Inherited 01 Trans Am, HELP!!
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Wow this thread officially has it all! A simple question about the value of a car, detective work, word semantics, and now the ethics behind selling a inherited item. You all are crazy yet very entertaining!
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Fwiw, I had a similar silver 2002 Trans Am A4 in my area (48K miles one owner) back in 2011 at a new car dealership. It had been taken on trade. It looked like a 20k mile car...even in the engine bay. Drove great too. Their bottom line was $11,500 after starting out at $12,500. I was at $10,500. We couldn't get together. They called me for 5 months afterwards too, not budging on the price....and even after I told them I had bought a 1999 SS M6 with 12K miles for $12K...sort of confirming that their asking price was too strong. I would think that same Trans Am today would still be worth around $10K. Yours with 20K more miles, about $2,000 less.
Last edited by Firebrian; 04-03-2018 at 10:36 AM.
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Wow, that reminds me of those old Mopars that are sitting on the Sherman Dodge lot, at Cicero and Howard in Skokie (not sure if you ever go around that area). There are two Chargers, one is black and looks like a '73, the other is purple and is a '67 I think, these have also been sitting there for years. Outside too. The purple one has probably been there for at least 10 years, I sometimes wonder if they are even for sale. And there's a guy on our local Craigslist that's been trying to sell a 3rd gen Nova like mine since at least 2010 or so; ad goes up and down but the price never changes.
This one going back to 2007 is probably one of the longest sales terms for any 4th gen F-body that I've encountered though. That car was no more than 5 years old when it appeared there, which means someone used it as a true daily driver to pick up all that mileage in that short time. Unless someone at the dealer has been using it as a personal vehicle for the last decade. Why on earth they wouldn't have dropped the price by now is just mind boggling. LOL.
This one going back to 2007 is probably one of the longest sales terms for any 4th gen F-body that I've encountered though. That car was no more than 5 years old when it appeared there, which means someone used it as a true daily driver to pick up all that mileage in that short time. Unless someone at the dealer has been using it as a personal vehicle for the last decade. Why on earth they wouldn't have dropped the price by now is just mind boggling. LOL.
https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/c...766055220.html
Do you know anything about this car? Cant figure out if its a dealer that has it or if its on consignment or what..looks like an old drag car from the late 70s or early 80s..would be interesting to know it the history of it..
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hey RPM, i was reminded of this thread after scrolling through craigslist and coming across this ad, is this the nova you said youve seen for sale for a long time?
https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/c...766055220.html
Do you know anything about this car? Cant figure out if its a dealer that has it or if its on consignment or what..looks like an old drag car from the late 70s or early 80s..would be interesting to know it the history of it..
https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/c...766055220.html
Do you know anything about this car? Cant figure out if its a dealer that has it or if its on consignment or what..looks like an old drag car from the late 70s or early 80s..would be interesting to know it the history of it..
I've never seen this car in person and don't know anything about the owner, other than the fact that he doesn't seem to care whether or not the car ever sells based on how long it's been posted.
Honestly, it sounds like it could be a fun hotrod-type car for cruise nights or track events, etc. I'm sort of surprised it has never sold. Value on these early 3rd gen Novas can range quite a bit depending on various original details of the car, and how they actually look and drive in person. Based on the visible rust around the wheel well, perhaps the rust issues are worse than implied in the ad. Or maybe it has very poor street manners (related to the setup), or just general fatigue/mechanical problems which preclude it from being worth the asking price. I'm sure several folks must have gone to check this one out over the many years it's been for sale, probably made a range of different offers. I guess he's looking for more than anyone is willing to pay after inspecting it in person.
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Based on this picture, the car has pre 85 IL plates on it...id guess the car hasnt been driven much in the past 30 years since it looks basically the same as it did in those photos..the price really doesnt seem that far out of line for a complete running 70 nova "ex drag car" might not have the best street manners but most guys with a car like this usually dont care about that anyway. And the slightly weathered original paint look seems to be in nowadays. Im sure it would need wheel arches or partial 1/4s if someone wanted to restore it, maybe floor/trunk pans or wherever else these novas usually rust. But it looks fairly solid to me, id leave it as is. It kind of has that Palmer Lazarus nova look to it.
