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Car Guys: What would this car be worth through a private sell?

O

OBIO

Retired SOH Admin
Car Guys: What would this car be worth through a private sell?

My neighbor has a 1997 Chevy Camaro. 3.8 liter V-6. Black with black interior. Mileage: has NOT hit 9500 yet! Not 95 thousand, but 95 HUNDRED. As in nine thousand, four hundred and fifty four miles. Her late husband bought it new. He passed away in 2004. They drove the car only on really nice days in the summer. The can still has that new car smell inside. No drips or leaks that I can see. Battery is bad due to sitting too long and being on a crappy battery charger too many times. We will be firing it up this week and taking it for a drive so I can make sure that the brakes are not seized, that none of the seals have dried out and that there are no drips or leaks after being driven.

A local car dealership told her they would give her something like $2500 for it.....which is less than half of the Kelley Blue Book value for this car.

What would be a fair market value for this car? She plans to sell it and I want to make sure she is not getting ripped off.

She also will be selling her 2000 Chevy S-10 4X4. 4.3 Vortec V-6. 75 thousand miles. I might have to sell one of my internal organs that I can live without to buy it. The truck has a few surface rust areas....just bubbles under the paint right now....and would be a great vehicle to get into.

OBIO
 
Low mileage like that should top out the blue book value and maybe a bit more. That dealer is playing cut throat low ball and I'd steer clear of them for anything.
 
Without knowing all the bells and whistles on the car, Kelly Blue Book value is right at $7,000. I think that should be her lower limit on this car....there is not a scratch, nick, scuff on it. I think her best bet would be to list it on E-Bay Motors and start the bidding at $6500 and see where it goes.

OBIO
 
It´s not a classic, and it´s also almost 15 yrs old, yet the low mileage makes it attractive to camaro lovers and 1st car youngsters with some money in their pockets, if the dealer says 2500 bucks it means he is planning to sell it by twice that much, so i think 7000 asking price with a 5000 as a minimum base should do it, also, ebay can be an option. Emphasis should be made to the fact it does have a low mileage and it still smells new, It´s just IMHO..

Best regards

Prowler
 
1997 was the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the Camaro. Unfortunately, this is NOT the official 30th Anniversary Edition with the white and orange paint scheme, the 350 V8 and the 30th Anniversary badges. Those puppies are going for upwards of 30 grand. This is just a plane jane V-6 Camaro. Really nice looking car..black with the black interior. Chromed alloy wheels. If I had the green, it would take up space in my garage and be my fair weather driver.

Did a bit more Kelly Blue Book work. Private sell price: $6900. Dealer sell price: $8200. Trade In Value: $5600

OBIO
 
That's where I disagree with the blue book. I don't think the dealer selling price should be that much higher than the private sale price.

In the end everything is only worth what someone is willing to give for it. I've got a limited edition rifle that only 325 were made. They've been going for around 1200 - 1400 dollars on the internet auctions when one does come up for sale. Locally I doubt I'd get anything anywhere close to that for it.
 
Remember that when you look at car values there is no mileage adjustment for low miles. The only adjustment comes from exceeding the mileage for the its age.

If KBB says its 5000 for those miles and options then it is 5000.

To be honest with you depending on how it was stored low mileage vehicles can be a pain in the butt for the buyer.

Even if it was stored in a good environment (hard to do in Ohio) it still has 15 years of age. That means a lot of things that might look good are ready to fall apart.
 
Dangerousdave26 said:
Remember that when you look at car values there is no mileage adjustment for low miles. The only adjustment comes from exceeding the mileage for the its age.

If KBB says its 5000 for those miles and options then it is 5000.

To be honest with you depending on how it was stored low mileage vehicles can be a pain in the butt for the buyer.

Even if it was stored in a good environment (hard to do in Ohio) it still has 15 years of age. That means a lot of things that might look good are ready to fall apart.
Click to expand...

I can see where you coming from here. Especially with today's cars with their plastic body parts and all that wiring -- both can become brittle over time; mileage has nothing to do with it.

Also machines, like people, do not do well sitting around all the time. Things sieze up; rust developes on parts. It doesn't mean the car is no good, but it will need to babied carefully at first until everything is exercised again.

-James
 
OBIO

just my 2 cents -- you might try looking in on a few of the Camaro and Chevy forums

many have buy/sell listings, and you'd be dealing with people that will appreciate the condition of the vehicle

:wavey:
 
OBIO, as long as you're doing your homework..

Take a look on eBay. Right now I'm counting 18 1997 Camaros for sale under eBay Motors. Mid-range prices for 'buy it now' range between $3,500 to around $5,000. The classic SS and others are much higher starting prices. Regardless, it might give you a better idea.
:ernae:
--WH
 
One of the better ways to find a price on a car, take it to a bank or credit union, ask them for a loan price on the car. What a bank will loan you, is usually a good price of what a car is worth.
 
jhefner said:
I can see where you coming from here. Especially with today's cars with their plastic body parts and all that wiring -- both can become brittle over time; mileage has nothing to do with it.

Also machines, like people, do not do well sitting around all the time. Things sieze up; rust developes on parts. It doesn't mean the car is no good, but it will need to babied carefully at first until everything is exercised again.

-James
Click to expand...

I know a guy who bought (roughly 2 years ago) a Ford Mustang, 1995 with 10k miles on it, we went together to see the car which looked fabulous, inside and outside, smelled like new and it belonged to the "granny" (NO kidding there) who drove it to the groceries store and back, at 4000 dollars it was an impulse buy, which my friend did, 3 months later, as the car began to be used (as a Mustang should) all the rattles and dings and cracks from plastic began to arise, suddenly,you started to "feel" anything on the road, and plastic vibration became a nuisance , while mechanically it was optimum, the inside began to decay astonishingly fast! he took it to a "tune up" shop just to find most interior plastic was done for, and cost him another 2g´s to put it back to "normal"(bleeding quotes there), his logic was that "at the end, i have this superb Mustang for 6 g´s" and he still does..your mileage may vary on this experience, but it is something to look for as well..

Best regards

Prowler
 
Tim, as in any facet of life, the car is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay.
Sounds like a nice tidy (if boring) vehicle, ideal for a kids first car, best bet in my experience is to advertise it at a reasonable figure and hang out for the right buyer.
Leave enough fat on the price for a good haggle and be prepared for a reasonable drop in price.
:kilroy:
 
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