I looked at a 1983 Camaro Z28 yesterday. its is 100% original, has the standard 305, auto, AC (doesnt work) power locks, manual doors. car has 92,xxx miles on it. ONE owner vehicle. It is in rough shape cosmetically, however has NO body rust or dents. a good paint job will make her look amazing. I would need a new headliner, and new t-top weather stripping. my question is, How much is she worth? The guy was given the car by his grandma, who was the original owner. it ran, a little rough because it sat for the last 2 years. Hes asking $2,200 but i think thats a tad high.

 

It depends on how bad you want it LOL. Bring a wad of cash and offer him 1500.00 all he can say is no.

 

I offered him $800.00 hes had no hits in like 2 months, then he said he wants no less than $1,500. he reposted on CL today at $1,700. Ill be patient. eventually he might just wanna get rid of it, because its of no use to him. just sitting there.

 

in the mean time, ill drive my LS1 6 speed

 

the market is telling the seller that his price is too high. It doesn't matter how much he thinks the car is worth. He has 2 choices, sell at the price the market tells him or don't sell the vehicle. Those are his only 2 choices.

I'd wave $1,000 in front of him and say that is it. I would literally lay the cash on the hood of the vehicle. If he wants to negotiate further pick up the cash, leave him a business card or if you have none, a note with your name, cell number and affirmation that $1,000 is your offer and then walk away.

In case the seller hasn't noticed the economy has not improved, gas prices are rising again and not to get all political but if the same guy gets re-elected then the seller will be begging for the $1,000 for that car because things would be getting worse.

 

I offered him the $1,000. it wasnt in person, he called me up and we talked about it. I explained that all the stuff it need to be a daily driver will cost between $800-1000 on top of the buy price, not including the paint job it needs. It just needs brakes, headliner, dash pad, major detailing, new tires, i imagine the shocks are bad too. and he sitll didnt budge when i offered him the $1,000 cash. he's got one other guy who he said is tryin to get the money together. but who knows if thats true. I agree that if the economy was amazing, $1500 would be great. but right now, everything is getting more and more expensive and he should be so thankful i offered him $1,000 cash....not to mention that car was just GIVEN to him by his grandma....so its not like he is losing any money.

 

how the seller obtained the vehicle isn't germane to the discussion.

Whether he got it for free or paid $15,000 for it last month has no bearing on market value. Your $1,000 cash on hand is about as good as he's going to get.

For what it's worth, I've had people make me offers by phone, tell me the vehicle or item is considered sold etc. I let the caller have their say and simply say that I only negotiate with ready/willing/able buyers and those are people who are in front of me with money.

You were just a voice on the phone. If you are serious, go there.

 

Have you ever driven a 83 Z? I had one, They are not the greatest car, they have about the same power as a 3.4 v6. They are a little lighter then the 4th gens. If you really like the 3rd gen you should find a 91-92 L98 Z28 or if your on a budget a 91-92 TB305 with a 5 speed.

If the car is all original I think your $800 is a little light. At 30 years old just about every wear items should be replaced. if you do not replace them then they will fail pretty quickly if you put it back in service. Struts/shocks, fuel lines, the ENTIRE brake system. Anything with rubber covers like ball joints tie rod ends. Frame mounts. The motor is going to need resealed if not rebuilt. The oil seal are going to fail VERY fast. The tranny itself will be very undependable with30 year old seals inside. This will end up being a restoration. If you get the car of $1500 or a $1000 will not matter much as you total cost in the first year gets close to 5K.

To get a 30 year old car for the 80's dependable is a whole different process then getting a 15 year old car from the 90s dependable.

 

Ya gotta remember that's the biggest line in the book that the seller has someone else looking to buy it

 

sage words from Gorn but assumptions that I make about 3rd gen buyers


they are interested because they like the body style. That is the only reason

the vehicle is a project vehicle and not a daily driver

they understand that the era was the dark days of performance and unless the vehicle has been upgraded, the performance is less than a modern mini van

they have deep pockets to fix everything that is wrong, and is going to need fixing

they have time, know-how, money and patience