My wife and I bought our '87 IROC convertible new. Our daughter is getting married in September and she and our son-in-law to be would like to buy the car from us. It's black with TPI, 5 speed and performance axle. It's been garage kept and pampered and has 11,000 miles on it. They are both near having bachelor's degrees and I know they will take good care of the car.

No, I won't give it to them. If you want something in life, you have to earn it. What's a fair price? I think $10,000 would be a steal, $14,000 would be absolute top dollar, so $12,000 would be fair. Any opinions?

 

WOW!!!

Good luck getting $10,000 for it on the street Even if it was in mint condition, and had all of 10 miles on it your going to be a lot closer to $5-$7k, remember people here know that 87 verts are very rare, but not many more. I still wouldnt pay $10k for one.

But to charge your daughter and son in law $12k for a 87 IROC convertible? Damn what do you have against them? Not to flame you or anything, but thank *** your not my dad.

Your suppose to give family a deal not Scr*w them over

 

i've seen some on ebay go for 12000 so i think 8000 is good with that miles i've been offered 7000 to 11000 for mine it depends on who wants it and like i've said before there an a$$ for every seat so. sel l for what you want for it.
later
jay

 

Newly wed and a cherry 3rd gen vert! Wow! I'm having flashbacks to carseats, happy meals and fries, spillled pop, mall parking lots, snow (well, here anyway), rain, and on and on. I had a like car at that age, bought it myself, but I didnt nearly appreciate it as much as my 2nd one which I bought at age 39. This one has its own garage stall, a strict no food rule, (kids are alot older), it never sees rain and maybe 2k miles per year. I say hold it and give it as a 10 year anniversary present. Everybody wins! I'll be happy to hold it for you if need be.

 

Yikes! Umm thanks dad

While that car is doubtless veeeery nice indeed, there are more practical 12k cars for a newlywed couple fresh out of college.

 

Ive watched ebay closely and the most I have ever seen a vert thirdgen go for was around 8500, and it was about in the condition you are suggesting.

I say if you have to sell it to your kids, go for $5k, but that would just be me.

 

heres a ebay auction for a 88 iroc with similar milage to what you said yours has.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2466395777

 

10-12K is probably a good price unless the car is exceptionally pristine. I have seen a couple REALLY CLEAN low mileage verts go in the 16K range but that is rare.

I agree with widomaker. The vert is probably not the most practical car for newlyweds. I tried a baby seat in my vert ONCE. It fit but only just, and it was awkward as hell.

Most likely the happy couple will initially have to live in a place where there are other people in close proximity and the car will most likely have to be parked out in th open (apartment complex.)

They would be better off with a 12K disposable car now. Sell them the vert later.

That's my $.02.

Good Luck to the newlyweds!

Speedy

 

Most newly weds i have run into including myself are constantly broke It can be very hard sometimes to keep up the demands of the thirdgen but very well worthit in the long run. I would have died to have a car like that... at the same time i would shoot myself if i had to let it sit outside at the apartment complex...

But it gets better!

Good luck to the Newly Weds It deffinitely takes alot of work!

oh the car too of course

 

I had the chance to purchase a 92 Jamican Yellow (only 35 made), 5 speed (rare) Convert with only 19K on the speedometer. Price was 10,800.

I went on a business trip to Europe, came back ready to buy it and it had been sold to a collector in Detroit for $11,000

I ended up finding another Jamaican Yellow vert, Auto, with 113,000 for $5,500 in pretty good shape. After adding a new 305 HO, new suspension and new interior I easily have $10K in car.



If its in good shape, drives good and plus its still like new then if I were them I would be happy with it, baby set and all. Put some miles on it and enjoy it! After a few years, buy a new grocery getter and keep the Vert for it's increasing collectability and cool factor

John

 

I'm guessing that you had to help pay for the wedding... being the father of the bride and all... are you possibly a little bitter? How could you honestly ask your child to pay $12,000 for that car after just getting married. Yeah, it's your car and I’m sure it's beautiful but come on...

I agree with the philosophy that nothing in life is free.. but for gôd's sake man, sometimes it's okay to cut someone a deal... especially if they're your family.

