Real quick, 2002 black on black WS6 manual. 34,000 miles. Bought it 8 years ago for 16K, bone stock. Has sat in the garage, put less than 1,000 miles on it. Got Konis, BMR springs, less than 50 milles on it. Went through bad divorce, now car has sat outside for 2 years. It needs a serious detailing. Have a guy willing to give me $10,500 for it. I feel like I'm getting raped but also could use the money. And it's a now or never transaction.Thoughts?

 

Man, sorry to hear. Offer seems low. But it is up to you. Take the money now as is. Or invest time and money to get it squared away/ship shape and sell for a few Thousands more.
Problem is 3 years sitting outside hurt a lot. While most of it will clean up, the buyer can’t see that. Maybe a 2-300 dollar detail job could yield a few thousands more.

 

I know, but I've got a guy with cash in hand. I'm so upset right now

 

If it just needs a serious detailing then I would do that, and list it for sale for mid-upper teens at that point. Once clean, the car will likely sell pretty quick in that price range if it's just a matter of being dirty as-is. Simply sitting outside isn't nearly as bad as being driven in constant bad weather, snow/salt, etc. Regarding vehicles of this era, the only real cosmetic harm done from sitting outdoors is sun related damage - but this is going to be mostly limited to the plastic cowl panel, wiper arms, certain pieces of trim, tail light center panel, dash panel, rear seat tops, etc., as the paint from that era won't show major sun wear that quickly if it was in good shape to start with (but even those other areas shouldn't look too terrible after only two years, especially if you're not in the sunbelt, just not going to be as nice as low mile cars that have always sat inside). Granted, the bubbling roof condition was probably greatly irritated by two years of sun exposure, but that was eventually going to be a problem no matter what. On the other hand, if the car was parked in the shade then the only concern would be any environmental fallout (sap, avian feces, etc.) that was left unattended.

The other issue would be any mechanical problems that have resulted from disuse (presuming that the car has sat for extended periods during those 8 years and only 1k miles). Fuel system would be my biggest concern - if untreated fuel has sat in the tank for years on end, there could be any number of issues with the pump or injectors.

Understanding that at 34k miles and a couple of years of sitting outside it's certainly not going to be a #1 condition car sans a full restoration, but if it runs fine and cleans up nicely I would expect it to bring $5-8k more pretty easily, depending on location.

Here is a point of reference...a car that is reasonably comparable to yours in terms of year/trim/mileage/color; I personally consider this example to be a bit "rough" with several visible flaws/issues that shouldn't really be present at 30k miles IMO. Based on what I can see, I would guess that this one looked pretty bad before the dealership cleaned it up. And this one is a less desirable auto trans. Even still, it's listed for $26.5k: https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/c...393335355.html

Overall, it's a seller's market right now. I wouldn't even think about an offer of $10.5k unless the car is really rough (so much so that a good professional detailing, such as suggested above, can't bring it back) and/or has mechanical issues and/or the financial situation is so dire that getting the money RIGHT NOW is pretty much a matter of life or death. Otherwise, I'd spend the money on a detailing (assuming you don't have the time to do it yourself) and sell it for considerably more.

 

Man! That is way too low UNLESS the 'sitting outside' part needs more than just a serious detailing. Moisture or issues inside the car?? Mice or critters in the engine compartment, etc..???. Sitting outside can greatly reduce the value. If the car needs things, let it go.

 

It needs tires, they are the same ones that came with the car when I bought it. And an alternator. I dont THINK it has mice in it, but it's not out the realm of possibility. I'm so torn and upset right now.

 

So it sounds like the car might be a bit more neglected than I thought. Has it been stored on dry pavement? Is it driveable in its current state? If you are unsure of rodent infestation and it's been sitting with a bad alternator for quite some time, then there could be a host of other unknown issues to be sorted out besides just a detailing. But that doesn't mean that you might not still be able to make a profit on the difference between the current offer and your cost to fix it up and sell it for considerably more. Further evaluation is probably necessary, unless you're just not interested in dealing with the car...in which case, $10.5k might be as good as it gets. It's just hard to tell based on what is known so far.

 

I'm sorry about your situation. So far it seems like the car needs at least $1,000 to start with for tires and the alternator. I'm sure there will be more (even fluid replacements cost good $$$ at a shop) so it's totally your call.
When things straighten out in your life, and they will, you can always get another F-body or whatever you desire. If the $10.500 is vital at this point, take it and move on. It is not outrageously low knowing what we now understand. I wish you the best.

 

The car is beautiful.... just dirty.... no door cracks, no accidents....headlights work...monsoon still sounds amazing...

 

I start the car every couple of months, trickle charge the battery. The fuel tank is treated, so no issues with the fuel system. Fires up immediately and runs smooth. It is not in the direct sun. It's literally just dirty and blocked in by my truck and my Suburban, and it's at least 500 feet from the nearest hose spicket, so it's a giant PITA to try and wash it. It spent most of it's life waxed and covered in my garage, hardly ever drove it after my daughter was born 7 years ago. It's currently on it's factory rims and BFgoodrich tires, but I also have a chromed set of rims with NT05R/NT05 tires with less than 50 miles on them.

 

Based on the latest information, I would revert back to my earlier advice to get the car properly detailed, fix any glaring issues (such as the bad alternator), and then likely sell it for ~$5-8k more than the current offer (depending on regional price adjustments and any issues that can't be cleared up with detailing and minor repairs). Might even go for higher than that depending on how nicely it cleans up.

 

Yeah, I declined the previous offer. I just can't do it, it feels wrong. I'm going to call a halfway local detail place tomorrow and see what prices are like to clean it up. Having said that, I'm open to reasonable offers as it sits right now.