Used Car negotiating

[Butch_Cassidy]

Hi hopefully i will be a new reatta owner. I found a 89 reatta white coupe with blue interior asking 3500 dollars from a private seller. The reatta doesnt have a moonroof or cd player. How much should i offer or start off at. Any help will be great.

Also I am 6'1" and was wondering if i will be confortable with head room.

thanks,

andrew

[Butch_Cassidy]

I should of included this the car has 68000 miles on it.

I started researching for a car and really liked the reatta. Do most of you guys find it to be a head turner since its not a common car.

[wwebb]

It is definately a head turner. :-) That lower mileage, if accurate, would surely justify paying more than the average price. If the mileage is that low, I would expect to see the seats and carpet in nearly pristine condition.

[Guest MauiWowee]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Andrew_Lawlor</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Also I am 6'1" and was wondering if i will be confortable with head room.thanks,

andrew </div></div>

6'5" and I am very comfortable with lots of headroom.

[Butch_Cassidy]

Thanks for the reply. So everyone thinks that 3500 is a good price?

I checked the title and its clean. The owner says

{

Dents; hood, just above bumper w/chipped paint; driver door, small door dink; paint still intact; couple small scratches on front bumper, black area has some chips; back, below tail lights some paint chips.

No rust.

Touch screen works most of time, occassionally gets squirrly for a few seconds, then works again. This could be from some residual moisture as the car has not been driven much in the last year.

Seat condition is excellent.

Ride quality is excellent.

Last inspected 3/07.

}

Edmunds.com says this car in clean condition is worth 1,486.

Kelly blue book says: 2,335 in good condition

What price should i start with my negotiations once i check out he vehicle? Im buying the car from a private party. This is my first time negotiating a price on a used car so any advice would be great.

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

I would buy it on the spot. Think to yourself, 68,000 for a car that is 15+ years old, just make sure all the electronics work and the speedo/odometer is working.

One last thing make sure the car has not been in any major wrecks.

[Roadster90]

I won't go into what I think about the two books you mentioned as it isn't very flattering to them . NADA (the real Dealer Bible as far as a dealer value book is concerned) used to have an OLD CAR EDITION which I did/would appreciate and trust (haven't been in the business for years, and I am not sure if it is still in print...check with your bank loan officer as he/she would have the appropriate book for loan, wholesale, and retail values in your geographic area). HOWEVER, CPI which many collectors use....CARS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST.... (I do not have a current book)June of 07 issue lists the car as below:

Fair 2500.00

Excellent 6200.00

Good 4200.00

Now these are retail figures and one should not consider paying retail for anything these days much less an automobile unless it means something "special" (won't go into that either ).

Sounds as from your description and the miles, and as NX2k about states, 3500.00 is an excellent price whether it needs a few things or not. Consider if the car falls between the two top figures (and the June Book value from 2007 has stayed about the same...should have appreciated, but not sure), and then deduct 30% - you should have a fair wholesale price which is about what he is asking....decent price maybe...just my opinion . Good Luck Sir .

Nic

[Butch_Cassidy]

Thanks for everyones replies, especially nic for the detailed prices.

Is there anything i should look at that is known to go bad more quickly in reattas than other cars?

[Ronnie]

The first things would be Brakes, and the Electrical system. If there are any brake warning lights on, you have problems. Sellers like to tell you it is just the parking brake switch or something minor that causes the lights to be on but it can be much more. The brake system is not too hard to fix once you get to know the system but you need to know it up front. The brake system is different for 95% of GM cars. It's called the Teves system. One of the first parts to go is the accumulator. It goes for about $120. IF the whole unit is bad you could pay around $750. Brake pads and rotors are just common Buick parts that are relatively inexpensive.

You are already aware of the electrical problems with the CRT and instrument panel I assume. If not just ask.

[Guest alex_houston]

My 2 cents

If it a nice car that you will be driving routinely, then it is certainly worth the $3500. It doesn't matter about the Kelly blue book or anything, any nice serviceable car of any make, particularly of that low milage is worth $3500.

I would expect that with a little care that 3800 engine should give you another 150k or so more miles as a minimum, and that is a pretty good deal for $3500. I had one Pontiac 3800 (same drive train) that had over 350,000 on it when I lost in in a divorce battle. It is still going 2 years later. I have 3 other Buicks with the 3800 that has over 160,000 and still run like new.

My advice, if you like it, buy it and love it.