Discussion Pricing a beautiful beater

[Banana]

I'm thinking of selling a 15-yr old near-lux sedan. I hate to call it a beater because the paint and interior are near pristine - It lives in the garage because my real beater is out on the driveway. 150,000 miles. Unfortunately the car has all kinds of niggling mechanical and electronic issues. I'm used to all the annoyances, but a new owner would hate them and could be worried about a "time bomb." How would you price such a car, in general terms? If I subtract the cost to repair all the problems, the car would be worth <zero! OTOH, it runs as a daily driver and is cosmetically very clean. Can't keep it - already have two other cars. Don't wanna DIY.
KBB pricing for this car in good condition is around $4000 private party.

Broken stuff:
-oil leak from impossible to reach gasket - needs a quart every month
-oil pressure sensor
-ABS warning
-Fuel level gauge doesn't work - Guess how much gas is left!
-possible leak from steering rack
-small fender dent

 

[herm0016]

print out the kbb page and stick it on the dash. price it at 3 grand and run to the bank when it sells.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I think it's wise/smart to take the middle road, and be willing to compromise/accept less if you want to sell it soonish ...

 

[mindless1]

Too many problems for it to fetch much over $2K so I'd price it $2600 OBO and take as low as $1200 if it's on the market more than a few weeks or you're tired of taking calls and showing it.

 

[repoman0]

Fixes don't sound expensive at all to be honest. I have a hard time believing they'd be anywhere near $4k. It's all easy stuff. Fix the more irritating ones like fuel gauge not working and ABS warning, and possibly the dent for an easier and better sale.

 

[mindless1]

^ Yeah but could easily end up $1500+ total with labor because quote "Don't wanna DIY".

 

[NutBucket]

Nobody is buying a car like that to take it to a shop unless it's something special/rare. I'd say price at $3k obo, be honest and see what happens. Worst case you lower the price.

 

[deadlyapp]

Fixes don't sound expensive at all to be honest. I have a hard time believing they'd be anywhere near $4k. It's all easy stuff. Fix the more irritating ones like fuel gauge not working and ABS warning, and possibly the dent for an easier and better sale.

ABS can easily be a $1k plus fix depending on what the actual problem is and you pretty much always need to take it to a repair shop due to sensitivity in airbags IIRC.

 

[WhiteNoise]

With those type of issues I would just put it up for 1.5k firm and be done. For someone mechanically inclined these issues are minor. Maybe I missed it but what car is it? An American lux car is not going to be worth much with 150k miles on it. But a Toyota or Lexus with that kind of mileage is a non issue.

I'd sell it as a mechanic special. I'd be honest about its issues. Put your asking price a bit over what you really want and let the buyer think he's getting a good deal when you take less.

 

[mindless1]

ABS can easily be a $1k plus fix depending on what the actual problem is and you pretty much always need to take it to a repair shop due to sensitivity in airbags IIRC.

Yes a new ABS module can be expensive, but were you thinking of SRS not ABS? Most if not all ABS work does not involve any airbag risk.

Last ABS issue I had was a wheel sensor failed. I got lucky, was only a $16 aftermarket part on Amazon, though the OEM part plus shop labor to have someone else do it could have cost closer to $200, and the sensor might cost even more for some European luxury brands if it can be bought separately at all instead of coming with (needing) a new hub.

 

[Banana]

Edit: Sorry, I remembered wrongly. It's not the ABS. It's the "service stability system" warning and one of the possible causes is faulty ABS sensor.

The service stability problem issue is tricky because there are apparently several possible causes/sensors for the fault, ranging from cheap to not, and I don't want to throw parts at the car.

I'ma take all your advice and price it in the middle, and with full disclosure of problems and be flexible with offers. See how it shakes out. Won't be right away though because the CEL just came on. /headsmack

 

[deadlyapp]

Yes a new ABS module can be expensive, but were you thinking of SRS not ABS? Most if not all ABS work does not involve any airbag risk.

Last ABS issue I had was a wheel sensor failed. I got lucky, was only a $16 aftermarket part on Amazon, though the OEM part plus shop labor to have someone else do it could have cost closer to $200, and the sensor might cost even more for some European luxury brands if it can be bought separately at all instead of coming with (needing) a new hub.

Whoops - yes I meant the airbag system. Carry-on.

ABS is probably not that bad, probably just a wheel sensor unless it's actually the ABS computer, which you can usually also replace pretty cheap from a junkyard.

 

[squirrel dog]

what model is it ?