1 BAD BURB

Awesome!! I am happy to hear that I am not alone in this.
I def don't need to sell the car so that's why I am holding out for the right number. But potential buyers seem to think everybody is hurting in this economy so those with nice things are trying to dump them. Uhm news flash, 95% of those with nice things have prep'd for this type of economy.

Ohh well. It's still fun to mess with them. The one guy who offered me 35k, I said that's a great downpayment, when u get the rest to me, you'll get the car. He didn't find it amusing. Lol

Aj

bass mechanic

so glad i just got 65k for my centennial edition Z06 with 17,000 miles on it. i just saw one identical to mine with only 3800 miles sell in MA on ebay for 65k!
there is another in miami with 7600 miles same exact car and the dealer wants 70k for it. good luck with that!
i knew this would happen, i think people with the money are buying C7's and low mile Zr-1 for the same money.

Mark2009

NADA Clean Trade In on that car, if a 1LZ w/no NAV, is $39.1K. If a 2LZ w/NAV, $39.9K. A dealer would probably sell it for that.

For a private party sale, $38.2/39.0K would be a reasonable price (again, depending 1LZ/no NAV or 2LZ/NAV). That is half way between Average Trade In and Clean Trade In. For a one-owner unmolested super clean with all the manuals and docs and FOBs then a price closer to or at the Clean Trade In would not be unreasonable.

NADA Clean Retail $42.4/$43.3K, but nobody paying cash (or bringing their own financing) pays retail.

In light of that, $35.0K was not a ridiculous price. If I was interested in buying it (already bought one, so don't need another), that would probably be my initial offer, but if the car was in good shape then I would have went higher. Based on what I saw when shopping for one was that the ridiculous price more often than not belonged to the seller, until they actually got serious about selling the car. Some sellers were so high on asking price that there was no need to even talk to them (they would surely be outraged at what the book said their car was worth).

ibleedgreen

I would say a lot of those buyers are not very smart. If you are not intelligent enough to make a good/smart purchase on a modded or stock Z you shouldn't be buying these cars.

VNAMVET

I turned down $40,000 for my 2008 06 totally stock with 45000 miles.

I was asking $41,000 and I wouldn't budge and neither would he.

I purchased it new in Feb of 2009.

I have been to a drag strip once in 4 years and raced it twice while I was there.

I haven't driven it in a month as it sits under my car cover with a battery tender on it.
I think I'm getting a 2014 Volkswagen R and will trade it in on that.

pkincy

In general any modifications unless very minor and not engine or drivetrain related will lower the value of the car.

Everyone wants to do their own mods for some reason. If you are very lucky to get someone that wants exactly the same thing you have done, they may buy it at the same price as a unmodded car, but that would be lucky.

I can't tell you how many cars I have put $30-50,000 in and than had to eat every modded dollar or demod the car to sell it.

bass mechanic

i sold my 2008 Z06 2LZ with 60k miles for 40k 2 years ago. your about 2k high in your asking price in this market.

VetteVinnie

Bullsh!t.

1985 Corvette

I was kind of wondering about that too. Wouldn't a trade in get less cash towards the Volvo versus proving a point on standing firm? Will a dealer really give 40+ grand for a 2008 Corvette Anything?

Wass

Don't just list your Vette for sale on the forum. Also use AutoTrader, newspapers, etc. Also, many people outside the Corvette forums are clueless about the valve guide issue. That includes most GM dealerships.

teking

... curious .... then why do most of the people with mods strip the car before they sell it and sell the mods separately? Extreme case and point the twin turbo kit ($10k+) currently for sale in the classified forum.

Answer ... because in the real world mods, in fact, do not add value. They are only valuable to the current owner that bought them and the one in million buyer that is looking for that exact modification or collection of modifications. When you are looking to sell a car or better yet ... trade-in (which is more often the case than sell outright ) ... unmolested will get you the most $$ and quickest sale.

And before we go off and call me a purist blah, blah, blah. In the 35 years I've been driving I've NEVER had a car I didn't modify. And currently I'm at an all time low of 4 in the garage. Trust me ... I wish to God mods did add value, but they do not.

Here's another example in a current thread ....

Mark2009

If you can sell your car for top dollar and buy the dealer's car for bottom dollar, then you have a point. Unfortunately it is not easy to sell a $40K car in the private market (few have the money, and as this thread illustrates those that do are unwilling to pay top dollar). It's also not easy to buy a car from a dealer at bottom dollar, even if you've got cash.

The dealer can play games with the numbers, telling you that he's giving you a lot for your trade while discounting the one he's selling very little. A lot of people will fall for this, and a lot simply don't want to fool with selling. Then in some states there are sales tax advantages in a trade.

The dealer will give whatever the book indicates, perhaps adjusted by his local market... $20K, $40K, $80K, they're just flipping cars and looking for an overall percentage.

jedblanks

I don't know why potential shoppers would lowball anyone. Potential buyers might.

03BlkZ

I don't see your car for sale for 41K on this forum. Where is it listed?

