vehicles, that sort of thing) as well as only being able to see the car from a few photos in your other thread.

value of 20th anniv

Reply #9 – June 28, 2010, 11:44:21 PM

Sounds like a deal to me if the AC works, heater works, brakes, radiator amd brake hoses good, master cylinder, locks,windows, etc works. Let me know. Best regards, Cat88

value of 20th anniv

Reply #10 – June 29, 2010, 05:43:29 AM

Your in-laws got lucky with that Cavalier. I'm sure for every $2200 J-body you find there are two dozen $500 ones on Kijiji. That being said, that Cavalier has a few advantages over your Cougar when trying to sell it - familiarity with young people (the word "Cougar" would not even enter the mind of a 20-something looking for a car), practicality (easier to maintain because you can actually buy parts for it), and fuel economy (as I sit here on Windmill Road I see gas at $1.036/liter).

That being said, there are a few simple things you could do to increase your odds of selling:

First, drop your price to $4999. That would put your car in Kijiji's "under $5000" category, which would be a far more popular category with people looking for a car.

Second, place a subtle keyword or two in the ad that would make it show up when young people are looking for a car. Don't spam the ad up with irrelevant keywords, of course, but it would not hurt to bring in Mustang searchers by having the words "similar chassis to Mustang" in the ad. This would make the ad show up when somebody searched for Mustang.

Third, place the ad in two Kjiji categories: "Cars" and "Classic Cars". You've got yours in "classic cars", which again would not enter the mind of a 20-something looking for a nice ride. If you place the ad in the normal "cars" section it'll get way more views from causal searchers not looking for a particular vehicle but looking for something stylish and affordable (especially if you follow my first bit of advice about pricing it under $5k). In order to post the ad twice you'll have to make some very minor differences between the two ads or Kijiji will reject the duplicate. When I say "minor" differences, I mean minor - a single penny in price difference, an extra (or omitted) comma in the title, and a single period in the body of the ad is all it takes.

Fourth, keep the ads current. Kijiji is very busy, and two days after placing your ad it's on page 30 - well past the attention span of most casual car buyers. It's not as easy to do this anymore, since Kijiji has a new "max two car ads" rule, so every two days you should delete your old ad and replace it with a new one to keep the ad in the first dozen pages.

value of 20th anniv

Reply #11 – June 29, 2010, 05:50:49 AM

Here's what I was talking about with pricing it under $5k:

value of 20th anniv

Reply #12 – June 29, 2010, 08:00:34 PM

Thanks for the tips thunder ckicken. I may try to post in the cars section under $5000. Try to market it more of a car than as a collectible car. As you stated the big problem is the volume of cars. Constant renewing of the ad (within 5 pages) is useful for maximium exposure. Does anyone bother with print mediums such as the auto trader or bargain hunter anymore? The last local auto trader I saw was more of a fourm for the dealers. Bargain hunter looks thin these days.

value of 20th anniv

Reply #13 – June 29, 2010, 09:31:11 PM

Such is the price of progress... I used to look forward to Wednesdays because it was "New Bargain Hunter" day. I bought it religiously, whether I was looking for something or not. Sadly, I haven't bought one in years (do they even still print it?)The Bargain Hunter lost ground to Kijiji very quickly and for a few good reasons. With Kijiji the seller has the advantage of instant gratification. You post the ad, it's there. No waiting for Wednesdays for others to see it (or not see it, if you missed the deadline or the ad operator placed it in the wrong section). He can also use more than 30 words and post photos. Most importantly, NO BUSY SIGNALS!!! Remember trying to get an ad into that frickin' Bargain Hunter???Buyers have their perks too: It's free, it's updated constantly (again, no waiting for Wednesday for new ads), they can see photos, and they can communicate via email. Bargain Hunter's biggest mistake, though, was charging a fee for their online version (and it wasn't even cheap - an online subscription cost just as much as buying it in store). Kijiji came along, free as the birds, offering photos and long ad lengths and BH was slow to react. They let Kijiji own the online classifieds experience, and they'll never get it back. BH is now free online (http://www.bargainhunterpress.com) but nobody cares.../derail

value of 20th anniv

Reply #14 – June 29, 2010, 09:40:43 PM

[Derail (again)]As for the auto trader, they're making the same mistake. While they allow free access to their site, they charge for their ads. Kijiji offers free ads with fewer restrictions and more traffic. The winner in this battle is quite predictable.The only ones willing to pay to advertise cars nowadays is dealers. It works for them though - I saw my 300 advertised in the auto trader and bought it from MacPhee Pontiac. Thankfully, Kijiji has managed to prevent dealers from taking over their site... For now...