Testing waters

Topic: Testing waters (Read 1913 times) previous topic - next topic

Testing waters

Reply #15 – May 08, 2012, 10:12:13 PM

Quote from: MY83T;389419

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?

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.

Testing waters

Reply #16 – May 08, 2012, 10:21:33 PM

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.

Testing waters

Reply #17 – May 08, 2012, 10:28:33 PM

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.

Testing waters

Reply #18 – May 08, 2012, 10:49:03 PM

I say, put the 351 in it, and drive it

Testing waters

Reply #19 – May 08, 2012, 11:12:32 PM

Quote from: Haystack;389433

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.

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.

Testing waters

Reply #20 – May 08, 2012, 11:30:41 PM

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?

Testing waters

Reply #21 – May 09, 2012, 12:30:32 AM

Quote

people expect Ohh it's an 80's car, must be fast,

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....

Testing waters

Reply #22 – May 09, 2012, 12:56:55 AM

^ exactly but people think it's old(er) an american car so it must have like 500hp stock.

Testing waters

Reply #23 – May 09, 2012, 01:31:41 AM

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.

Testing waters

Reply #24 – May 09, 2012, 01:38:48 AM

Quote from: Chrome;389458

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.

Testing waters

Reply #25 – May 09, 2012, 01:40:44 AM

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.

Testing waters

Reply #26 – May 09, 2012, 02:23:21 AM

Quote from: FirstBird;389460

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.

Testing waters

Reply #27 – May 09, 2012, 03:08:40 AM

Quote from: sarjxxx;389443

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.

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.

Testing waters

Reply #28 – May 09, 2012, 03:51:51 AM

wow how u find them so cheap got mine for 1300

Testing waters

Reply #29 – May 09, 2012, 01:11:04 PM

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