I would probably be insulted if I were your kids... please don't take advantage of them.




P.S. Keep in mind that they are going to have to take care of you someday.. you may want to treat them nice now or you may end up in getting tossed in a nursing home for $12,000.

 

Awesome way of looking at it digital

 

The fact is that almost NO thirdgen is worth 10K stock, unless you're a collector wanting to buy a car to put in your garage. If you're a collector then you'd be looking at market value.

Most I'd pay for that car if I was in the market is 8K....TOPS. I've seen ones in showroom condition going for less. If you're buying a car to drive, you don't care that there were a few less made in 87 when the later ones have less bugs and (for the price that you're trying to get out of it) are cheaper.



You can make excuses all you want about why you're wanting that much for it, but don't insult your family by asking that outrageus price. I'd disown my family for trying to get 4K over market value on a car from me.

 

I'm not far off from your situation...got an 89 I've owned 14 years, with a 20 yo daughter who would love to get ahold of it. I can see your point about nothing in life is free, but I've got to agree with the majority opinion here...sounds like you're looking to get close to top dollar from your own child. At that price, I'd almost think she'd be better on the open market, where she could try and negotiate, or walk away from a deal she didn't like. Dealing with dad kinda puts her in an awkward position. I've already decided either of my kids can get mine in either of 2 ways..buy it (but at a good price...somewhere between low market value, which I'd want, and free, which I'm sure is what my wife would want), or wait til I die, and get it in their inheritance. If I were you, and she and you both wanted to make this happen now, I think around 8K is fair. She'll remember your generosity long after she's forgotten the "nothing in life is free" lesson.

 

You guys are crazy for thinking that car isn't worth $10 grand. You could find 3rd gen vert in not so great condition for cheaper....say 1887 $5000 and 100k miles. But who knows where its been, wrecked, who tweaked what and when, and a lot of miles on the chassis/suspension.


Its pretty damn tough to find a convertible iroc, one owner( he and his wife bought the thing brand new), garage kept, clean, never wrecked ,reliable history, and all the original papers.

I'd pay 10 grand because of the above and a) you don't need a new engine anytime soon, b) won't need a paint job, c) dont have to replace a crapload of misc wear and tear parts.

Thats definately 10 grand worth of car (and prob more)!

The days of finding a garage kept quality machine from some unsuspecting older couple who bought it new and "almost never drove it" are nearly over.

 

Matthew, I think the point that everyone is trying to make is that he is thinking top dollar *for his own child*. Is the car worth 10-12k? Maybe, maybe not. If someone really wanted it then I suppose so. However, at this point the car is so old(nearly antique) and with so little miles to put any more miles on it will significantly reduce it's value...and where's the fun in that?

To boot, if the newlyweds are living in apartments then the car will sit outdoors 24-7.

I say keep it where it sits, drive it on the weekends and let that bad mama-jama retain garage queen status.

BTW, how did your top job turn out?

 

I'd be wary of ANY 17 year old car with only 11K on it unless it was stored in a vacuum case with all fluids out.

 

You mean you DON'T hermetically seal your garage and pump out all the air each night?

 

Anyone notice the original poster never came back...

 

I figured someone had to be the devil's advocate.

Widowmaker:: Top turned out great....just have to glue the front of the headliner and affix the garnish molding upfront. And have to trim a bit from the weatherstrip lip under bow # 5 to get my weatherstrip seated correctly. Besides that, all is holding well. SO glad I finally got this done. One of those jobs I was not looking forward too and never thought I'd finally get around to it. I'll have to post pics of my nasty old top to show you what I had on there before. Such a difference. How is yours holding?

Yeah....I would not sell the IROC in the first place (even to a family member). Where did that guy go anyway??

 

Maybe he forgot his password?

 

Thanks for your input guys. I do appreciate it and it will factor into my decision.

I'm not complaining, because I love my kids more than anything, but by the end of this year I'll have paid for three weddings and countless college courses. I've given each of my three girls a car (or more than one) to help get them started. I sold one daughter a 2000 GTP in 2002 for $11,000, interest free loan along with my lower insurance rates until I sign it over to her.

