So I have a 1987 Ford Thunderbird 3.8 V6. Always been a CA car. It has 27,XXX miles on it and was repainted about 9 months ago. Now my question is how much could I realistically get for it?
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I'll give you $50 if it will make the drive out here.
Start high, work your way low, but don't settle and you'll get fair price for it. See what other similar condition cars are priced for, and work from there.
HAHA Utah no problem. Yeah here in CA there are a few for sale but they want like 5k which is unrealistic for a v6 maybe if it was a Turbocoupe or 5.0 and then still it would have to be an H.O swap.
I called on about 5 86-88 foxes from cali when I got my tax return. Not a single one of them would even talk to me when they found out I wanted to drive down from utah. Its only a half day drive. Crazy how much money they are trying to get for some of them. But every one I called on, is still for sale.
I wouldn't mind a v-6 in good shape, but for that much work I want a 4 eye. I like them a lot better. I am starting a new job Monday, and hoping to get some money going. I've been out of work since october.
Yeah, if I do sell it I'll be in the market for a 4 eye mustang/tbird or a late 60's early 70's tbird.
Who put a wing on a stock bird? With 28,000 . Tough to put a price on that,but if the price would be right, I may take it.
I put the wing on I like it haha not completely out of place in my opinion. My plan was to swap in a 351or 302 with t5 i have laying around but it might be easier to just buy an original v8 car. Personally i would like to get 3,000 for it but that might be to high thats why im asking.
did you put a new gauge in there because i see its got the boost gauge for the turbo.
If you wait long enoughb I think you could get $3k out of it if its in good mechanical shape. One thing that's hard to do is find a decent car with no rust. That is worth more then a v-8.
But, the type of people that would buy a 27k bird, would want it origonal, with no mods, no door dings, window stickers ect. They want it to be a time capsule, like it just rolled off the show room.
Out here a rust free car isn't all that rare. Back east it is. Around here I think $3k would be a bit much, mainly because I don't care about mileage, and I care very little how the car looks. For me it would be a $1500 car, but I'm cheap, and I wouldn't sell a car to make money, just to break even. If you find someone that doesn't want to do body work and wants to spray it, throw in a big engine, that car would work fine. For that guy the car might be worth 4 or 5k
Just depends on your market.
Haystack I know what you mean I should wait for the right moment, and I get the time capsule thing but its a little too late lol. I think everyone likes it when they can get their hands on a cheap car but what saddens me is that if i were to let it go for 1500 you can't even get a torn up honda for that price.
351fox yeah the cluster is from a turbocoupe because the original digital one stopped working and all the gauges went berserk.
Ding ding we have a winner. By modifying a 27K car you've unfortunatly ruined it's value to people who would want a 27K T-bird.
at this point since its a modded car anyway, i would lose the wire wheels, and maybe add a set of turbines with some sporty tires. You may get some added interest in the car. Some people have a low imagination point, and need to see the end results of what the car can look like.
Thwre's n 83 5.0 with 156k for sale locally. They want $6k for it, it has trx rims and needs tires. I've been wondering if I could get $2500 off the price by bring up tires cost $600 a pop, plus instalation. Then I could pick up some cheap 10 holes to get it home. But even $3500 for a 28 year old car with 156k is a lot of money.
I think much of your question revolves around condition......interior, options, and moldings etc. We all know how hard these parts are to come by. I think the TRX issue is a fair one to raise for price. $3500 for a super clean V8 Heritage is not off the wall. These are becoming very scarce and prices will start rising on these cars. People collect what they remember from their youth and these cars are starting to come into their own. You just don't see them anywhere in the Northeast. Any pics of it?
My advice to you would be don't sell it unless you get every cent of the $3000 that you want for it. You will miss it if you do.
I bought a 87 v-8 tbird with 120k on it for $400 three years ago. It had a busted trunk latch and needed a power steering line.
Reguardless of what book is, its still a 28 year old car with 156k on it. A $6k car with $3k worth of work, plus taxes, fee's saftey, emissions, and anything else you have to do to get it on the road is not work $4 or $5 grand.
These cars were not rare, still aren't worth much, and the only people that would say anything different is someone that collects cars where money isn't an issue, or has at least that much money into it. At 156k, unless its got a brnd new engin, transmission, and had ALL scheduled matinence done, its basically worth its weight in s. Its like the 87-93 mustang guys that try to get $5-10k for a primered lx that they swapped a carbed v-8 into.
In my opinion to get that car on the road, I would have to swap rims/tires, swap cams just to be safe and to replace the timing chain, replace/rebuild the front end, if its sat at all, new hoses and belts, basic tune up, replace u-joints, and probably add a stereo if it doesn't already have one. Lube everything up, and fix anything else that would be bad. If all of those things were done, it MIGHT be worth $5-6k, with the service records.
