Bye, Bye '97 Sport (maybe)

[koda2000]

I decided to put my son-in-laws '97 Sport of CL, now that no one is driving it anymore. I briefly considered keeping it around for parts, but decided I'd rather get rid of it and put whatever I get for it into the "future auto repairs" jar.

I listed it for $600 and w/in a hour I received 3 responses from people who seemed very interested. We'll see what happens, but I'm not coming down on the asking price with 3 people interested in it.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

$600 is decent, I got my V8 for $200, was an absolute steal for a almost road ready V8 AWD, I didn't say the price anywhere until I had it snagged because apparently nobody realized the rear ends bring $300 here as fast as you can pull them.

 

[koda2000]

OMG! I already have 18 people who are "very interested" in the Sport and it hasn't even been posted for 24 hours yet. Almost makes me wish I asked for more money, but I wouldn't feel right selling it for more than $600. It needs at least $600 worth of repairs and a ton of interior cleaning in order to make it worth $1200 IMO, which seems to be what most people on CL are asking for a running, driving '97 Sport in decent condition in my area. I don't know why so many people are so interested in 20 year old, 2WD, SOHC Sport with 256,000 miles on it and I made sure not to sugarcoat it's condition in the ad. Maybe it's the economic demographic it's appealing to.

I finally had to create a form response telling people that I have someone coming to look at it tomorrow (and will mostly buy it) rather than answering everyone who emails me. I don't have the time, or desire, to answer all the inquiries.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

It's got the same mileage as my V8 lol, I have so many people interested in it just sitting there, people will be like "The white Explorer" and before they get done, it's always "I just bought it" or "No", people seem to really want these things, and I remember way back when my mom sold her 97 Sport, nobody wanted them.

 

[koda2000]

Maybe it's the cheap gasoline.

 

[96eb96]

I finally had to create a form response telling people that I have someone coming to look at it tomorrow (and will mostly buy it) rather than answering everyone who emails me. I don't have the time, or desire, to answer all the inquiries.

Lots of tire kickers on CL, but when it comes to actually bringing the cash it is another story.

 

[koda2000]

Lots of tire kickers on CL, but when it comes to actually bringing the cash
it is another story.

IDK, I sold my 2000 XLT 5.0 last week, w/in like 12 hours of posting it on CL, for the full asking price. I saw good interest on the XLT, but nothing like what I'm seeing for the Sport. I think a lot of it has to do with what some people can afford. A vehicle that runs, drives, stops and steers is just a bargain to some people. I guess they will just drive it until it dies and then look for another $500-$600 vehicle. Short sighted if you ask me, but that's why many people rent their TV's, major appliances and furniture rather than buying them. No credit/bad credit... $20 a week sounds like a good deal to some people. There are a lot of poor people in the Appalachian's. It's like the car dealerships who advertise $99 a month for a used vehicle. Never mind how much a month, what's the cost of the vehicle + financing? It's a shame, but many people have to raise families on minimum wage. I don't know how they do it.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

That's how it was with my 01 when I bought it, the people just drove it to the point it's a miracle it even began to run, and got out of it, and I picked it up and brought it up to stuff. My V8 truck is the same way, someone was decent enough to put a trans in it 1 1/2 years ago, and it shifts beautifully. Me myself, I rather just own my stuff outright, I don't get the deal in financing on something that almost certainly won't live through the financing period, and that's how I see most buy here pay here vehicles, the JY here is full of them.

 

[koda2000]

People just don't do their research before buying used cars. I've know people who will buy a used vehicle that's 20+ years old and the used car dealer bamboozle them into paying $8000 for a vehicle that's with maybe $1000. They buy it because the dealer tells them that the monthly payment on the vehicle is only $99 a month. It never dawns on them to find out what that 20+ year old vehicle is worth, or to do the math to figure out they'll still owe money on it long after that vehicle's dead. No wonder used car salesmen have such a bad rep. How can they sleep at night?

 

[RandomNerd2000]

I'm not sure, that's what took me so long on a V8 body, finding a truck with a blown up V6 is easy, but finding a truck with a title for that money is harder. I'm not entirely sure how they sleep at night, I know people who get steals on cars and people who got robbed on cars, guess it happens.

 

[J_C]

OMG! I already have 18 people who are "very interested" in the Sport and it hasn't even been posted for 24 hours yet. Almost makes me wish I asked for more money, but I wouldn't feel right selling it for more than $600.

It's worth whatever the market will bear. Considering the large # of responses, I would let prospective buyers bid against each other, whether you manually facilitate that or just put it up on eBay motors and let everyone know it's posted there. Not sure about the logistics of posting something in Craigslist with a link to ebay motors tho', or maybe you can get away with mentioning it's listed there without a link.

In my mind it's easily worth more than $600 if it's road worthy. Say they drive it only 6 months then turn around and sell it again for $600 or more... 6 months of *free* transportation! That's the thing about vehicles this old, people can just resell and have little loss, maybe even profit. It wouldn't surprise me if half of those interested, intend to resell it right away.

