HIGH_INTREST

I just can't get over the "nothing selling in this market" comment. It's funny I listed my car just a couple of weeks ago and it sold in eight days. I am a dealer and I sell cars everyday. Yes the market has slowed down but believe it or not thousands of cars are bought/sold everyday. If your cars not selling then look in the mirror. I had several people in line wanting to buy it at my final asking price. There are buyers out there but lets face it people, price it right and I don't mean price it right for you but right for both parties.

ElectroGrav

It seems it varies depending on location to some degree. If you talk to any dealer here, they'll tell you it's so slow they're gonna have to go out of business soon. I think generally this is the case, but obviously there are exceptions.

Dominic Toretto

It's not like going to Walmart to buy a car. If I want to price my car at $80,000, guess what, I can do that. If you don't want to buy it, guess what, you don't have to. Seems pretty simple to me. KBB and edmunds DO NOT determine market values on an individual's car. AUCTION prices are far more realistic.

-Alex

Greg Gore

Exactly correct!!

A month or so ago an owner put up for auction a red w/ black L-82 4-spd 1974 Coupe with AC that had been meticulously restored by D&A Corvette Restorations for Compaq Computers at a cost of $85,000 which is not out of line for a complete frame off rotisserie restoration.

The car sold for $19,000

Wisdom of choice certainly has a role in determining Corvette values.

The resto was for a promotion so cost was not a concern for Compaq and they achieved their objectives with the car but it is interesting to note how the costs versus value worked out in this case anyway.

HIGH_INTREST

I don't count on local sales for any of my business. I sell 99% of my vehicles online.

I spoke with our local Cadillac dealer and he sold 157 new Cadillacs last month. Although he does count on the local economy, he's hardly struggling.

I'm not saying the economy is booming but I don't think it is bad as people make it out to be.

Wicked C5

If Gm goes bk or even chapter 11 it will kill C6 prices which will hurt C5 and C4 prices.

At this point I don't care I don't plan to sell for a long time!

redzone

I sold an 02 Z06 on here a few years back, it was a low mile car in excellent condition(aren't they all) that I'd put the Caravaggio kit on,HRE 47's,Headers & Stingers.

I looked at what stock ones were going for(ones that sold,not the dreamers) and added 25% of what the mods cost me. It sold in 3 days, a gentleman from Indiana flew down & drove the car home.

When you sell a car,even a Corvette, you have to seperate emotion from reality and a lot of people can't do that.

I love my cars as much as anyone here,but when it comes time to sell one they turn into a commodity...nothing more.

Dominic Toretto

That pretty much sums it all up! Perfectly stated.

-Alex

Independent1

^^So true. My brother and I have bought and sold several vettes on the forum.

SavMan100

Yooper's got that right. I too am a serious buyer, but discrimnating and patient. If I make an offer, its because I want to buy it. Like an earlier poster said, if you are a serious seller but don't like my offer, counter. Maybe we meet in the middle, maybe we don't. That's called negotiating. If you don't counter, I assume you aren't serious.

PS, OT: Waddup Yooper! just got back from my Mom's 90th birthday in Ann Arbor. Man, Detroit area is downright depressing these days. The whole State is going to be looking for a boost from an MSU win next weekend!

Rapid Fred

If ya go WAY BACK to the OP he notes a phenomenon that I think is 100% true -- MOST asking prices on this Forum are way out of line. Likely this is because MOST (not all) members, even though more knowledgeable than the average Vette owner, love their cars a bit "irrationally" (I sure do ). Conversely, most buyers here are very savvy and won't pay more than what the car is really worth to them BEFORE they fall in love with it. So, it seems to me the obvious answer, which nobody mentioned explicitly here, is to buy and sell in a bigger marketplace.

I love this Forum -- but IMHO it is not a very good place to buy or sell -- there's way, way, way too small a population.

