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Date:         Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:11:46 -0700
Reply-To:     Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject:      Re: What's it really worth?
Comments: To: Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <03d801cd47ec$49625f10$dc271d30$@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

On 6/11/2012 9:07 AM, Stuart MacMillan wrote: > So with all that said - and recognizing that the game is to sell high and > buy low - what would be the view and the collective wisdom of the list > regarding setting a price for my van? > > To J Rogers, the OP .. > Warning .......this is over 8 lines long !!

This works pretty well I think, ask yourself what you would pay for it, given what you know about it. Would YOU pay say $ 7,995 for it ?? Or is it so nice and well sorted out and taken care of you personally would pay say $ 8,900 for it ?

( sounds high for a 2WD GTL to me though - it would have to be fairly stellar to get in that range ..miles are pretty high too. Also ..with 220K+ miles and 150K on a rebuilt engine ...sounds a little fishy < did the first engine fail at 50Kish miles > and 150K is fairly high miles on a rebuilt waterboxer engine ) ..

Anyway ....if you'd gladly pay say $ 6500 ...start there.. always bearing in mind to allow some to come off that price ...like 'asking 6,500 may change hands at say, 6,200 .

how it *LOOKS* is a big factor. Generally people are very swayed by appearance, as most people are really not able to identify tired things in Vangagons , or any car, that well. I see vans checked out professionally where the shop missed major tired things even. I have seen a person turn around and walk away frm 50 feet on a very well working solid good used car, because it had one ding in a fender. They figured the whole thing is a piece of junk, bassed on just that. Because they don't really, really know how to tell how good a care is mechanically anyway.

Additionally ..if any used car or van looks really sharp .........that is a Red Flag actually. Often it means they were cleaned up to sell. I have seen vans that were so perfectly clean and immaculate you could eat off it anywhere...it was that clean, and yet, the CV joint boots were shot, the CV's had 90K miles on them with zero service, the trans oil had never been changed etc.

A really well working van in every system ....honestly cared for and lubed and adjusted in every dimension .. say good tight smooth shift linkage, good synthetic trans oil, good CV's ...every last little light bulb and feature working .. all that is worth A Lot.

Most vans I see ... here's one ...a cherry 86 silver GL ..running , no dings, no rust, perfect interior. ...obvious head gasket issues. The new owner just says 'do it' about everything ..mention tired wiper blades or rear hatch struts or whatever , he says yep, do those too. ....Be bought it for $ 300. His repair bill on just tired broken things ( such as clutch brake and master cylinders and rear wheel cyls , drums, pads etc. plus head gakset muffler etc. etc ) is around $ 4,500 and that's with not over-charging and replacing only genuiniely pretty tired things. This van has only 100,000 miles on it too. It sat for a good while. Point is .. they can be all over the place. I drove an 86 Westy once, 'looked' great. Asking price $ 9,000. It was FULLY 6,000 dollars down at least from full working order - severealy noisy trans, very dodgy brakes, incorrect and illagl for the season tires, no spare tire, on and on and on. I couldn't even offer 3,000 on it, it needed so much .. yet it 'drove' more or less acceptably.

Long enough ...start with what you personally would pay for your van, add a little so you have some come-down room, be honest about the whole thing and likely your van will find a good new home.

( and I won't mention a just-purchased for $ 9,500 Subaru-Wolfsburg............ purchased running ..and it is full 6,000 to 10,000 down from being fully roadworthy and working in every system and dimension. )

Be careful, let's say, if buying. If selling, just be honest. Aim for win-win all around ...seller, buyer, the van too.

Scott www.turbovans.com


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