I have had my car listed for sale locally, and on here for a little while now with pretty much no bites (just a couple "Tire kickers") and I would love to have some feedback.

So what do you think it is worth in its current state?

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/cama...nvertible.html

Since the last update to this ad, I have replaced and properly gapped brand new ACDelco spark plugs, and it drives alot better, I have brand new MSD plug wires coming in the mail saturday, which should solve the hesitation. For the record: I will never buy another set of Accel spark plug wires again, pure crap, boots got burned through, and falling apart in under a month of occaisonal driving.

Things that need work:
Paint and body work, for sure.
Speedometer installed
Interior touchups: Shift boot, driver seat ripped at bolster, etc.
The top is junk.
Fuel gauge is inaccurate (Something wrong with sender)

If you would like to give me a price range, please look through at all of the performance modifications done, and take all factors into consideration.

Thanks guys!

 

Oh, forgot to mention-

I am also including extra parts:
Original 185KM/H gauge cluster and bezel in original unmodified condition
Original spoiler
Extra set of rear armrest panels (with the speakers)
New speedometer cable
Anything else I can find.

 

Part of what you're running into is where you're trying to sell the car. By default most people on here already have at least one thirdgen. Then on top of that, in general thirdgen owners are a bunch of cheapskates and everyone is looking for a bargain.

Next problem I see is the paint. It's a sad but true fact that bad paint instantly knocks these cars down to the $1500 range. Without decent paint, most people are going to consider the car as a beater. You'd be helping yourself by removing the aftermarket spoiler, and the IROCZ decal on the windshield. The car would present better if it were at least all the same color/finish, and it'd probably look better with different wheels. Even stock 15 or 16" wheels would probably blend in better.

The interior is fine, but you need to do something about the gauge cluster. Gaping holes will turn off buyers.

Under the hood could use some attention. A molded radiator hose would be a good investment. A bunch of split loom would go a long way towards cleaning things up too. McMaster-Carr sells the heat rated gray stripe loom fairly cheap. The chrome spray paint and red hood catch may be your personal custom touches, but it'd appeal to more people if they were just a semi-gloss black.

The top being bad is going to chase off anyone that's still interested. Consider getting a new top installed. You can use it as a selling point. The modifications are only attractive if the buyer would make the same mods, if they don't know what they are or why they're an upgrade they're going to blow right in one ear and out the other. It's not even worth mentioning in most adds.

$2500 is about the most you're likely to get out of the car as it is int he pics. If you want it to sell fast you'll have to drop the price down to $1000-1,500. Make it all one color, dump some of the custom touches, replace the top, spend some time paying attention to details, and you can probably get $3k out of it. With a decent paint job and some new emblems you might hit $5000, but it'd have to drive perfect and look respectable from a few feet away.

 

x2

pretty much exactly what i was going to say.

 

Not quite what I "wanted" to hear, but I guess theres no point in arguing.

You did point out a few things that I had planned, such as looming the wires, and I am putting 16" IROC wheels on it next week. The hood latch was like that when I got the hood, and it does look out of place. I am trying to locate a speedometer so I can install it.

I currently cant afford a new top, or paint job, or anything major like that.

I paid $950 for it when it looked like this:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/conv...ying-88-a.html

Thanks.

 

I don't mean to discourage you, and I'm not the best at sugar coating opinions. Please don't take offense. It's come a long way since you bought it, but most of what you've spent is performance modifications. Honestly, you could remove all the modifications and drop in a carbed 305 and the $$$ amount wouldn't really change. It sucks but shiny paint is what sells cars.

 

holy crap that thing had a lot of rust!

 

I just looked at the post of when you got the car and the classifieds. Sorry to say, but adding a few things and fixing problems with the car won't make it worth any more than what you started with. You might spend $500 to have someone replace the entire floor pan for you and you will see $0 return on that investment. For $5k, people want a car in much better shape. And to state that you are tired of dumping money into it isn't going to help the sale. Did you really put $4k into it? If you did, then you are the perfect example of why I tell people to spend more for a complete car and enjoy it today instead of pouring a ton of money into something that's worth what you originally paid.

