1990 coupe in Michigan

[Guest MattB]

I can't seem to get any local interest in my car. 

 

http://saginaw.craigslist.org/cto/5048324253.html

 

I call it a 9 of 10.  Some may say 8 of 10.  The underneath is still painted.  Car has seen very little winters.  Inside is nearly perfect.  It does have a couple exterior blemishes.  Still a pretty nice coupe I think.

 

[Guest my3buicks]

It looks like a nice clean car, 8 & 9 out of 10's are your average show cars, 10's are far and few between.  The fact that it was run in some Michigan winters will turn a lot of people off when looking at Reatta's.    More detail and better pictures may help you.  What has been recently replaced. etc.  

 

Still it should make someone a nice car in a color that is not as common as some.

[Guest PontiacDude210]

I agree, a buff and wax, leather treatment and real professional cleaning and touch up on the carpet would make it worth more. 5k in MI seems high. I have 2 MI coupes and I know neither of mine were still in good condition underneath. If you can verify that it was parked during salt season and detail in your pics the underside condition, you may get more hits.

[Bushwack]

I think the car is a soft 8 (out of 10) based on what I see in the picture.  The interior needs some attention. The color is great as long as there are no issues with the paint of clear coat. Even a buck's worth of tire dressing would help the car look better.  I don't know if rust free makes a difference to buyers in your area.  Either way, next time you get the car on a lift I'd photograph the undercarriage including isolated suspension, cat converter and muffler photos.

 

With all that said, Reattas are not an easy sell. But the more photos you have a great looking interior, exterior (the color is a big plus IMO), the q-u-i-c-k-e-r it should sell at the right price.

[Guest my3buicks]

Wow, a soft 8, entry level show car status????  REALLY?????  Enabling isn't being helpful.

Edited June 22, 2015 by my3buicks (see edit history)

[Guest MattB]

Thanks for the comments. 

 

I was probably optomistic at thinking it was a 9.  Probably 8 is more realistic.  I'm not a show car guy so I'm not used to seeing cars at that level.

 

I will try to get some photos of the underside and some more interior shots.

 

I was just hoping there would be more interest in a nice Sunday Driver.  That is what it has always been for us.

[KDirk]

Matt,

Yours looks like nice car, no doubt. Potential undercarriage rust is a concern amongst likely Reatta buyers so your location may cause those looking some reservation. Same happens here in St. Louis as we get just enough winter weather and salt use to impact cars in this way.

There's also the fact that there is a limited market for the Reatta. Those of us familiar with it know it's merits (it is a great car) but the uninformed public at large lacks familiarity with it and may shy away out of concern it will be difficult or expensive to repair (and in some cases it can be). In fact, the market for the Reatta is poor enough overall that many of us on here own multiples because we were able to buy them at low prices with little or no competition from other prospective buyers. I say that not to bash the car certainly, but because that is the pattern I've seen time and time again, and is why I own four of them now. I suppose this is dependent on the region of the country one is in, as well as condition, asking price, etc. So, my experience doesn't qualify as empirical data but it is indiciative of a trend.

Really all you can do is either wait it out (a buyer will eventually materialize) or lower the price to broaden the base of interested buyers if you are rushed to try and sell it. I would also try to find additional places to list it for sale. Craigslist is ok, but has it's limitations. It also tends to carry a somewhat iffy reputation as a place where lower grade used cars get listed for sale. This may bias those looking into thinking your car is not as nice as it is (despite pictures that show it's condition). These are all just observations and thoughts from my own experience buying used cars online (from craigslist or otherwise).

The color is probably in your favor as it is a fairly rare color for these cars all four hears of production. I really like it and had I the space and budget for another car would own one in claret red. White, bright red and even black Reattas are a dime a dozen so an unusual color should aid in generating interest, at least among those specifically looking for a Reatta.

KDirk

Edited June 22, 2015 by KDirk (see edit history)

[Guest MattB]

Hi guys,

 

I updated the add with some undercarraige pictures. 

 

http://saginaw.craigslist.org/cto/5048324253.html

 

Do you think that $4800 is showcar price?  I had intended to price it as a week-end driver.  I seems to me that a Lesabre with this many miles and in this condition should be woth the same.  I know the market for a Reatta is smaller but?