But I also don't believe in owning a car you can't drive, so take my opinion as worth a grain of salt. But I'm picky, cheap, and I'll work pretty hard to save a buck or two. Now where these cars are getting twoards the age of "collectors" cars, things are begining to change though.
Back east you guys have a lot more problems with rust, and condition of the paint due to humidity and weather. But here in utah, where it litterly rains salt water, the paint fades quickly and bad, once you get a scratch it starts to rust, but is easier to maintain. Because of that, I believe that we have many more "survivor" cars hanging around then most places. Its common for me to see arizona cars that look new with 200k on them, and cali cars with 50k that are flawless.
My last bird was in north carolina in the early 2000's and had minor rust bubbles all over the car, mostly just paint and surface. The underside was terrible, as was the drain holes, floorboards from a bad heater core, rockers, and near the back window. My crown vic wagon that was a california car, has spent 5 years in utah. It has little to no rust on the under side. Driveshaft bolts and ler hangers looked brandnew, and so did most of the factory exhaust. The sides are all sed up, and a lot the sharp flat body lines, there are lines of rust. The story I was told was, gradma was loosing her eyes sight, but still drove. They took the car away when she knocked over her car port. It has played bumper cars a couple of times as well. From 10 feet away, you can't see any rust spots, or damage. Most are the size of a pin hole, even where the paint was sped off. This car would shine right up if I cleaned and waxed it.
In 10-15 years though, this car will be ready for the rust pile, and where I don't care for the car, I probably won't do much to prevent it.
Sorry for the highjack.
To firstbird, if you hold out, you'll get a fair price for it. I don't think $3k is too high for a 27k car, but it is no longer stock. I think $3k would be a good price for its condition. Start at $4, maybe evern $4500, and let them talk you down to $3k. You might be hanging onto it for a year or two before you get it though.
Hers a link to that 83. They dropped the price down to $5k today. I remembered it being a bird, but its a cougar. If anyone is seriously interested, i'd be more then happy to look at it and take pictures.
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=13301084&nid=917&car=9004555&page=1&make=493&model=1081
Hopefully that doesn't pull up the mobile site, I'm on my phone and can't use the regular search.
They added two more pictures and included that they have window stickers and all service records. Looks a lot nicer then I remebered it being.
I say, put the 351 in it, and drive it
I just find it interesting that you kind of talk about them almost like they grow on trees. I search craigslist regularly and haven't seen but 5 fox cat/birds within 100 miles of me so far this year. one of which was an estate sale score that they want $5000 out of with 18K mi, and as for the rest not a dime less than $1500 on any of them, usually needing work or whatever. Come to think of it I don't think I've ever seen one online that was below $800. I have NEVER seen one for sale on a dealer lot, and only once for sale locally. That guy wanted $1300 for a 84 v6 but he was in a pinch and really needed money for rent or something and my friends really needed a car so they got him to sell it for the $500 that they had. And that was 3 years ago. To me what makes a car's value is what people are asking for them and how common they are. Believe me, I'm not saying they should all be worth 3-6K or sold as antiques, but you just can't pick them up for $500 anymore because they don't exist at that price. Hell I even got suckered into paying $1000 for mine and I got nothing for it except a bottomless money pit with problem after freaking problem. I still to this day am not finished fixing all the broken that was wrong with that car when I bought it. And well I guess the satisfaction that I got one of the only cougars ever made with a complete lack of standard options (which honestly I found more of a bum deal than a zinger).
I wish you could pick them up for that though, I'd have a parts car. Or two. Maybe its just my location. It seems to me like a lot of people post in the leads section from areas near them, and see them around their town as well. I only see one every 3-6 months around here period. Much less for sale.:dunno:
Yeah I totally get what you guys mean that it's no longer stock. I don't want to sell it but the 3.8 just doesn't cut it, people expect Ohh it's an 80's car, must be fast, but it's not lol. I guess it's maybe because i'm a teenager and like speed and doing stupid Sh*t. But I guess maybe the 351 will have to be this summers project. It should bolt up to my aod, since its a small block?
Some mid-80's Ferarris were turning 15 second quarter mile times... Low 14's were blistering then....
There's a reason they call it the Malaise Era....
^ exactly but people think it's old(er) an american car so it must have like 500hp stock.
Bought my 88 LX from Cali with 55,xxx miles. It was like a time capsule. I spent around 3,500 for it and then had it shipped to Tx. I didn't even get to see it in person until it arrived. The dash is cracked and the left rear quarter is faded. Even so I feel that I got a good deal. They were originally asking 6,000. I did not buy it because of originality. I bought it because of it's looks and low mileage. If you sell it for 3,000 or less ur crazy. I would put some wheels on it and start at 5,000. Would not settle for less than 3,500.
