Value of 1990 Nissan Stanza?

[nopeda]

I have a 1990 Nissan Stanza now in Maine but has been in GA until 2019. It has a lot of rust issues on the body but the frame and underneath still appear to be pretty much rust free. The motor seems good for having over 200,000 miles and the transmission. It is a 5 speed and fun to drive. The last few times I've driven it have had no problems. But it has a number of issues even though I've put a lot of money in it to keep it going it's getting so I don't want to put more money into it having two other vehicles it's time to just let this one go. It doesn't seem to use oil or if so not much, but I have to add about half a quart about every 200 miles because of what it uses and oil leaks from valve cover gasket and wherever else. There are a number of other things like the clutch is spongy and it's hard to put in reverse and the left headlight keeps blowing the fuse. Also a recent problem is when slowing down to stop if I let the motor slow it down with back pressure (or whatever it's called) when accelerating again it will run rough and the RPMs will not get up to what they should and it is quite jerkey when they get up as high as they will. Putting the car in neutral or holding in the clutch and turning off the ignition then immediately restarting it clears the problem for that particular cycle. I was thinking of asking $1200 obo since it seems better than a parts car and it is an antique that someone could make into a nice vehicle if they want to put the time into it. Just trying to see what people think of that if I'm allowed to. 

Thank you for any advice!
David

[Peter Gariepy]

Details aside…

 

It’s has nominal value as you probably know. 
 

getting a value on ANY CAR is hard either way. 

 

Nor will you get many collectable interest here. At least I don’t think so. 
 

[Pfeil]

Unfortunately, even low mile, good condition cars are below ($1,000-$1500.00- top dollar) what I would consider a good value. Your car sounds tired with that kind of mileage.

They were a great three box car in their time. I drove, prepped and worked on quite a few. 

Edited April 18, 2023 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

1 hour ago, nopeda said:

...I was thinking of asking $1200 obo since it seems better than a parts car and it is an antique that someone could make into a nice vehicle if they want to put the time into it. Just trying to see what people think of that if I'm allowed to. 

David, welcome to the forum!  You're welcome to ask any

questions you like.

 

I will say that most cars of the 1990's have little interest

by collectors, and therefore little collector value.  Those that

do would tend to be the luxury cars or the high-performance

cars, such as a Lincoln Town Car, an Acura NSX, a Nissan 300ZX.

"Everyday" cars take much longer, even many decades, to gain a

following.  An everyday car such as yours, with high mileage

and rust, will probably not interest anyone who would restore it.

That's no fault of your car, it's just what the market is.

 

NADA (Nat'l Automobile Dealers Assn.) has books giving

car prices.  Most prices are not available to the public on-line,

except for some retail prices.  They have a book for used cars,

a book for older used cars, and a book for collectible antique cars.

I know the AACA Library has the 3rd one;  I don't know if your

car would be in it.  You could telephone the library.

 

All the best to you on the sale of your car.

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[zepher]

The Stanza was a great car, but the Nap-Z engine can be problematic when it develops issues.

My parents owned a '86 Stanza that was a great car and was very reliable from what I remember but my dad got rid of it when he started to have issues with the engine.

Don't remember what the exact problems were being as it was long ago and I had moved out by then so I wasn't up on the day to day dealings of his modern cars.

[1937hd45]

1 hour ago, Pfeil said:

 

They were a great three box car in their time. I drove, prepped and worked on quite a few. 

What is a "Three Box Car" ???

[f.f.jones]

Here's what I found on the internet. IMHO, in the condition you describe, you may have some difficulty getting even the "rough" value when you try to sell it.

 

1990 Nissan Stanza Value

 

Edmunds

https://www.edmunds.com › ... › 1990 Nissan Stanza

1990 Nissan Stanza Value - Find Out What Your Car's Worth ; Condition. Value ; Outstanding. $1,739 ; Clean. $1,648 ; Average. $1,496 ; Rough. $1,298.

 

 

[8E45E]

9 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

What is a "Three Box Car" ???

A sedan or coupe with an opening trunk that does not include the rear window with it. Engine compartment/passenger compartment/(separate)trunk compartment.  "Three 'box' car.