 

I understand that a repair like fixing a rusted floorpan yields no monitary return, which is why I never even took that fix into consideration. I am probably just going to continue working on it and enjoying it as best I can. If I get an offer I like, I will sell. Until then, I will keep on keepin' on.

 

While I can't speak for everyone here, when I look for a third gen, the two most important things to me (other than rust and body damage) are how original and complete the car is. Not that I *HAVE* to have a completely stock car, a few performance mods are acceptable.

My completely honest opinion as the most offending pieces:

1. Steering Wheel. I used to work at a Pep Boys and sell those, so maybe it's just me, but it screams 'cheap'. Would try to find a used original wheel.

2. Wheels and raised white letter tires (although I did read that you'll be changing those for stock, so you've got that covered). IMO, a later IROC should never have white letter tires.

3. No A/C, but apparently your car was a factory a/c delete. Makes me wonder how it ended up in FL though! Nonetheless, this rare option might be turning off some buyers. Certainly not worth the $$ to add it if you're trying to sell it, but I'm sure it's turned some people away.

4. TPI swapped for carb (assuming it HAD TPI...if it was a TBI car, then a carb is a completely okay replacement in my book)

5. Cheap-looking universal upper radiator flex hose. Again, having worked at Pep Boys, this screams 'cheap' to me as soon as you open the hood. Unless you've got a radiator setup that does not allow you to use a stock hose, I think a stock upper hose would be $15 well spent.

6. Red hood latch. 5 minutes and a rattle can would make it black.

7. Gauges. If you've got the original cluster and gauges, photo them and mention them in your ad. It's a HUGE turnoff for me the way it looks now, but that would be easily remedied if I saw that you included the originals in the ad.

8. Antenna. Cheap looking Pep Boys universal replacement. That being said, Pep Boys should sell a more OEM-looking replacement for around $15.

9. Fuses sticking out of the fan shroud. Not sure if you're just using them as a spacer b/c you didn't have anything else laying around, but 'extra fuses' anywhere in a car other than the fuse block just screams 'electrical problems' to me.

10. Rear spoiler. IMO, it cheapens the look of the car. If it's a real Fiero spoiler in good shape, I say eBay it and bondo in the holes that it will leave since it needs paint anyway.

11. Windshield banner. If the car looked more like a stock IROC, I'd be more likely to say leave it, but I'm so used to seeing cobra badges and saleen windshield banners on V6 Mustangs around here that I'd assume your car is a fake IROC just by association.

12. Nitrous bottle bolted into the dash. Any time I see nitrous installed on a car for sale, I have to wonder how bad it's been abused and how much life is left in the drivetrain, regardless of how new/rebuilt it is. I'd remove it and repair/replace the dash if necessary.

Gas gauge isn't a big deal -- every GM car I've ever owned has had a bad sending unit. Paint really isn't that big of a deal for me either. Sure, it would be nice if it didn't need paint, but that didn't keep me from buying my '91. Same goes for the top. I expect it to need to be replaced on a car like this since almost every one I see is original with a brown window and tears/thin spots all over the top itself. Not a deal breaker. Same thing on the hood -- although it would be nice if it were original, original ones are still easy to find and the whole car needs paint anyway.

All the new engine stuff is a big plus. If you have receipts for this stuff, put that in your ad. Unfortunately 'new' parts don't mean anything without receipts or some proof that they're new and not 10 years old.

Also, on a car like this, the more photos you have posted of it online, the better. A good set of photos should leave nothing for a prospective buyer to wonder about; this includes door panels, center console, underside (even if it's just sticking the camera under the car and using the flash), VIN, RPO sticker (if it's still there -- mine's not), convertible top (even if it's in bad condition -- at least we could see that the frame is in good condition and restorable). Not to sound conceited, as if I knew the right way to do everything, but take a look at this description/photos that I did for a 1982 Corvette for sale at my work, perhaps you can get a few other ideas. http://www.buyavette.net/1982%20Corv...ck%202282C.php

Hope this helps. I tried to be constructive and not destructive, so please try and take this the right way.

