What's up with this? (selling car)

[DeltaMustang65]

So...I put my '65 coupe up for sale on Classic Car Trader Online, and I've gotta say I'm not impressed. After a week, I've had only 1 response, and it was from an obvious scammer. CCTOL also messed up by giving Mustang & Ford Trader magazine a blank page where my text for the print ad was supposed to be. I'm probably gonna have to wait until next month for my print ad to be published now.

I feel like I wasted money. Back when I was driving to work and school with a for sale sign (total cost: $3) I was getting offers of $12,000. I've got $20,000 invested and am asking $17,000 obo. I know this is probably scaring a lot of people away, but it's not like I'm not flexible. Do people these days not know what O.B.O. means?

http://adcache.collectorcartraderonl...9/84357609.htm

[Unit 5302]

Considering how blazingly expensive Autotrader and it's subsidiaries are, I certainly wouldn't use any of them to try and sell a vehicle. The first place I would have gone would have been ebay. On a 10 day reserve auction there is a very good chance your car will sell if the reserve is reasonable.

[DeltaMustang65]

There's no way in hell I'm putting my car on ebay. Ugh...I don't even want to think about that...

I'm not in a big hurry to sell this car anyway. If it ends up not selling by the end of summer I'm just gonna rebuild the engine anyway. After that, I may decide to keep it for another 5 years, who knows.

[Unit 5302]

You're right... why use the biggest seller of used cars in the world? Why get tons of high quality color photos of your vehicle listed with a huge description and a guaranteed sell for the price you're asking?

Maybe the real problem is competition? There are 87 - 1965 Mustangs on ebay right now. Anywhere from stripped bare chassis to fully restored limited edition cars like the 64 1/2 pace car. I can tell you right now that your car would be the second most expensive coupe on ebay, next to a nutball asking $30/35k for his 65 Coupe.

I bought my 1996 Explorer off ebay, and I flew to NC to pick it up and drive it home to MN. I could get a better deal on that vehicle on ebay than I could locally. That being said, most high demand cars sell for just about the same on ebay as they do in local advertisements.

Quite frankly, I hate ebay as a company, but I also realize the advantages to using their service. Then again, if you don't want hundreds of thousands of buyers being able to view your vehicle...

[DeltaMustang65]

Wow. Somebody sounds a little worked up.

As for why I don't want to use Ebay, I don't want to deal with the "nutjobs" as you put it. Also, there's no guarantee for ANYthing on that website let alone a guarantee on what someone would pay. Ebay is just too shady for me. I've heard too many horror stories and not just from random people, but from friends as well.

Maybe the problem IS competition? I think you're onto something here, although probably not what you were thinking. MY competition is all the rustbuckets that are being sold back and forth by the fools stupid enough to use Ebay and not see the car up close. You can't tell me that they don't drive the price that people are willing to pay for a Mustang WAAAY down. I've had people offer $4,000 for my car, not knowing that I have roughly $20,000 invested in it, simply because they saw one like mine on Ebay. Nevermind the Mustang they saw was likely one that was JUST painted over to hide massive rust and bondo. Maybe now you can begin to understand why I hate Ebay and will sell NOTHING on that site.

I really couldn't care less about who got what car on Ebay for less, all I see is more of a risk. And besides, buying or selling a car is way more involved that just knowing what someone else did. My thinking is, (unless you're a moron) you get what you pay for. I'm not in a huge hurry to sell, either. I'm PROBABLY going to keep the car for a VERY long time if it doesn't sell this summer. I set my ASKING price accordingly, I really don't see the need why I should lower it too much more seeing as how I don't really want to part with it and it's in unusually excellent shape. Forgive my repetitiveness, but this isn't an "Ebay special" with problems galore, bondo coming out it's ass, and a rotten floor.

Yes, I don't want people viewing my vehicle. That's it. Thanks for comparing me to the "nutjob" asking 30K or whatever. That's helpful.

[DeltaMustang65]

Sorry for the double post but, you don't have stock in Ebay, do you?

[Unit 5302]

No stock in ebay. As I noted above, I don't like them as a company. You've heard horror stories, I've heard horror stories. I've also purchased vehicles on ebay before, and I've purchased vehicles locally through classifieds. If you buy a classic car on ebay without asking for any pictures of the common problem areas, and you don't review the sellers feedback, you're opening yourself up to problems. However, it is the normal reaction of irresponsible people in our society to place blame on somebody else. Ebay in this instance. Ebay doesn't give a crap about you or anybody else on their site, but people also fail to take responsibility for their own actions.