The C5 I bought in December was a better deal FOR ME than anything I saw here. I trolled the auction site, the internet sales sites, etc. There were so many more choices. Within a few months found exactly what I was looking for at a very fair price -- of course with my preferred color, options, bolt-ons, etc. Very easy transaction with a knowledgeable Vette guy, but one who happens not to hang around on this Forum. How long might it have taken if I only looked here?????

Similarly, I sold my nice but very high mileage C4 for much more than anybody on this site would give -- probably because it was seen by about 10 times (or more) the number of possible buyers vs. only those that happen to hang out here. Naturally, I was likely to get a higher price. It also took a few months, but not forever, for the right buyer to show up -- and interestingly it was someone who in fact had never even heard of this Forum.

Bottom line, buyers and sellers both benefit by throwing out the biggest net possible...Further, it's good not to take any of it -- optimistic sellers or low-balling buyers -- seriously. It's not personal, just business

Drewstein

Sellers on this site can be out of control. Other times there's a great deal. It depends on the seller being realistic or not. They'll figure it out when the car doesn't sell.

cor28vettes

What a blunder for Compaq. To invest 85K in a 1974.
Good work Compaq. Makes me want to buy your stock.

GK

HOLY ****!


... I came very close to purchasing a C5 from a local dealership. I was not "feeling" it from the salesman, so I decided to back off for a day.

The very next morning, I looked on Cars.com and found a killer deal on a Z. Lower miles, better interior, and most importantly lower price.

I guess it all depends on when and where you are looking.

only59

I have an 01 Z06 for sale in a few outlets, including the For Sale section here. Of course I have 69K miles on my car so it is perceived as ready for the dumpster by a few. I doubt the car will sell on this forum and it was a long shot anyway, but free to list it and nothing lost.

So here's the update, I have had 4 calls this past week from Craigslist lookers, all fairly local. One bought another car last week closer to home ( 3 hours away ) for about the same price, same mileage and same described condition. I have one fella calling every two or three days asking if it is still available while he tries to sell a car and I have two folks calling who have looked at cars priced both higher and lower and have come to the conclusion that the lower priced cars are not bargains. Both of these folks are going thru the process just like I did and they are now in fear of loosing a "nice" car for a tad more money while searching for a car priced lower.

Here's what happens, eventually, the lower priced cars , if they are not represented correctly will destroy the credibility of the other lower priced cars. All it takes is a few trips 3 or 4 hours away to look at the lower priced car only to learn that it is not quite what was advertised. Now I'm not saying they are all like that but all it takes is a few long road trips to see one where it becomes a question.

Point , folks are still buying cars and they are looking for value but the lowest price is not always the best value. Value and lowest price are not one and the same just as best quality and highest price are not one and the same.

I have documented paperwork back to the original sale of my car,including the window sticker , I am the second owner. Each of the folks that called found extreme value in this.

No, the car is not sold yet, but I am not worried about it. It will sell to the first serious buyer who gets behind the wheel. I only hope I don't regret selling it !

Regarding dealers and C5 Z06's, I have yet to find one that had a clue what they were talking about with regard to these cars. They are selling boxes.

t

c-5-steve

If you want to buy a car then quote kbb or edmonds. If you want to sell a car quote nada.

nada almost always give a higher value for a vehicle than the other 2 mentioned

Mike Mercury

the "deal" is that people have the freedom to put whatever price they want. It's that simple. One can always look elsewhere.

But stated prices are generally where the seller wishes to start the negotiations at.

If you are not a skilled buyer, then you'll be scared away and not attempt any negotiations. And that may be what the seller wants - to keep away the casual tire-kicker that isn't ready/nor-able to make a deal and follow through with it.

When I look for a used vehicle to purchase, I will ignore the asking price all together. Instead; searching for the car that meets my criteria (color, transmission, mileage ...) then contacting the owner and start the process.

Greg Gore

Well said! Start with the car first then work on the price.

Greg Gore

How does the old saying go?...

The sting of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price fades away.

Vetteman Jack

You will find prices all over the place on here - some realistic, some not so much. If the car is priced right, it will sell - that's the bottom line. If not, then you get endless bumps and multiple price reductions.