 

Thanks Navy, actually avery informative post. I just want to go down your list and clear things up, lol.

1. The car had a rusted firebird wheel in it when I got it, and I had this one already, so I used what I had. I would love to get an IROC wheel

2. Replaced these with 16" IROC one lines like 15 minutes ago, lol.

3. AC would be very nice to have, but this is a factory delete car, so it would be ALOT of work to put AC in it. It is a canadian car.

4. Had 305 TBI, and I hated it.

5. I needed a hose asap, and this is what I got, havent gotten a new one yet.

6. Agreed.

7. Yes, I have the original 185km gauge cluster in great shape, good idea of getting a pic of it.

8. Car had an electric antenna and the mast was snapped off, and I wanted a radio, got this one from best buy for cheap, need a stock "not-electric" antenna

9. Those are fan spacers, lol.

10. Putting original back on.

11. I like it, and its a true IROC.

12. Its a fire extinguisher.

I have tons of reciepts laying around everywhere, one day I will put them all together so I have em'. Only thing is, the reciepts from like autozone and advanced and such, use that "thermal paper" crap and the letters all faded away.

Thanks again!

 

Glad I could help. Not sure about Camaros, but used Firebird steering wheels are CHEAP on eBay. The cover on the leather-wrapped wheel on my '91 was almost completely torn off when I got it. Found a nice leather-wrapped wheel out of an '85 T/A on eBay for $40 shipped. I'm sure you could make some $ off that Grant wheel too. Good choice on the carb over TBI, I think the TBI might scare some people that don't know these cars as it's not a very common fuel delivery system, at least in non-trucks. Congrats on the wheels, that should help a LOT. Still would recommend spending a few $$ to get proper fan spacers and hose, it's an IROC so a lot of people will want to see under the hood. Not to say I haven't done things like that before that I was proud of my cheapness on (like using a twist-tie from a loaf of bread to fix a door latch with a broken/unavailable retainer clip), but other people just don't understand sometimes. Would still recommend moving the fire extinguisher though, it's one of those things that should mostly out of sight and for 'emergency' use only. Might try mounting it behind the seats or something. People might get the idea that the car is prone to catch on fire if there's a fire extinguisher that accessible and visible from the driver's seat. Just my $0.02. Windshield banner is personal taste -- I don't think it looks particularly bad either, just might turn some people off. Wish I had some advice for the power antenna, but new masts/motors are not cheap, so you might be stuck with what you have.

Can't speak for Camaros, but working at a dealership that sells only pre-owned Corvettes, the ones with appearance mods seem to sit and sit while the stock cars usually fly out of here if they're in nice condition.

At any rate...I'm full of opinions as you can see, so let us know if you have any more questions! Good luck with your sale.

 

It's unfortunate you put so much money into that car because honestly, I wouldn't pay more than 1800$ for it. I don't want you to take this the wrong way because I don't want to offend you but I am trying to be honest based on what they go for. Things I noticed were the pass side ground effect is gone, the body panels don't line up great leading a buyer to think the car was crashed, it's primered, the engine bay is not original at all and is stripped of everything....the list goes on. To be completely honest with you, I would never even want to get close to a project like this just because of all the little things that would have to be fixed and replaced to make the car "real nice." To give you an idea of pricing, I bought the 86 TA in my sig with 104K on it, 100% original with a glossy repaint of the original color and everything in working condition for 2200$. My brother just sold his mint 1990 camaro RS with a 3.1 engine for 800$, and that car was in awesome shape.

My best advice to you is to fix her up and make it a sweet ride or your probably going to have to take a loss on it if you do want to sell it, and put it up for somewhere around $2k or best offer. Again, not trying to shoot you down man. Best of luck!!