Wage92

Hi guys, I am just finishing building this and am planning on trying to sell it this summer. I have a ballpark number that i think its worth, but im looking for some input. The body is in really good shape and is solid. Ill try to give as many details as possible as i did everything myself.

BODY:
-solid body
-Harwood fiberglass cowel hood
-complete with inner fenders etc

DRIVETRAIN:
-2003 5.3 Chevy Engine that had 140k on it, i took it apart, checked cylinders, cleaned pistons etc and put new gaskets. Cylinder walls look perfect with crosshatching still
-engine is all stock, other than upgraded valve springs as i was going to turbo it early on
-slight tune but definitely could gain some there, i have hptuners but am not proficient with it yet
-4l60e with 110k miles on it, shifts smooth and has fresh oil
-12 bolt rear end with locker and 4.11s

SUSPENSION/BRAKES:
-CPP master cylinder with build in proportioning valve
-this has manual steering and manual brakes, but they both function very nicely and they are nice and tight
-rear monoleaf setup with slapper bars
-factory a arms up front with upgraded coil springs

INTERIOR:
-Custom gauge cluster with autometer gauges
-6 point roll cage
-racing bucket seats
-ratchet shifter
-kenwood stereo
-in process of making custom steel door panels
-interior is clean but no rear seat or carpet and there is not a headliner installed

MISC:
-electric radiator fan
-trans cooler
-nitto 555r 285/60-15 tires in rear and skinnies up front (all on about 500 miles on them)
-draglite aluminum wheels
-line lock for front wheels
-true dual exhaust with summit throaty mufflers
-15 gallon fuel cell in trunk
-bosch 044 fuel pump


This car is fully street legal, has working wipers, parking brake, lights, everything. It has a decent coat of paint on it, i did it myself, i am far from a professional painter but it came out very well in my opinion. It drives nice, and is a fun, light little car. Only thing i would change to improve driveability would be to switch it to a posi rear end, because you do get the tires skipping a little bit in parking lots and tight turns. It was build to go straight, but also to be fairly streetable. I always wanted to do an ls swap and this was a fun experience, but about halfway throught the build i decided to sell it when it was finished. The car is running and driving with a stock 5.3 and it could go in any direction that the new owner desires. It runs well and starts right up.


Just looking for suggestions on asking price as its hard to find examples of people selling older cars like this that are swapped. Its far from a show car, but i consider it a very nice driver quality car, that is very solid and rust free. Any suggestions are welcome. thank you all.

Pics will be attached in next post....

Wage92

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

The title caught my eye, being a 3rd gen Nova owner myself. But I don't really know what the market is for a swapped car in this condition. Body looks solid for sure, but the interior needs a ton of stuff still and it sounds like some odds and ends need to be buttoned up. Should be a fun driver once those things are finished, but a car like this will probably have a wide range in potential value depending on who's looking at the time and how quickly you want to sell.

In general, '68-'72 Nova coupes will sell for around $4-5k for junk drivers or decent but incomplete rollers, $5-10k for fair to good examples with undesirable engines (I6 230-250ci or 307ci V8), $10-15k for fair to good examples with more desirable engines (327-350ci), $15-25k for good to excellent examples in SS trim or SS clones with healthy SBCs, $20-35k for good to excellent examples in SS trim or SS clones with BBCs, $30-40k+ for top tier original SS examples with BBCs (upper end pricing being for such desirable options as an L78 engine, 4-speed, ect., or Yenko type cars in similar condition.)

Pro-touring/LS swapped examples are a different game, one that isn't as well documented price-wise and that I'm not really familiar with personally. Not sure how the above scale translates with a modern powertrain. Ebay/auction is probably best for one like this, with a reserve set at something you're comfortable with.

Wage92

The number i had in my head was about 15k. Do you think that is a reasonable starting point?

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Again, I'm not really sure what the 5.3/4L60E swap does to its value but, based on somewhat similar examples I've seen locally (albeit with 350s), my guess is that it should sell for somewhere in the $10-15k range depending on how it looks in person and what other things you may or may not wrap up prior to sale (such as interior work, etc.)

thatoneguybriz

iTrader: (2)

I can't speak for anywhere else, but locally here in Tulsa, OK one of my friends just purchased a 72 nova with a perfect body as a roller for 4000 bucks.This was with the intention of swapping in a 5.3, 4l80e, and cobbling together a turbo kit. Given the fact your car has a swap completed, the body is good, and it drives makes it worth over 10k for sure. However, I think you'll have a hard time getting 15K for it simply because there are a number of different vehicles of similar performance potential, swapped and stock, for the 10-15K range. There's no harm in asking 15 however, I think you'll end up accepting a slightly lower offer. Good luck with the sale.

Wage92

fair enough. thank you for the reply. exactly what i was looking for.

