Value of my car? 1987 FC3S T2
11-03-13, 02:57 PM
#1
Value of my car? 1987 FC3S T2
1987 S4 T2 Freshly rebuilt and street ported 13BT with S4 NA Rotors, AEM wideband, 720CC injectors all around, Power FC with datalogit, Neukin turbo manifold, Tial MVR wastegate 44mm, full trust exhaust aside from the custom downpipe, re amemiya front coilovers and tokiko's in the back, freshly rebuilt John Deere turbo equivalent to a S366 flows at 82lbs, Fresh MB battles wrapped in FEDERAL 595 EVO's, Godspeed FMIC and Radiator, Battery relocated to rear, XTD stage 3 clutch, All new radiator/heater hoses, FC Trailing Igniter added to the trailing coil pack, FD3S IATS, GM 3-bar map sensor, E-Fan.
The car is currently being tuned to break in the engine and all the new parts safely also, what would you guys pay for a car like this?
Downsides are the ugly red interior, no smog equipment, no power steering, or A/C
The car is currently being tuned to break in the engine and all the new parts safely also, what would you guys pay for a car like this?
Downsides are the ugly red interior, no smog equipment, no power steering, or A/C
11-03-13, 03:14 PM
#2
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People on this forum will tell you that it is worth thousands and thousands of dollars, but when it comes down to an actual buyer you would only get about $1,500 for the car. The poor interior and mismatched parts are going to really hurt the sale as a whole. I think that you could part it out and get $4K or more for the parts.
11-03-13, 05:28 PM
#4
Unfinished repaint of a totally different color detracts a lot of value, lot of sloppy overspray in the engine bay too. Wheels are incorrect offset to fit properly. Is the rear interior reinstalled? Ebay clutch, unknown brand injectors too small for what the turbo is capable of, mismatched suspension, who rebuilt the engine? The car is worth more in parts than as a whole.
If it were tuned I could see getting a realistic ~2,500 for it.
If it were tuned I could see getting a realistic ~2,500 for it.
11-03-13, 06:24 PM
#5
People on this forum will tell you that it is worth thousands and thousands of dollars, but when it comes down to an actual buyer you would only get about $1,500 for the car. The poor interior and mismatched parts are going to really hurt the sale as a whole. I think that you could part it out and get $4K or more for the parts.
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11-03-13, 08:03 PM
#8
pretty much yes.
look at it from the other side if you were looking at your own car to buy it, and say you didn't live in a pile of filth in your house and actually were looking for a cleanly built, well maintained car and you saw that.
come on man, find a vacuum cleaner and some armor all at least. i agree, it's worth about $1500-2k in as-is condition, maybe $3500 if you clean up the overspray, wetsand the paint smooth, replaced the filthy interior and it was tuned and running well.
you're best bet is the last option, part it out.
as soon as i saw those seats i probably wouldn't even want to sit in the car regardless of how it looks on the outside.
look at it from the other side if you were looking at your own car to buy it, and say you didn't live in a pile of filth in your house and actually were looking for a cleanly built, well maintained car and you saw that.
come on man, find a vacuum cleaner and some armor all at least. i agree, it's worth about $1500-2k in as-is condition, maybe $3500 if you clean up the overspray, wetsand the paint smooth, replaced the filthy interior and it was tuned and running well.
you're best bet is the last option, part it out.
as soon as i saw those seats i probably wouldn't even want to sit in the car regardless of how it looks on the outside.
11-03-13, 08:47 PM
#9
Unfinished repaint of a totally different color detracts a lot of value, lot of sloppy overspray in the engine bay too. Wheels are incorrect offset to fit properly. Is the rear interior reinstalled? Ebay clutch, unknown brand injectors too small for what the turbo is capable of, mismatched suspension, who rebuilt the engine? The car is worth more in parts than as a whole.
If it were tuned I could see getting a realistic ~2,500 for it.
If it were tuned I could see getting a realistic ~2,500 for it.