Furniture, clothing, $$ in car repairs, hours of car repairs...not to mention the highest price...biting my tongue about some of the idiot boys they've brought around.

I went so far as to forego a relocation package to keep the house two of them wanted to stay in to finish school when I was re-located.

Now one girl and her husband-to-be would like to have what may be the cleanest, lowest milage, '87 IROC convertible in existence, and they don't want to wait until I'm dead. I don't think I am out of line considering $12k, interest free loan, my insurance rates, and my garage for free storage.

But then again, I'm not sure why they would want to buy it, when they're the only ones who drive it anymore.

Someone should tell these guys at the e-Bay auction below that this car is only worth $5k-$7k, and it doesn't have TPI or a 5-speed, I'll bet it doesn't have the performance axle, and it's got three times the milage.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2470118405

 

Ahh....my post is above, and I stand by what I said, but...in this guys defense, to all the younger guys who jumped in quick with their opinions... "Walk a mile in a man's shoes... " (I forget the exact saying...but I think you know what it means).

 

Well paying for college, and all those other things as kids grow up is called being a parent. I wouldn't feel right about trying to get some of my money back from my kids, unless of course they were making 7 figures a year. If they are doing that I say charge them $15k lol

 

I agree that paying for college and helping out your kids as they grow into adulthood is part of being a parent.... but handing them everything they want on a silver platter isn't. This is a married couple we're talking about, who more than likely isn't in dire financial straits (aside from what normally comes with being young, married, and in school). They're interested in buying Dad's fairly highly collectible classic car. I'm sure they have a good idea of what it's worth, and of the value Dad places on it.... and I'm sure they don't expect Dad to give them a car that's potentially worth $10K or more (I'm no appraiser, but some of these cars do draw a pretty price) for a song. And even if they were in dire financial straits, had to have transportation, and had absolutely no way to afford it, they wouldn't expect Dad to come across with his 11K mile collectible ragtop for next to nothing... a nice Honda would be much more practical. Point is, a line has to be drawn somewhere between raising one's kids and allowing them to accept responsibility as adults. I say get the car professionally appraised (the kids should pay for this... it's only fair), sit down with the kids and see if an agreeable middle ground can be reached. Just my two cents.... take it with a grain of salt, as I have no kids of my own and I do not speak from experience.

 

A buddy of mine just bought 100% stock 1987 Hard top Camaro, 350TPI, 700R4. No performance mods whatsoever. but he paid $6,000 for it. I almost laughed in his face.. I bought my 400 Horse beast for $1500...

Back to topic, if you love em, sell it for like $7,000, $12,000 is what you sell it to the blind kid down the road

 

Will you adopt me?

Man...You sound like a great dad. After all you have done for your kids I think $12K still is not unreasonable. If anything, it will put a little back in your pocketbook for all those marriages you paid for.

 

Regardless of how this thing shakes out, I personally think this has been one of the most interesting threads I have ever subscribed to. With that said, I would like to make a request of JRNKLJB that when/if the car changes hands that the details get reported back to this thread. This thread has been dinner conversation at my own house...and people wanna know!

 

You gotta love thirdgen.org!!!:rockon:


Its definately another facet of my life.....all the friggin time I spend on here.

Yes..keep us posted.

 

OK
We've been wondering about the value of the car in question. Value is of course a seperate issue from price. When we buy something we will usually try to buy something at a price that is at, or preferably, below it's value. (The Genus and Species of a TIGHTWAD is Anus Constricti!)

Ignoring the question of the price you might charge one of your children for the privilege of owning the vehicle we still have the question of the car's value.

There is, right now, an '87 Iroc Vert on Ebay That is described as showroom perfect. With a little over a day left to bid the price is currently 12.9k. It will be interesting to see how high this one goes. Check it out!

 

The white '87 vert ...in show room condition with 32957 miles, White with red interior just sold for $13,100. Third gens...and especially verts are really starting to climb in price since around last year! I know mine just went up...although I'll never sell it

 

You are all talking about 3rd gen Camaros but not about Firebird converts.
I have seen loads of Camaro converts out there but not any FB converts.

