Asking price?

[1BadRat]

I "inherited" a 99 SHO and I'm not going to keep it. I'm a Chevy guy but I like all cars, even Fords!! This 99 SHO is a fun car but I'm just not going to keep it. My Chevelle and Vette are enough maintanance for one person.

What is a good asking price? It has almost all the options you could get, CD changer, sun roof, etc. It has 99,000 original miles. Welded cams. Everything works........

BUT, the transmission will need a rebuild(it puked fluid on a recent trip) but it is ok for now. I still drive it around town. Slight damage/tear on the front bumper and small dent on right front fender which can be repaired fairly easily.

I want to sell it as is. Any suggestions will be appreciated. I'm not sure exactly where to start.

 

[stephen newberg]

The price point of anything that is not in show room condition is still in decline on SHOs in general, so you are not looking at getting a lot out of it, I suspect. Book value of excellent condition at suggested retail is $5500. Trade in is a couple of grand less, while private party sale is a thousand less.

pax, smn

 

[NOTAURIUS]

I would say $2000 -$2500 to start considering the mileage is lower than most, but the trans problem is a considerable drawback. What is the color?

 

[1BadRat]

Car is white. I know it's hard to determine without seeing it but over all it is in good shape except for the transmission. That is the only drawback.

I'm thinking of starting in the 3K range.

 

[sperold]

Ask around on this forum, but I would consider installing a transmission cooler to get the puking problem under control. Maybe even one with its own fan setup. A few hundred dollars may allow you to sell for a premium.

 

[Ian Macoomb]

In perfect condition these things don't sell for that kind of money. $2k might be reasonable but expect to sell for $1000-1500. There just isn't any market for these cars and they attract really cheap m0ther f0ckers.

 

[stephen newberg]

Ian, have you seen any actual sales numbers that would indicate such a variance from what is in the Blue Book? Just curious, as I have no intention of selling mine.

pax, smn

 

[Ian Macoomb]

I haven't seen any real numbers. I just see cars that don't see here, on Facebook and on e-bay. There's just no market for them and the SHO guys are cheap. There's people crushing SHOs because nobody is willing to pay a fair price for them.

 

[MG McAnick]

ALABAMA vs CANADA

I think a rust free car from 'Bama would be worth a lot more that anything from the rust belt. I know some cars in SOME parts of Canada are rusty at five years. Pricing in Alabama is bound to be higher than Canada for that reason alone.

Check prices on COMPLETED auctions on ebay to see what they are actually bringing in your area. Craigslist ASKING prices are not a true indicator.

 

[Ian Macoomb]

Really? A guy with 4 posts is an expert on what a car is worth?

Have a look over at the Facebook groups. There's guys that are having a hard time selling nicely modded V6 MTX cars. 99.9% of the enthusiasts would spend more for a Gen 2 MTX than a Gen 3. These cars are old enough that the difference in age between a Gen 2 and 3 is minimal. And the cam scare and crap trannys are enough to scare anybody who knows how to use Google.

 

[stephen newberg]

I think your points are good, Ian. I just do not understand why you think the Blue/Black Book numbers are wrong by such a margin, if you do not have actual sales figures in any quantity to point at, while the people at Blue/Black book have the numbers and create those value charts for a living.

If they say the value of a '99 in excellent condition produces a suggested retail at about $5500, trade in value is a couple of grand less (~$3500), while private party sale is a thousand less (~$4500), I cannot think of a good reason right off hand to disbelieve them. That was why I asked you if you had some sales figures that would indicate they were off base.

pax, smn

 

[sperold]

When my great condition 95 MTX was written-off, the insurance company gave me the princely sum of $2,200.00. I negotiated for a full year and got nothing more for the car. That price is kind of like what you will get if you have to sell the car in 1 day.
From that perspective, the low price is not out of line.

However, a serious buyer who knows the cars will pay a premium for a good SHO.

If someone gives you a SHO, but it needs the known, familiar problems solved, you will have $4000.00 in it without any trouble if you hire the work out.

So an informed buyer will have no trouble paying, lets say $3200.00, for one with no issues.

You can't sell a SHO for a premium if you are in a hurry, you have to wait for the serious buyer. Most sellers don't have the option of waiting.

 

[1BadRat]

I have it advertised at 2850 AS IS and have only received one response in two weeks, no serious inquiries. Fortunately I'm in no hurry and will try to wait for the "serious" buyer, if there is such a thing.

It is definitely a "southern" car. Was sold new from Murfreesboro TN Ford dealer. No rust, grime or crude on it.

 

[RonPorter]

Stephen, if you're looking at the US KBB, those prices are always in La-La land. Those are the prices that you wave in front of the insurance guy when your car gets totaled.

I'm guessing the Canadian KBB would be higher yet.

Southern car, welded and otherwise perfect with that mileage would be maybe worth a $3,500 asking price, IMO.

After the cams are welded, the next biggest ongoing issue is the tranny. Well, other than the rust in northern cars.

My personal judge of real-world prices are the cars FS in Auto Trader.

 

[RonPorter]

Just ran KBB. I got a range, for a Private Buyer, from Fair to Excellent, of:

$3812 - $4578

!!!!!! From what I've seen, chopping those numbers in half is about right.

 

[Rubix]

^ The main problem lies with the fact that no one wants gen 3 SHOs! Clean, well treated, well priced will still be for sale for awhile. Glad you're not in a hurry and good luck with sale.

 

[sperold]

The Gen3 SHOs are more "in style" today than they were while they were in production.

I think the best chance you have of selling it is to drive it. You will sell it to someone who sees it in person, as they are impressive.

In my small town of 4000 people, a local used car lot got one in from the auction and it sold within a month to someone who had no idea what they were (which is a good thing when you remember the cam disaster). And it was not pretty like the one you are describing.

 

[stephen newberg]

My personal judge of real-world prices are the cars FS in Auto Trader.

Just did that search but did not find any Gen III for sale at all. I am not disagreeing with you, or with Ian, but rather asking for real data instead of opinions. Perhaps there simply is none. Considering the total production run and the cam problem, I wonder how many of these are still on the road at all?

pax, smn

 

[NebraskaSHO]

The Gen III is really not worth much. I had mine for about 6 years, and basically gave mine away at $1200 to a kid who was in need of a car. I had 3 vehicles at that time. It was in average condition, two dents in 1/4, minimal rust even for a vehicle in a salt state.

It puked the transmission his first year of college. He sold it for about what he paid.

It really comes down to waiting for a buyer. I have been keeping my eyes open for an extremely clean Gen II or III again. If your car is REALLY clean, I suggest fixing the dent, bumper, and installing a cooler and selling it for a better price.


My .02

 

[1BadRat]

Thanks, Guys. I suppose I'm lucky that I'm in no hurry to sell it. I hope the right buyer will come along. I've had it advertised on Craigslist and a local Facebook page with only one response.

Yes, I'm probably going to fix the dent and bumper. In my opinion that would make the car "extra" clean. As for the trans, I suppose it might keep going. It puked fluid about 500 miles ago and I have not had any issues since, although I've not driven it for any length of time.

I appreciate all the advice and info.