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Aside from the fluids and tires, don't forget the belts. And it really needs to be a killer price, because there are too many unknowns and potential gotcha's. Compare it to a properly maintained and prepared retail car for sale and figure how much your time and frustration is worth.
Check for odors too.
My bet is that he won't accept your offer, probably thinks it's worth ZR-1 money.
My $0.02 on the subject (that and $10 will get you a beer at the Trump Hotel in DC), consider this a non-running car that needs work and offer a price to the seller that reflects that. If you and the seller can land on a deal pull the car out and relocate to your choice of location. I wouldn't even attempt to start it if the seller is making no attempt to do that, buy it As-Is where is for an As-Is price.
Aside from the fluids and tires, don't forget the belts. And it really needs to be a killer price, because there are too many unknowns and potential gotcha's. Compare it to a properly maintained and prepared retail car for sale and figure how much your time and frustration is worth.
Check for odors too.
My bet is that he won't accept your offer, probably thinks it's worth ZR-1 money.
Spot on. This is one time where lower miles doesn’t offset too much. These can be had in the high 40s to mid 50s with about 30k miles. If it’s not right, I’ll walk away for sure.
My $0.02 on the subject (that and $10 will get you a beer at the Trump Hotel in DC), consider this a non-running car that needs work and offer a price to the seller that reflects that. If you and the seller can land on a deal pull the car out and relocate to your choice of location. I wouldn't even attempt to start it if the seller is making no attempt to do that, buy it As-Is where is for an As-Is price.
Good find has a lot of potential.
I really like this suggestion. If and only if the price is right.
Unless, of course the reason it was parked as because of a blown engine. If the poor fellow has health issues, that could have been another reason for parking it. You should be able to find that out, though. Wow, this is really intriguing. Please keep us up to date on what transpires.
That's probably gonna start right up without an issue. I'd definitely run it in engine flood mode for a few seconds to move some oil around.
I think you're out of your mind trying to price it like it's a 30k mile plus car. This isn't the 60s anymore, other than a bit of dust, that car is gonna start up and drive and be as good as it was new. At most it might have a little bit of a stumble from the gas, but a bottle of HEET in it will have it running fine until you get a tank full of new gas in it.
Agreed FAUEE, i see zero reason that thing wont start right up with a fresh battery. Run some fresh fuel through it and ittl be good as new. Then its just a detail away from being fixed.
I went and saw the car in person today. The owner, was put in a nursing home last week and was supposed to have gotten out today but the Dr recommended a couple of more days. Needless to say, we didn’t have the keys because they are somewhere in his house and therefore couldn’t start the car. My brother, the owner’s next door neighbor, has access to the garage and the trunk was popped, so we were able to crawl around a little bit. The mold is far far worse than I thought. It is mainly on the dash and doors. The headliner is clean. Engine bay has a cache of critter food but looked really good. Here are several photos that I took. I sent them to a professional detailer and he said it “should” clean up. My fear is the stitching. I bet 75% is covered in mold and since it’s blue stitching, hoping it does clean up. Look forward to any additional thoughts/comments.
That looks like an easy cleanup to me. I hope you're not planning to try to shaft this old.man, that's.a 50-55k car as it sits, that needs a MAYBE $1500 cleaning.
That looks like an easy cleanup to me. I hope you're not planning to try to shaft this old.man, that's.a 50-55k car as it sits, that needs a MAYBE $1500 cleaning.
That looks like an easy cleanup to me. I hope you're not planning to try to shaft this old.man, that's.a 50-55k car as it sits, that needs a MAYBE $1500 cleaning.
Wow, nice attitude. I don't think I read anything from the OP about getting it cheap or, for that matter, what he intended to offer. It could be a $60-65k car IF, not maybe, it needs a $1500 cleaning. The mold is the obvious issue; what one doesn't see could be a lot worse.
The OP sounds like he has a rational plan forward. I hope the owner doesn't think it's still worth sticker price. My guess is the owner will want $65-70k.
Good luck, OP.
Interestingly, I could not even get to it. The car is packed so tight, I could only walk around 2 sides of it. I could not put my hand between the nose of the car and all the junk in front of it. I am going to have to inspect it more closely when I can push it out and before I hear it start/run. I honestly don’t think the car has ever been washed 🤷♂️
That looks like an easy cleanup to me. I hope you're not planning to try to shaft this old.man, that's.a 50-55k car as it sits, that needs a MAYBE $1500 cleaning.
I have zero intentions of trying to steal this car. If I was, I would have never reached out for advice on what to inspect on something in this condition. The feedback has been very valuable. I want the car to keep and not to flip. I have been looking to get one for a while. I like the low miles and knowing the car has not been tracked. Most folks would take one look at it and walk away, especially with how bad the interior is. I have to be smart though, there is no guarantee that the mold has not done some sort of damage, especially to the stitching. I don’t know if there is mold in the vents or areas I could not see because it’s packed away so tight. I figure I will have at least $7000 in additional expense. Detailing will be about $2000, tires about $2000, and I am guessing a dealer would charge about $3000 to change fluids and any belts needed. Again, I am just guessing. One unknown issue with the low miles is the faulty valve guides. I know it’s rare, but still an unknown potential expense and the car is obviously no longer under warranty. I did get a little relief as I thought the top was covered in bird droppings, based on an earlier photo. It’s actually cat hair. I guess the cat sleeps on top of the car from time to time. Hopefully, I will get a chance to provide more updates in the next week or so. Fingers crossed and thanks again for the feedback.
Last edited by jakeman007; 04-04-2024 at 02:11 AM.
Am I the only one here having a flashback to the Mythbusters episode where they tried to see if they could make a used Corvette un-saleable? They put a dead (pig, I believe) body in it for a few weeks and let it marinate in the sun. Yeah, it got sold.
04-01-2024, 09:00 AM
I really like this suggestion. If and only if the price is right.