I can tell you right now that I nearly bought a 1970 Mercury Cougar off ebay on Friday. It was a rare local car, and I went to view the vehicle. If it were not for the pre-disclosed title issues, I would have purchased it. It was in excellent shape for a 70 Cougar. The underside was amazingly clean, the trunk was nearly spotless, and the floor panels had only minimal rust. Also as disclosed, the landau roof had held some moisture and rusted the roof a little. Nothing major. The car was better than described, an awesome project car to be sure. For every horror story you hear about on ebay there are probably 1,000 good stories.

You are right about one thing though, you usually get what you pay for on ebay. Which is why you don't see many '65 Coupes with a relatively common 289 selling for $20k. Ebay is not deflating the selling price of classic cars. If anything, it's inflating the price by making them available to FAR more people who are interested than ever before. If you're basing your idea of what a car should sell for on a Barrett Jackson TV show, I could see how your logic might be working. Let me assure you, Barrett Jackson should not be used as a realistic source for classic car selling prices. The people that attend those auctions are looking for the best of the best, and they have insane amounts of money to spend. They don't want to drive around and call around looking for cars. They want the cars to come to them, and they're willing to pay A LOT to avoid the hassle of car shopping.

If you thought you were going to turn a profit on restoring that car or even breaking even, you probably chose the wrong project car. There are very few people that make a profit on selling repaired/restored cars, historically speaking. The cars those sellers make money on are almost always rare or very coveted. A '65 Coupe is neither. That's why you're getting offers for less than what you have in it. The harsh truth is that people don't give a crap how much money you have in it. They care about how much the car is worth in terms of the market price. I can spend 20k restoring a 1977 Mustang II, but would I expect to be able to sell it for that? Of course not. The market won't support a $20k Mustang II.

The only reason I was recommending ebay was if you're not asking more than your car is worth, it will probably sell. Based on what I saw on ebay after reviewing several auctions with sellers who have excellent feedback ratings, including dealers, your asking price is way too high.

BTW, I'm not all bent out of shape, I'm just answering your question "What's up with this?" , and providing you with valid advice. I did get a little annoyed when you insulted buying/selling on ebay because that's an indirect slight to me. I apologize you don't like the answer.

[DeltaMustang65]

Thanks again for the wealth of info, but I already understand everything you've just said. You're treating me like I'm an idiot and it's getting old. You totally missed the point with the ebay prices driving down offers on CLEAN, NON-RUSTBUCKET cars, as well other points. Please, just stop. I wasn't looking for this when I made the topic. Does ANYONE else have anything to contribute? Constructively, maybe?

[Hethj7]

Originally Posted by mattgoveiagt

Thanks again for the wealth of info, but I already understand everything you've just said. You're treating me like I'm an idiot and it's getting old. You totally missed the point with the ebay prices driving down offers on CLEAN, NON-RUSTBUCKET cars, as well other points. Please, just stop. I wasn't looking for this when I made the topic. Does ANYONE else have anything to contribute? Constructively, maybe?

Chill out man. I think Unit is trying to be helpful and you are taking it as an attack. And he may be right, you may be overpriced. Just because you have 20K invested doesn't mean you'll get 17 or anywhere near that. I had probably close to 14 or 15K invested in my 1990 Stang and sold it in two days using AutoTrader for $5,500. I may have been able to squeek a little more out of it, but I also wanted a quick sale. I'm not in touch with the classic car market, but it sounds like you may need to research your pricing a little more and adjust accordingly for the market. Or, be willing to wait until a buyer is ready to pay something near your asking price.

[DeltaMustang65]

Wow, chill out, huh? Ok.

Yeah, believe me, I'm willing to wait until someone is willing to pay near what I'm asking. Key word here, "asking". I repeat, "asking". I'm willing to take about a $5,000 loss on this car. I'd really rather not sell it, the ONLY reason I'm selling is because the money would be helpful to pay for college. If someone made me an offer around $15,000 I'd sell it. Trust me, I'm not being a nutjob about this. I'm just not in a hurry to unload this car because it's not a piece of junk.

P.S. This is a '65, so your comparison does me no good, but thanks for trying. What in God's name has happened to these boards...

[Mr 5 0]

I wouldn't buy a car from e-bay with your money - but e-bay isn't the problem here.

As Unit stated, your 'investment' into a classic Mustang willl not automatically equate to what a potential buyer might pay for the car. The fact that it's not a rusted-out wreck is not all that impressive ; it's a fairly 'common' '65 Mustang with the low-end engine and it's been well-restored. That's great -but not $20,000. great.

The classic car 'pool' of potential buyers is very small and very selective. A guy with 20 large to spend on what is going to amount to a 'toy' is simply not going to fall in love with the first run-of-the-mill restored '65 he sees ..whether it's on e-bay or in your front yard with a hand-printed sign in the windshield.

Besides, you sound as if you are pretty half-hearted about parting with your '65, anyway, and will only do so if you think you'll make a big profit.

Keep the car...you'll be happier.

