Wow, BMW M/T cars are really sought after!

[Mike W.]

Got my E39, 530i manual. Looked for a long time, paid too much, nice, but needs more than I hoped, so time to sell the Ultimate Commuting Machine, the E36, 328is. Served me well for 14 years, put about 130K on it with M and R running 4.1 cents a mile. Might have missed a few things, might be 4.3 or 4.4 cents a mile, but cheap to be sure.

So cleaned it up a bit, mostly wash it and vacuum the interior, ready to take it down to the local car mart and put an ad on Craigslist just after midnight Friday. I was going to put an ad up here, but the site went down.

Before I could get to bed I had 2 texts and 2 emails. I'm going yea yea, I've heard about CL scammers. Except they didn't really seem like scammers. One wanted to know what it would need to get to LA, 450 miles away. I said gas. Which is true. He really wanted it. Come AM the phone was blowing up, and a few emails too, including one guy from 2 miles away. Ooookay, seems too easy. Met up with him, I'd actually met him a couple of years ago, he has an E24 M6, didn't even want to drive it, I gave him a test drive with me driving. We got back to the parking lot, talked for a minute and he just handed me $2500 in cash and said, I trust you. We'll meet up this weekend. I drove home, got the title and paperwork and met up at his house by 11AM. I had cash in my pocket 9 hours after I put the ad on CL. And 7 of those I was in bed trying to sleep.

So... I guessed I underpriced it, but looking at ads that seemed like a reasonable price. High miles, bad paint, decent interior but not great, a nice used car but no cream puff.

So, I'm guessing it's like mini pickup trucks, Rangers, S10s, etc. People really want them, but not the people who buy them new? But the manual tranny was apparently the part that people really were interested in. It looks better in the pic than it was, the bad clearcoat doesn't really show up like in real life.

[Shawn D.]

Even if demand is decreasing, the supply is decreasing more quickly. So, prices go up!

[tschultz]

Seems like it was worth at least double to me based on that picture!

Haven't had as many bites on my semi rough e36 m3/4/5 as I would have expected but I do want more than $10k... so many people offering me $7500.

But these days people don't seem to want to see and test drive before establishing the value

[1st 5er]

But these days people don't seem to want to see and test drive before establishing the value

Which makes no sense to me,
other than establishing a new negotiating point
prior to inspection.
Which is a game I don't play.

[Mike W.]

Seems like it was worth at least double to me based on that picture!

Pictures can be deceiving. It photographed really well for the sale, but in person the failing clearcoat was abundantly apparent, and not a good look. I suspect I did underprice it, but it was based on some research on what I saw people asking. A good runner, not abused, but no cream puff either and a quarter of a million miles.

Oh well, not the first time I underpriced a car, and nobody died. But sitting on it, grinding, waiting, hoping, that's no fun either. BTDT.

[stuartinmn]

The selling price isn't the most important thing as long as you came out of the deal satisfied. We all hear too much about flaky CList or Marketplace buyers these days, so it's nice to have someone step up with cash in hand.

[BMWCCA2]

Was the selling price $2500, or was that just his deposit?

[austin8753]

But these days people don't seem to want to see and test drive before establishing the value

Which makes no sense to me,
other than establishing a new negotiating point
prior to inspection.
Which is a game I don't play.

yup, kids and their stupid blind offer bullshit can fuck right off. so. sick. of. it.

[Mike W.]

But these days people don't seem to want to see and test drive before establishing the value

This was almost the opposite, people, including the buyer, just wanted to buy it, didn't care about a drive.

Was the selling price $2500, or was that just his deposit?

Selling price for a car I bought 14 years ago for $6, put 130K on, maintained reasonable well, but nothing like my E28 was, or my first E12, or Bavaria, or... Used but not trashed. Needing paint, tires, interior ok, but give it a year or two...

Oh well, I left a thou or two on the table, but got a quick easy sale. I've done worse.

[1st 5er]

Most of the parts stuff I've sold over the years $old for what I wanted out of it. Those number$ were typically at a price point that no obo was needed. I was after one thing selling it for what I wanted for it.

Complete cars I treated a bit differently.
I typically added a bit of wiggle room on the price because I know how people like to negotiate when buying a car. I have been known to give that back to the buyers who didn't negotiate or didn't negotiate enough after paying to pay title transfer fees explaining what I wanted/needed to get out of the sale.

No regrets when some have said "you've left money on the table".
I wasn't in the game to retire,
only to support the hobby,
err... habit.

You done good Mike.
I wanted your last E28 sale so bad,
but it went way to quick.
Your reputation precedes you.

[Mike W.]

You're too kind Sherman, and while my E28 was nice, it was no cream puff like some. It was a well maintained, everything works, go anywhere car. The E36 somewhat less so. Unmolested certainly and not abused, but the paint was gone and the interior was just starting to get tired. Although I have said, I'd like to buy one of my cars sometime.

However, the car I really want to buy is one of CEK's. Of course I probably couldn't afford it, but the way he keeps his cars up...