73lsnova

In my honest opinion that car is worth 15k+ without a doubt looks very well built kept in great condition not to mentionall the fabrication looks great and the body is straight and perfect I wouldn't take no less than 15000 for that car being an owner of a 73 nova this one is definitely by far a very clean pro-street classic American muscle car...be patient and someone will offer you exactly what you want for it, till then I'd say enjoy it while you still have it...beautiful ride and very good job on the build...hope your get a buyer who appreciates this build

Wage92

thank you for the kind words. Im gonna try to wait it out.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Honestly, I think the couple of folks telling you to raise your price (implied above, but mostly the one in your actual sales thread) are doing you a disservice.

You mentioned in the sales thread that you'd had zero interest by the end of May. That's about 6 weeks after listing the car for sale. Granted, special interest antique cars such as this normally take longer to sell than something which appeals to a broader audience, but if you're not getting any interest at all after that period then one of the following is happening:

- The price is too high
- The car is not advertised properly/in the proper places
- Some combo of the above

One thing that won't help, contrary to someone else's suggestion in your other thread, is simply raising the price. That's not constructive advice and is clearly not going to help get the car sold. However, rather than just continuing to lower your price here, I'd suggest listing it with some other sources - perhaps try StevesNovaSite.com and Novas.net (these are forums like LS1Tech, but for Novas), also consider Ebay and your local Craigslist page if you haven't already, not to mention classifieds sites such as AutoTraderClassics.com & ClassicCars.com. If your car is already listed at all or several of these, and/or other, applicable sources and still getting no interest after nearly two months, then the price is in fact too high. It might be true that the car would be worth more in another region, but you can't change your location so you'll have to price it at a point that's either appealing to local shoppers or is attractive enough to get folks from other regions to be willing to make the trip. Of course, all of this only matters if you are in fact motivated to sell; some folks would rather keep a car for months or years rather than take less than a certain number.

I just felt the need to speak up here since this "what's it worth" thread exists and I feel you've received some misguided advice in your sales thread.

GimmeLSx

iTrader: (4)

Yeah, $15k for that is probably not going to happen. I think the biggest issue is that it is set up as a drag car with a roll cage, racing seats, stripped interior, etc, which is going to severely limit its market appeal. I could see getting a little more out of it if it had a stroker or a power-adder, but not with a 140k mile, stock 5.3 engine. I say somewhere in the $10k range for this one.

99Custom

iTrader: (9)

Spot on about setup being for the strip. Cars in my area that are built for drag strips never bring the value of a nice street car... You can try 15k but i'd be happy with around 12-13k if it were mine...Good luck

Wage92

thank you all for the responses. I have recently been thinking about putting a few more hundred into it and getting insulation and carpets for the interior and a headliner. Do you think if the interior were more complete it would be more of a 12-13k car?

Wage92

also have been considering cutting out the roll cage and putting a bench seat in. Yay or nay?

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I guess it really depends on how nice you plan to make the interior, and how much that will cost you, vs. how much of that additional investment you can reasonably recover. You might get more for the car that way, but it may just be a matter of breaking even (with no extra profit for your labor.) So, again, I think it depends on how cheaply you can do this while still making it look good/complete/appealing to someone who would in fact want this as a street car vs. a race car. I don't think investing more in the interior would help much unless you plan to make it complete/finished.

Do you have all/most of the original interior stuff? If so, how nice is it? Do you have an affordable source for good quality aftermarket or used stock pieces that you would need? Or will you be paying full retail price for repro stuff?

Obviously, the more you favor "street" buyers by removing/adding/changing things, the less "race" focused the car will be (and the less it will appeal to those specific race buyers.) That's generally a good thing, since street cars tend to be much more in demand, but only if you can make a worthwhile profit on the cost and hassle to go in this direction.

ironmanLS1

iTrader: (9)

I just sold my 72 for ~$10K and change. It needed a few things but is a rock solid car. It goes 11.80's as it sits and as quick as 10.60's with a different SBC but same set up. All pump gas SBC, street car, licensed and insured. I might have been able to get a little more but sold it to someone local I know. It is not an SS, just a plain jane car. I don't see that your LS adds any value, your issue is your stripped interior. And in general these non SS cars don't command the $ others do.

GimmeLSx

iTrader: (4)

What he said. You've got a "Plain Jane" Nova with a 5.3 swap; really nothing special at all. Then it has the stripped interior, manual brakes/steering, fuel cell, "driver" quality paint job, etc. Even if you do some interior work, I think it is going to be a tough sell at anything over $10k, and that might be a stretch.

ramairetransam

iTrader: (18)

i think throw another 1000 to 1500 into it and keep the price there. Get the interior nice and no more manual brakes or steering .

GimmeLSx

iTrader: (4)

I see that you drastically lowered the asking price. Any bites on it?

Wage92

Hardly anything. I feel that at this low i should have people breaking the doors down, but i bought a new piece of equipment for the garage and i just need the space and this is just in the way now.