To part or not to part, that is the question

So I have really been dumping a lot of money into my car and now that the center diff has gone out I have decided that I am done. The car just turned over 190 and runs really strong with the exception of exhaust I have a fujitsubo turbo back exhaust system ready to install. I am thinking I will stand to make more money parting my car out and investing some time in multiple sales as to just selling the whole car as is. Any opinions on this? Should I let this gem of a car get stripped for parts to help its brethren? I am having a hard time with this. Let me know what you guys think.

 

[ktmrider]

Very sad to say but you will get more for parting her out.
That said what are your future plans? Unless you are getting out of the car modding business completely keeping the GVR4 and fixing it will probably be cheaper in the long run. There are enough parts and knowledge to sustain the vehicle for a long time to come.
I know it's hard to invest another $1k into a car some value at $2k or less. Follow your passions, not your wallet ( if possible ) or public opinion.

 

[onesickcrx]

Post some pictures and the mods so we can discuss it. What do you think its worth in parts VS what do you think it is worth complete /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

 

It's sad but I am ready to move on to another vehicle I would love to hold on to it but I can't afford to. I need something very reliable as a daily driver and I have grown tired of always waiting for my car to be fixed. I've pretty much decided that I am going to sell it.

 

Here she is a 1992 Galant VR4 #796/1000 perfect interior, custom stereo, new alt belts and balancer, boge shocks, new bridgestone potenzas, power slot rotors, hks intake, turbo back custom fujitsubo exhaust 2.5" to 3" with a ported 2g down pipe, optima, 600w kicker sub with 6 infinita kappas and and apline head unit, 1g shifter and boot. Much much more... pictures upon request.

 

[onesickcrx]

I think you should list this in the car sale forum as feeler as hole car and name a price

 

[Wilfongtsi]

Only do what YOU want to do, its always sad to see one get parted, but its YOUR car. But like someone above said, why not list it and see what kinda offers you get, maybe sell some of the mods and then try and sell the shell. How is the body? Rust issues?

 

[NateCrisman]

Sadly, these cars are always worth nearly double in parts as they are whole. The more modified they are, the more the ratio favors a part out.
Sucks, but that's the truth with old cars.

 

[CP]

I'm experiencing this same dilemma right now...

 

[belize1334]

If it's heavily modified then parting is probably gonna get you more money. If it's closer to stock form then I think it's better to leave it as a unit and sell it that way. There's alot to be said for a car that hasn't been hacked apart and some people will pay for it.

 

[SmoothCustomer]

I like how everybody says they have a perfect interior. Has anyone ever seen one that doesn't have a perfect interior?

 

[91GSR]

mine doesnt. the steering wheel is all ate to hell and the drivers rear door lock is broken off and the drivers seat has that wear spot right next to the door. other than that its nice, but i wouldnt call it perfect. i mean hell its nearly 20 year old leather...of course it isnt perfect.

 

[NateCrisman]

Quoting belize1334:
If it's heavily modified then parting is probably gonna get you more money. If it's closer to stock form then I think it's better to leave it as a unit and sell it that way. There's alot to be said for a car that hasn't been hacked apart and some people will pay for it.



What do completely stock GVR4's with average mileage for the age (~150k) that run well, aren't hacked up go for? Really...$2000 or so realistically. That same car could net $3500 in partout if it's complete and clean. I'm not talking about cherry condition mint examples, Im talking about the run of the mill average condition 1991 car that's been driven it's whole life with average maintenance.

Reality is, there are alot of whole GVR4's for sale on this board that languish in the Cars for Sale section for months and months, bump after bump at reasonable prices. The demand just is not really there for the cars on whole as high as the demand for good parts from the existing GVR4 owner community.

I don't think there are so many of us that are looking to buy a second or third GVR4 or newbs looking to get in. But there are tons of us looking for parts to fix up the GVR4 already owned.

And as much as I read in every part out thread: "Someone save that car!" "Shame to part it out!" "That's a piece of history, you can't crush it." ;

There is rarely any one of those people that are willing to go out of their way to buy it in order to save that piece of history.

 

Thanks, here's more pictures. I think I am going to part it out for sure. I am willing to put the time and effort into doing it right and I am going to be proud that my car can live on in more dedicated gvr4 enthusiasts vehicles. It's a bit sad to see it go that way but I am in desperate need of the cash and a new more reliable vehicle. Here are the pics I took this morning.

 

[JNR]

In reference to the for sale ads...I think if people would put in a little effort in their ads (description, honesty, PICS [lots of high quality of all areas and especially where problems]) and extend the reach of potential buyers, they would have good luck selling them. When doing something beyond here, include some information about the car and why it's special...it's like fishing, lol...It's good to put them here, but these things (or many other older, 'rare' cars) need special advertisement, imo.

How do you think all these companies sell their junk to consumers /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Unless it's a total beater or has rust, I would use parting out as a last resort.

 

[3rdstrikedsm]

I can tell you that parting out is more money but also way more time, I just got done with a partout and it was crazy, It took all of my time but in the end it was worth it.

 

[91GSR]

i would say that unless there is no possible chance of the car ever being street legal agin dont part it. im talkin the frame had better be falling apart. i will never part out a vr4. with so few of them left i dont ever see a reason to part it. if it has AM parts then yeah i can see selling those. but that desnt mean to sell every single thing thats AM thats makes a car a car and then junk the shell. these things are rare...they should be treated as such

 

[Ian M]

Man,that's a shame to part that car,I couldn't do it. The way these cars seem to just languish on and on in the classifieds here (especially the way the economy is now),I can see why someone strapped for cash would though.

Ironically,I'm not sure this site is the absolute best place to list a GVR4. I know a few people locally that have listed GVR4s here for weeks without as much as one bite,but sold locally within days once the word got out. One listed his in the local "Valley Trader" paper. He got a call the night the paper hit the newsstand,and sold it the next day for the price he asked-no bickering.

 

[91GSR]

if i was to sell the vr4 i would list it here first for about 250 less than i was willing to take...then sell it to the public after no interest. the way i have seen cars priced on here tho its no wonder they sit forever. ive seen some prioced in the 10000's...just not worth that much

 

[Ian M]

On the flip side I've seen some cheap cars-like under 1k,that have sat here longer than I would have expected.

Unfortunately,as rare as our cars are,the people who want to buy them are just as rare.