 

Hatchback with integrated luggage/trunk compartment; Two 'box' car.  Mini-van, One 'box' 

 

Craig

 

[8E45E]

9 hours ago, f.f.jones said:

Here's what I found on the internet. IMHO, in the condition you describe, you may have some difficulty getting even the "rough" value when you try to sell it.

 

1990 Nissan Stanza Value

 

Edmunds

https://www.edmunds.com › ... › 1990 Nissan Stanza

1990 Nissan Stanza Value - Find Out What Your Car's Worth ; Condition. Value ; Outstanding. $1,739 ; Clean. $1,648 ; Average. $1,496 ; Rough. $1,298.

 

 

It appears they are still a depreciating 'used car', and have yet to see an 'appreciation curve' for a pristine one; even after 30+ years of age.   

 

There was nothing unusual about them when they were new, nor were they rare in production number.  They were a simple, no-nonsense car that lived up to their reputation as being good value for the money at the time.

 

Craig

[Pfeil]

On 4/17/2023 at 7:31 PM, 1937hd45 said:

What is a "Three Box Car" ???

Coupes and sedans have what the automotive industry calls a three-box design, with distinct compartments for the engine bay, passengers, and trunk. Coupes and sedans fully enclose the trunk, unlike hatchbacks with open cargo areas. These vehicles also have fixed roofs that aren't removable.

 

• one-box (van)
• two-box (hatchback)
• three-box (sedan)
• 
•  

Edited April 19, 2023 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

1 hour ago, Pfeil said:

Coupes and sedans have what the automotive industry calls a three-box design, with distinct compartments for the engine bay, passengers, and trunk. Coupes and sedans fully enclose the trunk, unlike hatchbacks with open cargo areas. These vehicles also have fixed roofs that aren't removable.

Thank you at 72 I never meet anyone that used the term. 

 

Bob 

[Pfeil]

17 hours ago, zepher said:

The Stanza was a great car, but the Nap-Z engine can be problematic when it develops issues.

My parents owned a '86 Stanza that was a great car and was very reliable from what I remember but my dad got rid of it when he started to have issues with the engine.

Don't remember what the exact problems were being as it was long ago and I had moved out by then so I wasn't up on the day to day dealings of his modern cars.

No NAPZ in this car. A KA24. BTW, NAPZ is a very good engine that has a L series bottom end- and a crossflow head. 

[zepher]

3 minutes ago, Pfeil said:

No NAPZ in this car. A KA24. BTW, NAPZ is a very good engine that has a L series bottom end- and a crossflow head. 

Ah, I thought it had the NAPZ with the first of the dual spark plugs in each cylinder. 

Thanks for the correction. 

[Pfeil]

1 hour ago, 1937hd45 said:

Thank you at 72 I never meet anyone that used the term. 

 

Bob 

I worked for an automobile manufacturer, however some magazines like Collectible Automobile use the term quite a bit.

[1937hd45]

2 minutes ago, Pfeil said:

I worked for an automobile manufacturer, however some magazines like Collectible Automobile use the term quite a bit.

My interest in automobiles ends in 1942, there are a few exceptions Post War but not many. 

[nopeda]

Thank you people for letting me know the situation. I was hoping there could be something unique about it. I'll probably still try for $1100 obo though and see if there are any offers. I sure have put a lot more into it than that in the not too distant past. Recently sunk $1400 into it for a new distributor and...I forget what else. Ah, a new water pump and fuel lines and whatever. Last year it was pretty much a new exhaust system and etc for about $2K to pass inspection. Time to quit trying and let it go. 

[TAKerry]

Ive got an 03 expedition that is my wifes dd. Its got 200k miles on it. I bought it used for about 5k 7 years ago. In the last 2 years I have had to replace the rear axle bearings, front pulley and belts, twice, and there was something else that was about $800 that I cant remember what. I should have cut my losses long ago, but I expect a replacement will set me back 10k + an amount I dont want to spend right now. I have probably spent over 2k on it. I have no ideas at all of selling it to recoup any of those costs.  Sooner or later its got to hit the pasture. Right now its just good money spent for bad.