Englishman abroad - advice appreciated

Hi

I've joined this forum on behalf of a friend. She has a red '73 Country Squire, a much loved family wagon known as "The Red Devil". It's located at a cottage in Wisconsin. Sadly, her husband, and dear friend of mine passed away a little while back, and the cottage has to be sold. The wagon isn't a city car and sadly that has to go too.

I've not seen it myself, but it's red ( not a woody ) in generally good order with a 400 engine. Chrome is good, it's had some spray work at some point, and is generally free of dents and dings. I can get hold of some pics.

A local guy has offered her $500 to drive it away which I think is may be a little low. Do you think she should take the $500 or put it on eBay and see what happens ?

I figured this was the best place to get an expert opinion. I'd have it myself but I live in the UK. Drive an Alfa Sportwagon myself. Not quite the same...

Mark

 

Welcome to the forum Mark! I think $500.00 is a bit of a low ball bid, we've seen lots of 70's Squires going for $2000.00 to $4000.00 in less than pristine condition lately. If it's something that has to go immediately I guess you take what you can get, but if there's time I would put it up for more. Pics would definitely help but by your description I would say it's worth more.

 

Welcome anglo!

 

I agree with Dewey. Get the word out in as many places as you can and try to get what the wagon is worth. Not that the other person was trying to take advantage. But it's got to be worth way more if you and her have the time. Good luck.

 

Hello,
Where in Wisconsin is the car located? $500 is a cheap price for a full-sized 73 wagon. You would probably get more than that at the scrapyard just for the price of the steel in that car. At least here in Ohio, $500-$600 is what you can expect to get for a car that is in terrible condition. If it runs and drives, you are looking at getting at LEAST $1000. If the Country Squire is in good condition, you should get well over even $1000.

If the car absolutely HAS to be sold right away and she doesn't have time to advertise the car, I'd give her $1000 for it without even seeing the car.

 

Much appreciated

Many thanks to all for giving helpful advice. There's no pressure to sell it immediately, but it would be one problem solved for her. When I work out how to upload photos I'll do that

Mark

 

Here is a link that may help with pics Mark. http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9 :2_thumbs_up_-_anima

 

73 Squire photos

Should give you an idea. The Instrument panel/fascia/crash pad - not sure of the term here, has some sun damage apparently.

 

That car is beautiful and worth well more than $500, in my opinion. Without seeing a bit more of the interior, knowing the mileage, etc., it's hard to say exactly what the value might be, but I would agree with the suggestions above that the $2000 to $4000 range is reasonable. It partly depends on how quickly she wants it gone.

I'm assuming that this car has been in the family for many years, so it's not like she's trying to recoup a recent investment. If the goal is conversion of the car to cash, anything she gets for it puts her ahead. The higher the price, the longer it might take to sell. The lower the price, the quicker. It's as simple as that.

 

Shucks, the Illinois license plates are worth more than $500.
That really is a nice looking station wagon. Hope someone here who may be close buys it.

An Englishman would look good driving that wagon in the UK.

 

Worth more than $500...

Where in the UK is "Chicago"? Reference your profile Anglo.

 

to swf Mark.

Sorry to hear you've lost a good friend. Very good of you to help your friend with all this. How recent was you/her loss? Is she able to join in here? Perhaps a member here might be able to give her a few pointers?
The guys are giving you sound advice, that Red Devil looks like it's worth more then $500.00.

We have a classified section here that you can list the Devil for sale. The only suggestion I'm going to make is, check out your prospective buyers carefully. There are some folks who would take that awesome surviving wagon and turn it into a crash up Derby Car and we don't want that do we?

Well good luck with everything, hopefully it will sell fast and painlessly for your friends wife.

 

That wagon is GORGEOUS!!! I would snap it up, had I the cash in hand, right now, without seeing any more, for $1,500, in an instant. If the inside is in good shape, and many summer cars are, because they are not driven in the winter, then this could well be a $4,000 car, easily. Part of that depends on the equipment level of the car. Power windows, etc, add value. But a one owner car, in that shape, is well worth a LOT more than $500. Whoever offered her that amount is trying to rip her off bigtime!

Oh, and it is a Country Sedan, not a Country Squire. Squires had the wood grain, Sedans did not. Aside from that, they were pretty much the same car.

 

Welcome aboard! I have to agree with everyone else and judging from the pictures it should bring you a good bit more than $500. Check around and do a little homework on what they are bringing in her area. Good luck, looks like a nice wagon!

 

For reference, here are a couple recently completed eBay auctions of 73 Ford wagons. I used my phone for the links, so I hope they still open on a PC.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/301071434511?nav=SEARCH

http://m.ebay.com/itm/121262318720?nav=SEARCH