I Need Advice: Selling 58 Impala

[SyrNy1960]

Nice vehicle! I would go back to the potential buyer at $22K. Most likely, he will come back at $21K. Sold! New Home!

[Carter08]

If he won’t come up from 20k I bet you can find that or more elsewhere. Not a car expert but that seems to be the price he thinks he can make a profit at. I feel like there’s some value to not selling to someone you have gotten a bad feel from but money is money if you do decide to go with him.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I would leave emotion out of it. Don't decline a deal because you don't like the buyer. If you think you can get a better price, that's another matter.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Carter08

If he won’t come up from 20k I bet you can find that or more elsewhere. Not a car expert but that seems to be the price he thinks he can make a profit at. I feel like there’s some value to not selling to someone you have gotten a bad feel from but money is money if you do decide to go with him.

Oh no, no profit. He and his partner gave us some Dear Aunt Sally story that just sent up red flags. If I was selling a card this would smell like a scam.

Partner sees the car in my in-laws garage, walks up and introduced himself and says - "I'm interested in your Impala." My father-in-law tells him we are looking for $25k. He looks the car over and sets up another time to come back and drive it. A day later he calls my in-laws and asks if it's okay for him to bring his friend to also look over the car. Sure that's fine. They show up, friend now announces that he's actually the buyer, but the car isn't for him, it's actually for his father who really wants a 58 Impala. Buyer looks over the vehicle, never drives it, doesn't care about the engine or mechanics, points out all the flaws (which of course we already know about), kicks the tires, and offers "$18k and not a penny more." My father-in-law declines. Buyer gives us his card and says "Call me when you're ready to sell."

My father-in-law felt hoodwinked. I heard the story and thought about all of those ebay seller descriptions selling for their great aunt Sally, I'm no expert, but I'm listing it as a replica because that's what ebay wants me to do.

We don't call. Two days later he calls and ups his offer to $19k. Two days later he calls again and ups his offer to $20k. Now my wife is telling me to call him back.

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[Mark17]

Anything under 25k is a win for him. Anything over 20k is a win for you. Take a tough stand (the best way to deal with jerks, and he sounds like one) and tell him $23 firm. Then accept his counter-offer.

Bottom line, you'll make much more on your new house than the marginal few thousand dollars you're negotiating on the car, so if he offers $22k or even $21k, I'd take it, as long as the jerk didn't add any unacceptable conditions.

[todeen]

I called the buyer on my lunch break to satisfy my wife. I think I got three sentences in. He wasn't rude, but he did all the talking. Here was our conversation.

My sentences:
"Hello, I'm the owner of the Impala."
"$22k is my tipping point."
"Goodbye."

His statements:
"Your car doesn't make money sense."
"I can't get a paint job for less than $30k. You're car will be too expensive if I pay more than $20k. I can buy a restored Impala for $50k."
"I'm going to have to pay tax on your car."
"$20k is the best I can do, take it or leave it. I'm ready to walk away."
"If you want to advertise it nationally, and have to deal with the hassle, good luck to you."

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by todeen

I called the buyer on my lunch break to satisfy my wife. I think I got three sentences in. He wasn't rude, but he did all the talking. Here was our conversation.

My sentences:
"Hello, I'm the owner of the Impala."
"$22k is my tipping point."
"Goodbye."

His statements:
"Your car doesn't make money sense."
"I can't get a paint job for less than $30k. You're car will be too expensive if I pay more than $20k. I can buy a restored Impala for $50k."
"I'm going to have to pay tax on your car."
"$20k is the best I can do, take it or leave it. I'm ready to walk away."
"If you want to advertise it nationally, and have to deal with the hassle, good luck to you."

I am actually in agreement with the buyer. You really do have a car that is hard to sell because it is at the high side of the lower end in condition. It is too high of a price to buy to make mint and on the expensive side to buy/keep as a decent daily driver.

There must be a reason your expert friends in the vintage car business haven't easily found you a buyer at their estimated value yet.

[SyrNy1960]

Originally Posted by todeen

I called the buyer on my lunch break to satisfy my wife. I think I got three sentences in. He wasn't rude, but he did all the talking. Here was our conversation.

My sentences:
"Hello, I'm the owner of the Impala."
"$22k is my tipping point."
"Goodbye."

His statements:
"Your car doesn't make money sense."
"I can't get a paint job for less than $30k. You're car will be too expensive if I pay more than $20k. I can buy a restored Impala for $50k."
"I'm going to have to pay tax on your car."
"$20k is the best I can do, take it or leave it. I'm ready to walk away."
"If you want to advertise it nationally, and have to deal with the hassle, good luck to you."

At this point, it’s time to put him in your rearview mirror. Good luck!

[Peter_Spaeth]

Sell it to the people who are telling you it's worth more.

Not trying to be obnoxious, but it sounds to me like unless you find a retail customer, your buyer is probably giving you the high end of what you are going to get from a dealer.

My son & I did a frame off restoration of a 87 YJ Jeep that started in 2007 and done in 2010 and he did 90% of it, all said and done it was $12000 sold it for $5000.He got it at the age of 14 and was driving it when he turned 17 the sane day he got his drivers license. Bottom line its hard to break even. Mr happy in the pictures

Very Nice Impala Good Luck!

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by rgpete

My son & I did a frame off restoration of a 87 YJ Jeep that started in 2007 and done in 2010 and he did 90% of it, all said and done it was $12000 sold it for $5000.He got it at the age of 14 and was driving it when he turned 17 the sane day he got his drivers license. Bottom line its hard to break even. Mr happy in the pictures

Very Nice Impala Good Luck!

That is cool. My much younger brother done that with a 1950 Ford Pickup at a similar age at my house. I done the welding/paint and he done everything else.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by todeen

I called the buyer on my lunch break to satisfy my wife. I think I got three sentences in. He wasn't rude, but he did all the talking. Here was our conversation.

My sentences:
"Hello, I'm the owner of the Impala."
"$22k is my tipping point."
"Goodbye."

His statements:
"Your car doesn't make money sense."
"I can't get a paint job for less than $30k. You're car will be too expensive if I pay more than $20k. I can buy a restored Impala for $50k."
"I'm going to have to pay tax on your car."
"$20k is the best I can do, take it or leave it. I'm ready to walk away."
"If you want to advertise it nationally, and have to deal with the hassle, good luck to you."

I'm curious, and I'm ignorant on this topic, but does it really cost $30,000+ to get a car painted?

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Mark17

I'm curious, and I'm ignorant on this topic, but does it really cost $30,000+ to get a car painted?

I'm not an expert on price tiers. But I do know a paint job is expensive. For some reason on these classics they require a special kind of paint, or multiple coats. Someone else should know better.

When we received the Impala, we were told to just drive it and enjoy it. Because once we invested $$$ for paint and upholstery we would no longer find enjoyment in the car. We would be worried and paranoid about it getting damaged.

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[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Mark17

I'm curious, and I'm ignorant on this topic, but does it really cost $30,000+ to get a car painted?

Yes for a real paint job. They remove every nut, bolt, and screw from the entire vehicle. That way they repaint the entire vehicle without a ton of seams. Many also bake the paint on so it is as good or better than at the factory. The cheaper places tape off the chrome/windows and spray on some new paint. So there is very little labor and the paint doesn't last near as long.