I have an 88 Formula that is 1 of 104 made that yr. and believe that it commands more $ than the Camaros that are more plentiful. If I am wrong, let me know.

I have this car on www.autotrader.com under 88 Formula in IL.

I need to sell this car soon and am looking for a buyer. This car sold for $24,000 new and has been well taken care of and should be in the hands of a FB fan.

Let me know what you think of the pics and your feedback.

 

Well, i am not sure if it is because there is more, but I have always seen Camaro's go for more than Firebird's. I know the firebird guys are going to jump all over me, but always seems that Camaro's are more valuable than birds. TTA and the firehawk being the only exceptions, or the real collectors of the firebirds. Now there is less of those than 1le or 87 verts... Of course I would buy a firehawk or a TTA in a mili second if I had the cash

 

Depending on if they have owned a car before and how they treated it and their financial situation are factors I think. My car sits outside because I rent, but I still have a car cover for real bad weather. I think unless it stays unused except on perfect days, it will face the effects of time and nature.
I got my first car via a cosigned loan from my dad, the second one was as well, if I even remember. I then did two more loans on my own before buying a car with cash outright.
My Firebird had 44K and wasn't perfect but I paid $8,600 marked down from $10,000+ originally. Firebird fans are typically younger then Cadillac owners/fans and you'll see Eldo convertibles sell higher. The market for Grand Nationals fares better then factory F cars as well, they seem to be known across the board by the buying public, oddly enough.

-B

 

Sorry for the double post, but as an '89 ASC car owner, I'd say you are correct in assuming. The only official drop tops for Birds are the last of the Third Gens...Though prior a few came out in small numbers.
For that reason, I plan to keep mine and invest into it.
-B

 

I have an 88 Formula that is 1 of 104 made that yr. and believe that it commands more $ than the Camaros that are more plentiful. If I am wrong, let me know.



ac....any car with that low of a build number is historically significant, and as the price climbs for 3rd gen cars, the price for the more collectable models will tend to increase much faster....I hope you get a good price for your car..it probably wouldn't hurt to talk it up on the history board...someone here might be interested in it.

I too have a rare Vert...one of approximately 24 yellow Camaro verts ever made and probably the only one ever made with a 5 speed and if I were to sell mine now ( which I never will ) $15,000 wouldn't touch it because I know it will be worth a lot more than that one of these days. You can pay upward of $100,000 for an original Nicky or Yenco camaro and those cars were going for 12,000 to 15,000 in the late '70s

 

Thanks for the feedback on this car. I would keep the car but need to sell to pay off a loan from being unemployed for a few months.
I hold clear title and planned on selling the car someday in order to replace it with a mint, low mile 89 TTA. This is my true dream F-body car that I have wanted since it was new, but could not afford.

I would like to talk with the guy that replied that has this same year car and compare notes and pics.

I will keep looking for the right buyer and hope that some of my fellow "FB" enthusiasts might refer me to a potential prospect.

AC

 

With the prospects for future value hinged on condition, doesn't lift my own spirits much...mine's a daily driver in off/on weather (MN, gotta love it!) Either way, I do think you need 20 to 25 years for interest in true collector status to start. The 1982 (Touring Coupe debut) and 1984 Eldorado and 1985 Buick Riv drop tops are just now entering the phase of collector status interest... I'll be watching those GM cars.

 

I owned an 84 Eldo w/ sim-top and it was a nice, despite the nasty slow 4100 V8. I agree, the drop tops of those cars hold great value and would be a nice addition to a collection.

 

I mentioned earlier, but going OT with this;
It's rumored Cadillac in it's pursuit of younger customers is working to improve performance of it's cars (trucks, not soo sure hehe)
As is stated in latest Car Craft, however, the rumor concerns switching the Northstar and other engines to rear drive after dominating front wheel drive for the past decade (and proving 300 horses work with it!) The Northstar was engineered for a standard layout with driveshaft, it won't be a cheap solution, but would love to see that go into an 80s Eldo... Doubtfull considering the transverse arrangement for FWD versions
-B

 

Someone selling a TC on eBay stuffed an Olds motor in their Eldorado, so it can be done, however, a modern engine like the Northstar is transverse and FWD, the new redesign for North/South placement would be RWD, I suspect, as reported in the press.
I wasn't sure the first post was successful as the window closed, sorry about the double post and OT subject. Despite ongoing problems with GM, (general malfuction), they had the upper hand in the design studio for years, but competition is tight across the board these days. Ford's own Mustang is making waves oddly enough, considering GM's current stance on two door cars. If they killed the Corvette, I wonder what the public reaction would be?
-Bill

 

I believe that a car is worth whatever the right buyer is willing to spend for it.