Fact is that he's right. Too may mismatched parts, but its a project build so that's sometimes what happens.
If you swapped out the seats, i.e. better stockers, and fuel system to suit turbo and had a complete interior you could get decent amount further from $1500.
11-03-13, 09:11 PM
#10
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The car as it is now. The shell usually goes for $50, sometimes free. Were it a non-sunroof car then you could maybe get a little more money for the shell.
You can try putting an ad in the classified section of this forum to see if anybody wants to pay a premium price for the car (in other words, they want all the parts). However, I have a feeling that you will get a lot of "good luck with the sale" and "gee, I wish I had the money" posts. I guess it's worth a try anyway, especially around the holidays.
Given that, I think you will get a lot more money for the parts, especially if you advertise the wheels/tires towards the car that they fit. Also, I would maybe sell the turbo/manifold and engine/injectors as separate packages since they are so mismatched.
LOL
You can try putting an ad in the classified section of this forum to see if anybody wants to pay a premium price for the car (in other words, they want all the parts). However, I have a feeling that you will get a lot of "good luck with the sale" and "gee, I wish I had the money" posts. I guess it's worth a try anyway, especially around the holidays.
Given that, I think you will get a lot more money for the parts, especially if you advertise the wheels/tires towards the car that they fit. Also, I would maybe sell the turbo/manifold and engine/injectors as separate packages since they are so mismatched.
LOL
11-04-13, 12:22 PM
#12
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i was going to say, sell the wheels, clean up the interior, get it running and then sell it, but since it needs a smog i think you're doomed.
11-04-13, 12:33 PM
#13
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See if they will sell it on consignment. They will most likely get more money than you will because they can stand behind the engine and offer a warranty. Also, they can offer an installation and tuning package to prospective buyers.
11-05-13, 01:11 AM
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I would actually think about getting this..IF you weren't so far away.
I need a new engine.
I Just Popped the rear rotor on mine today....yay..putt,putt..Bob the Builder car..
I need a new engine.
I Just Popped the rear rotor on mine today....yay..putt,putt..Bob the Builder car..
11-05-13, 11:48 AM
#19
If someone were selling that car around here I'd tell them to take the wheels off (probably the most valuable part of the car) and I'd offer them like a grand for the rest. Fresh rebuilt motors are well and fine, but if I didn't see it installed with my own eyes, I don't trust it as far as I can throw it (about 4 feet). I get more engines than I should (used and rebuilt) that were worked on or installed by dumbasses who dropped nuts/bolts/washers down the intake, and the engine grenades upon first startup. There are a whole HOST of other issues that can arise during storage, handling, and install of an engine...long story short, I trust no one except myself.
So, that 2 thousand dollar engine you have there is worth very little to me until I prove that it is still as good as it should be. You say, "if I just paid 2 grand for it, it should still be worth 1800". Not true. You paid 2 grand to the shop who built it, they are also warrantying it to you. When you resell it, the warranty from that shop goes in the trash (with good reason). So when YOU sell it, are YOU looking to warranty it for 1 year or 12k miles? Are YOU going to give a written legal warranty backed up by the ability to re-rebuild it if the need arises? No? Then the value just dropped by half or more, because the buyer is taking a HUGE risk of buying a boat anchor with no remedy available to them if it is bad.
Pretty much the same thing goes for other expensive, easily damaged parts such as a turbocharger or electronics such as an engine management computer. IF it's not currently in running and driving condition, it is a huge risk to the buyer and thus the value is greatly reduced.
There have been times in the past when I have gotten ahold of cars or setups like this and thought, "wow, there is a turbo, here is a computer, there is a rebuilt block, here are a set of fuel injectors, etc...I am going to make a killing on all this stuff". Only later after everything was taken apart and checked closely did I find out that something was wrong with or missing from just about everything there, some parts were knockoffs, others had been modified incorrectly, and I was only going to be able to salvage maybe 35% of the value that I expected to.
