Hey Guys, Give me realistic advice

[garychoffmann]

I thought I would ask you guys, I'm thinking of selling my Sport Trac. I want to sell it fairly quickly so I thought I would ask you guys.

It's an 02 red one. 139,000 miles 4wd

Bad stuff that I'm thinking about fixing before I put it on the market.
scratched up, most will buff right out (too cold to do it here in MO)
Busted Foglight
Interior is dirty, some scratches inside
Fuel cap light, check engine light, abs light on. Check engine light on because of the fuel cap light (vapor leak somewhere) 02 sensors, ABS light on because it needs to be reset, pulled the fuse while running on accident.
Missing center cap
2 door dings (pea sized)
Crack in windshield (passes inspection)

Good.
Runs shifts great, I maintain like crazy.
new plugs
new kyb's
TT to level out
Pitbull Growlers with 70% tread
brush gaurd with lights (not hooked up)

I haven't really had time to fix the minor things and drive it daily. All the miles are highway, some offroading

Let me know what you think, what should I ask as is, what would you pay being an enthusiast. Should I fix it and then what should I ask. I would say in total, with all ford parts and paying someone to buff it and clean the interior 1000 tops. Thanks guys,

also whats fair for this mountaneer? 5500 is high but I was using that value for trade, what should I ask cash?

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/1499974802.html

I put this in here because I trust the people who helped me trouble shoot my mountaineer. Help me figure out where I should go with these

 

[Tbars4]

...Have you tried KBB.com for pricing as well as looking at other CL ads in tour area?

 

[garychoffmann]

No problem, not a forsale ad though, looking for actual opinions here. Want to know how an enthusiast would want a vehicle or if it needed a few things then what would they pay. I've been told 5500 for my mountaineer is unrealistic and I agree it's high. So I want to know what I should list it for. Just trying to get ideas from people I don't know so I can get an honest opinion. Thanks though, when they are ready to sell, I will make a legitimate ad, it will include everything that has been replaced and all maintenance done. Thanks for the heads up..... I think

 

[garychoffmann]

Well, I'm looking for enthusiasts input. I'd rather sell something that has my blood on it to someone who will get their own blood on it.

Tbars, took your advice and put the mountaneer in the for sale part......

I just want to know what everyone would think a decent deal they would buy would be. Just trying to get input

 

[Tbars4]

...The ST as you described go for $5700-$6500 in my area...

..The Mounty for that year in my area goes for $2500-$4500, and someone is asking $7000 on one of them...

I hope this helps...

 

[jremington59]

In my area, the Mounty would go from between 3000 and 3500 with the miles it has.

The problem with using KBB is there are so many explorers on the road. I have never seen one go for the KBB value. They usually go a whole lot less. I'm in Northern New York so maybe that makes a difference.

I'd probably list it for 4200 and try and get the 4000.

 

[coonerboy]

Avoid KBB! Prices on there seem very inflated. Search craigslist for similar listings in your area. Also search E-bay for completed listings on the same vehicle. This should give you a good starting point on where to price it from.

If you start out with a price too high you may be scaring away alot of interested buyers right off the bat.

Also you mention what an enthusiast would be willing to pay. In my opinion, enthusiasts will probably pay less than an average buyer would. They will have more knowledge on the problem areas of these vehicles, be more selective on there choice, and probably offer a lower price because they are well aware of other similar vehicles in the area and what they are priced for.

I have sold and bought numerous vehicles off craigslist and E-bay. My advice: Take 4 clear pics(2 ext., 1 int., 1engine). List features. Explain how it runs, shifts, handles, and brakes. Keep it simple. Leave a phone# and a fair price and it will sell. If the phone isn't ringing you know you will have to come down on the price.

I had a '95 Dodge Cummins 4x4 diesel that I was asking $3500 for back in May. Got to the point that I absolutely had to get rid of it. Guy offered $2200 and I took it. Mind you I paid $3000 for it and put well over a grand into it. Its only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Good luck with your sale!