[KDirk]

Matt, it seems diffficult to figure the market for the Reatta. The really primo examples (like Keith's convertible) fetch good prices but stepping down just one level in condition seems to tank the prices pretty heavily. Put another way, a 9+ gets real money where a 7-8 seems not to do much better than a 4-5 on the condition scale in actual selling price. 1-3 are generally parts cars and should sell for well under $1000 at this point, but a 7-8 couoe often seems unable to break the $4500 mark based on what I personally have seen. Of course, A clean solid used car with reasonably low miles should be worth well more than $5000 now in the post cash-for-clunkers environment where used prices have now been inflated as a result and new cars start at nearly $30k for all intents and purposes. But, the Reatta seems not to benefit much from this.

I don't know if it is it's relative obscurity, age, being only a two seater (limited practicality), a combination thereof or something else entirely. My best advice is to detail the car so it is as clean as possible for presentation to a buyer and hold out for someone who appreciates it for what it is. If you are rushed to sell it, you will end up negotiating down more heavily and are more likely to have a buyer who just wants a cheap car they can beat the hell out of. As well, this type of buyer will gravitate more to cheaper cars so if you lower the price for a quick sale, that becomes a more likely fate for the car.

Maybe that doesn't matter, everyone's money is green so you take what you can get oftentimes. I would hate to sell one of mine to a goof who will take a perfectly good car and ruin it in a year or two, even if I needed the money. Of course, I am heavily invested in repairs and restoration on all of mine so have a much greater incentive not to sacrifice them to an idiot who won't maintain them. I also have no hope of getting my money back out based on what has been put into them; therefor any sale is a loss for me on purely fiscal grounds. I never expected to profit, so my decision is much easier: I'm not selling, as I bought to keep and enjoy these cars.

KDirk

[Guest my3buicks]

With some looking, you can find a Reatta with half the miles for the same money, if I am spending $4500 plus if I had the choice of a 100k mile versus a 50k mile car I am going with the lower mileage car, and most anyone even looking for a daily driver will do the same. You can even find converts for that price range with a little searching. As people have said you need to clean the car and make it say "LOOK AT ME". I think the logic of it being a two seater also plays heavily into it, narrows the field of players substancially. All that said, it's fair for everyone involved market value is probably $3500.
You have two choices as I do with the one I am selling, stick to your guns and figure on keeping the car if it doesn't sell or lower the price to make a quick sale.   I could have sold mine a dozen times already for VERY good money, but I will stick to my guns with no problem keeping it if someone doesn't step up to the plate, so you need to decide if you are willing to keep the car if it doesn't sell.

Edited June 28, 2015 by my3buicks (see edit history)

[Bushwack]

If you're looking for an educated buyer (chances are slim you'll find one quickly), it will sell at a comparable street price for your geographic area (+/- 500 miles)

 

If you're looking for an uneducated buyer, it will sell high (chances are slimmer that one will step up).

 

Either way, car should go on eBay.  I'd set the initial price at $200 with a reserve at $4,200 and drop it if it doesn't sell after two listings.

 

Monitor what these two cars will sell for as they are somewhat comparable to your car:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Buick-Reatta-Base-Coupe-2-Door-/252004110062?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3aac9d8eee&item=252004110062 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Buick-Reatta-Two-Door-Coupe-/141702533588?forcerrptr=true&hash=item20fe2111d4&item=141702533588 (copy and paste - doesn't want to appear as a link).

 

Also, I'd have the listing end either on a Thursday or Sunday between 6-9P eastern time.

 

 

Edited June 28, 2015 by Bushwack (see edit history)

[ghostymosty]

Hi guys,

 

I updated the add with some undercarraige pictures. 

 

http://saginaw.craigslist.org/cto/5048324253.html

 

Do you think that $4800 is showcar price?  I had intended to price it as a week-end driver.  I seems to me that a Lesabre with this many miles and in this condition should be woth the same.  I know the market for a Reatta is smaller but?

The LeSabre with low miles and better than average condition is worth less than 2K, just an old car that has few potential buyers, unless you happen to find the one buyer who just has to have it. If you are believing price guides you will soon be disillusioned, check Ebay for concluded and sold auction listings. The concluded but unsold auctions are those sellers who are deluded about the value of their cars and the sold auctions are those sellers who truly wish to unload a car. Selling on a non-auction format should get you a little more than the sold auctions but nowhere near the completed auction 'buy it now' prices.