I have a set of chrome turbines I guess i''ll throw on it and maybe take some better pictures and see how things go.
Yeah, that's kinda what I meant. Don't have to spend a fortune. Just something nice looking. Hubcaps don't help a sale unless it is 100% original car.
I'm not trying to point anyone the wrong direction, but I see 3-5 fox's, sometimes more at two of three junkyards I frequent, just about everytime I go.
They don't exactly grow on tree's anymore, but I used to trip on them everytime I walked down the street. At one point in time, I had 7 fox's, and me and my dad had 13 vehicles between the two of us. Everytime one broke down, i'd wait till I got a good check, drop $5-600, and have another car. I had several that were the same year, and I occasionally swapped plates between them (ssshhh, I wasn't a very smart kid...). I used to have pictures of 4 87's in my driveway, all registered and insured in my name. 2 v-6 cougars, and two v-8 thunderbirds. When I blew the trans behind my new engine, I bought a new car for less then I could get a junkyard trans for. And between all of them, the most expensive one was $550. All of them needed little things, but I had everyone on the road within a week, and that was before I knew about reading codes, trouble shooting problems or anything.
I could still pick them up about one or two cars a month for around $1000 if your not looking for a perfect car.
Let's just og over the cars I have bought, and steered my freinds to.
First car, 86 gs, no options except v-8 basically. $110 police impoud.
After driving that car around for a while, I got sick of getting made fun of for how ugly my car was. Midnight wine fades to purple, just incase you were wondering. I spray painted the car black. Beat it up, mostly it suffered cosmetically, and from tinkeritus.
Second car, bought on my 18th birthday, as a present to myself.
87 v-6 with 150k miles. Paid $550, two tone blue, looked really good. Needed a ler and a brake line. Blew the water pump 2 months in, parked it, gave it away to 3 different freinds 4 times, and was given it back everytime. The trunklid is on damiacs car, front end made it onto my last 87 bird. Ended up getting junked about this time last year.
Third, 86 ls, bought this after water pump blew for $400. Checy guy owned it, starter got stuck, he threw a new flywheel on it, new starter, but he didn't replace the solinoid. Sold it as a non-running car. I think I pissed him off when I dropped a battery in it, popped the power cable off the solinoid, touched it to the positive lead and drove it home. Has 98k or so on it from what I remember. Drove nice, but popped a power steering line, and vac manifold broke. Gave it to my dad when his cars all broke down and he junked it when he got re married.
Fourth cr, 89 mustang convertable. Picked it up for $125, swapped the tires on my 86, sold it for $400 to a mustang guy that threw a carbed 302 in it. Ended up the guy lived next door to my soon to be ex-wife.
5th car, 87 v-6. Gold, about 150k on the body, new engine. $300. It would peel out hard, then bog down and turn back into a cfi v-6. Lost overdrive on the trans after 6 months or so. Started dumping fluids out of all parts of the trans case. I eventally got it down to the junkyard dumping 30 weight in the trans. Body was trashed on this car. A telephone pole fell over on it a smashed a quarter panel.
6th car, 87 bird. $500, good body Bought it site unseen, guy trailered it down from out of town, said it ran but the battery was dead. After getting it to start (fuel pump wnertia switch in trunk) it knocked badly bottom end and trans was slipping. Wish I could have gotten it started before he left. The hood latch was broken, and I put 5 quarts in it before it read on the dipstick. My first car got towed after it broke down in a snow storm. I was forced to leave it, was never informed of what happened to it until it was crushed. I just bought a rebuild 302 for the car. Ended up swapping it into this bird, with no real budget. The bad engine was warped badly, including both heads. threw on some junkyard heads, stock s.o. intake and injectors, which killed me because I had all the h.o. stuff, but I had to get it running in a weekend on the side of the road. Put the trans in it out of the first 87 cougar. First a second gear worked fine, but within 20 miles of burnouts, trans was toast.
7ths car, 87 bird, 5.0 no start. $400. 120k, decent body. The battery was hooded up backwards and fried the fuseable links. This car was supposed to be a trans donor only. Ran too good to rip it apart, and lost the garage to work on the other car. Pulled the motor out, sold it to the wifes next door neighbor that bought my mustang for $100. That's all the junkyard would give me with no engine. Suposedly he turned it into a drag car, but I never saw it again.
