Fair Price for '99 Outback? Needs Engine

[RedMtnRacer]

What's a fair price for a '99 Legacy Outback Limited that needs extensive engine repair or replacement? About 170k miles, multiple dings, scrapes and bumper dents. New tires, brand new windshield. Timing belt broke so valves are bent, water pump is bad (maybe the cause of the timing belt break?) and head gasket prob needs replaced. I advertised for $1000 OBO on CraigsList and have been SWAMPED with interest (22 emails since 10 pm last night), so am thinking that's too low.

[ShawnW]

Just be firm at $1000 is my advice. If you already posted it without checking first, that's pretty unfair to the buyers. Getting people to show up, pay cash, tow it away promptly, etc is the challenge most of the time.

[lmdew]

That's fair. When I buy them this way, it's a $1000 or less.

 

By the time the new owner replaces or repairs the engine and all the other stuff that needs to make it a good Subaru they will have at least another $1000 into it + all of their time and then it's only worth $3000 - $3500.

[davebugs]

I pay 200-1k depending on body, mileage, and tires for dead Outbacks of that vintage.

 

On the tires I'm not only looking for tread but to make sure they are all the same so torque bind possibilities are less.

[johnceggleston]

i suspect most of your buyers are going to offer less than $1000, i would. very few sellers expect to get the advertized price.

 

but you could always say first one with $1k cash wins. or ''i have an offer of over $1k, if you want to top that i'll consider it.'' not really fair, but everyone understands that cash talks. you can help set up this situation by not agreeing to sell it to any one over the phone or in an email. talk all you want, but if they want the car they will show up with cash. you could also say, i can't meet today, i'm busy untill day after tomorrow. this will allow you time to hear from lots of interested folks, not just the fastest few.

 

or if you include OBO in your ad, just say, my best offer is over $1k.

[davebugs]

I LOVE it when these CL aholes start a bidding war.

 

I just had this happen with a 2008 VW Wolfsburg. I told him I didn't do bidding wars. That I thought enough of myself to sell anything I listed at whatever price I listed it.

 

3 weeks later I get a text. "All the other buyers fell through, are you still interested". I said yea - what price - knowing it would have to be significantly LESS since I made 2 trips to look at the car (the first trip it was locked behind a fence). He said the same price, he just got tired of the CL folks.

 

I said "I think I'll pass".

 

When I was doing a lot of Subaru's I used to get it all the time.

 

I used to run an add looking for broken Subaru's. Folks would call, I'd go give them a price. Often I'd see it on CL or advertised somewhere else for a week or so. Then they'd call and ask if my offer was still good. And you know, no matter how badly I wanted the car I would NEVER buy it!!

 

I guess intergity is in short supply. If you've priced it correctly sell it to the first person that shows up with the cash!

 

I HOPE there is Karma!!

[ccrinc]

Wow. Here in Denver, you can barely pick up an early Legacy in bad shape for under $1000. Especially off Craigslist. A year ago, I could buy them for $300.

 

I'm jealous.

[Rooster2]

I think that $1,000 is a good asking price, then maybe drop down to $800 if need be.

 

I have sold a number of cars on CL, and have found a lot of responders are not serious buyers. As others have said "cash" is what is important, and who shows up first with the cash, gets the car. I won't take checks of any kind. Ignore the scammers, who will send you emails, wanting you to ship the car somewhere, in return, they will give you a phoney check as payment.

 

Invite all the responders to come and look at the car, less then half will show up. I will "hold" a car as "sold" for 2 days, if the buyer gives me earnest money of $100-$200. The "hold" money is non refundable, if buyer does not pay the remaining agreed to amount. I write up a short contract with these terms on the contract, and signed by both me and the buyer.

 

Once the car is sold, I go back to CL, and cancel the ad.

 

Good luck in selling your car. Let us know how things are going.

[idosubaru]

and have been SWAMPED with interest (22 emails since 10 pm last night), so am thinking that's too low.

some of those will be tire kickers, spammers, won't actually come through with the money, have no way to pick it up, stall, low ball you, etc. that is quite a few emails though.

 

$1,000 is exactly what I would recommend listing it for. around here if you got lucky you might get $1,500 for it.

 

i buy stuff like this all the time and i would give $500 - $1,000 for it mostly because of the mileage.

 

i wouldn't give more than $1,000 unless it was lower miles or it would have to be nearly perfect condition, few owners, zero rust, new tires, etc.

[danbennett2u]

Wow. Here in Denver, you can barely pick up an early Legacy in bad shape for under $1000. Especially off Craigslist. A year ago, I could buy them for $300.

 

I'm jealous.

 

I agree, it is getting hard to find any new gen for under $1000. I like to stay under $2000 for my car purchases, and if you find one that runs decent, doesnt have 300k miles and isnt multicolor you kind of have to jump on it quick. Non running is of no interest to me though so I kind of laugh when people try to sell non running mid-late 90's cars for $2000. I always wonder if they find a sucker that will buy it.

[danbennett2u]

What's a fair price for a '99 Legacy Outback Limited that needs extensive engine repair or replacement? About 170k miles, multiple dings, scrapes and bumper dents. New tires, brand new windshield. Timing belt broke so valves are bent, water pump is bad (maybe the cause of the timing belt break?) and head gasket prob needs replaced. I advertised for $1000 OBO on CraigsList and have been SWAMPED with interest (22 emails since 10 pm last night), so am thinking that's too low.

 

If the tires are truly new and are name brand, that may be sparking a lot of the interest, as they will sell with the wheels for close to $500 most likely - at least around here...