In most cases, a car like yours that's been together and apart multiple times through many hands is always going to be a rigged up basket case, the fit and finish will never be anything like a "normal" non-molested car, and that is what most people are interested in buying. Anyone can rig up their own car for free and most will not pay for the privilege of having one, while not many people have nice ones that are all "there" and so those are the ones that will sell better.
I think that is one of the problems with this forum. Forum kiddies get these cars and they see old build threads from experienced members with disposable funds who strip down a car to nothing and rebuild it from the ground up "the right way". Then these guys say "oh, I'm going to do that to mine" not realizing the time, knowledge, money, and space required to do those kinds of builds...and then this is the result, a car that will never be "right" again. Then the owners of those cars wonder why they are not valuable, as though their "work" and "modifications" should somehow increase (and not decrease) the value of the car.
So, that 2 thousand dollar engine you have there is worth very little to me until I prove that it is still as good as it should be. You say, "if I just paid 2 grand for it, it should still be worth 1800". Not true. You paid 2 grand to the shop who built it, they are also warrantying it to you. When you resell it, the warranty from that shop goes in the trash (with good reason). So when YOU sell it, are YOU looking to warranty it for 1 year or 12k miles? Are YOU going to give a written legal warranty backed up by the ability to re-rebuild it if the need arises? No? Then the value just dropped by half or more, because the buyer is taking a HUGE risk of buying a boat anchor with no remedy available to them if it is bad.
Pretty much the same thing goes for other expensive, easily damaged parts such as a turbocharger or electronics such as an engine management computer. IF it's not currently in running and driving condition, it is a huge risk to the buyer and thus the value is greatly reduced.
There have been times in the past when I have gotten ahold of cars or setups like this and thought, "wow, there is a turbo, here is a computer, there is a rebuilt block, here are a set of fuel injectors, etc...I am going to make a killing on all this stuff". Only later after everything was taken apart and checked closely did I find out that something was wrong with or missing from just about everything there, some parts were knockoffs, others had been modified incorrectly, and I was only going to be able to salvage maybe 35% of the value that I expected to.
In most cases, a car like yours that's been together and apart multiple times through many hands is always going to be a rigged up basket case, the fit and finish will never be anything like a "normal" non-molested car, and that is what most people are interested in buying. Anyone can rig up their own car for free and most will not pay for the privilege of having one, while not many people have nice ones that are all "there" and so those are the ones that will sell better.
I think that is one of the problems with this forum. Forum kiddies get these cars and they see old build threads from experienced members with disposable funds who strip down a car to nothing and rebuild it from the ground up "the right way". Then these guys say "oh, I'm going to do that to mine" not realizing the time, knowledge, money, and space required to do those kinds of builds...and then this is the result, a car that will never be "right" again. Then the owners of those cars wonder why they are not valuable, as though their "work" and "modifications" should somehow increase (and not decrease) the value of the car.
11-05-13, 12:06 PM
#20
and it begs the question of why you want to sell it?
most people who do not finish projects already know that something is amiss if they have the ability to finish the project. no one likes surprises like a turbo that pukes oil because the turbo shop was shady, or the second hand ECU that fried the map sensor input, or the block built by a shop with only a handful of rotary experience.
all those factors are in your head and you know that something probably isn't going to work right so the value is in you working out those issues yourself. packing them off to someone else results in 1/2 to 2/3 of your personal value invested into the car going right into the trash.
you can also never recoup your investment. i always remind people that if they want to build a car that they are doing it to enjoy it, not to try and make something off of it. all those parts you accumulated dropped by at least 1/2 in value as soon as you paid the shop for them. just like buying a new car you take the hit as soon as you take posession, you buy something because YOU want it and buy it for its intended purpose, if you choose to sell it then you have no say in how much money you will lose in the end.
even selling the parts induvidually does not bypass those rules. say the engine does not run, you might have a small claims suit follow you. or the turbo is in fact a faulty rebuild, the buyer will be after you, not the turbo shop. you have the reciepts, you can go press those shops to fix any problems.