Is a mint 3rd gen low mile vert a car you sell your daughter, no.
But there are people like us that appreciate these cars and want ones that are well cared for to buy.

I am selling a Rare 88 Formula ASC vert that is well taken care of and needs a new home. I am looking for feedback from 3rd gen fans on what they feel I should ask for this car.

The car is posted on www.autotrader.com and I need to sell for financial reasons.

Look at the car and the specs and give your feedback.

Thanks

 

AC_Rawmaterials,

I tried to give you feedback on your car before. The link you provide is to the main page of autotrader and not to your car. I spend a good 20min trying to find your car to no avail.

Until you give a link(preferably) or at least directions on how to find the car on Autotrader you won't get any feedback...

Maybe I'm just dense...

Speedy

 

I found it in about two minutes.

88 formula

 

"I believe that a car is worth whatever the right buyer is willing to spend for it. "

I agree with that statement. You can place, assess or assign any value you want for a car and for whatever reason: ie, sentimental, what you have in it, blue book, or whatever rationale you want to use.

In the final analysis a car is only worth what another person (the buyer) pays for it. In that case sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, or to put it another way, sometimes you get what you want for it and sometimes you do not.

I say price it whichever way makes you happy. You own it, you bought it......you set the price and no one else.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Talk about beating a dead horse....................

 

As a reply to the feedback I received, the link is
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...lor=&cardist=0

I was curious to hear the interpretation of the comment about beating a dead horse and what that means here?

I am a dedicated 3rd gen Firebird fan and have had 3 of these cars, 86 Trans AM/88 GTA and my current vert. Understanding that the site were on is filled with similar people, I would hope that we can help each other to reach each one's goals.

Thanks,

 

I am glad that this board is here and to whomever thought it up, I would like to say "Thank You"!! It has helped me tremendously as far as technical issues, sharing ideas as well as offering new ideas, and opinions.

I have no issue with that aspect.

The dead horse comment only refers to how long and often we beat that topic (the horse). We must have hit every side of it, up one side and down the other. The original post and author got lots of attention (whether he wanted it or not) and lots of opinions. His car.....do with it what he wants.

Here i go...adding another post and still am beating this poor, dead horse. That will teach him.

 

Shipfitter,

The only reason for re-posting this is to catch the attention of those that may not have seen the original post but will see the re-post.

If you were selling a car that you thought could sell easily on this site, I would think you would not give up after one poor response posting.

If someone re-posts a request to sell a 3rd gen car (focus of this site)and you already saw the 1st one, don't respond to it and save yourself some time.

I'm sorry you were "offended" by this.

Peace!

 

No offence was ever taken. Just my view on things.

Rock On, Brother!

 

My Feedback on the ad, and the car.

1st, the first picture you see looks like there is a dent/crease in the drivers side front fender. That is a QUICK turnoff to the casual browser. You need to fix or lose that pic.

The price you are asking is probably on the high side (I do HOPE you get it! because that would mean that the value of these cars is going up!). That is low mileage for that car, and the improvements that you made do IMHO increase the value of the car and I believe that you might possibly get close to that price.

The ad for the car needs to stand out a bit more. Of the buyers (like us) who know about these cars it will get attention but to get the kind of price you are looking for you will need to attract as many people as possible to look at the ad.

Is that an unreasonable asking price? NO! Everybody knows there is a diffrence between the Asking and the Sell price... It just gives you a place to start from.

Let me give you an example. I would be wiling to sell my Labrador Retriever to the right person. The asking price for the dog is $250,000 but i would probably actually sell at $240,000. Since no one has approached me with the right number of dollars I still have the dog.

Good luck!

Speedy