 

[Maniak]

Edmunds.com seems to give closer to real world prices.. at least historically, I don't know about now after the C4C and economy issues...

http://www.edmunds.com/tmv/used/index.html

~Mark

 

[squireofgothos]

I agree with Maniak. Edmunds.com has the closest to real-world pricing. Before attempting to sell it, I would Definitely get those warning lights resolved. Warning lights are the fast way to turn off a buyer, or to loose a large chunk of your asking price. Even if someone is looking for a "project", they usually won't want to start shelling out extra dollars on repairs right away, especially if it is driveable.

I bought my '93 Explorer last year from a friend. It was in desperate need of multiple repairs right away. I bought it for $300 (his asking price). Have since invested an additional $2000 in repair work. With fuel prices what they are, people are not paying top dollar for Trucks/SUV's, particularly if they are more than 4 years old.

 

[my98nnj]

Have it professionally detailed, inside and out. Might want to think about having paintless dent repair on those dings. I'm sure the detail shop can help you out, if not look in your local yellow pages. Fix what's wrong, especially the check engine and ABS issues. That's a huge no no when a vehicle is for sale.

As far as advertising goes, take lots of photos, you need to show the vehicle in detail to interested buyers. Especially if there thinking of purchasing without actually seeing the vehicle. Your pictures must detail the vehicle as if they are walking around it. Take detailed pics of the sides, one looking from the front and the other looking from the back. Do this on both sides, then take pictures of the front and rear of the vehicle. Take pictures of the wheels and tire showing the tread that's on the tires. Interior pics should include overall pics of the dash, every door panel and the seats. Do this right after it's detailed so it looks clean and fresh. Make sure the engine is detailed too and take a nice shot of it. Last is the VIN tag, make sure you have a clear pic of that too.

Next is your ad, write it so it sounds like the truck is a gem. Use words like awsome, perfect, reliable, spotless ect. Give some history and why your selling it, use your imagination here! You've got to make the truck seem like it's worth what your asking.

Pricing - If you've got a nice ad so far then the key to a good sale is pricing it so it appears worth it's value. In other words, if your ad depicts an excellent vehicle then price it that way. Start out slighty high, have people make you offers. If you'd like to get 4 grand for it, ask 4500. If somebody offers you 4 g's play it up, counter them or take it if you really want the truck sold. They'll think they talked up a deal with you and you'll get what you wanted for the truck.

I've sold quite a few high dollar vehicles on ebay. My detail shop prepped many cars for ebayer's over the days. The key is in representation. Make it look and sound better then any thing else in your market area.

For a great example on how ad's or text should be written for used cars, go to ebay, advanced search, scroll down and in search for sellers enter "findgreatcars". I've worked with this guy for a few years, he sells some crazy cars for crazy $$$. Some were down right junk, but looked and sounded like diamonds.

 

[alohamonte]

I paid $3500 for a 98 in 2007 with 120k on the clock.

I think $4500 for a 2002 with higher miles would the max.

 

[Joe Dirt]

My ex-neighbor used to work at a dealership and explained this:

KBB is used more for dealer pricing, as it shows a higher residual allowing for higher financing limits for the customer.

Edmunds/NADA is also used by the dealers for trades, but only since the number they can show you is lower.

 

[marragtop]

Try cars.com and autotrader.com to get an idea of what they are going for in your area. Much better selection than CL for comparison purposes.

Also, when you are selling yours, include a carfax report with it if the history is ok. I won't consider buying anything withour a carfax or autocheck report. If the seller won't give me one, then I assume they are hiding something. I then run the report myself and usually they are hiding something.

 

[williams.cory]

Go to NADA.com. Vehicle values are usually right on the money. For the Mountaineer, I would guess $3500-$4000. And the ST $5500-$6000.

Find the biggest for sale sign you can and put it in the window by a busy road, or at walmart or something. Someone will call.

 

[williams.cory]

Fix what's wrong, especially the check engine and ABS issues. That's a huge no no when a vehicle is for sale.

100% agree. A CEL just shows the owner fails to keep maintenance up on his vehicles and doesnt take good care of them.

