To sell or not to sell??

[johnsje6]

I have a '79 original Texas car with 23,000 miles, no rust but the paint and top are pretty well done in by sun. It sat for quite a while so I had the usual fuel system issues till I cleaned the rust out and coated the tank, then I replaced the intake and carb for better performance. My original plan was to have my street rodder buddy paint it this winter, put a new top on it, and sell it next summer and use the money to revive my '74. I didn't want to take such a low mileage original car and modify it, but my '74 has more challenges, so I can modify any way i want, as it is a bit rusty and has 55,000 miles.
My wife and I are looking at a newer Durango to tow our camper and boat, and were thinking of trading her car for it. The local Dodge dealer is also the largest Viper dealer in the world (Roanoke Illinois), and the owner is a car collector, so I was thinking he may be interested in a Spider project - what do you guys think, keep it and paint it or trade it as is?

[johnsje6]

Here is a pic of my '79, just thinking I could avoid a lot of work, since I should get my fill with my '74!

[aj81spider]

The question is how much is it going to cost to paint?

If it's worth $3-4000 now and painted it's worth $5-6000 and then it's a simple math problem. Another consideration is that generally you will get less in trade than for selling it (dealer has to make a profit too). This may be offset by how hard it is going to be to sell (a lower priced trade in beats a higher priced no sale). In my area Fiats move very slowly. A nicely painted one will move more quickly if priced right, but priced right is likely to be pretty low...and not much more than unpainted.

[narfire]

Dodge Durango ??? When I talk to people here about those vehicles they usually mention they are on their second or third transmission....
I'd keep the 79 and flog the 74. " a bit rusty" that is just what you can see, could be a whole lot different once you get into it. I found the body work when bringing these cars back , can get expensive compared to sorting the mechanicals on a car with a good body.
Chris

[spidernut]

I teach car buying strategies - DO NOT trade the car in. All that will happen is that may claim that they'll give you $3,000 for it, but they will not discount the Durango as much as they originally would have. You will never make out on a trade-in.

Re the 79 versus 74. That's a matter of personal preference and cost. You're best bet is to sell either one outright and hold out for what you really want for it. Negotiate on the Durango without muddying up the deal with a trade-in.

If you're buying a new Durango, start your negotiations using http://www.truecar.com. The price you get there will be a good starting point on a new Durango. Then try to pit the dealers against each other by negotiating back and forth for an even lower price. They'll eventually go down to near the actual cost on the Durango which is 3-4% under factory invoice, minus any factory to dealer incentives and dealer holdback (usually $500-$2000 additional depending on how slow they're selling). This excludes any negotiations for factory-to-consumer rebates or discounts.

[SoFlaFiat]

I spent 3 months haggling when I bought my truck. In the end I was sending sales agreements from dealer to dealer, saying, beat this and I'll come pick up the truck. I ended up paying $35,600 for a truck with a sticker price of $46,200. It takes time and perseverance but obviously, there is room to move for the dealer.

[spidernut]

That was a smokin' deal! That was smart negotiating for sure and that is why you pit the dealers against each other instead of trying talk them down from MSRP. You'd never get the same deal going through a salesperson.

[Exit98]

John,

A.J. & Chris are both on the mark.

Whatever you decide to do with your Spiders don't involve them in a purchase of a regular vehicle. Like Spidernut says it'll just muddy up the negociations.

Most dealers wouldn't be interested, wouldn't know what it is, and wouldn't know what to do with it. Even if they did it would just end up being auctioned wholesale for $1,000 or $1,500 at best.

Good luck whatever you decide.

[NJFIAT1981]

Doug,
Is Brian still looking for a Fiat. Might be up his alley.

[johnsje6]

Thanks for the input - the dealer didn't want to give us much for my wife's trade in so we pretty much stopped there. I have an older tow vehicle, so I can afford to wait. Think I will go ahead with plan A and paint the '79 and decide which one to keep after I see it with a good paint job and a new top.

[azruss]

10 years ago, my in-laws offer to buy my wife a new car. Went shopping for a top of the line camry. contacted all the fleet sales dealers in the area. threw a volvo turbowagon in as a trade. All the fleet guys gave me the same number for the Toyota, and all but one gave me the same number for the Volvo. The one guy gave me $1200 for the volvo where the rest were at $400. Had the deal ready to go and the owner nixed the deal and fired the fleet guy. So I called up the next best dealer which was 100 mile drive up the road and asked if they would match the deal. They said yes, so i drove to Prescott and came back with a new car. My advice is to you is do your homework. Find out what the car really sells for. Research the dealer to see if they have a reputation for bait and switch. Set yourself a realistic price and payment point and stick to your guns. Dont be afraid to let each competitor know what their competition is offering. No one will give you their best deal out of the box. Dont be afraid to walk out the door. As long as you are sitting in that chair, they know the still have a fish on the line. They will cave when you walk out the door. When I bought the Volvo used, it was a 3 hour ordeal. They finally caved when i told them i wanted my keys, we are done, and was walking out the door. The final deal was less that $30 difference from the deal i walked in the door and presented.