Help With Pricing Green/Tan Coupe

[Mermaid]

I have a 1991 Reatta Coupe (Green/Tan) that I am selling because I bought a little sailboat a year ago and needed something I could tow and travel with it. I know the Reatta has the power, etc. to work in that manner, but it just didn't seem right. I am the second owner.

I created a slideshow (the link is at the bottom of this post) and tried to cover everything, including newly included photos of the passenger side bushings. The brakes were going soft just before I stopped driving it, and when I took the car in, they said it needed a master cylinder for $80. Since I wasn't planning to drive it any more, I passed. And I suspect the air conditioning MIGHT need recharging. It was working fine when I stopped using the car, but it's been sitting so long, I don't know. I checked yesterday, and there doesn't appear to be any evidence of leaks.

Originally I was planning to put the car on Craigslist here for $2,650 because I wanted to sell it as quickly as possible. I paid $5,000 for it when I bought it, and I don't think a Reatta should lose value (although this is only my second one). The reason I made the price where it was is so whoever buys it could do what they want with it to fix up the "bad news" items.

I've collected several names and numbers from people since I've had it who seem to just want a unique car to put big tires on and go fast! But my first choice would be so sell it to a collector who would appreciate it and love it "zits and all". Especially since I have many great extras that are shown in the slideshow that a regular ol' driver wouldn't care about at all...extra carpet mats still in the box, 4 extra wheel covers still in the plastic, maintenance records, the original window sticker, and the leather Reatta portfolio (pictures in the slideshow).

I had a collector very interested who after looking at the first set of pictures, thought the price was actually low. I also have some possible backup buyers who were willing to pay more. But now...

Yes this is sexist, but, being an inexperienced woman, I didn't think to take pictures of critical places underneath the car. As the collector was checking out the car, everything looked great until he got to the passenger side bushings. He wasn't ready to do the work he thought would be necessary, so he chose to pass on the car. Now, before I move on to the next buyers, or post it on craigslist for the "ordinary person" I would like some feedback from those of you who are "in the know" about these great cars. What do you think would be a fair price now?

I really love Reattas and just taking this one out of the garage and driving it the little I did (and just shutting the very heavy, very solid door) has reminded me of that. I even wondered for a moment what the car would look like with a sailboat attached to it and a trunk full of gear. Not as practical as my SUV though!

Check it out and let me know what you think about the pricing... http://www.flickr.com/photos/murrmayde/sets/72157608491333405/show/

Thanks for looking,

Lynne

murrmayde@yahoo.com

[Rawja]

The broken windshield is a real killer. Near impossible to find in good shape for under 1K.

The subframe can be repaired/replaced if necessary (it's a PITA, but do-able).

I wouldn't drive the car until the frame is repaired.

You're in a bad position as far as pricing in its present condition.

Just my opinion.

[Ronnie]

I was just typing up about the same thing Rawja just said. I agree with him. Your car appears to need a lot of work and you will have to price it accordingly in order to sell it.

[Mermaid]

Thanks for the opinions so far. I get it that it needs a lot of work, but it would really help me to have an idea of what it may be worth. I promise it won't hurt my feelings. I just want to be fair. Also, if a Reatta person doesn't buy it, what kind of cost might one expect to fix the bushings?

I need to sell it as soon as possible, but I want to find a balance. I want to come up with a fair price for the buyer that doesn't mean I get scr****.

It would really help if I could get somewhere in the ballpark!

Thanks

[Rawja]

Nailing down pricing on your car is dicey at best.

It being a '91 is great for those with the inclination towards the later edition Reattas, polo green was a '91-only and rare color, also a plus as is the sunroof and the high level of documentation.

All of the above I believe gets you to around the $ 5,000.00 you paid.

BUT:

The dash not working makes the mileage unverifiable, which is a significant red flag for the risk-adverse. Fixing it isn't terribly expensive, but keep reading...

The windshield knocks off prolly $ 1,500.00 - $ 2,000.00 of the value.

The needed bodywork is a least a $ 1,000.00 detraction (not that you could get it fixed for that) but its a noticeable negative.

I can't say for sure from the pictures, but I'd allow at least $ 500-700 to repair the subframe. The bushings may very well be 80 bucks but labor (especially for those of us in major metropolitan areas) is the expensive part; but I'm totally guessing here.

The passenger door carpet you can re-attach with some contact cement almost for free.

Rear trunk lock cylinder would probably set you back a couple hundred with labor.

And finally THE ECONOMY. Being car-obsessed, I Look at car pricing on almost a daily basis and I can tell you the market is very very soft right now. Plenty of people selling under financial distress and not too many people looking to spend money on toys, doubly so with the future of gasoline pricing so uncertain.

So here's where you're at: Spend money to fix the car on the chance that you MIGHT get some or all of it back on the final transaction (though the value, even if you restored it to pristine showroom condition would probably top out at around 7K), fix nothing and dump it for $ 1,000- 1,500; or something in between the two. No matter what you decide to do it's an unfortunate situation.

I speak from experience, my '89 took a couple of very minor bruises, followed by a cracked windshield. It has been sitting in my driveway for two years now awaiting its fate and was replaced by a pristine '88 Reatta that I picked up for $ 3,800. There was no way to bring my original Reatta back for that kind of money, and so she was done.

[Mermaid]

<span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Thank you very much, Roger! That's what I was looking for...the options. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Libra, so making decisions is not exactly my strong suit!

The other decision I have to make, is, if I choose to sell it at the $1000 - $1500, should I include the "extras" with the car? The 4 factory-sealed wheel caps, the factory-boxed <span style="font-style: italic">second </span>set of embossed carpet mats? Actually, the carpet mats that have been "used" still look new because I've always had the rubber mats to keep them clean. And would the pristine portfolio be considered an <span style="font-style: italic">extra</span> since it sort of goes with the car? It's my understanding that the signatures are of the people who built the car.

So many decisions, so little time!

Sorry to hear about your '89. It's funnny how difficult it is to make the choice to let go of these babies!

Thanks again,

Lynne</span></span>

[Mermaid]

<span style="color: #6600CC"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-size: 14pt">By the way...I love your Jefferson quote!</span></span></span>

[Rawja]

Nah, if you're dumping the car for cheap, I'd sell everything I could separately.

You're probably looking at 50-100 bucks per hub cap, and I'd sell off the ones on the car as well.

The new new mats could possibly fetch 300, the used ones if really clean over a hundred.

The manual if it has EVERYTHING (flashlight, pen, tire gauge) is easily around 300.

Of course the economy may depress the values of the individual items, but not as much as the depressive effect on the value of the car itself.

If the time, inconvenience and space aren't a big issue for you you could do a minor part-out of the car (just the easily removed items) and net a couple of thousand, but it'll be a PITA.

You could of course fix (and enjoy) her as your budget allows and perhaps when things turn around get her sold for the equivalent of 5K (or more) in '08 dollars, but of course that's a personal decision.

You should also feel free to post to the normal Reatta section with your "pricing question" and perhaps there would be interest. There's been plenty of conversation over the over the years about polo green Reattas, for some they are especially desirable.

I know if I wasn't on the opposite end of the country, I'd be tempted to pick her up for a couple thou, if the mileage truly is under 100K, but I'd be able to do a fair amount of the repairs myself which would change the economics of the acquisition.

[89ReattaKid]

I'll offer 1,250 Cash And pay extra for the Floor mats and caps and such if your interested.

Omar