 

[96eb96]

That's how it was with my 01 when I bought it, the people just drove it to the point it's a miracle it even began to run, and got out of it, and I picked it up and brought it up to stuff. My V8 truck is the same way, someone was decent enough to put a trans in it 1 1/2 years ago, and it shifts beautifully. Me myself, I rather just own my stuff outright, I don't get the deal in financing on something that almost certainly won't live through the financing period, and that's how I see most buy here pay here vehicles, the JY here is full of them.

Yup, I drove two hours to a pick and pull in East Bumf*ville and it shocked me what I saw on Explorers. Rear rotors that were worn paper thin (obviously driven that way). Shackles rusted out, spring not attached. One had a redneck drivers seat, some wood box with a pad and 2x6es to the roof(drywall screwed from the outside) for the backrest. Front stabilizer link was repaired with a welded rod(or something like that). Forget the condition of the rest of the interior. The redneck that helped me there said mine looks like a barn find :lol:.

People just don't do their research before buying used cars. I've know people who will buy a used vehicle that's 20+ years old and the used car dealer bamboozle them into paying $8000 for a vehicle that's with maybe $1000. They buy it because the dealer tells them that the monthly payment on the vehicle is only $99 a month. It never dawns on them to find out what that 20+ year old vehicle is worth, or to do the math to figure out they'll still owe money on it long after that vehicle's dead. No wonder used car salesmen have such a bad rep. How can they sleep at night?

The sad part is people don't take care of the cars either. I also hang on Lincoln forums, and there are stories to be told. Some retired guy buys a 90s Town Car, keeps it in absolute pristine condition with plastic on the seats. All upkeep done by him or the local dealer. Years down the line the Gentleman passes away, his children don't want dads car. The car gets sold for a few hundred bucks because the kids don't see any value in it. The new owners neglect all maintenance on it, never change the oil until the sump runs dry 2 years later. Then it is sent to the scrapyard, a loss for everyone including the negligent owners that could have driven it another decade, now have to spend their last dollars getting scammed in the buy here pay here.

When people are desperate for a vehicle and need it to get to a job to put food on the table they do make irrational choices. Even buyers with good credit get fixated on the monthly payment thing, and end getting less than they bargained for or just grossly overpaying.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

@96eb96 Yup, that's how it is here. I know where there's a 99 Limited with both a bad engine and trans, 144K on it, truck has factory ball joints, end links, tie rod ends, brakes are gone, truck has major rust issues, and everything as far as the eye can see is stock. I put shackles on my V8 yesterday, not fun, but safe now, old ones weren't bad as some I've seen but safety calls. My 01 at 191K I did the plugs, and wires, wires had been done, plugs? Nope, never, the intake gaskets were done by the PO and only the uppers, the lowers were Ford OEM and leaked like crazy. I saw a 96 today when I went to the JY, 177K, didn't change the oil, V8 AWD, leather, moon roof, dual power seats, and premium sound system. Was looking at the engine since it has different heads than my 99 engine does and I'm changing the high mile one in my 00 out, and he said it was seized, such a shame.

 

[koda2000]

This is how I see it...
There reaches a point where vehicles just aren't worth fixing. IMO my '97 Sport has reached that point. It's easily worth $600 but it needs at least that much in parts and repairs for a DIY'er. Someone could have a decent $1200 truck for a total of $1200 investment. If someone hits the vehicle, insurance (assuming the other guy has insurance) will total it and maybe pay out $1200. So it's worth doing the repairs. If in the future the buyer needs a transmission or major engine repairs it's not worth repairing, even with used parts.

It looks like the person I selected, out of the now 20+ people replying to the CL ad, is coming to buy it today at noon. He has agreed to pay the full asking price. Could I have auctioned it for more on eBay? Sure, but it's not worth the extra hassle to me. The $600 will be put aside and used to pay for future repairs to my daughter's and son-in-laws 2000 Mountaineers, so everyone is happy.

 

[koda2000]

Okay, the Sport sold for the full asking price. Guy came with a trailer, but decided to just drive it home once he did a test drive. Now I'm down to only 4 Gen II Explorers/Mountaineers (how sad ) with only one stinking V6 SOHC .

 

[RandomNerd2000]

Time to find another truck lol, I can see it coming, you're gonna find one that suits you and it's gonna move in.

 

[koda2000]

Time to find another truck lol, I can see it coming, you're gonna find one that suits you and it's gonna move in.

Nah, no more Gen II's for me. Next fleet purchases will be newer models.

 

[RandomNerd2000]

IDK now, you're subject to find yourself a nicer ST or something, I told myself I was gonna quit when I bought the V8, and I likely am not, even with the likely sale of my 01 coming up.

 

[koda2000]

IDK now, you're subject to find yourself a nicer ST or something, I told myself I was gonna quit when I bought the V8, and I likely am not, even with the likely sale of my 01 coming up.

The problem with finding a nicer ST is that newer, low mileage ST's are wwwaaayyy too expensive for what they are and then there's the SOHC to contend with. Occasionally I come across a V8 ST, but their prices are astronomical. My ST will be the new "spare truck/dog transport" with the XLT now gone and my EB will still be my "nice truck".

 

[RandomNerd2000]

The sad part about the 01 I'm getting ready to sell is that it's a wonderful truck, except the SOHC, such a shame, if they'd have all been V8s, it'd have been nice IMO