I drove this car for two years with no coolant in the car, trying to blow it up so I could throw the new motor with h.o. upgrades in. Never blew up. Put 1000 miles on it the first two years I had it, I only lived 2 miles from work. Eventually fixed the power steering, then the wifes neon through a timingbelt and ate the head, for the third time. It was forced into being our only car while we had our first kid, and I ended up losing my job. I eventually did pizza delivery 50 miles away from where I lived. At this point I didn't even know there was no coolant in it. Never checked it, car never go warm in my 2 mile commute. Smog pump locked up one, as did the water pump. Even after driving it for 30+ miles 5 days a week withgno coolant, still didn't burn up the motor. I eventually put a new radiator in it, and to my surprise, it ran well. I put 40k on it in one year. Only major problem was a bad u-joint. Averaged 25-27 mpg freeway, hit over 30mpg several times. I could drive my 100 mile a day commute for 6 days on a single tank if I went easy on it, and stilldelivered pizza 3-5 times a week. Some days I was putting over 400 miles a day on the car.
This is the bird I junked last year to pay rent 4 weeks before the wife took off. Never did blow it up, and it wtill ran well at 183k, and 40k without an oil change.
There are a couple cars in there I just flipped, sold to freinds, gave to family I didn't include in there. All were 86-88 cougar/birds. All of them were purchased before I turned 20. I am 25 now, and had the last car for 4 years.
When I got my tax return earlier this year, I walked away from several $1000 or less cars because they were 87-88's or were v-6's. I talk my one buddy into buying a 87 I walked away from with 183k, but good condition everything, new schocks/struts and front end. Tv cable popped off on the previous owner, putting it back in, he has 1-3 gears perfect and od ishiznit ir miss. He picked it up for $700. Still trying to talk him into buying my trans and doing a t-5 swap, but he works close to home and does no freeway, so he just keeps it in drive.
There still out there, well at least out here. Winter time is the time to pick them up. For some reason everyone thinks rwd is bad in the snow and sell them cheap at first snow fall. I delivered pizza for a year on the side of a moutain, and drove 52 miles each way for a year through moutain passes. There was several times when I was the only one to make it to work.
wow how u find them so cheap got mine for 1300
Yeah but in california people want absurd amounts for their cars. Here the lowest ive seen a car for sale is 800 for a 89 maxima that was beat up. And for 3k people want that for their stock 90's civic. I may not sell it but I'm not sure because I may be buying a 71 fourdor tbird
A californa car is worth more in my opinion. There just isn't as much humuduty, it stays dry, and there is almost always little to no rust. I'd pay $1000 for a california or arizona car in the same condition as a $500 utah car.
I think you can get $3k out of it, but like I said, you might have to sit on it and find the right buyer. With good paint, and low miles, i'd pay $1500-2k as it sits without thinking about it. $3k would be a decent price I think. Might go for $4k if it was a v-8.
I'd fix it up how you like it. Drop a fuel injected v-8 in it, do the h.o. stuff to it, have a decent looking car that you'll love. In 5 or 10 years it might be worth double that with low miles.
See that's what I mean. It must just be my location. They must really be common out there in the SW. You say you see 3-5 in your yards, and 87IROC was always coming on here with dozens of JY finds when he was out in Vegas as well. The only foxes I see at the yards anymore are at 1 yard out of my local 5. he has 3. And that's bc he doesn't crush. He's had the first two for 2 years. I don't see them in the yards, on the street, or for sale. I guess they're just rare here and that's why I would be willing to spend more on one. In fact to be perfectly honest, they're so rare around here that I didn't even know these cars EXISTED until I go the chance to buy mine. Granted I was 19 and not paying the utmost amount of attention but still you tend to notice things like that when there's a bunch around.:giggle:
But back to what firsbird is talking about, there's quite a bit of work involved in properly converting your 87 V6 to a V8 car. If you had a v8 car it wouldn't be quite as bad, but if you've already got a motor and trans, then you should probably go for it. You'll definitely enjoy it. But again, if you do decide to ditch it, well since the market is apparently completely different there than what it is here, I can't really say what it's "worth", but what I do know is don't settle for less than you want for it. That is truly what its worth.:)
Chrome turbines? you got picks of them? Got to see a pick.
i don't see why you cant get 3 g's for it looks real nice, but like every one said your guna have to sit on it for a while people don't appreciate birds and it makes em harder to sell my brother thinks they're worth maybe 1000-1500 tops for a 3.8
(http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l622/87tbird/IMG_01381.jpg) the inlays are painted black and i painted the caps black because they were beat up.
[thread=33693]This is the trans you need to put behind that 351[/thread];)
Maybe if i was building a race car... atm I just want to spank "fresh" Honda's around.
That really looks pretty good. I would get the exess paint off the vains, and use a small artist brush and put some chrome paint in the Ford logo.
you can polish turbines too and they'll look pretty close to that. Send some to Vinnie. He loves polishing aluminum:giggle:
Yeah the excess is when i got a can of plastidip and painted them black as you can see in my sig pic. I was originally going to polish some turbines but there are way to many little crevices. And i got these for $80