i have over $20k invested into my car and even with a refresh on the engine i would be lucky to get $7k for it, it's also clean enough that i don't mind sitting in it..
this is all common sense.
and i hate these threads, people always get butthurt when opinions mixed with fact come out. a well built modified car usually carries only slightly more value than a stock unmolested car does, a crappy built modified car has less value than a stock unmolested car does. which way you go with it determines the value and at this point it could easily go either way.
most people who do not finish projects already know that something is amiss if they have the ability to finish the project. no one likes surprises like a turbo that pukes oil because the turbo shop was shady, or the second hand ECU that fried the map sensor input, or the block built by a shop with only a handful of rotary experience.
all those factors are in your head and you know that something probably isn't going to work right so the value is in you working out those issues yourself. packing them off to someone else results in 1/2 to 2/3 of your personal value invested into the car going right into the trash.
you can also never recoup your investment. i always remind people that if they want to build a car that they are doing it to enjoy it, not to try and make something off of it. all those parts you accumulated dropped by at least 1/2 in value as soon as you paid the shop for them. just like buying a new car you take the hit as soon as you take posession, you buy something because YOU want it and buy it for its intended purpose, if you choose to sell it then you have no say in how much money you will lose in the end.
even selling the parts induvidually does not bypass those rules. say the engine does not run, you might have a small claims suit follow you. or the turbo is in fact a faulty rebuild, the buyer will be after you, not the turbo shop. you have the reciepts, you can go press those shops to fix any problems.
i have over $20k invested into my car and even with a refresh on the engine i would be lucky to get $7k for it, it's also clean enough that i don't mind sitting in it..
this is all common sense.
and i hate these threads, people always get butthurt when opinions mixed with fact come out. a well built modified car usually carries only slightly more value than a stock unmolested car does, a crappy built modified car has less value than a stock unmolested car does. which way you go with it determines the value and at this point it could easily go either way.
Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 11-05-13 at 12:18 PM.
11-05-13, 02:18 PM
#21
Every single part on this car is functioning properly, I just had the urge to sell it because I was getting impatient. I just wanted this thing to be broken in and set to take to the track sooner than it's taken me to get this far. My older brother has built Honda's most of his life and he got those things running 12 seconds in the 1/4 mile within a month, this is no Honda lol....
Only things left are to break in the engine/turbo/clutch, upgrade the fuel system,and then get it tuned. Also have to register it somehow
Only things left are to break in the engine/turbo/clutch, upgrade the fuel system,and then get it tuned. Also have to register it somehow
Last edited by Agrovain; 11-05-13 at 02:20 PM.
11-05-13, 04:21 PM
#22
Every single part on this car is functioning properly, I just had the urge to sell it because I was getting impatient. I just wanted this thing to be broken in and set to take to the track sooner than it's taken me to get this far. My older brother has built Honda's most of his life and he got those things running 12 seconds in the 1/4 mile within a month, this is no Honda lol....
Only things left are to break in the engine/turbo/clutch, upgrade the fuel system,and then get it tuned. Also have to register it somehow
Only things left are to break in the engine/turbo/clutch, upgrade the fuel system,and then get it tuned. Also have to register it somehow
11-05-13, 05:21 PM
#24
these cars are have such a small niche market. Thoes who know about our cars know what to look for and the true potential in the value of nostalgic reasons for owning one. you will never get anywhere close to what you put into it. they really aren't meant to be built and sold for a profit. at least not in this red white and blue country. damn domestics get all the love. maybe if you got rid of that bread slicing engine and drop the "it shall not be named" engine in it you might be able to sell it to some domestic/import lover on CL.
but short answer. yea everyone is right. either part it, finish your polished turd or sell it for what you can get for it.
but short answer. yea everyone is right. either part it, finish your polished turd or sell it for what you can get for it.
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