If you want top dollar like your asking, do what others have said, clean the outside, but clean the inside ever more and make it have a NUETRAL smell, no flowery crap or odd smells (or even smells you like). Make sure it makes no squeaks over bumps, and makes no noises when driving down the road. Also clean all the door gaskets really good, believe it or not, having clean gaskets will give you a quiter ride. And take everything out of the vehicle, dont have all your personal stuff everywhere.

 

[Carguy3J]

My ex-neighbor used to work at a dealership and explained this:

KBB is used more for dealer pricing, as it shows a higher residual allowing for higher financing limits for the customer.

Edmunds/NADA is also used by the dealers for trades, but only since the number they can show you is lower.

Actually, dealers use Galves for trade-in and/or auction buying.
I've found that KBB is actually a pretty good guide. Assuming you input the correct info about your vehicle, and you use the private party price. Also, very few vehicles are "Excellent" Most used vehicles are in the good category. When I'm selling something, it usually ends up better than "Good", because I put alot of new parts on them, and fix whatever is wrong, as well as a new inspection sticker if needed. (They stay with the vehicle in NJ). However, as I said, very few qualify as excellent.

In fact, on older vehicles, I've even found KBB to be to low. For example, I have a '92 Sable with under 100k. Lots of new parts on it. KBB says good is worth $1275, excellent $1475. I will get about $1800 for that car, when I'm ready to sell it.
You didn't give us all the details on the trim/equipment on your truck. Those things can make a big difference in the price and popularity of your vehicle.
I made a few assumption, and modestly equipped it for the KBB website. It comes up at $6360-good $6910-excellent. That also seems to reasonable, compared to what is available on Cars.com. Of course these numbers are for my area. Prices can also vary quite a bit, dpending on where you are, what season it is, (4x4 worth more in the winter, convertible worth more in summer)etc.... If you were selling this somewhere near me, I would suggest asking $6900, and be prepared to accept $6300 as your bottom line.

Of course, this assumes that it is clean, and in great shape. As long as they are really just "pea-sized" dings, forget them. Not worth fixing. Everything else you mentioned needs to be fixed.
People are scared of any little problem. The best way to get top-dollar is to make sure they have nothing to legitimately complain about, about the vehicle. Now, if they can't afford it, or don't like the color or something, there is nothing you can do about that. Just don't give them anymore "ammunition" to either attempt to negoitate or walk away. Having a laundry list of new parts only adds justification for your asking price, and makes your vehicle stand out above the 5 other ones down the street.

There is a saying, "Sell the sizzle, not the bacon"
Clean and shiny is VERY important. Shiny tires/wheels and glass (use regular carnuba wax-buff very well) and a clean/shiny/good smelling interior are the key. As someone else said, good, clear photos in your ad are important.

Here's another tip. Don't negotiate over the phone. I politely tell people this, and that they really need to see the vehicle before they can make a reasonable offer on it. It helps to weed out the low ballers looking to "steal" it and the other time wasters.

As far as market research, yes Cars.com is good. Craigslist is usually too low.
Also, make sure you are making a good comparison. (apples-to-apples)(body style,year,model/trim/equipment/engine/condition/and of course mileage)
Good luck

 

[coonerboy]

Lol, KBB has my Ex valued at over $4700 private party. I just don't see this as being accurate. I recently saw a real nice 2000 Eddie or limited awd V8 in my area on craigslist that was listed for $4500. After a month or two the price was down to $3900 before the ad disappeared. If I had to put a starting price on mine right now I would say $3500.

I agree with the other posters about Edmunds. Their used car values seem most accurate to me.

Here is the KBB on mine:

http://www.kbb.com/KBB/UsedCars/Pri...ue|247226|true&Condition=Good&QuizConditions=

 

[deernet]

I got my '97 Sport from craigslist in the knoxville area for $1500 with 151,000 miles on it. Only things wrong with it is the passenger front rotor is slightly warped, and its throwing an EGR code, which I can fix all for under $100 when I get the time.

Just throwing that out there.