Well guys here I am again. About a month ago I started a thread in regards to an 18k mile 2002 ws6 car that I bought which had a few paint blemishes.

After wanting a ws6 car for years, I've now been fortunate enough to have bought another one barely a month later. Here's the details.

This car was for sale at a salvage yard whom had it on consignment with the proceeds going to a charity. They had no keys for it and couldn't start it. The salvage yard workers butchered the steering column in an attempt to get it started. At some point the rear glass had fallen free from the top exposing the car to elements and it was kept outside.

I made the road trip and trailered it home. Car was absolutely filthy. Spent all weekend cleaning. The car cleaned up far beyond my expectations. The top is actually decent, i think i can get the glass glued back in and be good to go on that front. The rest of the interior is VERY decent. Needs some minor things and a steering column. Dash isnt cracked but door panels are. I was able to power up the dash, there is 154xxx on the clock. Hotwired the motor but can only get it to run for a few seconds. Probably VATS. Motor sounds good and builds oil pressure.
There is a ding on the passenger side quarter. The rest of the paint is going to clean up nicely. I do have a set of speedlines for it.
Here's a few pics. What's do you guys think its worth?

 

Sounds like you saved that car from F-body heaven or perhaps the other place
Nice going! I would just enjoy it and not worry about pricing. A salvage title 150,000+ miles car isn't going to be worth much more than a few grand.

 

Title is clean actually

 

I was actually hoping to get it on the road and sell it for a few bucks. The car is going to clean up into a 7/10 ride. When you say a few thousand, does that mean 2k or 5k? Thanks for your input!

 

How long was the interior exposed to the elements? Getting rid of mold can be nearly impossible if there was any chance for it to set up.

IMO, it's tough for any 154k mile 15+ year old car to still be a 7 of 10, but possible if it had a really meticulous owner all those years. From what I can see/read above, such is definitely not the case here. That damage is pretty significant and would require paint/body work to correct (detailing isn't going to do it.) I know these things can be subjective, but I tend to be on the harsher end of judging when it comes to condition, so I would rate the car lower based on what's pictured and what has been described.

You might get more money by parting it out, if highest possible return is your goal and you have the time. The OEM hood is certainly worth some decent cash. Which trans does it have? If it's an M6, there is definitely value there if it still operates well....plus the value of a running LS1 with good oil pressure and no noises. Then you could still sell the shell as a roller minus the hood. That would probably get you maximum cash, though 'vert rollers are usually a harder sell since the racing community doesn't prefer them so you might make even more selling it piece by piece. Otherwise, I would value it at the low end of what WS6 convertibles of applicable trans type would usually sell for in your region at 150k+ miles.

 

With the 18K mile car to play with and improve I'd work on moving this one out. High miles and lack of owner care could end up being quite a money pit for someone, no matter how cheaply it was bought. Tough time of year to even sell a convertible. You might have to hang on to next April/May.

 

There was a bit of standing water in the trunk area. I don't think it was in there long enough to do any damage. I peeled the carpet back, everything seems fine. I hit a few of the dirtier spots in the interior, and the dirt is superficial. The interior is going to be VERY decent in 154xxx mile terms...

As for my rating of 7/10 I was mostly comparing it against other high mileage, non pampered f bodies. In my opinion, the lower mileage garage queens are in their own category.

I had thought about parting it out, but honestly this car is a bit to good for that. Plus i think my path of least resistance at this point will be to get it on the road and slap a for sale sign on it. The car is an automatic which could, or will, hurt resale.

My only real question at this point is to fix the 1/4 panel or not, and what I should be asking for the car once it's reliably able to be street driven.

I appreciate your input!

 

YES I agree it must go. It was never meant to be a keeper as I have 7 cars already. I only bought this car to save it from the crusher.

What would you ask for it once cleaned up, running and driving?

 

I think its $5k max. Its a WS6 and a convertible which are two big plusses, and I give you credit for saving it from the crusher. However, condition and mileage are really gonna limit what you can sell it for.

 

I was thinking $2k with a bad title, maybe a bit more otherwise. I think $3k+ would really be pushing it, but as I always say, no harm in trying.

 

The title is good. 2k or 3k? Wow I was thinking more than that. Can't buy a wrecked f body around here for that. I sold a generic 02 z28 with 177xxx miles on it back in the summer for 4200. It was in no better condition and sold in 3 days...

 

Hard to nail down a value with some big questions still remaining, such as:

- How does the trans shift? At 154k, if it's the stock trans then it's well within the range of needing a rebuild unless those were easy highway miles and fluid maintenance was excellent. Stock 4L60Es with more than about ~130k miles in a performance application (when driven as such) are often on borrowed time.

- How does the engine actually perform once you get the car driving? It might run and sound decent for those few moments that you heard it, but what about during continual operation? The car has obviously seen some neglect, no telling how the fuel system will be under actual usage (might need a pump and/or injectors to operate properly under load.)

- How about the rear? This is usually not an issue for the A4 cars, they are much easier on the rear than an M6, but this is another unknown since you haven't been able to actually drive it. The Torsen LSD might not be working, and there could be noises and such as well.

You might find various other electrical issues or driveability problems once you get it running, these things might not be obvious with that short test fire that you were able to do. Not to mention areas like the brakes, suspension/steering, tires, etc. If all those areas end up needing attention, you'll either have to address them or take a lower price to compensate.

So the actual value could range quite a bit depending on how it ends up driving and just how much it needs to be road worthy once you're able to assess driveability.

If the car ends up needing a bunch more mechanical/operational stuff than you anticipated, and these things are obvious to anyone who comes to inspect the car once it's mobile, then ~$3k might be the best you can do. On the other hand, if it runs/drives/stops great and the worst issues are the damage on the quarter and high miles, then you might see a couple thousand more from the right buyer.

 

Thanks for all the input guys! I love having a place to ask experienced folks questions and recieving well thought out feedback. When the car does finally sell I'll come back and update the thread.

 

When I was trying to sell mine, the convertible didn't help me in the slightest, in fact it hurt me. I had an 00 WS6 convertible with an LQ4 and stage 2 T56. I was asking $5500. I think this is a $3K car max.

 

Figured I'd throw a status update in here. Got the motor fired. Sounds excellent, no bad noises good oil pressure. Needs valve cover gaskets. Also ran the top for the first time. Works perfectly and quietly! This car really had no business being at a salvage yard. It's way to nice.

 

Why not just keep it? Could always do a little paintwork to your other one, make it a pristine show car, and use this one for a driver. I love having one to drive a little, and one to keep the garage pretty lol.

 

Oh man I would love to. My garage is over flowing though! Between my 02 trans am, my LS swapped iroc, my first gen svt lightning, my 96 dcm impala ss, my hemi jeep, my 5.3 Silverado, my 6.0 Silverado, and now this 02 convertible trans am.......yeeeeahhh. LOL I wish I could adopt every stray!

 

Was able to take the car out today. Runs good. Here is a quick pic, I'll add more details later.

 

Its been a long 6 weeks working on the car, nights and weekends. Car runs and drives good. I had been suspicious it may have a blown head gasket, but turned out to be just condensation burning off.
Here are the pictures. How much is the car worth now that it's been freshened up?





Here is the 1/4 panel that was damaged. It turned out decent. Im no body guy however.

 

I would think you'd be able to get $5k out of it, for sure...but that's just my opinion.