[DeltaMustang65]

Ok, I know everyone probably means well, but it sounds like maybe people aren't reading my posts in their entirety or something. So...last time I'm saying this:

I'm not looking to profit. I'm not asking $20,000, I'm asking $17,000 and I'm FLEXIBLE. I NEVER got it in my head at any point that I would do this to turn a profit.

I created this topic to find out how successful anyone has been with CCTOL, and if anyone had any suggestions on another publication or whatever. The first few replies got this off track and onto how great ebay is, and dude didn't seem to care that I had already ruled them out. THEN all of a sudden I'm asking too much. Nevermind that I'm not looking to unload this mustang in a hurry and the whole OBO thing...

This topic should have been super simple...now I should probably just let it die.

[Dark Knight]

Might try http://www.mustangclassifieds.com/ or http://www.hemmings.com/

[Mr 5 0]

Sorry for getting off-topic but there is a lot of confusion and mistaken beliefs when it comes to buying and selling old cars; Mustangs - or anything else. They are a hobby, not an 'investment'.

If you understand that and don't demand you be able to recoup your 'investment' when you sell then you'll be fine. Besides, no one will ever appreciate your restored vehicle as much as you will...that's a a given. Whether you ask $17,000., $20,000. and no matter how 'flexible' you are...any potential buyer will think you are over-charging. That's just the way it is, no matter where you advertise your car....and there will always be somebody who claims he could have gotten more than you sold yours for. Happens every time.

I have no more to add so I'll end my contributions to this thread but I still think that you should just hold on to your '65. In a few more years, you'll have a very old 'classic' Mustang to sell and it will probably be worth a lot more. Often, age (and condition) determine value in these situations - and time is on your side.

[RBatson]

I have to agree that they are not an investment. I have a load of money in my 89 but it isn't worth half what I have in it. I have no idea what your car is worth but I have used onlinetrader a few times, twice with success. I sold a jet boat and a 97 Cobra vert using them, it took about a month for both. I got calls from all over, even on email from Iraq. Someone local bought the boat, I asked him if he saw the ad in the local trader(I tried them first) and he said he went online and didn't even look at the local trader. I almost sold the Avalanche, a guy offered me within a thousand of my price.. usually when I decide a price, I won't budge. Maybe you should try that. If you will take $15k then advertise it for "$15k firm", no need in playing games. If they try to talk you down then just be polite and say.. "that's the price, non-negotiable" or "that's what I gotta have". One good thing about onlinetrader.com is that you can run the ad until it sells, atleast that's how it was the last time I used them.. I decided to keep the Avalanche and let the ad expire.

One other thought, take the car to car shows and swap meets. I went to a car show in Charlotte some years ago and they had some nice cars. I wasn't there to buy a car but there were alot of people there that were. There were some very nice rides there commanding nice prices, they even had a car auction. Going to one may give you an idea of what other cars, like yours, are going for and maybe you can sell it.

Good luck.

[DeltaMustang65]

Wow, I thought this thread had vanished already...

Yeah, it sure would be nice if CCTOL let you "run it till it sells", this is not the case these days. I have my Mustang running June-August. I dropped the asking price to $15,000 OBO about a week ago, and still have only heard from scammers. I looked around the online AND print sections, and contrary to what the guy from earlier said, my car is priced at about average compared to the other coupes I've seen.

I used to take my Mustang to car shows, mostly charity type events. Everyone seems to like the car, but I don't think people are looking to buy, at least at the shows I've been to. I was a bit shocked, since I live in Stockton, Ca. You'd think people in California's central valley would be heavily into cars.

I'm starting to get more used to the idea of keeping it. Like I said before, I didn't really want to sell it in the first place. I just thought that the extra money would be useful for college. Oh well, that's what scholarships and grants are for, I guess.


Just a little side note. Does anyone else think it's a bad thing that the more common Mustangs don't command a price that would justify a restoration? The situation is already pretty bad, about 95% of the early coupes and even 'verts that I see are in horrible shape. I guess this is why.

[RBatson]

The show I went to was a Ford show, it was at the Charlotte speedway. It was huge. They had alot of beautiful cars. There was this 65(I think) triple black mustang vert in particular I would have loved to have. It still had the tags hanging on interior knobs. Anyhow, you may be right about comparing it to other local mustangs but if it were seen at a show by someone looking for that car.. you would probably have a better chance of selling it.

Have you got a link to pics?

[DeltaMustang65]

http://adcache.collectorcartraderonl...9/84357609.htm

[RBatson]

That is a nice looking car! Alot nicer than I thought.

[Rev]

Really is a beautiful car. I would just stick with that $15,000, firm, and let the chips fall where they may. If it doesn't sell right now, you will still have that gorgeous example of a '65 coupe.

Rev