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It definitely seems to be an older setup. The front bumper and hood swap are the only obvious changes since that one older pic.
I'm pretty sure that plate design was only in use until 1982 or '83 but, especially since it's a front plate, he may have left it on for many years after the new design was issued (similarly, I know some guys who are still using the pre-2001 AV plate to this day). But, judging by the older Ford truck behind it and the corner of another car next to it, I'd agree that one was taken a long time ago.
Assuming the 307 badges are factory, this wasn't an original SS car or anything else special so no additional collector value above and beyond other garden variety 2-door early 3rd gens. The drivetrain could be a significant boost in value if it's not tired or in disrepair, otherwise his price might be too firm for the necessary metal work. One way or another, something has prevented this car from selling for a very long time.
Are you planning to check it out?
I'm pretty sure that plate design was only in use until 1982 or '83 but, especially since it's a front plate, he may have left it on for many years after the new design was issued (similarly, I know some guys who are still using the pre-2001 AV plate to this day). But, judging by the older Ford truck behind it and the corner of another car next to it, I'd agree that one was taken a long time ago.
Assuming the 307 badges are factory, this wasn't an original SS car or anything else special so no additional collector value above and beyond other garden variety 2-door early 3rd gens. The drivetrain could be a significant boost in value if it's not tired or in disrepair, otherwise his price might be too firm for the necessary metal work. One way or another, something has prevented this car from selling for a very long time.
Are you planning to check it out?
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It definitely seems to be an older setup. The front bumper and hood swap are the only obvious changes since that one older pic.
I'm pretty sure that plate design was only in use until 1982 or '83 but, especially since it's a front plate, he may have left it on for many years after the new design was issued (similarly, I know some guys who are still using the pre-2001 AV plate to this day). But, judging by the older Ford truck behind it and the corner of another car next to it, I'd agree that one was taken a long time ago.
Assuming the 307 badges are factory, this wasn't an original SS car or anything else special so no additional collector value above and beyond other garden variety 2-door early 3rd gens. The drivetrain could be a significant boost in value if it's not tired or in disrepair, otherwise his price might be too firm for the necessary metal work. One way or another, something has prevented this car from selling for a very long time.
Are you planning to check it out?
I'm pretty sure that plate design was only in use until 1982 or '83 but, especially since it's a front plate, he may have left it on for many years after the new design was issued (similarly, I know some guys who are still using the pre-2001 AV plate to this day). But, judging by the older Ford truck behind it and the corner of another car next to it, I'd agree that one was taken a long time ago.
Assuming the 307 badges are factory, this wasn't an original SS car or anything else special so no additional collector value above and beyond other garden variety 2-door early 3rd gens. The drivetrain could be a significant boost in value if it's not tired or in disrepair, otherwise his price might be too firm for the necessary metal work. One way or another, something has prevented this car from selling for a very long time.
Are you planning to check it out?
on a side note i looked up where that z frank dealer is or was and it looks like its been closed and torn down for a while, but it was near peterson and western, so those craigslist pics must be pretty old.
Last edited by BFK86; 01-02-2019 at 06:16 AM.
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yeah im sure the guy just wont budge on price, like you said for how long its been for sale im sure alot of people have come to look at it and made offers but just cant settle on a price, eventhough it looks to be a base model 307 car, its still fairly original, sheet metal and most likely paint. If i could swing having a 3rd car and place to put it i would love to have it, but realistically dont need it lol. I would bet if there's a nova forum this car has been discussed there at one time or another.
on a side note i looked up where that z frank dealer is or was and it looks like its been closed and torn down for a while, but it was near peterson and western, so those craigslist pics must be pretty old.
on a side note i looked up where that z frank dealer is or was and it looks like its been closed and torn down for a while, but it was near peterson and western, so those craigslist pics must be pretty old.
www.stevesnovasite.com is the best/busiest Nova forum of which I'm aware. I've been a member there for about 10 years and used to be pretty active, but I haven't visited much in last couple of years. Can't say that I've ever seen this car mentioned there before, but I might have missed it.