9c1ny

I just picked up a 2007 1LZ, Black, 15k miles, one owner, clean title, new tires for $37k

I have personally owned 2 other Z's a 06 and a 08 and driven several others, IMHO these cars each have a personality, my 06 for example had a notchy feeling tranny but smooth light clutch, the 08 had a butter smooth tranny but a heavy clutch , my new car has a smooth tranny and a light clutch, honestly there's alot made of the T56 vs TR6060, I notice very little difference minimal enough where I didn't let it influence my search...........Perhaps it has to do more with the break in and driving habits of previous owners???
Basically all used Z's have the same wear and tear, unless clear bra'd they WILL have chips on rockers/quarters (around brake ducts), most have some minor cracking/chipping of rockers underneath and most C6's in general have scrapes on the front radiator supports, leather will most likely have minor bolster wear and if previous owner was heavy the leather will be very wrinkled and the foam flat

in my recent purchase I am happy it is a 1LZ, it's a performance car, I dont need heated seats for a warm weather car, the BOSE sucks anyways, don't need memory since no one drives it but me, telescoping wheel is unnecessary since the seat moves forward , onstar is intrusive and expensive, steering wheel radio controls? really? the radio is inches away from the wheel and if I happen to be driving hard enough that I can't take my hands off the wheel I probably shouldn't be playing with the radio lol side air bags would be nice but I'll do my best to keep it between the ditches

what was my point?? its late and I forget lol
It does amaze me that people will dicker over a grand or two when they are spending $40k on a car

VetteVinnie

You can believe whatever you want, but on this planet (not sure what planet you're living on), a car with 20K in driveline upgrades and endurance modifications versus a stock car that could blow up at any minute cruising to the grocery store is worth more on the open market. So don't tell me mods don't add value. SOME mods won't, sure. But if you think you're going to get a Katech or a Lingenfelter or a Calloway or any other professionally built car for the same price as a stock Z06, you (and others) are completely delusional.

As to why others strip their cars, you can get more dollar per dollar for the parts (technically not when you factor in time and labor - you'll never recoup labor). But a complete car can and does sell to the right buyer. You just have to be patient enough to find that buyer.

That is all.

Mudcrutch

Great points. I think for some the big difference with the tranny is that the 6060 can handle more power down the line if you mod the car.

For clear bras... so true. I used to think I would clear bra all my cars, but they aren't THAT great. pretty expensive especially if you do most/all of the hood + the rockers. you can get uneven color fade if you actually drive the car and it is out the sun. rocks can still damage it AND the paint underneath… which means you would have to replace the clear bra and/or paint some panels anyway. with the cost to do that factored in you might as well just enjoy the car and put that money towards repainting the car as-needed years down the line!

VetteVinnie

What?!? Color fade? I've had it on my car for almost 5 years now. Show me where these modern films cause color fade. That 3M crap turning yellow is a thing of the past.

bass mechanic

im going to hop in on this..
to make a statement like that is totally inaccurate. this is YOUR opinion!
i sold 2 cars that were totally stock. and as a prospective buyer i have 0 interest in any car that has engine modifications! in fact this buyer doesn't even want cosmetic enhancements!
the reason is if i buy a car with aftermarket wheels, or other bling, what if i do not like the look or the items you picked? now i have to take all that crap off and hunt down the OE pieces to put it back together again.

my friend bought a 2007 from a forum member a couple years ago. it had all sorts of chrome this and that on it, he has decided to go all black. so he had to de-bling the car back to stock.

but to support your side of the argument, there are a FEW buyers that may want to buy a car with modifications, assuming they would have done the same modifications themselves.
however having said that i think you have a very limited market and the supply and demand rules apply here.
when you run across a prospective buyer after having sat on the car for months trying to get it to sell, you put yourself at a serious disadvantage getting your price. it will come down to a waiting game. your buyer can certainly look for another car with similar mods and move onto the next buyer who is a little more desperate to sell.

trust me i know first hand what a PITA it is to sell a totally stock vehicle for what it should sell for. both times it took me between 1-2 months!

#1 not many people have 40-60 grand in their pocket, my estimation about 1% of the population.
#2 of those people with cash in hand given the choice to buy a car, with so many to choose from the vast majority will pick one thats been untouched with low miles. if you modded your car and drove it to enjoy it, your already going to have a tough time selling it. if you modded your car and never drove it, you wasted a lot of money on mods you'll never get even half your money back on even to the right buyer.

bottom line, modded cars are no where near worth what you've got into them and any would be buyers are few and far between! even with your best negotiating skills the buyer has you by the *****, or they walk! and you get to keep your overpriced car.

VetteVinnie

As if this isn't YOUR opinion based on your personal experience?

Give it a rest, people. A blanket statement, "Mods don't add value", is patently false. A "limited" market is not a zero buyer market. "FEW" buyers are not ZERO buyers. A "tough time" selling it doesn't mean you won't sell it.

Sheesh, read your own message before calling me out.